AWE728 PHL - EGLL today

[ImageGear]

Squawked 7700 over Ireland and then rapid descent at 4-5000 fpm and routing direct from WAL with high speed (300 kts at 8000') to join finals for 27R at EGLL..possibly a medical emergency ?

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

<<4-5000 fps>>

Wow... I'd like to have seen that.

[Talkdownman]

Me too! That's about Mach Number 4...

[ImageGear]

Come to think of it, probably felt like that to the pax, just as well it was me misreading the fr24 site.

[DaveReidUK]

possibly a medical emergency ?

If you were to assume that all 7700 squawks are medical emergencies, you'd be right about 90% of the time.

[Lord Spandex Masher]

Not much of an emergency though, how many runways did they bypass between Ireland and Thiefrow?

[airsmiles]

Nothing of interest here. It reverted back to squawk 4432 before hitting the English coast and before leaving FL380. At the time it arrived over London none of the arriving traffic was holding, so a straight in approach was enjoyed by quite a few flights.