Boeing 757 incident near Barcelona, Es, August 2, 2009
On August 2, 2009 at about 7:50 am local time, a Boeing 757, registered GCPEM, was involved in an incident near Barcelona (Barcelona, Spain airport). It was flown under non-U.S. commercial rules. The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 2, 2009 · about 7:50 am local time
- Place
- Barcelona, Spain · Barcelona, Spain
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757 236 · all 757s on the register
- Registration
- GCPEM · no longer on the register · serial 28665
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · non-U.S. commercial rules
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On August 2, 2009, at about 0750 UTC, a British Airways Boeing 757-236, registration number G-CPEM, declared an emergency during descent into Barcelona International Airport, Barcelona, Spain. The flight had originated at the London Heathrow International Airport, London, England. It was reported that, during the top of descent into Barcelona, a status message was seen on the flight deck along with smoke in the cabin. An acrid smoke was also smelled on the flight deck. The flight crew went on oxygen and declared a MAYDAY. The flight landed normally and the passengers were evacuated by emergency slides. There were 183 people on board and no injuries were reported. The Comision de Investigacion de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviacion Civil (CIAIAC)of Spain is conducting a full investigation into this incident. The NTSB has assigned a US accredited representative as the state of manufacture under the provisions of ICAO Annex 13. Inquiries on this investigation should be directed to: Comisión de Investigación de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviación Civil Ministerio de Fomento C\Fruela, 6 — 1ª planta 28011 Madrid Spain E-mail: ciaiac@fomento.es Website: http://www.ciaiac.es
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Crew member
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: EGLL London Heathrow
- Destination: LEBL Barcelona
- Flight plan: not recorded
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.