A British Airways Airbus A320 carrying approximately 180 passengers stalled at around 4,000 feet over London while approaching Heathrow Airport on July 6.
The incident prompted a rare physical intervention by the captain and has triggered an investigation.
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The aircraft, operating as Flight BA919 from Düsseldorf, was descending over Canary Wharf when one of its critical air data systems reportedly failed.
This caused a stall, a dangerous loss of lift requiring immediate corrective action to prevent rapid altitude loss.
Initially, the first officer attempted to address the problem. However, the captain had to intervene physically in the cockpit to regain control of the plane.
Sources described the event as "the most serious 'near miss' in the UK in years."
One source noted, "To recover from this position is difficult, especially so low to the ground."
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It was also described as "unheard of for a captain to physically intervene in the cockpit."
The captain is understood to be on stress leave following the event.
Senior insiders suggested the flight narrowly avoided a "hull loss," an aviation term indicating serious damage beyond repair.
Investigation Launched
The incident has been classified as a "Loss of Control In-flight" and "Pilot Induced" event.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has launched a formal investigation into the serious incident.
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British Airways confirmed it is cooperating with the AAIB but declined further comment. The Civil Aviation Authority did not comment on the ongoing review.
