David Williams, right, piloted the fault Virgin Atlantic 747 safely back to the ground (Photo Enterprise)
The hero pilot who saved hundreds of lives by landing a stricken Virgin jumbo jet has dismissed his bravery and insisted he was just doing his job.
Humble father-of three David Williams, 47, accepted he carried out an extraordinary emergency landing but only did what any other pilot would have done.
But friends and neighbors said he was a hero and were proud of his actions.
Mr. Williams calmly brought the Boeing 747 plane to the ground at Gatwick airport on Monday after its landing gear failed.
The Las Vegas-bound jet, packed with more than 450 passengers and crew, had to turn back shortly after take-off after the fault was detected. Dramatic photographs showed the jumbo jet with the right-side wing landing gear not deployed despite frantic attempts to release the mechanism.
Speaking for the first time, Mr. Williams said: “All of our pilots at Virgin Atlantic are trained to the highest standards and we go through regular testing to deal with any scenario that may arise.
“Clearly this was an out of the ordinary landing but I was just doing my job and any one of our pilots would have taken the same actions.
“I’m really proud of my colleagues on the ground and in the air and the support they gave me during this event – everyone worked really hard in a difficult situation.”
Most of the passengers from the plane flew out to the US on Tuesday morning. Mr. Williams, whose 12-year-old daughter was on board at the time of the incident, added: “We are delighted that our customers were able to travel to Las Vegas the next day for their New Year’s Eve celebrations.
“I am keen to spend some private time with my family over the New Year.”
Virgin Atlantic chief executive Craig Kreeger met with Mr. Williams and the rest of the on board staff to thank them for their heroics.
A former pupil of Shebbear College in Devon, Mr. Williams has flying experience going back at least 20 years.
He is listed on his Linkedin page as a Captain of 747-400 for Virgin Atlantic and previously flew for Monarch Airlines between 1994 and 1998. Mr. Williams was not at home in the picturesque village of Loxwood, West Susses, where he lives with his wife and three children.
But proud neighbours said he was a reluctant hero would hate all the fuss surrounding him.
Jean Lightman, said: "He was a hero but he probably thinks he was just doing his job - he is that kind of man. He is definitely a cool and calm individual.
"He is quite a quiet and unassuming man, he would not want a big fuss."
Friend Simon Bates said he was a “typical pilot, calm and considered”.
Francis Jennings, who is married to Mr. Williams' sister-in-law, said the hero pilot just wanted to be left in peace.
All the passengers aboard the Virgin jet praised Mr. Williams for keeping them calm and making the "textbook" landing as smooth as possible.
Virgin Atlantic chief executive Craig Kreeger met with the pilot and the rest of the on board staff to thanks them for their heroics.
Sir Richard Branson hailed the crew for masterminding a “safe and skilful landing”.
A former pupil of Shebbear College in Devon, he has flying experience going back at least 20 years.
He is listed on his Linkedin page as a Captain of 747-400 for Virgin Atlantic and previously flew for Monarch Airlines between 1994 and 1998.
A keen cyclist Mr Williams has raised more than £3,000 for charities, including the University of Liverpool Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund and the Down’s Syndrome Association.
Sponsored bike rides included from Lands End to John O’Groats and from Boston to New York.
“Clearly this was an out of the ordinary landing but I was just doing my job and any one of our pilots would have taken the same actions.
“I’m really proud of my colleagues on the ground and in the air and the support they gave me during this event – everyone worked really hard in a difficult situation.”
Most of the passengers from the plane flew out to the US on Tuesday morning. Mr. Williams, whose 12-year-old daughter was on board at the time of the incident, added: “We are delighted that our customers were able to travel to Las Vegas the next day for their New Year’s Eve celebrations.
“I am keen to spend some private time with my family over the New Year.”
Virgin Atlantic chief executive Craig Kreeger met with Mr. Williams and the rest of the on board staff to thank them for their heroics.
A former pupil of Shebbear College in Devon, Mr. Williams has flying experience going back at least 20 years.
He is listed on his Linkedin page as a Captain of 747-400 for Virgin Atlantic and previously flew for Monarch Airlines between 1994 and 1998. Mr. Williams was not at home in the picturesque village of Loxwood, West Susses, where he lives with his wife and three children.
But proud neighbours said he was a reluctant hero would hate all the fuss surrounding him.
Jean Lightman, said: "He was a hero but he probably thinks he was just doing his job - he is that kind of man. He is definitely a cool and calm individual.
"He is quite a quiet and unassuming man, he would not want a big fuss."
Friend Simon Bates said he was a “typical pilot, calm and considered”.
Francis Jennings, who is married to Mr. Williams' sister-in-law, said the hero pilot just wanted to be left in peace.
All the passengers aboard the Virgin jet praised Mr. Williams for keeping them calm and making the "textbook" landing as smooth as possible.
Virgin Atlantic chief executive Craig Kreeger met with the pilot and the rest of the on board staff to thanks them for their heroics.
Sir Richard Branson hailed the crew for masterminding a “safe and skilful landing”.
A former pupil of Shebbear College in Devon, he has flying experience going back at least 20 years.
He is listed on his Linkedin page as a Captain of 747-400 for Virgin Atlantic and previously flew for Monarch Airlines between 1994 and 1998.
A keen cyclist Mr Williams has raised more than £3,000 for charities, including the University of Liverpool Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund and the Down’s Syndrome Association.
Sponsored bike rides included from Lands End to John O’Groats and from Boston to New York.
(Tom Whitehead - The Telegraph)
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