Inquiry probes BA A320’s air-data reference incident and degraded flight law

French investigators reveal crew received stall warnings during approach to London Heathrow.
Investigators have disclosed that a British Airways Airbus A320 issued stall warnings and experienced degraded flight-control law during an approach to London Heathrow.

The incident occurred during approach to London Heathrow on 6 July, according to French investigation authority BEA, citing preliminary information from UK counterparts.

BEA says an air-data reference system failure “triggered a stall warning”, and that the crew – having transmitted an urgency call – flew the aircraft under alternate flight-control law.

Alternate law removes the angle-of-attack protection which is standard when operating in normal law.

It adds that a “further stall warning” was issued at about 3,000ft, accompanied by a “potentially abrupt recovery manoeuvre”.

As a result the crew updated the urgency call to a ‘Mayday’, although the twinjet subsequently landed without further incident.

The aircraft had been arriving from Dusseldorf.

BEA says none of those on board was injured. It identifies the A320 involved as G-EUUN, an International Aero Engines V2500-powered airframe delivered to the carrier in 2003.

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