When the water began to stream from the upper deck into the lower deck of the British Airways A380-800, with registration G-XLEK, on flight BA293 from London to Washington, D.C. The crew member attempted to stop the water flow, but the aircraft continued for a safe landing in Washington.
To dry off the water streaming along the stairs, aisle, and floor, the cabin crew hurriedly grabbed towels and blankets. The crew members quickly relocated the passengers to dry places and continued to try to control the flow as some of them mopped the floors.
The stairs at the front of the aircraft leading from the First class cabin up to the Club World seats were also soaked with water, as seen in the internet video.
The cabin crew members made every attempt to stop the water from spilling from the water tank, but they were ineffective. Near the end of the flight, hundreds of liters of water began to flow around the aircraft.
🇬🇧 Problème technique à bord d’un A380 de British Airways entre Londres Heathrow & Washington DC.
▫️Une grosse fuite d’eau provenant du pont supérieur de l’Airbus A380 a obligé l’équipage à utiliser des couvertures pour éponger le sol.
L’avion s’est posé en toute sécurité. pic.twitter.com/RVahVCoZSj
— air plus news (@airplusnews) June 14, 2022
An airline representative claimed that this event was caused by a malfunctioning valve on the internal clean water supply tank, which was rectified by engineers upon arrival in the US. A diversion was not required, according to BA, because safety was not in danger.
“While there was no safety issue at any point, the area was quickly isolated and the flight continued as planned.” British Airways spokesperson said.
The trip was not intended for “nervous travelers,” a British Airways employee told The Sun.
“An inflight waterfall is not a regular feature at BA. It looked more like British Waterways than British Airways. The crew gave thanks the leak happened towards the end of the transAtlantic crossing.”
“There were a few people saying their Hail Mary’s, but staff was professional throughout.”
