Passenger jet bound for US plunges 27,000 feet before circling for hours

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A plane bound for the U.S.experienced a dramatic change in altitude shortly after taking off from London before spending hours circling in the air.

The British Airways flightwas traveling from London Heathrow Airport to Chicago on Monday when the Boeing 777 descended roughly 27,000 feet, reaching an altitude of about 9,000 feet, according to reports.

�technical issue.”

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“The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority, and the aircraft landed safely after our highly-trained pilots returned to Heathrow following a technical issue,” the spokesperson said.

“Customers disembarked the aircraft normally and our teams worked to get their travel plans back on track as quickly as possible,” the British Airways spokesperson said.

A passenger jet bound for the U.S.experienced a dramatic change in altitude shortly after taking off from London before spending hours circling in the air.(Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)

FlightAware, a flight-tracking website, showed the aircraft turning back toward London but remaining airborne for several more hours.

It circledover Englandbefore eventually returning to Heathrow.

Matthew “Whiz” Buckley of Florida, a retired U.S.

Buckley said getting the aircraft below 10,000 feet would eliminate the need forsupplemental oxygenif cabin pressure had been lost.

Interior of a commercial airplane cabin with passengers seated during a flight.

The aircraft landed safely at London Heathrow Airport following a technical issue.(iStock)

“They did everything by the book,” Buckley said.“It sounds like everything worked as advertised.”

For passengers, however, the sharper descent can be an unsettling experience — particularly ifoxygen maskswere deployed.

“If you’re just used to regular boring airline flights, this one’s gonna get your attention,” Buckley said.“It’s a roller-coaster ride.”

The aircraft’s hours of circlingafter turning back also raised questions about why it did not immediately land.

British Airways Airbus A320 airplane at London Heathrow airport.

For passengers, a sharper descent could have been an unsettling experience, particularly if oxygen masks were deployed, experts say.(iStock)

Buckley said a plane beginning a transatlantic flight would be carrying a significant amount of fuel and might need to reduce its weight before returning to the runway.

If fuel could not be dumped, he said, the aircraft could remain airborne and circle while burning enough fuel to reach an appropriate landing weight.

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“You cannot land heavy,” Buckley said, explaining that the additional weight can put greater strain on the aircraft’s landing gear and brakes.

Pilots facing an in-flight problem have to assess the aircraft’s condition and determinethe safest course of actionbefore returning to the ground, Buckley added.