It’s been a rough cuppla for commercial commonwealth companies, with a Qantas airliner forced to put down in Manila after after an explosive decompression event. Turns out that occasional reader Ozwitch had a personal interest in the successful landing of the 747, as her significant other was at the wheel yoke:
You might not recall that my husband was ex-RAN A4. He now flies 747-400. He had the explosive decompression yesterday.
Fun day!
I can give your readers some facts that are solid:
No engines were shut down.
Aeroplane’s controls were unaffected.
Some computer functions and electrics were affected - all 3 ILS shut down and the Capt’s FMC. Antiskid warning came on.
The R2 door alarm activated.
Capt inititated controlled descent from 29K to 10K, which took about 4 mins. Mayday was called (John never ever thought he would have to declare a mayday in his entire career!)After levelling off, fuel dump of 50 tons was commenced, and plane landed afterwards normally, but used all available runway. Engine #3 was shut down first, then 3 others after and plane was towed to terminal. Passengers disembarked normally via aerobridge.
John praised crew and passengers, who all rose to the occasion.I have a few pics I can share if you’d like. Let me know, and if any other q’s
Ozwitch
Glad that worked out, knowing that it’s always hard to keep a Scooter jock down. Meanwhile, over on the other end, an XL Airways jet flying from the Grecian Islands to Manchester was forced to stop short in Frankfurt after a couple of “ladies” struck a flight attendant with a vodka bottle and tried to open the cabin door. In flight.
It mildly surprises me that anyone that stupid has access to flying cash.
Perhaps they were on trust funds.
21 responses so far ↓
1 Chapomatic » Great to hear Ozwitch is doing okay… // Jul 26, 2008 at 10:52 am
[...] …better still to hear her husband is not just safe but did well in a tough situation with lives at stake. Lex has the info. [...]
2
John
// Jul 26, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Good news all around on that one!
Still curious as to the cause. Merely an old aircraft with pieces falling off in flight, al la Aloha?
Or some less pleasant cause for shedding of skin?
3
Ozwitch
// Jul 26, 2008 at 2:46 pm
No official statement as to cause yet, but from the horse’s mouth: something went bang in the hold, the aircraft jolted sideways. Decompression was instant.
The blast seemed to be in all directions, looking at the damage afterwards.
NOT a corrosion or metal fatigue issue as some of those with agendas have suggested. And the aircraft was maintained solely in Australia, so it wasn’t shoddy overseas engineers either.
4
b2
// Jul 26, 2008 at 3:10 pm
BZ to your hubbie.
They got it back- they’ll figure it out.
I’d tread lightly Oz, there are folks with agendas and this incident will spawn litigation.
b2
5
Ozwitch
// Jul 26, 2008 at 3:17 pm
QANTAS have already publicly said it is not a corrosion issue, so that part I can repeat. However, I do take your point. But these ARE the facts that have emerged so far.
6
John
// Jul 26, 2008 at 3:27 pm
This would be an opportune time to note out thanks for the customary outstanding service of Australian forces as we jointly fight the war on terrorists.
Well done to all, on the front lines in the obvious areas where the enemy fights, and also to those who are merely innocent targets struck far from the front, where the cowardly or fanatical enemy seeks to kill all infidels.
We rejoice in the successes of our allies, and mourn your losses as our own.
Glad we have no mourning to do with this incident. Hope we learn much from it…whatever the cause.
7
ELP
// Jul 26, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Good job by the crew!
8
MaxDamage
// Jul 26, 2008 at 9:57 pm
Regarding idiots with disposable income, I think it’s safe to say these two who wanted to let some fresh air into the plane are merely, you’ll pardon the pun, a drop in the bottle.
I say they pay for the extra fuel it took to divert the flight, and the extra hours that had to be paid to the flight crew.
That ought to keep them on the trains for a while.
9
Chris Parkes
// Jul 26, 2008 at 11:38 pm
Ozwitch - well done that man - pass on my regards. I bet he would have preferred the quiet life
Pprunists are having a field day.
10
Todd
// Jul 27, 2008 at 3:42 am
Ozwitch,
A big Bravo Zulu to your husband…well done! Pass on my appreciation to him as well.
11
sid
// Jul 27, 2008 at 7:07 am
Seems folks in Europe are ill behaved this season. Received from a flight out of Rome the other day…
FI xxxx/AN Nxxxxx
DT DDL XXE 201716 M53A
- 20
MAY WANT TO NOTIFY CUSTOMS.
PAX AT SEAT 16F NAME IS
[dumbass] WAS SEEN BY OTHER PAX SNORTING A LINE OF WHITE POWDER
OFF HER TRAY TABLE. THE OTHER PAX NOTIFIED FLT ATTENDANTS. CUSTOMER
SAID IT WAS A PERSCRIPT DRUG CALLED STILNOX. SHE HAD BEEN DRINKING
LOTS OF WINE ALSO. IT SEEMS STRANGE TO SNORT A LEGAL DRUG.
Then, after getting her buzz on, she decided to go have a little smoke in the lav.
12
Adam
// Jul 27, 2008 at 8:35 pm
I can’t believe they dumped 50 tons of fuel. Wow.
13
William Bowe
// Jul 28, 2008 at 1:14 am
This post has made the Channel Ten evening news in Perth (and probably elsewhere also).
14
Henry
// Jul 28, 2008 at 2:59 am
The Qantas decompression was caused by a seat belt left dangling out of door 2R. \^_^/
15
Jim Howard
// Jul 28, 2008 at 9:17 am
There was an AD out not too long ago on B747 oxygen bottle mounting brackets, it will be interesting to see if there is a connection between that problem and this incident.
In any case, great job by the crew and passengers.
16
badbob
// Jul 28, 2008 at 9:40 am
Quantas incident #2- Unrelated it appears:
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24092835-5001021,00.html
b2
17
Chris Parkes
// Jul 28, 2008 at 5:40 pm
What exactly is a “routine air turn back?”
Badbob? No U in QANTAS.
18 QF30 Emergency Landing in MNL after door "Popped" - Page 13 - The Australian Frequent Flyer Online Community // Jul 29, 2008 at 4:44 pm
[...] A piece of an exploding oxygen tank is believed to have pushed the handle of an emergency door into the opening position, after smashing through the floor on a Qantas flight from Hong Kong. Last Friday a Qantas international jet was forced to make an emergency landing at Manila after a mid-air explosion tore a hole in the plane’s fuselage. Passengers were not in danger of the doors opening because they are designed so they cannot be opened mid-flight, The Australian reports today. But after examining photographs, industry observers were surprised the door was pushed into the opening position. "It’s an incredibly rare event for the oxygen tank to explode and for it to hit the door handle and rotate it open is just eye-watering," a source told The Australian. The aircraft’s controls were not affected but some computer functions and electrics were disrupted, including three of the plane’s supposedly independent landing systems. Sources said the emergency descent from 29,000 feet to 10,000 feet took about four minutes. AAP Exploding oxygen tank ‘opened emergency door’ - National - BrisbaneTimes Wonder whether this is the source mentioned (from pprune) for some of the material in their article… and how reliable and verifiable it is by News Ltd… Commwealth flying | Neptunus Lex [...]
19
NSEU
// Jul 29, 2008 at 9:43 pm
“Supposedly independent landing systems”?
They _are_ totally independent when the aircraft is landing… Not at 30,000′.
“Landing system”? I suppose the average punter is now thinking that the aircraft can’t land without these.
Emergency door? Sure.. a door to be used in an emergency, but used every day when there isn’t an emergency.
“The aircraft’s controls were not affected but ”
Well, at least the normal controls weren’t affected… Can they confirm that the backup ones weren’t?
20
ikztorks
// Jul 30, 2008 at 8:39 am
O2 Bottles:
In small aircraft (a/c), the O2 bottle is often refilled when empty, so the Bottle stays with the a/c. In large airliners, may we assume that the bottle is changed, rather than refilled in situ?
If so, the bottle in question is not “part” of the original airliner, but a replaceable item.
In my [limited] experience, the O2 bottles have a finite life (20 yrs), and are to be tested periodically.
I think it is imperative to know if the bottle in question 1) had been replaced or refilled,2) had been tested, and 3) was within it’s life limit…..
We need more information before we draw conculsions!!
21
mrdeux
// Sep 13, 2008 at 6:31 am
If anyone is still interested in this event, a subsequent ATSB release gives some more data, as well as a link to a 40 page pdf of data.
http://www.atsb.gov.au/newsroom/2008/release/2008_33.aspx
Seems I was wrong about the flight controls….
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