British Airways Flight 268

British Airways Flight 268 was a regularly scheduled flight from Los Angeles to London. On February 20, 2005, the innermost left engine emitted flames, triggered by an engine compressor stall almost immediately after takeoff. The Boeing 747-400 continued to fly across the United States, Canada, and the Atlantic Ocean with its three remaining engines. The flight then made an emergency landing at Manchester Airport, after experiencing difficulty balancing the remaining fuel between the 4 fuel tanks.

Flight incident

The flight took off at about 9:24 p.m. on 20 February 2005. When the aircraft, a four-engine Boeing 747-436, was around 300 ft into the air, flames burst out of its number 2 engine, a result of engine surge. The pilots shut the engine down. Air traffic control expected the plane to return to the airport and deleted its flight plan. However, after consulting with the airline dispatcher, the pilots decided to continue on their flight plan "and get as far as we can" rather than dump 70 tonnes of fuel and land. The 747 is certified to fly on three engines. Having reached the East Coast of North America, the assessment was that the plane could continue safely. The cross-Atlantic journey encountered less favourable winds than predicted and the requested altitude was not available over the Atlantic. Upon reaching the United Kingdom, the crew experienced difficulty balancing the remaining fuel, the captain then declared an emergency and landed at Manchester Airport.