BRITISH AIRWAYS is going to rehire the Captain of the Boeing 777-200 which crashed at London Heathrow, nearly 3 years after the accident and his subsequent decision to leave the carrier. Captain Peter Burkill was the Commander of Flight BA038 from Beijing, China, which crashed at Heathrow on January 17, 2008, after ice obstructed the fuel system during final approach. According to media reports, Burkill is likely to rejoin the carrier in November, although contracts have yet to be finalized. Burkill released a statement on his personal website, in which he says: "I am delighted that the discussions with British Airways, have come to a mutually, happy conclusion. In my opinion British Airways is the pinnacle of any Pilot's career and it is my honour and privilege to be returning to an Airline that I joined as a young man." Everyone onboard Flight 38 survived the crash, and investigators praised the actions of Burkill and his crew. But Burkill felt under pressure in the months afterwards and eventually left the Airline. Although he wanted to continue flying, he struggled to find alternative employment as a Pilot, partly owing to the stigma of his association with a high-profile crash. In the interim period he wrote a book about his experience of the accident entitled "Thirty Seconds To Impact". British Airways simply states that Burkill was a "valued colleague" and that the Airline "would welcome him back" as a Captain. "We have always supported and praised everyone's actions involved in managing the BA38 incident," said a spokesman for BA.
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