Jumbo door fault at 21,000 feet

Jumbo door fault at 21,000 feet

Alarmed cabin crew persuaded a British Airways captain to return to Gatwick airport after a faulty door on a jumbo jet started to move towards the open position at 21,000ft, it was revealed today.

Cabin crew members had to hold on to the door handle as the captain guided the Boeing 747, with 306 passengers on board, safely back, an Air Accidents Investigation Branch report said.

The flight crew knew there was a problem with the door but engineers had cleared it before the flight on 2 November, 1996. But the door handle was seen to rotate after take-off and cabin crew struggled to keep it in the closed position. The aircraft dumped 46 tonnes of fuel and landed safely. BA said yesterday: "At no time were any passengers or crew in any danger and the inherent design of the door prevents its opening in flight."