Crashed passenger jet to be moved

Investigators spent a second night inspecting the plane

A passenger jet which crash-landed onto the runway of Heathrow Airport will be moved on Sunday morning, accident investigators have announced.

Co-pilot John Coward managed to land the stricken Boeing 777 jet just inside the airport's fence on Thursday.

An initial report by the Air Accident Investigations Branch (AAIB) said the engines failed to respond to demands for increased thrust from the crew.

A more detailed analysis of the flight recorder is taking place.

A spokesman for the AAIB said: "The plane will be moved tomorrow morning between 0800 and 1100.

"It will be moved to the eastern hangars at Heathrow and will remain there for the duration of the investigation."

The AAIB is also looking at "the range of aircraft systems that could influence engine operation".

A significant amount of fuel leaked from the aircraft but there was no fire AAIB crash report

Earlier Captain Peter Burkill, who had been in overall charge of the plane, said Senior First Officer Coward had done a "most remarkable job" in landing the aircraft.

He also praised all the crew for showing "the highest standards of skill and professionalism".

"Flying is about teamwork and we had an outstanding team on board," he said.

The co-pilot's mother said he had been the right man for the job.

"I would put my life in his hands," said Myrene Coward, from her Wiltshire home.

How landing at Heathrow works

The AAIB report said all had gone normally with flight BA038 until the jet was just two miles from touchdown.

The plane was using an instrument landing system (ILS) approach, which allows pilots to follow a set path and be guided in - in this incident towards runway 27L at Heathrow.

The jet was at a height of about 600ft (180m) when the engines failed to respond to a demand for increased thrust from its auto throttle.

After continued demands for increased thrust, and with the "flight crew moving the throttle levers, the engines similarly failed to respond", the report said.

"The aircraft speed reduced and the aircraft descended onto the grass short of the paved runway surface," it said.

Landing gear on the right broke off from the wing on touchdown, the report said.

Investigations will focus on the aircraft's two engines

All 136 passengers and 16 crew on the British Airways flight survived - one person suffered a broken leg and others received minor injuries during the emergency evacuation.

The report said that during the crash-landing "a significant amount of fuel leaked from the aircraft but there was no fire".

Independent aviation safety expert David Gleave told the BBC what was now happening to the wreckage.

"They've jacked the aeroplane up so it's on big stands. They've put airbags underneath it and a whole series of railway sleepers, so now they can enter the aircraft and it's relatively safe," he said.

"It's not going to collapse and sag any more. They'll take a look underneath the aircraft.

"They may consider pulling the engines off the aircraft and sending those away to be stripped down and looked at in greater detail.

"They may take the luggage off, they may take the fuel off, in order to make the aeroplane as light as possible to move it."

Heathrow is expected to run a normal schedule of flights on Saturday, although passengers are advised to check with their airline before making their trip.

A British Airports Authority (BAA) spokeswoman said: "All operations are returning today, with all terminals returning to normal.

"There are no temporary marquees up, all passengers can resume normal procedures for checking in."