The pilots of a British Airways plane carrying former Prime Minister Tony Blair that ran off a runway at Miami airport were not paying sufficient attention, according to a safety report published today.The Boeing 747 flight landed on 26 December 2006, and was taxiing when it overshot the end of the runway.
Blair and his family were among the 343 passengers, none of whom were hurt. The Blairs were visiting Miami to stay with Bee Gees star Robin Gibb at his house.
U.S. safety watchdog the National Transportation Safety Board said the reason for the incident was “the flight crew’s inadequate visual lookout while taxiing from the runway after landing.”
The pilots told investigators that there were no lights marking where they should turn off the runway. They said they thought that the lights marking the start of the opposite runway marked the end of the runway they should have been on.
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