A plane bound for the U.S.experienced a dramatic change in altitude shortly after taking off from London before spending hours circling in the air.The British Airways flight was traveling from London Heathrow Airport to Chicago on Monday when the Boeing 777 descended roughly 27,000 feet, reaching an altitude of about 9,000 feet, according to reports.A British Airways spokesperson told Fox News Digital the aircraft returned to Heathrow following a "technical issue."CO-PILOT BECOMES SICK MIDAIR AS CREW ILLNESS REPORTS EMERGE AFTER OVERNIGHT LAYOVER"The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority, and the aircraft landed safely after our highly-trained pilots returned to Heathrow following a technical issue," the spokesperson said."Customers disembarked the aircraft normally and our teams worked to get their travel plans back on track as quickly as possible," the British Airways spokesperson said.A passenger jet bound for the U.S.
experienced a dramatic change in altitude shortly after taking off from London before spending hours circling in the air.(Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)FlightAware, a flight-tracking website, showed the aircraft turning back toward London but remaining airborne for several more hours.It circled over England before eventually returning to Heathrow.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTERMatthew "Whiz" Buckley of Florida, a retired U.S.
Navy F/A-18 fighter pilot with nearly 40 years of flying experience, told Fox News Digital the flight pattern appeared consistent with an emergency descent that could follow a pressurization problem.Buckley said getting the aircraft below 10,000 feet would eliminate the need for supplemental oxygen if cabin pressure had been lost.The aircraft landed safely at London Heathrow Airport following a technical issue.(iStock)"They did everything by the book," Buckley said.
"It sounds like everything worked as advertised."For passengers, however, the sharper descent can be an unsettling...