British Airways BA295 live: Flight to Chicago drops 28,000ft in mid-air emergency

British Airways BA295 live: Flight to Chicago drops 28,000ft in mid-air emergency British Airways flight BA295 from London Heathrow to Chicago made a U-turn above Ireland after issuing an emergency alert, dropping rapidly to just 9,000ft A British Airways flight was diverted back to the UK just an hour into its journey to Chicago. The British Airways Flight BA295 declared an emergency in mid-air following a sudden and steep descent over Ireland. The Boeing 777-200ER plane departed from London Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 at 11.50am, with a scheduled flight time of eight hours and 40 minutes to Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD). About an hour after take-off, the aircraft had climbed to its cruising altitude of 37,000 feet when it appeared to encounter an issue and declared an emergency. Flight-tracking data shows the aircraft descended rapidly from cruising altitude to around 9,000 feet. The plane burned fuel over the Bristol Channel before touching down at Heathrow again at around 5pm. British Airways said the plane turned around after a "technical issue". Were you on board BA295? Share your experience with [email protected]. Key Events BA295 was in the air for roughly five hours BA295 departed London Heathrow at 11.50am, with a scheduled flight time of eight hours and 40 minutes to Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD). The plane declared an emergency over Ireland about one hour into its journey. After burning fuel in a holding pattern over the Bristol Channel, it landed back at Heathrow at around 5pm. Footage shows landing Footage shared on social media shows the moment British Airways BA295 came in to land at Heathrow airport after almost five hours in the air. 'Pilots returned to Heathrow following a technical issue' - British Airways British Airways has issued a statement to the Mirror on today's events. A spokesperson for the airline said: “The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority, and the aircraft landed safely after our highly-trained pilots returned to Heathrow following a technical issue. "Customers disembarked the aircraft normally and our teams are working to get their travel plans back on track as quickly as possible.” Images show oxygen masks deployed Images purportedly taken inside the aircraft appear to show oxygen masks hanging from the ceiling being worn by passengers. A controlled rapid descent, like the one made by the Boeing 777 before it signalled a mid-air emergency, is often a sign of a cabin depressurisation event. The Mirror has approached British Airways and Heathrow for further details. Pictures show plane landing safely Images from live streams at Heathrow show BA295 landing safely following a mid-air emergency over Ireland about an hour into its scheduled journey to Chicago. The plane was forced to abandon its route and circle over the Bristol Channel, burning fuel after dropping 28,000 feet, before returning to Heathrow this afternoon. Flight BA295 has landed Tracking data from Flightradar24 shows the BA flight has landed at Heathrow. The Mirror has contacted the airport and BA for comment. Flight BA295 on final approach to Heathrow Flight BA295 is about to land at Heathrow after a dramatic mid-air incident saw the plane lose around 28,000 feet of altitude and signal a mid-air emergency. Live stream from Heathrow as plane lands British Airways Flight BA295 is now over London, having successfully burned 30T of fuel over the Bristol Channel. Below is a livestream of Heathrow Airport, where the plane will shortly be landing. Sudden descent could be due to 'depressurisation event' British Airways Flight BA295, operated by a Boeing 777-200ER registered as G-VIIA - the oldest plane in the BA fleet - dropped 28,000 feet in a matter of minutes. The plane reached its normal cruising altitude of 37,000 feet before dropping sharply to an altitude of 9,000 feet approximately one hour after departure. The flight crew issued a squawk 7700 code - the international aviation signal for a general emergency - shortly after beginning the steep descent. The standard protocol for controlled rapid descents to lower altitudes (typically below 10,000 feet) often indicates a cabin depressurisation event, according to AirLive.net Flight changes course Flight tracking data shows the passenger jet has now changed course and is headed east towards Heathrow. The jet had previously been flying back and forth over the Bristol Channel in an attempt to burn enough fuel so it could land safely. Flight being followed by 26,000 people The plane is currently flying back and forth between the north coast of Devon and south-west Wales in order to burn fuel so it is light enough to land. It is currently the most tracked flight worldwide on the website flightradar24, with more than 26,000 people following its progress. Plane burning fuel in holding pattern In order to burn more fuel and reduce weight, the crew will lower the landing gear while flying in the holding pattern. This is because the aircraft was designed to land after a long flight during which it would have burned most of its fuel. Planes take off much heavier than they can land, and airliners must burn or dump fuel before an emergency landing to reduce the aircraft's total weight to the safe maximum landing weight. Landing while carrying too much weight runs the risk of extreme physical stress on the landing gear, wings and fuselage. Plane is oldest in British Airways fleet British Airways Flight BA295 is operated by a 30 year-old Boeing 777-200ER registered as G-VIIA. According to simpleflying.com, G-VIIA is the oldest aircraft in the British Airways fleet, having been delivered to the airline in July 1997. It was also the first ever 777-200ER to roll off the production line. The carrier operates 43 Boeing 777-200ERs delivered between February 1997 and July 2009, with an average age of around 26 years. The long-haul twin-jet aircraft is returning to London Heathrow after a rapid descent from its normal cruising altitude of 37,000 feet to an altitude of 9,000 feet within minutes. Flight returning to London Heathrow BA flight BA295 is now returning to London Heathrow. It comes after the crew issued a squawk 7700 code - the international aviation signal for a general emergency. Plane made 'sudden and steep' 28,000ft descent over Ireland The Boeing 777-200ER plane is said to have made a "sudden and steep descent" while flying over Ireland this afternoon. Air traffic tracking data shows the twin-jet initiated a rapid descent, dropping 28,000 feet to an altitude of 9,000 feet within minutes. The plane remains airborne over central Ireland and continuing straight ahead while the flight crew coordinates with air traffic control, according to AirLive. The nature of the emergency is not yet clear. Flight tracker shows plane making U-turn BA Flight BA295 declared an emergency and made a U-turn over Ireland at around 12:50pm following a sudden and steep descent, according to flight-tracking data. The plane was around an hour into its scheduled flight time of 8 hours and 40 minutes to Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD). It descended rapidly from cruising altitude to around 9,000 feet while over Ireland, according to flightradar24.