The pilot who was at the controls of a US-bound airliner which made an emergency landing at Gatwick with 447 passengers on board following landing gear problems has insisted he was just doing his job.
Speaking for the first time since the incident on Monday, David Williams also paid tribute to colleagues on the ground in a statement which was released amid reports that his 12-year-old daughter had been among the Boeing 747’s passengers.
They had been told to adopt the brace position before the landing, which was described by one passenger as “one of the greatest emergency landings in history”.
Williams said: “All of our pilots at Virgin Atlantic are trained to the highest standards and we go through regular testing to deal with any scenario that may arise.
“Clearly this was an out of the ordinary landing, but I was just doing my job and any one of our pilots would have taken the same actions.”
Williams, from Loxwood in West Sussex, added: “I’m really proud of my colleagues on the ground and in the air and the support they gave me during this event – everyone worked really hard in a difficult situation.”
Virgin Atlantic said the pilot had been trying to stay out of the media spotlight, and Williams added he was “keen to spend some private time with my family over the new year”.
A specially scheduled flight for passengers who had been on board the US-bound airliner touched down on Tuesday night at McCarran international airport in Las Vegas.
“We are delighted that our customers were able to travel to Las Vegas the next day for their New Year’s Eve celebrations,” said Williams.
A spokeswoman for Virgin Atlantic said the majority of people – “about 95%” – chose to take the flight to Las Vegas.
She added: “Some didn’t for various reasons, but I think the majority did choose to fly. About 13 of the passengers went on holiday as crew companions and obviously that original crew weren’t travelling any more.”
The spokeswoman said it was standard procedure for a new crew to operate a flight if there is an incident or delay.
Hundreds of passengers had applauded in relief after Williams returned their airliner to base safely on Monday following an unconventional journey that included dumping fuel at sea and flying low over the Gatwick control tower twice so that air traffic controllers could scrutinise the main undercarriage with binoculars.
The runway at Britain’s second largest airport was closed for several hours, with incoming flights diverted to alternative airports and departing aircraft delayed as the drama affected the travel plans of thousands of passengers.
Richard Branson, the Virgin Atlantic president, said on Twitter: “Well done VirginAtlantic pilots & team for safe & skillful landing of VS43. Thoughts with passengers & crew, thanks for support & patience.”
The 447 passengers were taken to the Hilton hotel at Gatwick overnight before they took off again.
Describing the mood on the plane on Monday, one passenger said it was “anxious, a lot were worried, some crying”.
Dan Crane, 24, from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, added: “The mood was quiet and [we were] just waiting for the captain’s next announcement.”
The passengers’ ordeal began four hours before the emergency landing, when Flight VS43 left for Las Vegas at 11.44am with 447 passengers and 15 crew on board. However, it hit problems before it reached the edge of UK airspace.
Williams identified a problem with the landing gear, a technical issue that meant one of the five wheel sets would not descend. Instead of completing its transatlantic journey, the plane would, he announced, be turning back.
