Stories
British Airways flight from London to Chicago plummets from 37,000 feet, makes emergency landing
- •British Airways flight BA295 en route to Chicago suffered a mid-air emergency over Irish airspace.
- •The Boeing 777-200ER rapidly dropped in altitude from 37,000 feet down to about 9,000 feet.
- •The pilot activated the 7700 squawk code to signal a general emergency to Air Traffic Control.
- •The aircraft was successfully diverted and made a safe emergency landing back at London Heathrow Airport.
- •The exact cause behind the sudden altitude drop and emergency declaration remains unclear.
Key Questions Answered
British Airways flight BA295, traveling from London to Chicago, experienced a mid-air emergency while passing through Irish airspace. The Boeing 777-200ER rapidly dropped in altitude from 37,000 feet to about 9,000 feet, activated the 7700 general emergency code, and was safely diverted back to London's Heathrow Airport.
The 7700 code is a general emergency code used for an aircraft. When entered into the transponder by a pilot, it alerts Air Traffic Control that a serious problem has occurred and immediate assistance may be needed, though it does not indicate a hijacking.
Aviation primarily uses three important emergency squawk codes: 7700 for a general emergency, 7600 for a radio communication failure, and 7500 for a hijacking or suspected unlawful interference.
