Hole in Qantas Plane Forces Emergency Landing

[Mr E]

I don't think I would be as calm as these passengers here but may be the one ordering a very large malt from the cabin crew...

Looks like the outer skin has come off just where the fuselage and wing join together.

 

[glojo]

BBC Interviewer
Where were you sat?

Witness
Right at the front in Business class

BBC Interviewer
Was the bang in front of you, behind you are above you!

What a classic. Those passengers were amazingly calm.

 

[Mudster]

I'd have been ordering new underwear not a large malt...I don't like flying at the best of times, this probably would have done it for me.

 

[st13phil]

I'd have been ordering new underwear not a large malt...I don't like flying at the best of times, this probably would have done it for me.

I actually enjoy flying, but there would probably have been a very unpleasant smell in my vicinity...

 

[Dryce]

BBC Interviewer
Was the bang in front of you, behind you are above you!

I find TV news pretty unbearable these days.

There is no slower, less efficient, or mind numbingly excruciatingy way to get accurate news than a modern news channel.

And with the BBC we have the additional priviledge of paying for it whether we watch it or not.

 

[glojo]

I find TV news pretty unbearable these days.

There is no slower, less efficient, or mind numbingly excruciatingy way to get accurate news than a modern news channel.

And with the BBC we have the additional priviledge of paying for it whether we watch it or not.

The BBC has definitely lowered its standard of reportative journalism but I dare you to watch Fox News (if you have Sky channel 510) I wrote to them once thanking them for producing a great comedy channel. I got a reply explaining they only broadcast news in the UK!

Regards
John

 

[DITTRICH]

I listened to the radio 4 news yesterday where i quote "the explosive decompression caused the plane to descend 20,000ft". What utter rubbish. The pilot took the plane down 20,000 ft. The explosive decompression caused a loss of pressure inside the fuselage. They also said that "debris" was "flying around" inside the cabin yet the hole was in the lower half of the fuselage in the hold. More utter rubbish. Debris is produced by things exploding or falling apart. How did the debris get into the cabin? Answer: It didn't. This kind of sloppy reporting really hacks me off.
Les

 

[whitenemesis]

Apparently many passengers vomited as soon as they deplaned.

I think that would have been the least of my embarrassments....

 

[kjay]

Apparently many passengers vomited as soon as they deplaned.

...

To be fair though, that would be just down to the crap food.

 

[whitenemesis]

Hey! that food is not bad..

Champers on arrival, real glasses, real china plates, food is suprisingly palatable..

 

[kjay]

I only ever fly budget.

www.last-minute-tight-git.com

 

[whitenemesis]

I only ever fly budget.

www.last-minute-tight-git.com

LOL

 

[glojo]

I listened to the radio 4 news yesterday where i quote "the explosive decompression caused the plane to descend 20,000ft". What utter rubbish. The pilot took the plane down 20,000 ft. The explosive decompression caused a loss of pressure inside the fuselage. They also said that "debris" was "flying around" inside the cabin yet the hole was in the lower half of the fuselage in the hold. More utter rubbish. Debris is produced by things exploding or falling apart. How did the debris get into the cabin? Answer: It didn't. This kind of sloppy reporting really hacks me off.
Les

Good morning Les,
My personal experiences with modern day journalists is that they MUST sensationalise, or glamorise their reports with truth having very little to do with what they are reporting on.

As my old sergeant used to say "Journalists enters through door, truth leaves via the window!"

I have no doubt that some passengers may well have been sick, no doubt some would have lost control of their lower bodily functions but is that news? Is that something we need to know? What I do know is that the experiences they must have gone through would have been quite literally terrifying, some may well have thought they were about to die but watching that video, I saw no signs of hysteria or uncontrolled panic! On one clip it shows a steward actually laughing with a passenger.

I salute the way they all conducted themselves and hopefully they can all sell their stories to the vultures that call themselves journalists.

 

[grober]

There's this of course. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24079104-2862,00.html
and Quantas pilots have expressed concern about outsourcing maintenance to Malaysia. http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24076178-5006301,00.html

 

[Dieselman]

and Quantas pilots have expressed concern about outsourcing maintenance to Malaysia.

Mr Cox said all of the plane's servicing was undertaken in Australia,

 

[grober]

Mr Cox said all of the plane's servicing was undertaken in Australia,

Guess it depends on who you believe? Quantas head of engineering David Cox,
or the Senior Quantas pilot. I can't see that 100% of maintenance checks could be done in Australia by Quantas engineeers. Rather than keeping a team of Quantas engineers at the "foreign end " of the aircraft's route I would guess that in common with many other airlines the routine maintenance, minor faults and turnaround would be "outsourced " to a locally based aircraft engineering firm. I would guess its the expertise, quality of work and routine checks conducted by these firms that the pilots would be commenting on?
I should add that this may have nothing to do with the actual incident in question just another aspect to be aware of.

 

[DITTRICH]

As my old sergeant used to say "Journalists enters through door, truth leaves via the window!"

Dear glojo,
I am under no illusions about the journalism profession but I mistakenly expected Radio 4 to do better. You must tell your old sergeant to write a book of quotations!
Les

 

[grober]

It would appear that the explosive decompression that occured may be due to one of the pilots 2 emergency oxygen tanks exploding. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article4384017.ece They are apparently made of aluminium or carbon fibre. You might think "how could this possibly happen ?"until you read this.


Nitrogen, which is non-flammable, is commonly used at airports to fill aircraft tyres. The aviation source said: "Qantas took delivery of the new nitrogen cart 10 months ago. It looked exactly like the old oxygen cart. When the attachments did not fit they went and took them off the old oxygen cart and started using it. The mistake was eventually spotted by an aircraft engineer. "He was walking around the plane and asked what they were doing. When they said they were topping up the oxygen, he said, 'No you're not, that's a nitrogen cart'," said the source.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/natio...g-gas-into-jets/2007/12/15/1197568332267.html

As someone once said :- "Everyone makes mistakes from time to time, but some folks make a career out of it!"

 

[W210 Fan]

Bit late I know but I have just read this, tying back to a thread a while back on planes its a little know fact that the oxygen for the crew makes you bounce of the roof so you can do your job, the PAX oxygen supply isnt just oxygen and makes you very sleepy, this explains the calmness, the last thing the crew need is a load of screaming PAX running round the plane getting in the way