Replies

And I was under the impression that "inflight" meant at cruising altitude...not during take off with stuff showering down on the ramp workers.

"Inflight" means anything past V2. And where do you get his "stuff showering down on the ramp workers" nonsense?

Well, since BA initially said they were at altitude when the failure occured, and not during takeoff, I am sure the FAA is looking to investigate the contridiction in statements.

If BA doesn't want to land at LAX anymore, be my guest. Emirates Air will take their space.

Sorry, but when they roll an ALERT 3 at LAX, there is concern...

But the controller handling the Boeing 747 after it took off from LAX said that the pilot told him that airline officials instructed him to continue on to London's Heathrow International Airport or as far as he could get on three engines, according to Anthony Vella, National Air Traffic Controllers Association representative at a radar facility north of San Diego that handles low altitude airplanes near airports.

The controller inferred from the pilot's demeanor and tone of voice that he disagreed with the decision, Vella said.

"The controller felt the pilot was not happy with the decision but followed company guidance," he said.

The veteran controller who was handling the 747 as it departed from LAX said he has never seen a plane continue on to its destination after blowing an engine on takeoff. Every other time, the aircraft has returned to LAX, he said.

Elliot Brann, the LAX controller who was handling the plane as it roared down the runway at 8:45 p.m., said flames began shooting from the engine when the aircraft was about three-quarters of the way into its takeoff roll. When it was just past the shoreline, a huge ball of bright orange flame erupted from the engine.

"I thought it blew up, I really did," said Brann, who is the regional runway safety representative for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. "It was pretty frightening."

The LAX control tower called out fire engines, expecting the pilot would soon return to the airport. Brann said he has witnessed five or six engine blowouts in his 17 years at L.A. Tower, and pilots opted to return each time. Controllers were shocked when they learned that the plane was proceeding to its destination.

"We were saying, you've got to be kidding," Brann said. "How they continued on, I don't know."

The pilot made two large circles over Santa Monica Bay while conferring by radio with British Airways technicians in London before deciding to continue on his trip, according to airline officials.

http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/articles/1337802.html