British Airways Action Attracts FAA Questions

L.A.-London Flight Used Only 3 Engines

The Federal Aviation Administration said it is questioning British officials about a British Airways jet that headed for London's Heathrow airport from Los Angeles with only three of its four engines in operation.

After an engine failed shortly after takeoff, the flight crew decided to continue to London but had to make an emergency landing in Manchester, England.

U.S. aviation safety officials said the decision not to put the aircraft down for repair raises concern about the potential impact of a new European Union law that requires European carriers to reimburse passengers for substantial delays. U.S. officials said they have no evidence that British Airways was influenced by the regulation, but many pilots for U.S. carriers said their airline would never have approved such a move.

"We're concerned and we're going to communicate with the [British] civil aviation authorities and ask what they're doing to follow up on this," said FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown.

Flight 268 departed Los Angeles International Airport on a rainy evening Feb. 19 with 351 passengers on board. Shortly after takeoff, the Boeing 747 experienced a power surge in its No. 2 engine, causing a loud noise. Los Angeles area residents called the airport to report seeing sparks from the plane and hearing loud pops, according to the airport.

The pilots decided to shut down the engine. For nearly 20 minutes, the plane circled over the Pacific as the flight crew consulted with airline engineers in London about what to do next.

The pilots, according to aviation safety experts, had several choices: They could return immediately to Los Angeles International, but they would need to dump fuel over the ocean first because the plane would have been too heavy to land. They could continue on to another major airport, such as O'Hare International Airport in Chicago or New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, where the carrier has a major presence, so mechanics could look at the engine. Or the crew could continue on for 11 hours to Heathrow.

British Airways said the flight crew, in close cooperation with the airline engineers in London, chose the last option.

Over the Atlantic, the plane encountered stronger headwinds than the crew expected, which burned fuel at a faster rate than normal.

Running low on fuel near the end of the flight, the captain put out a Mayday distress call and diverted to Manchester airport because the aircraft could not make it to Heathrow. The plane landed safely and was met by several firetrucks and emergency response teams, the airline said.

British Airways spokesman John Lampl said passengers were in no danger at any time and said the carrier supported the flight crew's decision.

"If there were any kind of danger or threat to safety of the airplane, we would have landed right away," Lampl said. Britain's Aircraft Accident Investigation Board is investigating the incident, he said. Lampl said the decision to continue with a flight despite the loss of one of four engines "happens infrequently."

Many aviation safety experts say that airplane engines perform so well today that there is very little safety risk in flying with three instead of four.

"It is certainly not commonplace to have a four-engine airplane go intercontinental on three engines," said John Cox, former chief of safety for the Air Line Pilots Association.