History of the Flight
On 22 March 2014, an Airbus A320-232, registration G-EUUE, operated by British Airways as flight BA870, departed London Heathrow International Airport (LHR/EGLL) at 18:28:32 UTC. The flight was destined for Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport (BUD/LHBP).
Cruising at flight level FL370 with an indicated airspeed of 250 knots, at 19:24:32 UTC, the flight crew received "Right Aileron Fault & ELAC1 fault" messages. However, the "Fault" light on the ELAC1 Push Button Switch did not illuminate. The pilots observed that the right aileron had deflected upward by approximately half the scale on the display. The autopilot remained engaged; the trim deflected to positions between 3 and 6 to maintain the aircraft's horizontal flight path.
The crew reported the technical fault to Bratislava Area Control Center (ACC) but did not declare a Mayday. They proceeded to the original destination.
Occurrence Details
As the aircraft descended, the deflection of the right aileron increased. Data recorded by the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) showed that the right aileron deflection reached 15 degrees during the flight, approach, and landing. The maximum possible deflection is plus or minus 25 degrees.
An "anticipated air traffic occurrence" alert was declared at Budapest Airport due to the arriving aircraft with a right aileron fault. The captain, occupying the left seat, performed the final approach and landing manually. The aircraft landed normally on Runway 13L at 20:25:57 UTC. It then taxied to Stand No. 32, escorted by fire fighting vehicles on standby. No intervention by the fire service was necessary. The emergency was terminated at 20:36 UTC. The airport's ICAO Rescue Fire Fighting (RFF) Category was 9 for both runways.
Aircraft and Injuries
The aircraft sustained no damage related to the event. There were no injuries among the 2 flight crew, 5 cabin crew, or 137 passengers.
Investigation
The Transportation Safety Bureau (TSB) of Hungary conducted the investigation. The investigating committee reviewed FDR data, inspected the aircraft, and contacted the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB). No probable cause was stated in the final report.