Professional airline pilots have been left bewildered and astonished by a viral video showing a United Airlines Boeing 767 being blown backward by the jet blast from another airplane after the pilots lined up for takeoff directly behind a British Airways aircraft.
The incident occurred on September 8, 2024, and was captured on several live streams, although the video has only now gone viral on social media, with pilots chiming in on the actions of the United Airlines crew.
Thrust Wars: An A320neo’s engines send a United 767 rolling in reverse at Heathrow.
— Airways Magazine (@airwaysmagazine) March 23, 2025
by FlightFocus365 #unitedairlines #boeing #avgeek pic.twitter.com/Owf9TRlNH8
The video shows an Airbus A320 operated by British Airways lined up on the departure runway and about to start accelerating down the tarmac when the larger Boeing 767 operated by United Airlines starts to line up right behind it.
Within moments, the Airbus A320 starts its takeoff roll, and the thrust from its two CFM International LEAP engines visibly pushes the much larger Boeing 767 backward.
Initially, some people online were so amazed that something like this could happen that they suspected the video was, in fact, AI-generated. It wasn’t, however, that a second angle of the same video was presented that internet sleuths came to accept the reality of the incident.
“Well this is bloody ridiculous,” one pilot wrote on X in response to the video. “Stupid for the Captain to have taxied into position like that,” the pilot continued.
Another chimed in: “Yet some people say this is normal for LHR. I don’t care if it’s normal, it’s wrong and will cause damage.”
Indeed, with Heathrow operating at near full capacity, air traffic controllers do occasionally give pilots clearance to “line up” behind a departing aircraft on the same runway.
Pilots who regularly fly from the West London airport, however, pointed out that just because the airport control tower gives pilots clearance to do this, this is not an instruction, and aircrew should make their own assessment.
Some pilots who watched the video clip suggested taking the jet blast from a departing aircraft could cause damage to the engines or ‘pitot tubes’, which are used to measure airspeed.
“I never wanted to subject my aircraft to the jet blast like that,” another pilot said. “At the minimum, it was uncomfortable for the passengers, and at the worst, you could suffer damage and a quick trip to the chief pilot for a very uncomfortable interview and maybe some time off.”
The fate of the pilots in this case, however, remains unclear. United did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the good news is it doesn’t look like any damage was caused to the aircraft.
Agree on the UAL pilot not moving into position before the A321neo departed regardless if the tower told him to “line up and wait”.
It’s an A230. Not a A321
A320!
What kind of a driver(not a Pilot) taxis behind a departing airplane, like that…incredible low standards, no Criteria nor common sense at all.