You can contribute by submitting additional or updated information.
| Date: | Friday 25 April 1997 |
| Time: | 15:19 |
| Type: |  Boeing 747-436 |
| Owner/operator: | British Airways |
| Registration: | G-CIVI |
| MSN: | 25814/1079 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1996 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 417 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor, repaired |
| Location: | London-Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL) -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | London-Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL) |
| Boston-Logan International Airport, MA (BOS/KBOS) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The aircraft was departing from Heathrow for Boston when, during the take-off roll, a following
aircraft reported that a panel had fallen from G-CIVI. Take off was continued but during the initial
climb the cabin crew reported damage to the trailing edge flap in the region of No 4 engine. The
Commander consulted with his company maintenance control who advised him (having
identified the panel) to return with No 4 engine at idle and not to use reverse thrust. Fifteen tonnes of fuel was jettisoned and the aircraft landed back at Heathrow without further incident.
Upon inspection it was found that No 4 engine had lost one of its two combustion side fairings (see
diagram) whilst the other was found still partially attached but badly distorted in the Integrated
Nozzle Assembly (INA) which had suffered impact damage from the departing panel, as had the
exhaust corona. The other side fairing was recovered from the runway. The right outboard aft
trailing edge flap had lost a roughly triangular section of honeycomb structure, some 30 centimeter
x 12 centimeter, and the entire trailing edge closing fillet, about 6 meters x 2 centimeter, had been
knocked off. Both the damage to the engine and the flap necessitated their replacement before
further flight.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422f6beed915d13740005f7/dft_avsafety_pdf_500335.pdf
https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/10185085 (Photo)
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 28 August 2013 | G-CIVI | British Airways | 0 | International Airport Irkutsk (IKT/UIII) |  |
unk |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 13-Apr-2025 06:04 | Justanormalperson | Added |
| 13-Apr-2025 06:04 | ASN | Updated [Accident report, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2025 Flight Safety Foundation