Eric Henry John Moody was born 7 June 1941 at New Forest, Hampshire, England. In January 1966, he married Miss Patricia J. Collard at Southhampton. They would have two children. Captain Moody served with British Airways for 32 years, retiring in 1996 with over 17,000 flight hours.

On June 24, 1982, British Airways Flight 9 flew into darkness literally and figuratively. At 37,000 feet above the Indian Ocean, en route from London to Auckland, the Boeing 747 unknowingly entered a massive cloud of volcanic ash from Indonesia’s Mount Galunggung. Moments later, one engine failed. Then another. Then another. And then—all four engines stopped. In the cockpit, panic could’ve taken over. But Captain Eric Moody took a breath and reached for the intercom. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We have a small problem. All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them going again. I trust you are not in too much distress.” That line would go down in aviation history—not just for its dry British understatement, but for the sheer steadiness behind it. The aircraft began to descend rapidly, essentially gliding through ash-filled skies, the cabin filling with thick sulphuric smoke, the crew desperately trying restart procedures. At 13,000 feet—just minutes from potential ocean impact—one engine roared back to life. Then another. And another. Miraculously, all four restarted. Despite windscreen abrasion, no engine thrust for over 10 minutes, and barely any visibility, the crew managed to land safely in Jakarta. Every one of the 263 passengers and crew survived. Investigators later found that volcanic ash—completely invisible on radar—had choked the engines, causing flameouts. It was a terrifying first for commercial aviation, and it changed protocols forever. But what passengers remembered most wasn’t the ash. It was the voice.

Captain Moody’s composure under pressure became a model of leadership taught in flight schools and disaster response programs for years to come. He didn’t hide the danger. He didn’t sugarcoat the facts. But he remained steady—and gave others the courage to be steady, too.

He was a remarkable man who showed how important it is to remain calm under incredible pressure. He made a difference to the lives of those 263 people he saved that day.

Captain Moody and Senior Cabin Services Officer Graham Skinner were awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air. Guinness Book of Records lists Flight 9 as the longest glide of any aircraft not designed for gliding.

He passed away in March 2024 at the age of 82 years.