Peter Burkill, the captain of a British Airways Boeing 777 that crashed short of the runway at Heathrow with no fatalities in 2008, is now back at his old job. Burkill left the airline citing difficulties with co-workers after the accident. Investigators ultimately blamed the crash on ice that formed in the aircraft’s fuel lines and determined Burkill’s actions had extended the aircraft’s glide, perhaps helping it miss buildings and structures near the airport’s perimeter. But shortly after the crash and before the investigation was complete, Burkill said he faced coworkers who’d been told by their trainers that he’d frozen at the controls and that that environment ultimately led him to quit. AVweb‘s Glenn Pew conducted podcast interviews with Burkill about the crash and the aftermath, and those are still available online. Burkill’s blog about his experience soon won’t be.
After leaving British Airways, Burkill says that job offers from other companies fell through and he soon found himself, a married man with three children, on welfare. He wrote a book about his experience and sold it online, where he also shared his story. Now, Burkill says, “As a British Airways employee, I will comply with British Airways rules on Social Media interaction and for this reason I will shortly be closing down my website and blog.” It’s not clear what will become of his book. As for British Airways, “Mr. Burkill was not forced out. He was among a number of pilots who took voluntary redundancy but we are now taking him back again.” According to the airline, upon his return, “He will be a captain and he will fly Boeing 777s.”
