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Mayday (2003)

S10E2 The Heathrow Enigma (British Airways Flight 38)

Mar 07, 2011 Season 10 Episode 2 Documentary, Drama, Crime

On January 17, 2008, British Airways Flight 38 is nearing its landing when an unexpected increase in thrust is commanded by the autothrottles, but the engines remain unresponsive and stuck at idle. In a bid to gain altitude, the captain deploys an additional notch of flaps, but the aircraft ultimately crash-lands just before reaching the runway. Miraculously, there are no fatalities. Investigations later reveal that ice crystals had formed, obstructing fuel flow to both engines due to blockages in the fuel-oil heat exchangers.