The co-pilot who skillfully crash-landed a British Airways Boeing at London's Heathrow Airport yesterday reveals that he feared everyone on board was going to die.

Senior first officer John Coward averted disaster by bringing the plane down just within Heathrow's perimeter fence following the engine malfunction.

Coward, 41, a father of three, says in an interview with a Sunday newspaper, "When I came in to land, I thought 'This is going to be a catastrophic crash. This is it'.

"Suddenly, there was nothing from any of the engines and the plane started to glide.

"I didn't think we'd clear the fence at first. As we landed I was bracing myself for an enormous thud. But instead of one thud, there was a series of thuds as it bounced along the grass."

The plane was on a flight from Beijing when Thursday's crash occurred. During the emergency evacuation of the aircraft, one person suffered a broken leg and others received minor injuries.

Yesterday, the wreckage of the aircraft was painstakingly moved 500 yards from the runway at Heathrow, where it had lain since the crash, to the airline's engineering base at Hatton Cross.

The Boeing 777 was under the command of Captain Peter Burkill, whose wife, Maria, tells how she watched television pictures of the landing immediately afterwards, knowing her husband was on board.

She says, "I was crying and shaking and desperate to know if he was OK. Then my mobile flashed that I had a voice message. Hearing his voice was a moment I'll never forget.

"Looking at the television, I couldn't believe people weren't killed, and yet Peter sounded like he was just stuck in traffic."

Members of the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) have remained with the jet since the crash-landing as they attempt to determine the cause of the engine failure. The plane is now positioned outside the hangar and investigations will continue.

An initial report released by the AAIB said all had gone normally with Flight BA38 until the aircraft was just two miles from touchdown and at a height of 600 feet.

The early findings appeared to corroborate various claims the plane had suddenly lost power.

British Airways yesterday explained the operation to move the 200-ton aircraft. The BA aircraft recovery team placed the 209-feet-long plane on to electronically controlled platforms positioned under the belly of the aircraft.

Specialist equipment designed for such situations arrived from Staffordshire-based firm ALE yesterday morning.

It is the same gear used to transport a decomissioned Concorde to the Museum of Flight in East Lothian four years ago.

In order to prepare for the Boeing move, the airline's recovery team first had to stabilize and steady the aircraft.

Bruce Hunter, general manager of operational maintenance, says, "BA's specialist recovery team of 20 engineers flies around the world helping airlines move stranded aircraft.

"The team painstakingly lifted the aircraft to prepare it for the move.

"The next stage of this delicate operation took several hours to complete as the team worked meticulously to make sure the aircraft was moved slowly and safely to its new location."

Hydraulic jacks and airbags were used to position eight canvas strops under the belly of the hull. These were attached to two specialist cranes each capable of lifting 150 tons.

Once in position, the aircraft was jacked up inch by inch until it was at the right height for the three platforms to be positioned. Each wheeled platform is capable of holding 80 tons.

Normal services at Heathrow Airport resumed yesterday and will continue today, with the British Airports Authority reporting only a "small number" of cancellations.