LAS VEGAS— Federal investigators on Thursday were analyzing flight data and cockpit voice recorders from a plane that caught fire on a Las Vegas runway, while the pilot credited with aborting its takeoff said he plans to retire.
National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Eric Weiss said the black boxes from British Airways Flight 2276 have arrived in Washington, D.C., and an NTSB team in Las Vegas could provide preliminary findings as early as Thursday.
The London-bound plane was accelerating down the runway Tuesday when its left engine burst into flames. The takeoff was aborted, the plane’s slides were deployed, and the 170 passengers and crew escaped the Boeing 777 without serious injury.
Investigators in Las Vegas were expected to talk with pilots and start examining the plane’s fuel lines, maintenance records, engine history and other factors.
Meanwhile, the plane’s captain told NBC News he had just one other flight planned before his retirement, but he thinks he'll skip it and stop flying.
Chris Henkey of Padsworth, England, said the only flight left on his schedule was a trip to Barbados, where he was to stay and vacation with his daughter. Henkey, 63, now says it’s unlikely he'll make that flight because he’s “finished flying.”
Henkey said he'd never experienced such a dramatic emergency in his 42-year career. He deflected praise, saying the entire crew helped ensure people’s safety.
Passengers on Flight 2276 reported hearing two loud booms before flames and the smell of burning rubber sent them dashing to the inflatable evacuation slides, unsure if they were fleeing a bomb or a blown tire.
