Institution responds to British Airways jet fire

The Institution’s Dr Colin Brown says it’s too early to make conclusions on how the British Airways plane caught fire

Dr Colin Brown, Director of Engineering at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said in response to the fire on BA2276:

“The immediate focus will be to look after the customers who were on the flight due to travel to London Gatwick Airport. Thankfully the evacuation process was swift and injuries were kept to a minimum.

“It is still too early to have a full set of answers. We will have to wait for a full investigation. How long this will take remains to be seen but safety recommendations can be issued in the interim.

“Early suggestions are that an engine failure was the cause of the flames but it would be wrong to speculate. We must wait for a full diagnostic before jumping to any conclusions.

“Normally air travel is one of the safest forms of transport and the lack of accidents back this up. Regular maintenance of these aircrafts occur to ensure safety and airworthiness.”