Some newspapers, sensing a chance to sell more copies, picked up the story, claiming that John Coward was the real hero. They published details of Burkill’s colorful past, painting a picture of a well-paid pilot who had lived the life of a playboy, and―when it mattered―had let down his crew and passengers. Worse still for Burkill, it wasn’t even his word against theirs. British airways banned him from speaking about the events until the full investigation by the Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB) was complete.