Crash-land captain praises crew

The Midland captain who commanded the British Airways plane which crash-landed at Heathrow spoke of the teamwork and professionalism of his cockpit and cabin crew.

Father-of-three Peter Burkill also revealed that John Coward, his first officer - or co-pilot - was at the controls as the Boeing 777 came in to land.

British Airways staff cheered as the pilots, the plane's cabin services director Sharon Eaton-Mercer and BA chief executive Willie Walsh appeared at the airline's Heathrow headquarters for the brief statement from Mr Burkill.

Father-of-three Captain Burkill said BA staff were trained to deal with emergencies and to follow procedures. He said flying was about teamwork and he praised the "high standard of skill and professionalism" by the crew of flight BA038.

There was also praise from Mr Burkill, who lives with his wife Maria and their three young sons in Worcester, for the passengers and for the emergency services. He said he could not go into causes of the crash.

He spoke as passengers continued to endure delays and cancellations at the airport as the investigation continued into the dramatic crash landing.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) will on Saturday give the first indication of what might have happened in the last few moments before the Boeing 777 arrived at the west London airport.

AAIB chief inspector David King promised an initial report into the accident "within 48 hours" and a preliminary report within 30 days.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown was among those who praised the captain, whose actions limited casualties among the 136 passengers to just 18 minor injuries despite extensive damage to the plane, which had flown in from Beijing.

Mr Brown said: "I think it's right to pay tribute to the calmness and professionalism of the British Airways staff and the captain and what he achieved in landing the aircraft."