British Airways Flight Returns to London After Emergency Declared
Listen to the story
A British Airways plane took off from London to Chicago. Soon after, the pilots sent out an emergency call. The flight number was BA295.
The plane made a fast descent. It dropped about 28,000 feet in a short time. This is a very big drop for a plane.
After the drop, the plane flew in circles in the sky. Then it made a U-turn and went back to London.
The plane landed safely back in London. It did not reach Chicago. The reason for the emergency is not fully clear yet.
Vocabulary15 words
- emergency
- a sudden, dangerous problem; needs fast action
- descent
- going down from a high place
- U-turn
- turning around and going back the same way
- flight number
- a code that names one specific plane trip
- pilot
- the person who flies a plane
- land
- to come down to the ground safely
- altitude
- how high something is in the sky
- safely
- without getting hurt or damaged
- airline
- a company that flies planes for people
- mid-air
- while still flying, not on the ground
- circle
- to fly around and around in the sky
- takeoff
- the moment a plane leaves the ground
- route
- the path a plane takes from one place to another
- passenger
- a person riding on a plane or other vehicle
- signal
- a message sent to warn or tell people something
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Quiz
Answer key
1. Chicago 2. It flew in circles and returned to London 3. True
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
A British Airways plane took off from London to _____. Soon after, the pilots sent out an _____ call. The flight number was _____.
The plane made a fast _____. It dropped about 28,000 feet in a short time. This is a very big drop for a plane.
After the drop, the plane flew in _____ in the sky. Then it made a _____ and went back to London.
The plane _____ safely back in London. It did not reach Chicago. The reason for the emergency is not fully _____ yet.
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