Stories

Fri, 31 Jul 2026

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 Passenger on British Airways mayday flight describes fear and shout of 'I don't want to die'

Edward Killiwick was on the flight that issued a distress call, before it landed safely at Heathrow earlier this month.

* A British Airways flight issued a distress call on approach to Heathrow Airport earlier this month and was forced to make an emergency landing.
* Passenger Edward Killiwick described the rising fear in the cabin and lack of information from the crew as the plane made a "violent manoeuvre" to avoid another aircraft.
* The pilot had aborted the initial landing and took the plane into a holding pattern for 15 minutes, sparking panic among passengers.
* A data system failure triggered a stall warning at 3,000 feet, prompting the crew to switch to "alternate law", which removed some automated flight protection systems.
* The urgency call was upgraded to mayday, indicating imminent danger, and several fire trucks and police cars were on the tarmac when the plane landed safely.
* Passenger Edward described the atmosphere as "very quiet" and said many people were scared, including one woman who became hysterical.
* British Airways is assisting in the investigation into the incident with the UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).