MIAMI – British Airways blamed poor lighting at Miami International Airport for a Boeing 747 overshooting a runway with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his family aboard, but airport and federal officials said Wednesday that the lights were fine.
British Airways Flight 209 from London hit some airfield lights after it landed around 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, but it did not leave the pavement and it reached the gate under its own power, airport officials said. No injuries were reported.
British Airways spokesman John Lampl said the pilot stopped the airliner at the end of the runway because he couldn’t see the lights to the taxiway.
“Apparently they’re doing some resurfacing work and relighting, so the lighting was poor,” Lampl said.
But airport spokeswoman Lauren Stover said the lights were working fine.
“There was absolutely no construction on the runway,” Stover said.
National Transportation Safety Board investigators also found that the lights were working properly and that there was no construction, said NTSB spokesman Jeff Kennedy. Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen, too, confirmed the lights were working. She said the plane stopped just past the official end of the runway.
“It was going at taxiway speed and they just missed a turn,” said another FAA spokeswoman, Laura Brown. “It’s like if you miss a turn in your car.”
Airport officials planned to review the runway conditions on Wednesday as a precaution. Bergen said the FAA would review all aspects of the landing, including how the aircraft was being operated, and the NTSB also was investigating.
Blair was among the 343 passengers on the plane, U.S. Secret Service spokeswoman Kim Bruce said. The prime minister receives Secret Service protection whenever he lands in the United States.
A Downing Street official said the prime minister and his family were not hurt.
Blair was traveling to Miami to stay with Robin Gibb of the Bee-Gees, said Gibb’s co-manager John Campbell.
“It’s a private holiday, and it’s a private arrangement,” Campbell said. “They are friends.”
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