London, United Kingdom: A British Airways transatlantic flight from London Heathrow to Washington Dulles was delayed for more than six hours after an emergency evacuation slide accidentally deployed during departure preparations, triggering a major ground response and forcing passengers to disembark.
The incident involved British Airways flight BA217, operated by a Boeing 777-200 aircraft, on May 16 at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5. According to multiple aviation reports, the aircraft had begun pushback procedures when the slide deployed unexpectedly from one of the left-side cabin doors.
The incident occurred at approximately 12:35 pm local time while the 26-year-old Boeing 777 was preparing for departure to Washington Dulles International Airport. Emergency services responded to the aircraft after the slide deployment, and passengers were asked to leave the aircraft while maintenance teams assessed the situation.
A newly qualified cabin crew member mistakenly opened an armed aircraft door shortly after receiving the standard “doors to automatic” command. That command is used by cabin crew to arm evacuation slides before departure so they deploy automatically if the door is opened during an emergency.
The crew member was believed to have been operating only his second flight after completing initial training. Instead of simply arming the door system, the flight attendant allegedly activated the door-opening mechanism, causing the slide to inflate automatically.
The emergency slide deployed at Door 3L, the third door on the left side of the aircraft. The activation also reportedly triggered the aircraft’s power-assist door system, which forced the door open during pushback.
British Airways later confirmed the disruption and apologised to passengers for the lengthy delay. In a statement, the airline said its teams worked to get customers “on their way as quickly as possible.”
The same aircraft was eventually cleared for service following engineering inspections and replacement procedures for the deployed slide. The flight later departed Heathrow at around 7 pm local time, significantly behind schedule.
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