The engineer had been working on the aircraft at the time
An engineer is reportedly in a critical condition after falling 20ft from a British Airways jet at a UK airport. The worker, who fell onto concrete, is currently in a “serious” condition in hospital.
It’s understood that the incident occurred while he was inspecting the auxiliary power unit on the tail of a jet parked in a hangar at BA’s Engineering Base at Heathrow Airport.
Emergency services were alerted to the accident just past 2am on Sunday, and paramedics treated the man at the scene before rushing him to a major trauma centre as a “priority”. The London Ambulance Service confirmed to the Mirror: “We were called at 2.07am on Sunday 7 December to reports of an incident on Vanguard Way, Heathrow Airport.”
The statement added: “We sent resources to the scene including an ambulance crew, an advanced paramedic and an incident response officer. We also dispatched a trauma team in a car from London’s Air Ambulance. Our first paramedics arrived on scene in approximately four minutes. We treated a man at the scene and took him to a major trauma centre as a priority.”
According to a source, the incident has left fellow workers in shock as the engineer fell during a routine inspection. The engineer was said to be “trusted”, with an investigation now reportedly opened to determine how the fall could have occurred, reports the Mirror.
They told The Sun: “This type of accident is incredibly rare and has sent shockwaves through the BA community. The mechanic was assessing the safety of a jet in a routine inspection when he suddenly fell at least 20ft onto concrete.”
They added: “He was a trusted engineer with an impeccable background and an investigation will establish how this could have happened. It really didn’t look good and everyone is saying their prayers for him.”
A spokesperson for British Airways shared with The Mirror: “Our thoughts are with our colleague and we’re supporting them, their family and their colleagues. Safety is always our highest priority and we’re assisting the authorities with their enquiries.”
Both British Airways and the Health and Safety Executive have launched separate investigations into the incident. A representative from HSE stated: “We are aware and making enquiries”.
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