British Airways Flight 38

Information
British Airways Flight 38 was a flight from Beijing Capital International Airport to London Heathrow Airport that crashed short of the runway in London.

Pilots
The pilots consisted of Captain Peter Burkill, 43, Senior First Officer John Coward, 41, and First Officer Conor Magenis, 35. The captain had 12,700 total flight hours, with 8,450 in the Boeing 777. The senior first officer had 9,000 total flight hours, with 7,000 in the Boeing 777. The first officer had 5,000 total flight hours, with 1,120 in the Boeing 777.

Background
Flight 38 departed from Beijing at 02:09 Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). It flew over Mongolia, Siberia and Scandinavia, at an altitude which varied between 34,800 and 40,000 ft (FL348–400, between 10,600 and 12,200 m), and in temperatures between −65 °C (−85 °F) and −74 °C (−101 °F). Aware of the cold conditions outside, the crew monitored the temperature of the fuel, with the intention of descending to a lower and warmer level if there was any danger of the fuel freezing. This did not prove necessary, as the fuel temperature never dropped below −34 °C (−29 °F), still well above its freezing point.

Although the fuel itself did not freeze, small quantities of water in the fuel did. Ice adhered to the inside of the fuel lines, probably where they ran through the struts attaching the engines to the wings. This accumulation of ice had no effect on the flight until the final stages of the approach into Heathrow, when increased fuel flow and higher temperatures suddenly released it back into the fuel. This formed a slush of soft ice which flowed forward until it reached the Fuel-Oil Heat Exchangers (FOHEs) where it froze once again, causing a restriction in the flow of fuel to the engines.

The first symptoms of the fuel flow restriction were noticed by the flight crew at 720 feet (220 m) of height and 2 miles (3.2 km) of distance from touchdown, when the engines repeatedly failed to respond to a demand for increased thrust from the autothrottle. In attempting to maintain the instrument landing system (ILS) glide slope, the autopilot sacrificed speed, which reduced to 108 knots (200 km/h) at 200 feet (61 m). The autopilot disconnected at 150 feet (46 m), as the co-pilot took manual control. Meanwhile, the captain reduced the flap setting from 30 degrees to 25 degrees to decrease the drag on the aircraft and stretch the glide.

At 12:42, the 777 passed just above traffic on the A30 and the airport's Southern Perimeter road and landed on the grass approximately 270 metres (890 ft) short of runway 27L. The captain declared an emergency to air traffic control a few seconds before landing. The decision to raise the flaps had a direct consequence in allowing the aircraft to safely fly over the A30 without crashing into the busy route.

During the impact and short ground roll, the nose gear collapsed, the right main gear separated from the aircraft, penetrating the central fuel tank and cabin space, and the left main gear was pushed up through the wing. The aircraft came to rest on the threshold markings at the start of the runway. A significant amount of fuel leaked, but there was no fire. Four crew members and eight passengers received minor injuries, and one passenger received serious injuries, having a concussion and a broken leg.