British Airways Flight BA38 (call sign Speedbird 38) was a scheduled flight from Beijing Capital International Airport which crash landed just short of the runway at its destination, Heathrow Airport, London, on 17 January 2008 after an 8,100-kilometre (4,400 nmi; 5,000 mi) flight. There were no fatalities, but 47 people sustained injuries. It was the first accident that resulted in a Boeing 777 hull loss.
The cause was determined to have been ice crystals in the fuel clogging the fuel-oil heat exchanger (FOHE) of each engine. This restricted fuel flow to the engines as thrust was demanded during the final approach to Heathrow. Because temperatures in flight had not dropped below the 777's designed operating parameters, the Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB) recommended Boeing and Rolls-Royce take interim measures on Trent 800-powered 777s to reduce the risk of ice restricting fuel delivery. Pilots now have procedures to keep such blockages from forming, and a revised procedure to be followed in the event of power loss that takes into account the possibility that ice accumulation is the cause.
In early 2009, Boeing sent an update to aircraft operators, identifying the
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