Steward who was on BA flight which left passengers terrified after a 'horror' landing is found dead on a beach one month later
- Andrew Barnes' body was found on Hythe Beach in Kent on April 11
- BA flight from Heathrow to Madrid experienced a 'horror landing'
- Passengers claim to have felt a 'thud' and said oxygen masks deployed
- BA have investigated the landing and concluded it was 'normal'
- Mr Barnes was signed off sick along with seven colleagues
- Friend said he was worried airline bosses would not believe his account
- BA said the wellbeing of staff is of the utmost importance
A British Airways flight attendant was found dead a month after being on board a flight which left passengers terrified as the plane came into land.
Andrew Barnes' body was found on Hythe Beach on April 11. He was part of the cabin crew team, who were all signed off sick after a BA flight from Heathrow arrived in Madrid.
Mr Barnes, 46, was described by friends as being 'kind, gentle and lovely', and was cremated in Folkestone on Friday.
It has been alleged that the pilot may have made an error as she came in to land, injuring all eight cabin crew.
British Airways steward Andrew Barnes was found dead on a Kent beach, one month after he suffered a neck injury on board a flight which experienced a 'horror' landing
A friend told The Sunday Express Mr Barnes feared bosses at the airline would not believe his account of what happened to flight BA460 on March 12.
The airline has conducted an investigation into what happened when the flight came into land at Madrid's Barajas airport, concluding it landed 'normally'.
Some passengers were said to have claimed the flight felt 'heavy' as it hit the tarmac, with reports of cabin crew members adopting the brace position and oxygen masks dropping above people's heads and passengers screaming.
But a BA spokeswoman said 'normal' means the flight data could did not record a 'heavy' landing.
One passenger said: 'As the plane approached the runway, there was suddenly a huge roar and then, for what seemed like a few seconds, there was a sensation as if we were no longer flying.
'It went all quiet and then it dropped vertically with a real thud. It was awful.'
The witness said the female pilot apologised for the unusual landing, blaming the wind.
The airline said they have received not complaints from passengers regarding the landing.
The flight BA460 from Heathrow to Madrid landed at the Spanish Barajas airport on March 12. Eight members of the cabin crew were signed off sick after the landing, during which passengers reported feeling a 'thud' and the oxygen masks dropping from above their heads
But friends of Mr Barnes said he feared he might be sacked, worrying that airline bosses would not believe his account of what happened.
A friend said: 'He was really fearful. He didn't think BA would believe his story. He worried they would sack him. What happened in Madrid definitely affected him.'
A BA spokeswoman said: 'The wellbeing and safety of our crew are of paramount importance to us and we have measures in place to support staff around the world.
'It is deeply distressing to learn of the death of an employee and we always endeavour to provide support for the bereaved families.
'The flight to Madrid has been thoroughly investigated by our safety team who concluded that the aircraft landed normally.
'The aircraft continued to operate flights as scheduled and we have had no contact from customers concerned about the landing.'
A spokesman for Kent Police said Mr Barnes's death was not being treated as suspicious and added the details have been passed to the coroners office.
A post mortem examination that was carried out at the William Harvey Hospital, in Ashford, in the days following his death proved inconclusive.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2619926/Steward-BA-flight-left-passengers-terrified-horror-landing-dead-beach-one-month-later.html#ixzz30lwOJMOA
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