Mike, I'd like to second your analysis with a few more observations. I
admit that I haven't worked for but two airlines in my life, neither of them
BA. However, the general rules apply pretty much universally.

Less than an hour after that pilot reported an engine failure to LAX BA-OPS,
everybody from the president of the airline through the chief pilot,
director of maintenance, and director of ops was on the phone to one another
analyzing the situation, discussing options, and coming to a consensus
recommendation to the pilot of the airplane in question. The decision from
the left front seat was not in a vacuum; he had the consensus recommendation
from the top echelon of the airline.

Was it his ultimate decision? Sure. Was his decision based on the best
information from the most informed sources in the airline? You betcha.

Based on the pilot's analysis of the situation, the recommendation of his
top brass, and the guidance of the ops manual it is my observation that the
pilot did just exactly the right thing.

Jim




Apparently, a single failed engine on a four engine jet airliner is not an
emergency nor an automatic reason to terminate a flight.

Like you said: "Perhaps these engines are instrumented well enough that
the pilot knew that the failure did not result in severed fuel, oil or
electrical
lines; that there were no overloaded buses, etc; time will tell." Indeed
time will tell. In the meantime, you look like a fool jumping up and
declaring that the guy (It was actually a bunch of people all of whom know
more about airlines and airliners than you or I) who wrote the SOP for BA
is an idiot.

Look at it another way. The plane took off and lost an engine. It can't
land immediately because it is too heavy. So it has to fly for a while
regardless. The crew decide to head in the direction that they were
originally going. This was all thought out years before by the airline,
the regulators and probably Boeing and incorportated into the crew's
training. There are numerous large commerical airports along the way that
are just as suitable as LAX (PMD, RNO, SLC ect). We haven't even gotten
into what the weather might have been like at LAX. By the time the flight
starts over water, it has been flying for many hours over thousands of
miles and, even then, is always well under an hour from a suitable
airport. The flight lands safely and then some PP ASEL declares that they
did it all wrong.

I find more rational be believe that the procedure developed by BA, FAA,
JAA, Boeing and implemented by the crew was not a totally stupid stunt
than to accept your assertion that it was.

Mike
MU-2