A few months ago I wrote about the events surrounding a British Airways
flight from Los Angeles to London (AIN, December 2006, page 78). This was not just any flight; it was accomplished with one engine shut down. I have spoken to many aviators since my article appeared, and one thing is clear: there are a lot of opinions on the subject. To recap the facts: a British Airways 747-400 was taking off when its number-two engine emitted a large fireball. The flight crew followed procedures and continued to a safe altitude to assess the situation. This crew received a high level of cooperation from the air traffic controllers who were working the normally busy Los Angeles area.
The tower controller saw the fireball, so preparations were in motion before the crew declared their need to hold at altitude and explore their options. As the aircraft was climbing, the crew communicated some of their actions to ATC.