British Airways is being sued by an American passenger for more than £50,000 after she fell and fractured her leg while disembarking a plane at Heathrow.

According to documents filed in the High Court, Melissa Phillips, who was travelling back to Maryland in the US, where she lives, from Israel via Heathrow, suffered fractures in her left fibula and tibia after falling down the plane steps in March 2023.

Her lawyers allege Phillips’ injuries were caused by the airline‘s “negligence”.

Katherine Deal KC, representing Phillips, said the disembarking of passengers from the Israel flight at Heathrow was “chaotic”, causing Phillips to fall.

“Had the steps not been full of jostling passengers, the claimant would not have been knocked off balance,” Deal said.

Deal added there was “minimal crowd control or direction” from the airline‘s cabin crew as the passengers descended the “damp” steps from the plane, which allegedly caused Phillips to fall.

Phillips, according to her barrister, underwent surgery after being taken to hospital before she was flown back to the US days later.

British Airways says passenger ‘lost her footing’

The airline giant is defending its claim, but has offered to pay Phillips £6,987 for her medical expenses.

Christopher Loxton, the airline’s barrister, said Phillips “descended the steps without looking, or adequately looking”, and that it is likely the fall was caused by her “simply losing her footing.”

“It is the defendant’s case that the likely cause of the claimant’s fall was simply paying insufficient attention to the way in which she was descending the steps and that she lost her footing and fell down the same steps,” Loxton said.

The barrister added it was “not normal operating procedure” for crowd-control measures to be in place, or for cabin crew to be giving specific directions.

A hearing for the claim is yet to take place.

British Airways was contacted for comment.