It has been almost 40 years since a fatal plane crash on British soil. These were the closest calls

It has been described as the “most serious near miss” when it comes to air incidents over British soil. On July 6 this year, a British AirwaysAirbus A320 was approaching Heathrow Airport on a flight from Düsseldorf, when the plane came close to stalling – a dangerous loss of lift from the wings that can lead to a crash if not corrected.

While the flight (BA919) is now under investigation by aviation authorities, the initial reports give some idea of how dramatic it was. According to one eyewitness, some passengers anticipated a disaster after they felt a “violent manoeuvre” as the plane lost speed. At that point, the captain reportedly grabbed the controls from the first officer in order to recover the situation.

Decades of advances in aircraft technology and flight-safety protocols mean that serious accidents are vanishingly rare these days. Indeed, the last fatal crash of a commercial passenger jet on British soil was the Kegworth air disaster back in 1989. In the 37 years since then, though, there have been a handful of near misses, some of which have provided important lessons for aviation safety professionals.

Flight BY3894 stalls at Bournemouth Airport (September 2007)

While BA919 has made headlines, incidents of planes stalling on approach to airports aren’t entirely unknown. When it comes to British airports, one notable incident occurred almost 20 years ago, when a Boeing 737 operated by the now-defunct carrier Thomsonfly stalled on its approach to Bournemouth Airport.

The plane, which had been carrying 132 holidaymakers back from Portugal, originally ran into problems when it lost use of its auto-throttle – an automated system which allows pilots to control the speed without pulling levers. With the pilots unaware of the problem, the aircraft’s speed decreased rapidly, prompting the captain to attempt a “go around” – a standard procedure in which the aircraft climbs away before making a second attempt at landing.

The severe lack of speed meant that, as the captain positioned the plane to ascend, its nose pitched up further than expected, pushing the plane into a perilous position. Had the pilot not been able to take manual control, it could have plummeted to the ground.

“This was one of several serious ‘loss of control in-flight’ (LOC-I) events that led regulators to identify this risk as a major issue for flight safety,” says Andrew McKechnie, an aviation safety expert and founder of McKechnie Aviation. Indeed, a similar event in February 2009 saw a Turkish Airlines plane crash on landing at Amsterdam Airport, resulting in nine fatalities and many more injuries.

“Pilots now have specific practical and theoretical training on how to avoid these kinds of ‘aircraft upset’ incidents and how to recover the plane when they do occur,” says Mr McKechnie. At the same time, he adds, aircraft manufacturers have revised their own guidance and procedures, while the flight simulators used in pilot training now have specific scenarios focused on this exact risk.

Flight W5411 narrowly clears runway (April 2025)

A Wizz Air flight (operated by a now-defunct charter airline called Ascend Airways) raised eyebrows when a bombshell report from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch recently revealed just how close it had come to disaster.

The Greece-bound flight was due to take off from Luton Airport carrying some 162 passengers back in spring 2025. As part of the pre-take-off procedure, the pilots had made their calculations for take-off (known as the V-speeds), taking account of the weather and positioning as usual. At some point, though, the plane changed its position on the runway, and the pilots failed to adjust those numbers.

As a result, the plane’s thrust was well below the level that would have been required for the shorter take-off run, with the plane leaving the ground just moments before reaching the end of the tarmac. Indeed, an analysis of FlightRadar24 data suggested that the plane – a Boeing 737 Max – could have been just two seconds from disaster.

Photos of the incident show the plane flying at just 13ft as it left the runway – just over one third of the minimum height (35ft) required to ensure the plane can safely clear any buildings around the airport.

Flight TOM1526 miscalculates take-off (July 2017)

Wizz Air’s W5411 isn’t the only example of miscalculations risking a serious incident during take-off. Back in 2017, a Thomson Airways Boeing 737 (operated by the former Canadian airline Sunwing) had a close shave when taking off from Belfast International Airport on a flight to Corfu.

On this occasion, the pilots had entered the wrong air temperature into the flight management computer, meaning that the resulting speed calculations were insufficient for a safe take-off. The plane did manage to get airborne, though the error meant it ended up striking one of the approach lights at the far end of the runway as it did so.

The plane then flew as low as 800ft (well below the safe level) for two miles before the pilots eventually realised and rapidly increased the thrust. A report from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch found that it was only due to the lack of obstacles and buildings around the airport that catastrophe was avoided.

“The air temperature in Belfast that day was 16C, but the pilots entered -52 in the FMC,” says Mr McKechnie. “This sounds like a big mistake, but -52 is a typical temperature at cruising altitude.” The pilots, he says, most likely put the temperature in the wrong box. However, the airline’s deficient safety protocols meant that this was not checked as thoroughly as it should have been.

Near collision between two planes over Glasgow (June 2013)

The prospect of passenger planes colliding remains one of the most terrifying prospects in aviation, even if major incidents are very rare.

That said, near misses crop up from time to time, such as when a report from the UK Airprox Board revealed that two Boeing 747s had come close to colliding while flying over Scotland back in 2013. The perilous situation occurred when both sets of pilots confused air traffic control instructions that were actually meant for the other plane.

As a result, the two planes ended up just three miles apart horizontally, with around 100ft of altitude between, and pointing towards each other. Disaster was averted when the two crews spotted each other on radar and changed course.

Near collision between two planes over London (July 2009)

Having several airports in the same city requires careful coordination when it comes to air traffic control. But even with the most intricate planning, there remains a danger that human error will complicate matters.

Such an incident occurred back in 2009 when a six-seater business jet taking off from London City Airport misinterpreted its ATC instructions, with the pilot climbing some 1,000ft above the approved take-off height. As a result, the plane flew dangerously close to a larger Boeing 777 coming in to land at Heathrow.

To prevent these kinds of mistakes from happening, pilots must “read back” any important instructions from ATC. On this occasion, though, the controller failed to pick up on the mistake when it was repeated back to them by the pilot. Compounding the problem, the Boeing 777 (flown by Turkish Airlines) failed to follow warnings from its Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System. The planes passed only half a mile from one another at altitudes of less than 200ft apart.

“Since this event, air traffic control at all London airports put great emphasis on checking that pilots understand the cleared levels on departure. Warnings are included on routine weather reports, which can become quite boring,” says Mr McKechnie.

[Source: Daily Telegraph]