British Airways Flight Declares Emergency After 28,000-Foot Descent

A British Airways flight from London to Chicago was forced to turn back after a sudden and steep descent of 28,000 feet over Ireland. Flight BA295, a Boeing 777-200ER, had departed London Heathrow at 12:14 pm on Monday for its scheduled transatlantic journey when a technical issue arose about an hour into the flight, prompting the deployment of oxygen masks.

Passengers reported encountering turbulence before the masks dropped, leading to uncertainty on board. The plane descended rapidly to below 10,000 feet, and the pilots issued a 7700 emergency squawk to air traffic control. The aircraft then made a U-turn and returned to Heathrow, where it landed safely just after 5 pm.

One passenger, Tom Nicholls, described the descent as not overly uncomfortable and praised the pilots' handling of the situation. He noted that the oxygen masks were deployed but later deemed unnecessary as the plane descended below 10,000 feet. British Airways confirmed the safety of all passengers and crew, stating that the aircraft landed safely after returning to Heathrow due to a technical issue.

The Boeing 777-200ER involved in the incident is one of British Airways' oldest planes, having been delivered to the carrier in July 1997. The official cause of the emergency has not yet been confirmed by the airline, though a rapid descent and emergency squawk are typically associated with cabin depressurization.