Key facts
- Virgin Atlantic engineer Georgie Buxton, 23, died after an explosion in a Boeing 787 fuel tank at Heathrow Airport.
- The incident occurred on June 11, and Buxton died on July 7 from a traumatic brain injury.
- An inquest into his death has been opened and suspended pending a criminal investigation.
- The Metropolitan Police and Health and Safety Executive are investigating the 'non-combustion explosion'.
- Buxton and another technician were examining a fuel leak at the time of the incident.
An inquest has been opened into the death of Georgie Buxton, a 23-year-old Virgin Atlantic aircraft technician, who sustained fatal injuries following an explosion inside a Boeing 787 fuel tank at Heathrow Airport on June 11. Buxton died on July 7 at St Mary's Hospital after undergoing surgeries for a traumatic brain injury, a craniofacial trauma, sustained in the incident.
Senior coroner Lydia Brown suspended the inquest, awaiting potential criminal charges from a joint investigation by the Metropolitan Police and the Health and Safety Executive. The explosion, described as non-combustion, occurred while Buxton and another technician were examining a fuel leak, with Buxton taking the impact to his head and torso. Buxton had worked for Virgin Atlantic for two years, having previously been an engineer for Ryanair.
Virgin Atlantic expressed their heartbreak over the loss of their employee, stating that the safety and wellbeing of their staff is their top priority. They are cooperating with authorities in the ongoing investigation.