British Airways A320 near loss of control over London

A British Airways passenger jet came within seconds of a catastrophic loss of control over London earlier this month, prompting a rare physical intervention by the captain to avert disaster, according to aviation sources. The incident, involving Flight BA919 from Düsseldorf to London Heathrow, occurred on July 6 as the Airbus A320 was approximately 4,000 feet above the Canary Wharf district.

The chain of events began when one of the aircraft's critical air data systems failed during its approach to Heathrow. This failure triggered a stall, a dangerous condition where the aircraft loses lift and altitude. Sources described the situation as escalating rapidly, with the aircraft entering a dangerous descent. The first officer's initial attempt to correct the problem reportedly failed, forcing the captain to physically intervene and override the controls to stabilize the aircraft.

Aviation insiders characterized the event as one of the most serious near misses in UK aviation in recent years. One source emphasized the severity of recovering from such a position at low altitude, stating it is unheard of for a captain to physically intervene in the cockpit. Senior figures warned the...