More details on British airways plane explosion surface

Pilot one week from retirement

The Daily Mail reported British Airways Boeing 777 burst into flames as it accelerated down the runway in Las Vegas on Tuesday. Although investigations may take up to a year, sources said the fire likely originated on the underside of one of the wings and spread when fire extinguishers failed to work. 

MUNTINLUPA, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - The plane's pilot was commended for his skill in stopping the plane only nine seconds after the fire erupted and for managing to keep calm while radioing for help.

Bound for Gatwick, the plane reportedly started burning as it prepared to take off from McCarran International Airport. There was a "huge explosion," which prompted Pilot Chris Henkey to drive down back to the runway.

Through recently released close-up photos of the Boeing 777, it appeared that the fire started at the underside of the wing and nearby fuselage. The area was observed to be badly burned while the metal covering one side of the engine appears to have been blown outwards, spraying shrapnel during the explosion.

One hundred and seventy passengers and the plane's crew of BA Flight 2276 were all endangered by the accident which escalated when the fire suppression system failed. 

According to The Daily Mail, a source close to the investigation said "at some point" the fire indication light turned on but the fire extinguishers did nothing. Experts believe the accident was likely due to an engine explosion during takeoff, despite the BA's statement that a "technical issue" caused the fire.

"The engine really just exploded. After they put the fire out, you could see how clearly that fire came to almost penetrating into the cabin," said aviation consultant for ABC News, Col. Steve Ganyard. 

There were no casualties reported but fourteen people from the aircraft were treated at a hospital due to smoke inhalation and minor injuries as they fled the heated cabin through the emergency slides. 

Pilot Henkey was considered a hero that day, managing to radio the fire and explosion calmly and stopping the plane takeoff just in time. His voice was calm and clear when he called the radio tower, saying, "Mayday, Mayday, Speedbird 2276 request fire services. We are evacuating on the runway, we have a fire, I repeat, we are evacuating."

Henkey's quick thinking saved lives in the incident that occurred only one week before his retirement. His long-term girlfriend Lenka Nevolna spoke out to describe her pride and announced they were recently engaged. 

The Boeing 777 is a safe aircraft, second only to the Airbus A340 which has never had an accident. A spokesman for Boeing said, "Based on the engine fleet's service history, we are not aware of any operational issues that would hazard the continued safe flight of aircraft powered by these engines."

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