Concorde captain on handling emergency at Mach 2

Travelling at twice the speed of sound, John Hutchinson had just begun to tuck into his steak fillet when the supersonic aircraft he was piloting began shaking violently. Find out what went wrong in this amazing interview with the former British Airways Concorde captain.

In this video, Hutchinson recounts the time that he had to deal with an emergency situation in the middle of the North Atlantic while flying the return leg of a trip to Washington/Dulles. 

Watch as he talks in detail about how he rectified the problem and the surprising response of the passengers. 

There are more clips of our interview with John on Key.Aero. These are exclusively available to subscribers so make sure you don’t miss out and sign up today. More information about how to do this can be found here.

Concorde G-BOAG
British Airways Concorde G-BOAG (c/n 214) seen here landing at London/Heathrow in April 2003. Aviation Image Network/BaoLuo

"We were coming back from Washington, and I was in the middle of my meal," John said. "I was about to put a nice piece of rare fillet steak into my mouth and suddenly the aeroplane started shaking violently.

Become a Premium Member to Read More

This is a premium article and requires an active Key.Aero subscription to view.

I’m an existing member, sign me in!

I don’t have a subscription…

Enjoy the following subscriber only benefits:

  • Unlimited access to all KeyAero content
  • Exclusive in-depth articles and analysis, videos, quizzes added daily
  • A fully searchable archive – boasting hundreds of thousands of pieces of quality aviation content
  • Access to read all our leading aviation magazines online - meaning you can enjoy the likes of FlyPast, Aeroplane Monthly, AirForces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, Aviation News, Airports of the World, PC Pilot and Airliner World - as soon as they leave the editor’s desk.
  • Access on any device- anywhere, anytime
  • Choose from our offers below