Plane caught fire as pilot confused left and right

A British Airways flight was forced to abandon its take-off at Gatwick Airport due to a mistake made by the co-pilot, who confused his left and right hands. This incident occurred on June 28 and involved a flight that was supposed to go to Vancouver, Canada. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) reported that the co-pilot unintentionally moved a lever to the left instead of the right, which caused the aircraft's brakes to catch fire. There were 334 passengers and a crew of 13 on board during this event. The pilots managed to bring the Boeing 777 to a safe stop before reaching the end of the runway, but airport firefighting crews were called to extinguish the fire on the right landing gear. Fortunately, there were no injuries reported. A spokesperson for British Airways emphasized that safety is their highest priority and that the pilots acted quickly to ensure the safety of everyone on board. Gatwick Airport chose not to comment on the incident. The investigation revealed that the morning of the flight was otherwise unremarkable, with no distractions or issues that could have contributed to the co-pilot's mistake. The co-pilot, who had over 6,100 hours of flying experience, expressed surprise at his error and could not identify a reason for it. Just four days prior to the incident, British Airways had issued a safety notice reminding pilots to pause and think carefully before taking action. The AAIB noted that the airline had included 'mis-selections' in a new safety topic section of its pre-flight briefing material and was promoting focus during regular simulator training for pilots. This incident highlights the importance of clear communication and attention to detail in aviation.