The man at the controls of flight BA038 when it hit the grass at Heathrow on Thursday was Mech Eng graduate John Coward.
Coward, 41, joined British Airways after graduating and trained as a pilot. When the engines stopped responding to demands for extra thrust during his final approach, he successfully guided the aircraft into Heathrow, dropping it onto the grass just past the perimeter fence, a few hundred metres short of the runway. Had he come down any shorter the plane could have hit the busy A30 or surrounding towns and villages.
All passengers and crew evacuated the aircraft safely, many reporting that they just thought it was a bit of a bumpy landing - despite the undercarriage snapping off under the impact. The only serious injury appears to have been a broken leg, a result of using the evacuation slide rather than the landing itself.
One witness said the pilot should receive "a medal as big as a frying pan".
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