The pilot of the British Aerospace 748 that caught fire early yesterday at Stansted Airport, carrying 44 Leeds United
Football Club members and crew, was praised as a hero last night for steering the aircraft to safety.
Mr David O’Leary, a former Ireland, Arsenal, and Leeds United footballer who is now the club’s assistant manager,
was also praised for his response to the crisis, which included forcing open an emergency door and escorting
passengers from their seats
The emergency began shortly after takeoff at 12.20 a.m. yesterday, when the right engine of the Hawker Siddeley 748
aircraft exploded and caught fire. The players, club executives, and a few fans were returning to Leeds after the
team’s Premiership match against West Ham United in London.
However, Captain John Hackett’s split-second decision to disobey the rule book and immediately terminate the
flight at 150 feet, rather than circling and attempting to extinguish the fire with the fire extinguishers on board,
rescued the passengers and crew.
Mr Hackett crash-landed the jet, and the nose part disintegrated when it overshot the runway. Emergency services
responded quickly to extinguish the fire, and there were no casualties.
Mr Melvyn Seymour, the duty manager at Stansted Airport, said he couldn’t commend Mr Hackett enough. “I believe
they had another 30 seconds before there would have been a massive fire. I dread the thought of what would have
occurred then. You would have been talking about a big explosion, and I would have expected practically definite
casualties,” he said.
