BA plane targeted by Navy battleship
29.06.08
A British Airways plane was in danger of being shot down when it dived towards a foreign warship in an emergency, the People reports.
The Airbus A319 had to make a rapid descent when it lost cabin pressure. However, officers on the Dutch ship off the coast of Scotland ordered battle stations as their anti-attack radar picked up a mystery aircraft hurtling towards them at 400 mph.
The newspaper reports that the more than 100 passengers on board pulling on oxygen masks on Flight 784 from Heathrow to Stockholm had no idea they were plunging into range of the vessel's guns. However, 'disaster was averted when the Dutch radioed a warning for the pilot to identify his aircraft.' The BA captain replied instantly and diverted back to Heathrow where he landed safely.
An aviation source told The People: ‘The BA pilot had to descend immediately to avoid those on board suffering oxygen starvation. It was chance that it took the aircraft towards the ship. Nobody is to blame - quite the opposite. The Dutch officers and BA flight crew followed procedures to the letter - there should be pats on the back all round.'
A BA spokesman confirmed the flight returned ‘with minor pressurisation problems’ but refused to confirm the incident with the warship.
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