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Thirty Seconds to Impact
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Thirty Seconds to Impact (2010) (edit title/settings)

by Peter Burkill (Author), Maria Burkill (Author) (edit contributors)

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When Peter took charge of the flight deck of the 777 and took off from Beijing airport, there was nothing to suggest that this trip would be anything other than a routine flight of the sort he had made so many times before. It was not until moments before landing that anything went wrong.... read more

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Summary edit see section history

When Peter took charge of the flight deck of the 777 and took off from Beijing airport, there was nothing to suggest that this trip would be anything other than a routine flight of the sort he had made so many times before. It was not until moments before landing that anything went wrong.... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

When Peter took charge of the flight deck of the 777 and took off from Beijing airport, there was nothing to suggest that this trip would be anything other than a routine flight of the sort he had made so many times before. It was not until moments before landing that anything went wrong. Coming in to Heathrow Airport, the plane suffered inexplicable loss of power to both engines, and it was suddenly likely that the plane would plough into a built-up area outside the airport, with the loss of all lives on board.

Peter tells us in graphic detail his thoughts and actions when he managed to help save the plane at the last moment thanks to a flash of inspiration that led him to change the position of the wing flaps, which appeared to gain the vehicle enough precious time to make it over the perimeter fence and land on the grass, short of the runway.

For both Maria and Peter, their lives following the crash have resulted in experiences that they never would have expected to have happened. There isn't a handbook with rules to follow after a crash so the subsequent aftermath was laced with events that could have been handled better from all sides, which lead to Maria and Peter having to find strength inside them that they had never needed before.

A little more than a year later, they have used these strengths to begin a new chapter in their lives; starting with leaving British Airways and celebrating a second chance to enjoy life.

But there are still nights when they find themselves awake, crying about what could have happened on that fateful day.

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Quotes edit see section history

  • “"You're the Captain, I thought, and if you don't do anything now, everyone on this aircraft will die. Do whatever it takes to save as many lives as you can."”
    Peter Burkill
  • “We impacted forty metres beyond the Instrument Landing System antennae. Boeing's impact point, fifty one metres prior to mine, would have meant that the main landing gear would have been eleven metres prior to the ILS antennae, with twenty-nine metres of aircraft ahead of the landing gear, indicating a possible eighteen metres of aircraft in front of the ILS antennae. The antennae are an array of metal poles braced together for strength, supporting the antennae with the approach lights on top. They stand about three metres high and stretch the width of the runway. They are designed for saftey, but would still cause untold damage to any object hitting them at one hundred and twenty-four miles per hour.”
    Peter Burkill
  • “I was one of your passengers on your flight BA38 from Beijing yesterday. I woke this morning in my own bed, with the sound of birdsong outside my window with my wife beside me. I owe this morning, and all the mornings to come entirely to you. It's impossible to really say thank you for something like that but I thought I should at least try.<...> I could so easily have not survived, so every moment we have enjoyed since then is a stolen happiness - thanks to you and your colleagues. I can't remember whether I put this in <my first> letter, but I was fine - on an adrenalin high, I suppose - for a couple of days after the flight. Then someone brought back to me the various items I had left on the aircraft. As I stood at our front door, on a sunny January day, and was asked to sign for my effects, I had a sudden vision of my wife standing at the same door, signing for personal effects of a husband who would never come home. At that point I collapsed in tears.”
    Matthew Kirk

Setting & Locations edit see section history

Organizations edit see section history

  • British Airways: The employer of Peter Burkill
  • AAIB: Air Accident Investigation Branch
  • BALPA: British Airlines Pilot Association

First Sentence edit see section history

Maria. 1310 GMT at home. The seventeenth of January 2008 was a perfectly normal day, or as normal as any day is when you have three children under the age of three - if you are a parent, you will know what I mean.

Table of Contents edit see section history

1. The Worst Day of Our Lives
2. Our Story
3. On the Ground Again
4. Running Away from Home
5. The Fugitives
6. Telling It
7. The Opinion Factory Turns on Pete
8. Going Back to Work
9. Money Worries
10. Silver Linings
11. Insult to a Germ
12. The All-Clear
13. Back to the Future
Postscript: Hindsight is 20/20

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Peter Burkill (Author)
  2. Maria Burkill (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Authorhouse
Country: England
Publication Date: 10 March 2010
ISBN: 9781449088583
Page Count: 325

Classification edit see section history

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