我想問要一d災難

The co-pilot who averted disaster by safely landing his stricken plane at London Heathrow Airport told the Mail on Sunday newspaper he feared a "major catastrophe".



John Coward, 41, who was at the controls on Thursday when the engines on his Boeing 777 failed, has been hailed for his coolness under pressure.

He narrowly got the British Airways jet over the rooftops and the Heathrow perimeter fence before crash- landing on the grass, meaning all 136 passengers and 16 crew escaped with their lives.

But he said some of the credit had to go to an act of God. "Normally in emergency situations, your training takes over," he said. "But training doesn't help much when your engines have just died and you are still short of the runway."

Coward told how he tried to keep the aircraft up in the air as as long as possible and then straight.

"When we landed there were several thuds. I expected there to be a major catastrophe but there wasn't."

He said he now felt "happy but utterly exhausted."

"I had barely got through the door when our daughter Coralie, 9, threw her arms around me and said, `My daddy the hero.' But I don't consider myself a hero at all."

STANDARD) 01月 21日 星期一