SQ 317 Diverted to Baku

[Nick C]

Any ideas on when SKE will resume normal flying ?

It's already back in service.

[FlyBoy]

It's already back in service.

WOW

[SQ228]

But as somebody mentioned earlier, aren't there two flight crews on board for the flight from LHR to SIN? Given reports that the first incident only happened around 20min from take-off I doubt the relief crew would be sleeping.

The reports of the door making noise were said to have been made shortly after take off, but the depressurisation where posters are saying they would want an announcement, that occurred some hours into the flight while over Afghanistan I think I heard reported.

[SQ228]

WOW

It landed in SIN early yesterday afternoon but has not returned to passenger service yet that I can detect anywhere.

For anyone who knows Changi layout in detail (I don't) it is/was reportedly at stand number 102

[hviswanathan]

It's already back in service.

'
Where did you find this. It does not appear to be back in passenger service as per the usual suspects.

[NoChanceToDance]

It is not back in service as yet. It flew from Baku to Singapore Sunday/Monday as SQ8860 and landed, as SQ228 says on Tuesday morning SIN time.

I'd guess it will be another few days before it will be in passenger service.

[Handiman]

I saw her yesterday at parking tarmac , for sure not in service yet.

[SIA_A380]

Here she is arriving into Changi. Note the blue patch above Door L3.

[Mbyrne01]

On board view

Hello folks,

Thanks for all the detailed information here - really interesting.

I have a slightly different perspective as I was in the plane in seat 52A so about five meters from the broken door. I have a couple of engineering degrees so will try and provide as much perspective there as I can.

Whenwe got on the aircraft, there were two teams of enginners on there - one from Panasonic fixing the in-flight entertainment and another person; speaking to the captain later, I learned that this second person was the engineer employed directly by SIA in London as their on-site engineer. The Panasonic team didn't manageto fix their bit,but the SIA engineer cleared the plane for use, but I am unable to tell you how detailed his checks were.

After about twenty minutes into the flight, things started going wrong. One of the signs on the door popped off. The aircraft was also noisier than it should have been and the people sitting next to the door could only communicate using written notes! The cabin crew were very aware indeed and they knew that the door had been an issue on the previous flight. The chief steward was spending his time fixing the in-flight entertainment.

The cabin was very cold; i had two pairs of socks and a blanket. I assume this was due to the compressors pulling in air so fast that it did not have time to be heated. There was certainly a fair wind in the cabin from the very outset.

The next thing that happened was that the blind in the window of the door cracked. There are a numbers of photos of this available. The crew re-seated the passengers near the door elsewhere in the plane.

A number of people came to look at the door, but I cannot say if any of the pilots or engineers did. It was kind of a tourist attraction as it was badly broken, though not visibly warped.

Seven hours into the flight above Kabul, we noticed from the in-flight entertainment (now fixed) that we had done a u-turn and were heading back. It was a very slow turn. At this point, panic started to spread through the cabin as we all now knew something was badly wrong. The in-flight entertainment system was then switched off which made things worse. We did see that we had a new destination though.

A few minutes later, the plane started a rapid desent, the oxygen masks deployed and the scariest automated announcement in the world came over the tannoy saying that this was an emergency.

We put our masks on and said our farewells. No more panic, just quiet acceptence of death. I know of only one passenger who did not believe he was going to die.

Once the plane had dropped to what I now know was 10,000 feet, the plane levelled out.

An hour later, we were told that the choice of airport had changed. This was the first announcement.

The pilot then announced that he was putting down the landing gear, but most people could not hear the announcement as the noise in the cabin was now extreme (I had noise cancelling earphones, so was pretty much the only person who could hear in that cabin). Clearly, dumping fuel is a tad anti-social so creating drag and burning off fuel was a better option.

There were a number of announcements asking the crew to take their seats for landing before we actually landed which wasn't really helpful as people then assumed that there was a problem landing. In the end, the landing was uneventful. The door was clearly a mess.

We landed at about 1 local time and got off the plane about 2. It took the crew a further two hours to get off the plane as they had to secure it. There is one bar in Baku terminal and they had to send out for more beer. They also ran out of paper for the credit card machine as we were all paying on plastic. One of the best beers of my life.

Food started to arrive about six. I believe this was bought from the local ground handling agents or another airlilne as it was not SIA branded. It was fine though.

Most of the crew then left to get some well earned rest. They left four people to look after passengers until staff arrived from Turkey and Russia.

Before he left, the pilot told us that a replacement aircraft was on the air. This was not true.

We all knew that getting Visas into Azerbaijan was going to be tough, so everyone put their hopes on a replacement plane.

As it goes, after about 15 hours SIA did manage to sort out visas. The plane was divided into three. The first third went to The Sheraton. They cleared immigration quickly and got there fast as it is an airport hotel. I was in the last third, so we took two jours to get. Out of the airport and a further half an hour to get to The Hilton. We got just under three hours there.

The rest is history really. The replacement plane arrived and we had a fligt to Singapore that was absolutely by the nokko with the same crew as we had originally.

Let's be clear here that Singapore Airlines did most of this right. They chose the right airport as Baku handles A380s already and was about the only place we could get to under 10000 feet. The pilot burned off the fuel in the least anti-social way. The crew got food and drink to us as quickly as they could and someone pulled off a small miracle getting us visas. The Hilton was excellent.

However, there are three outstanding questions:

1. What inspections did the engineer do at Heathrow given that the doors have history according to the internet (un reliable source)?
2. Why did the pilot take seven hours to make a decision? It was clear that there was a problem; there were visible structural problems and his instruments must have been showing compressors working flat out and cabin temperature down.
3. Given that this decision took seven hours to make and was clearly well planned, why was a passenger announcement not possible. Realistically, the plane wasn't in any danger, but most of the passengers confronted their own moality in a hurry.

SIA have been very good for a week. They got us medically checked out (I am officially suffering from post traumatic stress as a result of the factthat I thought I was going to die - not due to the problem with the aircraft); i am shocked no-one had a heart attack. But now that we have left Singapore, they ignore our e-mails and have moved on.

My question for this forum is how do we get the Singapore CAA to do a full investigation?

Thanks,

Michael

[SQflyergirl]

Welcome to SQTalk Michael - thanks for the interesting first hand account!

[9V-JKL]

Thanks for sharing! Answers quite a few questions

[kt74]

I have a slightly different perspective

Thanks for the detailed account. It must have been an awful experience, but we're all grateful that you've shared and clarified a few things

Incidentally, it's great that you're telling us all of this, but I'm surprised that neither SQ nor the CAAS have asked for your side of the story! If I was them, I'd want to know *exactly* what happened from everyone's perspective!

[scooby5]

Good job Michael, I believe you are asking pretty much the same questions we've been going through the last 6-Pages.

Once the plane had dropped to what I now know was 10,000 feet, the plane levelled out.

An hour later, we were told that the choice of airport had changed. This was the first announcement.

&

Before he left, the pilot told us that a replacement aircraft was on the air. This was not true.

Two extremely telling points, in my opinion about how SQ are treating passengers. It includes the whole 'our website is fine, we'll investigate your problem and advise management' blah, blah, blah. You highlight this again at the end......

But now that we have left Singapore, they ignore our e-mails and have moved on.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After about twenty minutes into the flight, things started going wrong. One of the signs on the door popped off. The aircraft was also noisier than it should have been and the people sitting next to the door could only communicate using written notes!

If things are that bad after just 20min, how did anybody expect to carry on another 13hrs?

[SQflyergirl]

Not a particularly nice time for SQ380's. SKH operating 228 today suffered hydraulic leak and is AOG in MEL. A 772 has been despatched and is on the way down now to operate 228D as a one class service run

[Airtropolis]

Seven hours into the flight above Kabul, we noticed from the in-flight entertainment (now fixed) that we had done a u-turn and were heading back. It was a very slow turn. At this point, panic started to spread through the cabin as we all now knew something was badly wrong. The in-flight entertainment system was then switched off which made things worse. We did see that we had a new destination though.

We all knew that getting Visas into Azerbaijan was going to be tough, so everyone put their hopes on a replacement plane.

Let's be clear here that Singapore Airlines did most of this right. They chose the right airport as Baku handles A380s already and was about the only place we could get to under 10000 feet. The pilot burned off the fuel in the least anti-social way. The crew got food and drink to us as quickly as they could and someone pulled off a small miracle getting us visas. The Hilton was excellent.

Thanks for the report, though it still puzzles me and we'd possibly never know why they turned back and went to Baku at that, rather than continue eastwards to say Delhi or better, Dubai or one of the SQ stations, where passenger handling would be easier and there'd be a shorter distance for any replacement craft to travel to. 2 hours from Kabul would possibly cover some of these SQ stations I believe.