Flew From LAX To England On Three Engines

Do you remember the British Airways flight crew that decided to press on across the pond, despite losing one of their 747's four engines just after takeoff from LAX in February 2005? The incident spurred bitter criticisms from armchair pilots throughout the world... and they may have had a point.

The official report, released this week by Britain's Air Accidents Investigation Branch, says the flight crew did not have the proper training on the aircraft's fuel system to conduct the flight with only three engines operating.

In fact, it was that lack of training -- and not any inherent danger to running the 747 on three engines -- that the AAIB says caused the pilots to later declare an emergency, and divert to Manchester for an uneventful landing.

The three-person flight crew had difficulties, the AAIB said, in balancing the fuel load between the jet's four main fuel tanks as the plane sped to England... and they believed the fuel in one tank may have been unusable.

The AAIB said British Airways' policy allowed the flight to continue (and it's worth mentioning again the plane did land absolutely safe in Manchester), but those guidelines should be reviewed, the branch said, as should the airline's training procedures for engine-out flight management.

FMI: www.britishairways.com, www.aaib.dft.gov.uk/home/index.cfm