CITY STUDENTS IN PLANE TRIP SCARE
By Rob Neal Cambridge Evening News
YOUNG cricketers have described the terrifying moment the Boeing 737 they were travelling in appeared to hit the runway as they took off for a tour to Cyprus.
The cricketers, from The Leys School and The Perse School in Cambridge, were preparing to jet out to the Mediterranean for a pre-season tour in the sun.
But as the Helios Airlines flight took off from Luton Airport just after noon yesterday, disaster nearly struck.
"We took off and then there was this sudden thud," said James Bell, the 18-year-old captain of The Perse First XI.
"We said jokingly that we'd hit the tail and didn't think much of it after that until the captain came over the radio and informed us there was a problem."
Jonathan Mitchell, captain of The Leys team and long-time friend of fellow skipper James, said: "At the point of take-off as the plane leant back it seemed like the tail made contact with the tarmac.
"We didn't climb very high and the pilot said we were experiencing some technical difficulties. It was slightly unnerving but there wasn't mass panic. One passenger was walking around holding a cigarette in his mouth even though he couldn't light it."
His mother, Libby, speaking from the family's home in Meldreth, said the first she knew of the problem was when she was contacted by James' mother Shirley, who lives across the road.
"Shirley phoned to say she didn't want to worry me but the plane was circling Stansted trying to lose fuel," she said.
"At that point I was very worried, it was quite nerve-wracking."
After circling Stansted Airport for around two hours to burn off excess fuel, the Boeing 737, which was due to fly to Larnaca, finally made an emergency landing.
The passengers were left on the plane for nearly two hours before finally being transported to a waiting area.
"It's absolutely bizarre," said Mark Waldron, The Leys School tour manager.
"We've had no apology and no explanation since we first took off."
The teams, who were provided with food vouchers, eventually left for Cyprus at 10pm – a delay of around nine and a half hours.
A spokeswoman for Helios Airlines refused to confirm the cause of the delay, describing it as "a technical matter".