Another for Qantas...
"Passengers aboard a Qantas flight from Singapore to Perth suffered fractures and lacerations following a "sudden change in altitude", the airline says."
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=642949
40 injured in Qantas incident over WA
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by jastheace » Wed Oct 08, 2008 1:05 pm
it sounds like clear air turbulence to me, do qantas have a330's? as i am certain the pics on the news looked like a 767
In the ongoing battle between objects made of aluminum going hundreds of miles per hour and the ground going zero miles per hour, the ground has yet to lose.
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jastheace - Senior Member
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by twinstarda42 » Wed Oct 08, 2008 4:26 pm
Qantas flight suffered computer 'irregularity'
AIR safety investigators say there was an "irregularity" in the computer equipment of a Qantas plane involved in a mid-air incident over Western Australia.
A second team of investigators is travelling to Learmonth, in the state's north, to find the cause of the incident, which injured about 20 passengers and crew on board flight QF72 travelling from Singapore to Perth.
The pilots sent a mayday call shortly before making an emergency landing at the regional airstrip, 40km from Exmouth on WA's Gascoyne coast.
Qantas today said the cause of the “sudden change in altitude†was speculation.
Australian Transport Safety Bureau director of aviation safety investigation Julian Walsh said the plane was travelling at 37,000 feet when the incident happened.
“The pilots received electronic centralised aircraft monitoring messages in the cockpit relating to some irregularity with the aircraft's elevator control system,†he said in Canberra.
The aircraft then climbed about 300 feet before “abruptly†pitching nose down.
Passengers arriving in Perth last night told of their horror as the drop threw them and their personal belongings across the plane.
Jim Ford, of Perth, said he thought he was about to die as he watched people being thrown around the cabin.
“It was horrendous, absolutely gruesome, terrible, the worst experience of my life,†he said.
Ben Cave, of Perth, said for a few seconds he had feared for his life and “saw a bit of a flash before meâ€.
“We had a major fall and another fall shortly after.
“I hit the ceiling but I was OK, I only got a few bruises and strains. I just remember seeing that the plane was a mess.â€
Henry and Doreen Bishop, of Oxford, England, said it was one of the worst experiences of their lives.
“People were screaming but they cut off any panic that might have started...â€, Mr Bishop said.
“I put it down to life. The titanic hit an iceberg, we hit an air pocket.â€
A spokesman for Perth's Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital said one of the 20 passengers it treated last night was in a serious but stable condition. Eight people were under observation and 11 other patients were discharged, he said. Injuries included fractures, lacerations and suspected spinal injuries.
WA Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan was forced to activate the state crisis centre because of the number of injuries.
“It seems that there might have been some sort of systems failure, we're not sure yet, we're still waiting for further information,†Dr O'Callaghan told ABC Radio.
A further five ATSB investigators were on their way to Learmonth to join their two colleagues already on the ground.
The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder have been quarantined and sent to Canberra for testing.
The Australian and International Pilots' Association today said turbulence was not uncommon on that flight path.
Captain Ian Woods said most modern passenger planes were built to cope with changes in altitude.
“When you cross those jetstreams as you do from Singapore to Perth ... you run across the transition boundary,†Capt Woods, also a Qantas pilot, told ABC Radio.
“It's at that point where you're crossing from smooth air to fast-flowing air, that there can be quite unexpected and significant turbulence.â€
This could cause a “jet upsetâ€, Capt Woods said.
“So if you're unfortunate enough to run into that, and it sounds like that's what's happened, then certainly it's unexpected and you can get outcomes like this.â€
Capt Woods said turbulence was nothing pilots “can't cope withâ€.
“Aeroplanes have been ... refined over the years and if we go back to the 50s, then these kinds of events were worse than they are now.â€
The incident is another blow to Qantas, which is still dealing with several problems this year, including an exploding oxygen bottle that punched a huge hole in the side of a Qantas Boeing 747-400, forcing an emergency landing in Manila.
A Qantas Boeing 737-800 returned to Adelaide after a landing gear door failed to retract, and a Manila-bound Boeing 767 was turned back to Sydney after developing a hydraulic fluid leak.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story...28-2702,00.html
AIR safety investigators say there was an "irregularity" in the computer equipment of a Qantas plane involved in a mid-air incident over Western Australia.
A second team of investigators is travelling to Learmonth, in the state's north, to find the cause of the incident, which injured about 20 passengers and crew on board flight QF72 travelling from Singapore to Perth.
The pilots sent a mayday call shortly before making an emergency landing at the regional airstrip, 40km from Exmouth on WA's Gascoyne coast.
Qantas today said the cause of the “sudden change in altitude†was speculation.
Australian Transport Safety Bureau director of aviation safety investigation Julian Walsh said the plane was travelling at 37,000 feet when the incident happened.
“The pilots received electronic centralised aircraft monitoring messages in the cockpit relating to some irregularity with the aircraft's elevator control system,†he said in Canberra.
The aircraft then climbed about 300 feet before “abruptly†pitching nose down.
Passengers arriving in Perth last night told of their horror as the drop threw them and their personal belongings across the plane.
Jim Ford, of Perth, said he thought he was about to die as he watched people being thrown around the cabin.
“It was horrendous, absolutely gruesome, terrible, the worst experience of my life,†he said.
Ben Cave, of Perth, said for a few seconds he had feared for his life and “saw a bit of a flash before meâ€.
“We had a major fall and another fall shortly after.
“I hit the ceiling but I was OK, I only got a few bruises and strains. I just remember seeing that the plane was a mess.â€
Henry and Doreen Bishop, of Oxford, England, said it was one of the worst experiences of their lives.
“People were screaming but they cut off any panic that might have started...â€, Mr Bishop said.
“I put it down to life. The titanic hit an iceberg, we hit an air pocket.â€
A spokesman for Perth's Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital said one of the 20 passengers it treated last night was in a serious but stable condition. Eight people were under observation and 11 other patients were discharged, he said. Injuries included fractures, lacerations and suspected spinal injuries.
WA Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan was forced to activate the state crisis centre because of the number of injuries.
“It seems that there might have been some sort of systems failure, we're not sure yet, we're still waiting for further information,†Dr O'Callaghan told ABC Radio.
A further five ATSB investigators were on their way to Learmonth to join their two colleagues already on the ground.
The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder have been quarantined and sent to Canberra for testing.
The Australian and International Pilots' Association today said turbulence was not uncommon on that flight path.
Captain Ian Woods said most modern passenger planes were built to cope with changes in altitude.
“When you cross those jetstreams as you do from Singapore to Perth ... you run across the transition boundary,†Capt Woods, also a Qantas pilot, told ABC Radio.
“It's at that point where you're crossing from smooth air to fast-flowing air, that there can be quite unexpected and significant turbulence.â€
This could cause a “jet upsetâ€, Capt Woods said.
“So if you're unfortunate enough to run into that, and it sounds like that's what's happened, then certainly it's unexpected and you can get outcomes like this.â€
Capt Woods said turbulence was nothing pilots “can't cope withâ€.
“Aeroplanes have been ... refined over the years and if we go back to the 50s, then these kinds of events were worse than they are now.â€
The incident is another blow to Qantas, which is still dealing with several problems this year, including an exploding oxygen bottle that punched a huge hole in the side of a Qantas Boeing 747-400, forcing an emergency landing in Manila.
A Qantas Boeing 737-800 returned to Adelaide after a landing gear door failed to retract, and a Manila-bound Boeing 767 was turned back to Sydney after developing a hydraulic fluid leak.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story...28-2702,00.html
- twinstarda42
by gojozoom » Thu Oct 09, 2008 7:24 am
I suspect it was rather a computer failure then a turbulence issue. Especially when you fly at 37000 i don't really think it should be that rough up there. Computers fail... It sucks when the system which should make it easier for you, fails instead, and you have to watch the movie of your life for a few seconds...
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by Anthony » Thu Oct 09, 2008 8:56 am
Yer the news was saying it was a computer failure that resulted in loss of control to the elevators.
I don't know whether that's 100% correct, but there you go.
I'm pretty sure it was an A330. Qantas have both 767s and 330s don't they?
I don't know whether that's 100% correct, but there you go.
I'm pretty sure it was an A330. Qantas have both 767s and 330s don't they?
Last edited by Anthony on Thu Oct 09, 2008 8:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
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by spot » Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:43 am
this is funny... I feel sorry for Qantas but I'm sure I read somewhere that they got into trouble because their planes haven't been maintained properly. Doubly funny because my dad always used to think that Qantas was the best airline for safety (don't know why) and wanted to fly on them rather than Jetstar even though Jetstar has newer planes lol
Last edited by spot on Thu Oct 09, 2008 11:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
- spot
by Ian Warren » Thu Oct 09, 2008 12:06 pm
Every airline has its ups and downs ..... service /maintanace orders .. workers workin on them ... AIR NEW ZEALAND (1979)... plane was'nt broke .. just idiots in office nosing for brown,y point s to elevate there position in the company aimed the crew to destruction , Same sorta thing .. QANTAS is safe as with AIR NEW ZEALAND and ALL bar a few .
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by Goose » Thu Oct 09, 2008 9:58 pm
With an airbus it wouldn't surprise me if it was a computer failure, it certainly wouldn't be the first time! However if it was i wouldn't imagine a wireless laptop would effect the aircraft's systems, especially not in that way. If not computer trouble i would guarantee it was clear air turbulence, at that height with the troposphere boundaries moving you could easily get wind shear if you crossed into a jet stream or passed through an inversion.
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