Trapped! The harrowing story of Virgin Flight 024
Oct 19, 2026 · 41 min · 35 segments
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Oct 19, 2026 · 41 min · 35 segments
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It was half past seven on the evening of November 5th, 1997 when the crew of a Virgin Atlantic Airbus A340 reported for duty at Los Angeles International Airport.
The A340 was a modern aircraft with an excellent safety record.
Operating as Flight 24, this aircraft would fly through the night across the North American continent and out over the Atlantic Ocean before touching down in the UK the next afternoon.
The flight was scheduled to take about 10 and a half hours.
Up in the cockpit of the four-engined aircraft were three flight crew members.
Sitting in the left-hand seat was 40-year-old Captain Tim Barnby.
Barnby was an experienced pilot with more than 14,000 flying hours, just short of 3,000 of which were on the Airbus A340.
As it would turn out, he would need to draw on every one of these hours as the flight neared Heathrow.
Joining him in the cockpit was 32-year-old First Officer Andrew Morley.
Morley was new to the A340, with just 301 hours on the jet.
However, he had over 4,500 hours on the Airbus A320 and Fokker 100, meaning he was by no means an inexperienced pilot.
Sitting behind the two operating pilots was a relief pilot, 28-year-old First Officer Craig Matheson.
Matheson would take over from each of the pilots in turn during a portion of the cruise.
This would allow them to get some rest so that they would be fresh for the arrival into London.
Like First Officer Morley, Matheson was new to the A340, with just under 300 hours on the aircraft.
However, he had over 4,500 total hours of flying time.
As the 13 cabin crew members helped the passengers settle into their seats, the baggage was loaded and the pilots completed the last of their pre-departure checks.
The aircraft was loaded with 73 metric tonnes of fuel for the long journey east.
As soon as the final checks were complete, the cabin crew closed the doors and flight 24 was ready to go.
Just before 9 o'clock that night, slightly behind schedule, the aircraft was pushed back from the gate at Los Angeles.
The pilots started the plane's four engines and began taxiing out to runway 24L.
Their departure route would take them out over the Pacific Ocean initially and then northeast towards the UK.
The first officer was flying the aircraft on this night, while the captain handled the radios and did the paperwork.
It was half past seven on the evening of November 5th, 1997 when the crew of a Virgin Atlantic Airbus A340 reported for duty at Los Angeles International Airport.
The A340 was a modern aircraft with an excellent safety record.
Operating as Flight 24, this aircraft would fly through the night across the North American continent and out over the Atlantic Ocean before touching down in the UK the next afternoon.
The flight was scheduled to take about 10 and a half hours.
Up in the cockpit of the four-engined aircraft were three flight crew members.
Sitting in the left-hand seat was 40-year-old Captain Tim Barnby.
Barnby was an experienced pilot with more than 14,000 flying hours, just short of 3,000 of which were on the Airbus A340.
As it would turn out, he would need to draw on every one of these hours as the flight neared Heathrow.
Joining him in the cockpit was 32-year-old First Officer Andrew Morley.
Morley was new to the A340, with just 301 hours on the jet.
However, he had over 4,500 hours on the Airbus A320 and Fokker 100, meaning he was by no means an inexperienced pilot.
Sitting behind the two operating pilots was a relief pilot, 28-year-old First Officer Craig Matheson.
Matheson would take over from each of the pilots in turn during a portion of the cruise.
This would allow them to get some rest so that they would be fresh for the arrival into London.
Like First Officer Morley, Matheson was new to the A340, with just under 300 hours on the aircraft.
However, he had over 4,500 total hours of flying time.
As the 13 cabin crew members helped the passengers settle into their seats, the baggage was loaded and the pilots completed the last of their pre-departure checks.
The aircraft was loaded with 73 metric tonnes of fuel for the long journey east.
As soon as the final checks were complete, the cabin crew closed the doors and flight 24 was ready to go.
Just before 9 o'clock that night, slightly behind schedule, the aircraft was pushed back from the gate at Los Angeles.
The pilots started the plane's four engines and began taxiing out to runway 24L.
Their departure route would take them out over the Pacific Ocean initially and then northeast towards the UK.
The first officer was flying the aircraft on this night, while the captain handled the radios and did the paperwork.
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