Passenger on British Airways mayday flight describes fear and shout of 'I don't want to die'

On July 6, a British Airways passenger aboard a flight to London's Heathrow Airport recounted the terror experienced during a distress call made just before landing. Edward Killiwick and his partner Julie were returning from a friend's birthday celebration in Dusseldorf, Germany. As the aircraft approached Heathrow, the crew informed passengers that the landing had been aborted, leaving many passengers feeling uneasy.

Edward explained that the plane then executed a "very violent maneuver," causing him and his fellow passengers to believe they might crash. He and Julie had to console a woman who was hysterically screaming, "I don't want to die." The flight managed to land safely, but the incident is currently under investigation by both the UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) and France's accident investigation authority, the BEA.

During the 15 minutes spent in a holding pattern, the crew provided no information to the passengers, leading Edward to suspect the crew was "not in a good place." The BEA stated that a data system failure triggered a stall warning as the plane approached the airport. This prompted the crew to switch to an alternate flight mode, which removes some automated flight protection systems.

Shortly after, another stall warning occurred at an altitude of 3,000 feet, a situation experts believe occurred only miles from the airport, triggering an upgrade of the urgency call to a mayday, signaling imminent danger.

Edward emphasized his fear, stating, "I definitely thought we could crash." He and Julie witnessed several passengers, including the woman who screamed, "I don't want to die," react with extreme anxiety. Upon landing, BA's spokesperson revealed the airline was assisting the AAIB with its investigation and couldn't comment further due to legal restrictions.

Edward described feeling "very scared" upon landing, with his partner shedding a few tears. The atmosphere after touchdown was described as eerie, with everyone remaining quiet and silent, relieved to finally be on the ground.