Air controllers amazed as BA pilot flies despite fire

The Guardian
Air traffic controllers monitoring a British Airways jumbo jet were stunned at the pilot's decision to try to "get as far as we can" after an engine caught fire on takeoff, a transcript of discussions between the plane and the control tower revealed.

The controllers in Los Angeles expected the four-engine Boeing 747 to turn around but, after taking advice from BA's operations base, the pilot carried on towards London. He told air traffic control: "We just decided we want to set off on our flight-plan route and get as far as we can."

He was allowed on his way, but an air traffic controller who had seen the flames coming from the engine told a colleague: "If you would have saw what we saw out the window, you'd be amazed at that."

He probably wanted to get as far away as possible from their bad grammar!