Man has fire flight flashbacks

Steve Bingham (35) is one of 40 UK and Republic of Ireland nationals to have hired lawyers to investigate the cause of the blaze on the Boeing 777-200, which caught fire while preparing to take-off for London Gatwick on September 8 (local time). Mr Bingham has been on medication for psychological trauma since and injured his arm escaping down chutes as flames soared twice the height of the aircraft.

“The plane accelerated for take-off,” he said, “then there was a loud bang and jolt followed by an abrupt emergency stop. At that point, I thought the plane was going to tip on its side or crash. Many people were screaming, with some then shouting about fire.

“Then I saw thick black smoke from the windows on both sides of the aircraft, but the cabin crew were still telling us to stay seated at this point. Seconds later, the pilot ordered the evacuation.”

He added: “I’m still suffering from the incident and have regular flashbacks.”