A British couple are thanking their lucky stars after part of a door from a British Airways jet fell to the ground, missing them by just 20 feet.
According to a report in The Independent, a part of the door, weighing 70 pounds, came dislodge shortly after the Boeing 777 took off from Gatwick.
The couple reportedly saw two sections crash to the ground as they were walking in woodland close to the airport.
A report by the Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB) into the incident, which took place in June 2003, reportedly said that crew on the flight heard a “thump”, which transpired to be the underwing access door falling off.
The report continues: “A search of the area located other parts and a large portion was found when a couple who had been out walking described having seen it fall nearby after their attention had been drawn by another substantial part of the door impacting the ground around 20 feet away from them.”
The AAIB report went on to state that the incident had created danger for those on board the plane as well as on the ground.
A BA spokesman is quoted as saying: “British Airways immediately carried out its own investigation and made a number of changes to its main systems and procedures. We cooperated fully with the AAIB and made the new safety recommendations contained in the report. The safety of our operation is our top priority and we will study the report in detail to ensure that we learn from what was a rare and unusual event.”
Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad
