What happened
On August 2, 2009, at approximately 0750 UTC, a Boeing 757-236 operated by British Airways declared a MAYDAY while descending into Barcelona International Airport in Spain. The flight had departed from London Heathrow International Airport.
During the top of descent, the flight crew observed a status message on the flight deck and noted smoke within the cabin. Additionally, an acrid smell of smoke was detected on the flight deck. In response to the smoke, the crew utilized oxygen masks.
The aircraft, registration G-CPEM, landed normally at the airport. All 183 people on board were evacuated via emergency slides, and there were no injuries reported.