From British Airways 28,000ft crash to Flydubai hijack scare: Big Boeing incidents so far in 2026 | Today’s news
A British Airways flight from London to Chicago was forced to turn back on Monday (local time), about an hour after take-off, after the plane dramatically dropped more than 28,000 feet in a matter of minutes. The pilots declared an emergency before returning safely to Heathrow Airport.
The Boeing 777-200ER incident is the latest in a series of mid-air incidents and accidents involving Boeing aircraft this year.
Read also | Boeing 737 Max 10 certification gets boost as FAA fixes software flaw
Quick answers to key questions
•5 QUESTIONS
A British Airways flight experienced a technical problem about an hour after take-off, prompting the pilots to declare a general emergency and make a rapid descent.
Squawk code 7700 is a general distress signal used by pilots to notify air traffic control that their aircraft is in distress without specifying the nature of the emergency.
A flydubai flight was diverted after a violent altercation between the co-pilot and the captain, with the co-pilot allegedly attempting to crash the plane, leading to a serious emergency.
Passengers and off-duty crew members managed to subdue the co-pilot after the captain unlocked the cockpit door, preventing a potential in-flight tragedy.
Although recent incidents involving Boeing aircraft have raised concerns, it is important to remember that each case is different and no common safety flaw has been identified.
What do we know about the incident?
According to media reports, the Boeing 777-200ER was scheduled to complete the trip to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport in about eight hours and 40 minutes. However, about an hour after takeoff, the plane reached an altitude of 37,000 feet before it apparently developed a problem and broadcast a wailing code indicating a general aviation emergency.
Flight tracking data showed the plane descending rapidly, dropping 28,000 feet and reaching an altitude of 9,000 feet within minutes.
In a statement, a British Airways spokesman said: “The safety of our customers and crew is always our highest priority and the aircraft landed safely after our highly trained pilots returned to Heathrow following a technical problem.”
The spokesman added: “Customers disembarked as normal and our teams are working to get their travel plans back on track as quickly as possible.”
Read also | British Airways Flight 7700 alert over Ireland: What does it mean?
While the plane landed safely and passengers disembarked normally, the incident joins a string of accidents and mid-air incidents involving Boeing aircraft this year, ranging from engine problems to emergency landings.
Here’s a look at some of the recent Boeing aircraft incidents in 2026
1. A flydubai flight dives more than 16,000 feet
On September 30, a flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv from Dubai plunged more than 16,000 feet in just over 30 seconds after the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain with the intention of crashing the plane. Flight FZ1073 was operated using a Boeing 737 MAX 8.
The co-pilot, an Omani national identified as Hamam-al-Hammami, allegedly attacked flight captain Smit Machchhar with a crash ax when he intended to crash the plane, which was carrying more than 170 people, mostly Israelis, at Ben Gurion Airport. While the investigation is currently ongoing, media reports state that a major tragedy was averted after Machchhar, who sustained serious injuries, managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing crew members and passengers to subdue the co-pilot.
Read also | Flydubai Cockpit Attack: Was Ben Gurion Targeted? What did Trump say, Vance
2. Amazon cargo plane crashes at Miami airport
In September, an Amazon cargo plane crashed at Miami airport after overshooting the runway, in an incident that killed five people and injured five others. The incident occurred on September 6 when Prime Air Flight 7598, a Boeing 767-300 operated by cargo carrier 21 Air, overran the diagonal runway at Miami International Airport around 2:00 PM EDT, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
According to a Reuters report, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said one of the pilots warned he was flying “too fast” just over a minute before landing.
3. Ryanair passengers partially sucked out of the window
On July 10, a Ryanair passenger was partially sucked out of the window of a Boeing 737 shortly after takeoff from Thessaloniki, Greece, two airport sources said, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing.
Ryanair said in a statement at the time that the plane was due to fly from Thessaloniki to Memmingen Airport in Germany, but returned to Thessaloniki “when the passenger window became dislodged in flight”.
In a later statement, the company’s CEO said preliminary findings on the incident indicated “foreign object damage” and that it was not related to the aircraft’s age or service conditions.
4. A United Airlines flight makes an emergency landing
In March, a United Airlines flight made an emergency landing shortly after takeoff from Los Angeles after a possible engine fire forced passengers on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to evacuate using runway slides, according to FAA and airline statements.
Read also | United Boeing 777 engine failure sparks fire on takeoff, forces emergency return
5. An IndiGo flight makes an emergency landing in Delhi
In March, a full state of emergency was declared at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport after a Visakhapatnam-Delhi flight was forced to make an emergency landing in the capital following reports of an engine malfunction.
According to the official: “Flight 6E 579 was a Boeing 737-800 with 161 people on board. According to initial reports, the pilot reported one engine failure on approach to Delhi, prompting authorities to initiate full emergency protocols at the airport.”
The incidents come a little over a year after the fatal crash of Air India Flight AI171 in Ahmedabad involving a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. However, it is important to note that the circumstances of these incidents varied, and no reports have yet indicated a common defect in the Boeing aircraft.
