British Airways flight comes close to 'nosediving' over London

A British Airways jet was “seconds from disaster” over London earlier in July after it was stalled 4,000 feet above the city. The situation was so scary that it is being described as the "most serious near miss in the UK in years". The error had to be rectified by the captain, who physically intervened to avert a major disaster. The Airbus A320 from Dusseldorf was on its approach to Heathrow on July 6 when the pilot botched the landing. The first officer tried to fix the issue, but the captain ultimately saved the day.

Reports claim that one of the plane's air data systems failed, after which the British Airways aircraft stalled. This system tracks critical flight information such as airspeed, while stalling means loss of altitude and control. In this situation, the engine does not stop, and the wings lift so much that the weight of the plane is no longer supported. This puts the aircraft at risk of plunging into a nosedive.

In the aviation industry, cases where a captain had to physically step in to help fix a potential issue are unheard of. The grave situation could have led to "hull loss" where an aircraft is destroyed or seriously damaged. The incident is being described as “Loss of Control In-flight” and “Pilot Induced”. The Captain has reportedly been put on stress leave. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch has launched an investigation, The Sun reported.