Midland pilot given airline's highest honour

Jul 9 2008

THE Midland pilot who crash-landed his plane at Heathrow airport earlier this year has been awarded the airline’s highest honour - the British Airways Safety Medal.

Only awarded three times before, the medal also went to two of Captain Peter Burkill’s flight crew and 13 cabin crew of the Boeing 777 which landed short of the runway in January.

Those who received the medal included Worcester skipper Captain Peter Burkill and his co-pilot John Coward.

The brave pair managed to get the plane down and ensure that all 136 passengers survived the crash landing after the aircraft mechanisms failed to give the engines the necessary extra thrust.

The medal recognises exceptional achievement by BA staff.

Airline chief executive Willie Walsh said: “The crew demonstrated incredible professionalism, first in landing the aircraft safely and then evacuating all the passengers with only a few minor injuries sustained. The whole of BA is extremely proud of them.”

Capt Burkill said: “It is a great privilege for us to receive the BA Safety Medal. We are extremely honoured to be added to the list of the very few people who have received this award.

“The training we undergo at BA is second to none. During the events of January 17 these skills kicked in, as we did everything we could to ensure the safety of our passengers.”

Air accident investigators have issued a series of interim reports into the crash but it is expected to be some time before their final report is published.