A British Airways plane was seconds away from disaster after a pilot botched a landing and stalled while 4,000ft above London, it is understood.

The aircraft’s captain was reportedly forced to intervene and recover the near miss, described as the greatest of its kind in years, while the Airbus A320 descended into Heathrow Airport.

The incident is said to have unfolded on Flight BA919 from Dusseldorf on July 6 as the 180-passenger heavy aircraft flew over Canary Wharf, east London.

It is understood the chain of events was sparked after one of the plane’s air data systems, which tracks critical flight information such as airspeed, failed.

This prompted the British Airways (BA) aircraft to stall, meaning the loss of altitude and control, while above the capital’s finance district.

Unlike a car, the stalling of an airplane does not result in the engine stopping.

Instead, the wings lift to such a level that the weight of the plane is no longer supported, causing the aircraft to be at risk of plunging into a nosedive.

The first officer is believed to have tried to solve the issue, however, the captain was compelled to physically intervene after their colleague’s attempt failed.