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The Qantas Anni Horribilis Master Thread

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  • #31
    http://www.smh.com.au/news/news/pilo...097317444.html
    Qantas pilot landed without instruments

    A Qantas pilot brought a passenger plane into Manila airport without instrument landing systems after the aircraft was damaged by an exploding oxygen bottle, investigators say.

    Passengers and crew all escaped injury when the Melbourne-bound Boeing 747-400 made an emergency landing in the Philippines after a mid-air explosion tore a hole in its fuselage last Friday.

    The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said today a piece of the oxygen tank entered the passenger cabin after smashing through the cabin floor and hit an emergency door handle, moving it part way into the open position.

    ATSB spokesman Julian Walsh said passengers were not in danger, because the position of the handle did not mean the security of the door was at risk.

    He told reporters the investigation team had confirmed the door latches were still engaged, and the design of the door meant there was never any danger of the door opening.

    "The team have confirmed that the aircraft's three instrument landing systems and the anti-skid system were not available for the arrival at Manila," Mr Walsh said.

    "However, evidence indicates that all the aircraft's main systems, including engines and hydraulics, were functioning normally.

    "The approach to Manila airport was conducted in visual conditions, and it should be noted that the pilot had other navigation instruments available (if visibility had been a problem)."

    The ATSB said some passengers' oxygen masks had failed to deploy correctly.

    "I don't know the exact number, but we're talking less than 10 as I understand it,'' Mr Walsh said.

    "But that's subject to verification and confirmation.''

    Some passengers have told of their panic after they were unable to access the oxygen masks as the drama unfolded.

    The ATSB said it would interview Qantas cabin crew and passengers who encountered problems with the masks.

    Mr Walsh said the investigation team was still examining the oxygen system to determine if the flow was adequate for the five-and-a-half minute descent from 29,000 feet to 10,000 feet, where the masks were no longer required.

    It was still unclear as to what caused the oxygen bottle, about the size of a scuba tank, to explode.

    The bottle, which was in a bank of bottles that provided oxygen to passengers, pierced the floor near one of the major exit doors, Mr Walsh said.

    He said there was a crew seat in the vicinity of where the bottle entered the cabin but that no crew member was in the seat at the time.

    "Whether the bottle itself has actually exploded or whether the valve has failed, or whether that has been a secondary event as a result of something else hitting the bottle, it is obviously very important for us to look at.

    "But clearly the (oxygen bottle) has travelled vertically through the floor of the aircraft, glanced with the door handle and impacted with the ceiling of the cabin.

    "I think it's fair to say that for something to penetrate the floor and to move the handle, that component was travelling at some significant speed.''

    Mr Walsh said it appeared that the flight crew had managed the situation "extremely well''.

    "Certainly, our review of all the information that's available to us to date shows that the crew responded as you would expect them to do.

    "It would appear to us that they've done very close to a text-book response.''

    Mr Walsh said the investigation team would now need time to analyse the data that had been collected, adding that a preliminary report should be available within about 30 days.

    Comment


    • #32
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1G9T1DZOJI

      bad month for qantas

      Comment


      • #33
        Well I wouldn't compare a geardoor problem to the previous disaster...
        Capslock is cruise control for cool... not!

        See you at W:O:A 2010- rain or shine!

        Comment


        • #34
          Not again!
          http://www.theage.com.au/national/fl...0802-3p03.html
          Capslock is cruise control for cool... not!

          See you at W:O:A 2010- rain or shine!

          Comment


          • #35
            Qantas faces special safety probe -
            http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7539413.stm
            matt_will_fix_it

            Comment


            • #36
              I got some pictures in the mail showing close ups of the damage to the 744. It's pretty bad.

              Comment


              • #37
                Could you post them here?
                Capslock is cruise control for cool... not!

                See you at W:O:A 2010- rain or shine!

                Comment


                • #38
                  Originally posted by up and away View Post
                  Could you post them here?
                  Will have to ask my source for permission first.

                  Comment


                  • #39
                    More photos from wings900.com

                    http://www.wings900.com/vb/1-1-civil...tml#post258417

                    Comment


                    • #40
                      The location of the hole is very near to the left air intake duct of the air-cond package.

                      Luckily, the crack doesn't spread further to the air intake area, it just damaged part of the cargo compartment, otherwise the passengers on board will be seriously suffered.

                      Comment


                      • #41
                        That damage does look pretty bad. I wonder if QF is going to fix this bird!
                        Capslock is cruise control for cool... not!

                        See you at W:O:A 2010- rain or shine!

                        Comment


                        • #42
                          Qantas Jumbo Jet Grounded In NZ

                          After 3 incidents last week, Qantas' woes continue - taken from here

                          A Qantas Airways jumbo jet is on its way to Los Angeles after being grounded in Auckland overnight after an in-flight problem with an engine.

                          "It took off just after 2pm," a spokeswoman for the airline said on Thursday.

                          One of four engines on the Boeing 747-300 on a flight from Melbourne was unexpectedly "reduced to idle" speed - without a command from the pilots - as the airliner approached Auckland Airport on Wednesday night, Qantas spokeswoman Holly Williams said.

                          The pilot landed the aircraft with 219 passengers and 16 crew without further incident and a faulty fuel-flow regulator was replaced overnight.
                          A Qantas spokeswoman in Melbourne said the latest problem on one of the troubled company's aircraft was an "isolated incident" and the plane had no further problems.

                          The incident occurred as Australia's airline safety body expanded an investigation of Qantas after the company announced it had temporarily pulled six Boeing 737-400 aircraft from service on Tuesday because of irregularities in maintenance records, AAP reported.

                          In another incident on Wednesday, a Boeing 747 had to be taken out of service to replace a jackscrew crucial to the operation of the plane's tail, and the airline confirmed that urgent maintenance was needed.

                          Another Qantas Boeing 747 was grounded temporarily in Melbourne on Wednesday because of a problem with a flap indicator in the cockpit.

                          This week's problems are the latest in a spate of incidents for the airline since one of its airliners made an emergency landing in Manila last month after an explosion tore a large hole in the fuselage.

                          Nobody was hurt in that mid-air incident, which is thought to have been due to an exploding oxygen bottle.

                          Comment


                          • #43
                            I can't help but notice that there's a correlation between the latest series of incidents (albeit some more serious than others) and the ongoing spat between the engineers and Qantas.

                            The latest spate of incidents and the intense media coverage, though at times sensationalised and totally lacking perspective, is probably the best thing that's happened to Qantas. Might force both sides (engineering and bean counters) to buck up a little and sort things out. At the end of the day I'm glad that planes are grounded, and problems aren't covered up to avoid public scrutiny. I'd rather Qantas keep standards high by copping some negative media coverage.
                            All opinions shared are my own, and are not necessarily those of my employer or any other organisation of which I'm affiliated to.

                            Comment


                            • #44
                              The consumer worries only about getting from point A to point B, i.e. the majority mostly don't want to concern themselves in the Qantas vs Engineers debate. They just want to make sure they get there in one piece, and from a carrier they trust to provide a reasonable level of quality when they travel.

                              Having 4 incidents in the space of less than a month (the oxygen canister disaster was only July 25th) in the eyes of the average consumer very likely will invoke the following thought process:

                              1) Reading negative media coverage (Qantas vs Engineers and impact of all these mishaps)
                              2) Conclude that it's not worth the effort/risk to book QF and that "Qantas = not safe any longer, better pick another airline for my travels"
                              3) Booking is made from then on with other carriers. Damage over short-medium term = massive

                              People will be quick to forget QF has never had a plane crash when all they can think about in recent history is four problems in a month, including the unfortunate massive hole in the hull of the aircraft on the 25th of July. It takes ages to develop a reputation, but only an instant for it to break into pieces.

                              Let's face it, I think it won't be long before 60 Minutes airs a segment that will sensationalise this further, if they have not already. The PR department can only do so much, and its impact is relative only to however long it takes to ensure no more mishaps keep happening, engineering or otherwise.

                              They could spend 5 million dollars today announcing fantastic new safety guidelines/standards to ensure nothing goes wrong, but I'm certain all it would take is one more hole in the hull (frankly, for me, something less dramatic is enough) will be sufficient to see numbers plummet on QF and people taking their money elsewhere.

                              Stuck between a rock and a hard place for Qantas. A pity because I had great experiences flying with them and even did a Uni project during my postgrad years comparing QF with a few other carriers, and the one key point that stood out in their favour being their impeccable safety record.
                              Last edited by Kyo; 14 August 2008, 05:17 PM.

                              Comment


                              • #45
                                I think you make some extremely valid points there Kyo, even if it forces the "engineers and bean counters" to buck up their ideas as KeithMEL suggests, an airline is nothing without pax, and these recent events surely will have a serious effect on consumer confidence.

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