"The pilot who saved 136 passengers during the Heathrow crash-landing has been dubbed "Calamity Coward" by friends after twice nearly being killed by lightning.
John Coward, 41, was left unconscious and temporarily paralysed when a bolt of lightning sent him tumbling down a mountain during a climbing expedition in the French Alps.
The senior officer was caught in a storm in Argentiere, near Mont Blanc when he was struck down.
However, after regaining consciousness, Coward was still able to rescue his companion, despite having lost the use of his leg.
The 1994 episode was shockingly the second time he had been hit by lightning.
A friend said: "John has always been dogged by bad luck.
"He's amazed doctors by surviving not one but two lightning strikes. Some of us joke his nickname should be Calamity Coward and he sees the funny side.
"He's a great optimist and thinks he must be blessed with good luck to survive all these scares."
After his most recent life-threatening episode, Coward could receive one of Britain's highest civilian awards for bravery.
His "exemplary act of bravery" in landing the BA plane after both engines failed puts him in line for the Queen's Gallantry Medal.
The medal is designed to honour those who have saved lives.
Mr Coward, who was at the controls of Flight BA38 from Beijing, admitted that when he realised the problem, he feared all 152 passengers and crew on board were going to die.
"When I came in to land, I thought, 'This is going to be a catastrophic crash. This is it'," he said. But he added that the landing turned out "much better" than he could have imagined.
A senior Whitehall source told the Daily Mail: "If there is any more clear-cut example of someone who has saved the lives of numerous people, I would like to see it.
"Forgetting the 152 on board the plane, there were many more on the ground who could have died if the 777 had crashed seconds earlier.
"Mr Coward is certain to be nominated for this award."
But the pilot, who was so haunted by the crash-landing he has had trouble sleeping, said last night that it was teamwork that ensured the happy ending.
He said: "Talk of awards and other distinctions is all very flattering, but they couldn't be further from my mind.
"We worked as a team to get the plane down, and that's all that matters."
He added: "I haven't slept since it all happened.
"But the most important thing is that I'm back safely with my family."
Mr Coward is now spending time with his wife Valerie and daughter Coralie - his two other children are on a skiing holiday - at their home near Nice in France.
Valerie, who also works for BA, as a flight attendant, said: "Of course, I am very proud of him and, yes, he is a hero."
If Mr Coward is honoured, then other crew members are likely to receive the Queen's Commendation for Bravery in the Air.
Fewer than 600 Queen's Gallantry Medals have been awarded since the first in 1974."
1 Comments:
"The pilot who saved 136 passengers during the Heathrow crash-landing has been dubbed "Calamity Coward" by friends after twice nearly being killed by lightning.
John Coward, 41, was left unconscious and temporarily paralysed when a bolt of lightning sent him tumbling down a mountain during a climbing expedition in the French Alps.
The senior officer was caught in a storm in Argentiere, near Mont Blanc when he was struck down.
However, after regaining consciousness, Coward was still able to rescue his companion, despite having lost the use of his leg.
The 1994 episode was shockingly the second time he had been hit by lightning.
A friend said: "John has always been dogged by bad luck.
"He's amazed doctors by surviving not one but two lightning strikes. Some of us joke his nickname should be Calamity Coward and he sees the funny side.
"He's a great optimist and thinks he must be blessed with good luck to survive all these scares."
After his most recent life-threatening episode, Coward could receive one of Britain's highest civilian awards for bravery.
His "exemplary act of bravery" in landing the BA plane after both engines failed puts him in line for the Queen's Gallantry Medal.
The medal is designed to honour those who have saved lives.
Mr Coward, who was at the controls of Flight BA38 from Beijing, admitted that when he realised the problem, he feared all 152 passengers and crew on board were going to die.
"When I came in to land, I thought, 'This is going to be a catastrophic crash. This is it'," he said. But he added that the landing turned out "much better" than he could have imagined.
A senior Whitehall source told the Daily Mail: "If there is any more clear-cut example of someone who has saved the lives of numerous people, I would like to see it.
"Forgetting the 152 on board the plane, there were many more on the ground who could have died if the 777 had crashed seconds earlier.
"Mr Coward is certain to be nominated for this award."
But the pilot, who was so haunted by the crash-landing he has had trouble sleeping, said last night that it was teamwork that ensured the happy ending.
He said: "Talk of awards and other distinctions is all very flattering, but they couldn't be further from my mind.
"We worked as a team to get the plane down, and that's all that matters."
He added: "I haven't slept since it all happened.
"But the most important thing is that I'm back safely with my family."
Mr Coward is now spending time with his wife Valerie and daughter Coralie - his two other children are on a skiing holiday - at their home near Nice in France.
Valerie, who also works for BA, as a flight attendant, said: "Of course, I am very proud of him and, yes, he is a hero."
If Mr Coward is honoured, then other crew members are likely to receive the Queen's Commendation for Bravery in the Air.
Fewer than 600 Queen's Gallantry Medals have been awarded since the first in 1974."
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