UK investigators cite lack of engine response during BA 777's descent

UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch said its initial findings on last Thursday's British Airways 777-200ER crash landing at London Heathrow revealed that the two Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engines did not respond to attempts to increase thrust during the aircraft's descent.

The agency's "initial report" released Friday said interviews and flight data recorder analyses "show the flight and approach to have progressed normally until" the aircraft was "approximately 600 ft. and 2 miles from touchdown," at which point "the autothrottle demanded an increase in thrust from the two engines but the engines did not respond. Following further demands for the increased thrust from the autothrottle, and subsequently the flight crew moving the throttle levers, the engines similarly failed to respond."

AAIB added that the 777's "speed reduced" as a result of the nonresponsive engines and it landed short of the paved runway, sustaining "substantial" damage. The agency said it now is focused on "examining the range of aircraft systems that could influence engine operation."

The report also revealed that following the rough touchdown, "the right main landing gear separated from the wing and the left main landing gear was pushed through the wing root." In addition, "a significant amount of fuel leaked from the aircraft" following the landing, the report said, squelching speculation that the 777 en route from Beijing ran out of fuel.

AAIB said Boeing and Rolls are assisting with the investigation into the first crash involving a 777 (ATWOnline, Jan. 18). The agency said that four crew and eight passengers sustained minor injuries while one passenger suffered a "serious" injury, which press reports identified as a broken leg.