Boeing

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    Hot Cows Set off Alarms

    Cow
    Almost 400 cows aboard a Boeing 747 heated the craft up so much they set off the fire alarm. Pilots diverted from their location over the Irish sea, and made a safe landing at Heathrow.

    This did not happen April 1st, so we are presuming it is an actual event.

    None of the 390 cattle were injured. The carrier may wish to remain nameless as the name of airline involved was not released, perhaps fearing a reduction in cattle bookings. (Yes, this is sarcasm. Cows can’t read and their choice of carrier is not likely to hinge on written emergency reports.)

    After landing, maintenance crews checked the plane’s fire alarm system and found no smoke or fire, concluding that cows were the culprits causing excessive heat. We assume none of the cows were smoking.

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    Chinese Cargo Flight Runway Excursion in Taiwan

    China Airlines Cargo Boeing 747-409F was en route from Abu Dhabi to Taipei when it suffered runway excursion on landing. The right landing gear went off the runway on landing, damaging runway lights, a taxi light and tires. The gear left a track of 570 feet

    The airport advance team measured, tested the aircraft, performed preliminary interviews with the pilot, removed the CVR FDR and collected data. The preliminary report is being developed according to http://www.asc.gov.tw/asc_ch/news_list_2.asp?news_no=530

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    MH370: One Ping Does Not A Discovery Make. Or Does it?

    An underwater locator beacon (ULB) such as the one on the black boxes (CVR) Cockpit Voice Recorder and FDR (Flight Data Recorder) of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 on 37.5 kHz for about 30 days at 4°C temperature. They run on lithium-ion batteries, and “mileage” may vary; 30 days is the minimum expectation. This is all relevant to today’s news because the Chinese patrol ship Haixun 01 which is one of the ships equipped with a pinger locator, has heard a ping in the South Indian Ocean.

    The particular frequency was selected because it is not one that occurs in nature.

    Although Malaysia Airlines told the public that “This battery is not replaceable,” the ULB batteries had been scheduled for battery replacement in 2012, but were not replaced by Dukane Seacom, the original equipment manufacturer of the beacons. (Dukane Seacom either replaces the entire pinger or installed new batteries.) If replacement was not performed by toe OEM or other parties, the actual ping time may be less than 30 days.

    One ping in an ocean does not a discovery make. The wreckage has not been located, nor the ping confirmed. But we can still hope this is a step in the right direction.

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    MCDonnell Douglas MD 11 Recommendations

      From the NTSB to the FAA to an MD-11 near you:

      • Work with Boeing to (1) assess the effectiveness of flare cueing systems to assist MD-11 pilots in making timely and appropriate inputs during the landing flare
      • (2) provide a formal report on the findings of the assessment, and
      • (3) if the assessment shows that flare cueing systems could be useful to MD-11 pilots, provide copies of the report to all US operators of MD-11 airplanes and encourage them to install such a system on these airplanes.
      • Work with Boeing to (4) assess methods for providing weight-on-wheels cueing to MD-11 pilots to enhance pilot awareness of bounced landings and facilitate proper pilot reaction and effective control inputs when bounced landings occur,
      • (5) provide a formal report on the findings of the assessment, and
      • (6) if the assessment shows that the weight-on-wheels cueing methods could be useful to MD-11 pilots, provide copies of the report to all US operators of MD-11 airplanes and encourage them to provide a means for weight-on-wheels cueing for these airplanes. (A-14-005)
      • Work with Boeing to (7) evaluate the effect of brief power increases on simulated MD-11 landing distances, adjust the values in published MD-11 landing distance tables accordingly, andprovide the adjusted values to MD-11 operators. (A-14-006)

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    A word to #MH370 Families on the limitation of words

    In George’s Point of View

    A word to the families on the limitation of words.

    Pain has an end, but love interrupted has no end.

    If I could hold your hand, I would. Physics won’t let me reach through the page to hold your hand. I can not reach though the screen. I cannot whisper in the ear of all the families that I am here for you, even though here means a world away.

    If there is a time for all things, then now is the time to cry. Cry till all the tears are gone; then tomorrow there will be one less tear to cry, and the following day, one less. Until nothing is left but the rainbow of memory.

    The outpouring of empathy crosses nations. All the others who have known loss are sharing your grief. Grief is not one of those weights reduced by the number of shoulders bearing it. There is no way out from under grief—the only cure is living through it into the time of healing. So whatever it takes to choose life, let the healing begin. I know these words are less consolation than a kind touch, less than someone sitting beside you, holding your hand, providing a shoulder, an ear, a heart. You need not be desolate, alone, circling in on yourself. Mend what can be mended. When you need to speak, offer an ear. When you need help, offer a hand. Remember, this too shall pass. Remember what was good and celebrate it. Remember what was real, and let all else fall away. Let your heart be lifted. Let it be lighter from this moment on.

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    Asiana Airlines Plane Crash Update: Plane was Flying too Slow

    sanfranciscoRecent documents released by the federal investigators reveal Asiana Airlines’ stance on the San Francisco plane crash that happened on July 6, last year.

    The documents are a part of the report submitted by Asiana Airlines to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). In the report, the airline has acknowledged that the slow speed of plane was probably a cause of accident, and the irregularities in the Boeing 777-200ER’s autothrottle contributed to some extent. The plane’s navigation equipment was showing the autothrottle to be upholding the set speed, when in fact the equipment had disabled the minimum airspeed protection function of the aircraft.

    Boeing has maintained in their report submitted to the NTSB that all the components and functions of the aircraft were working properly and did not contribute to the crash.

    The incident happened when the flight was en route from Taipei to San Francisco. Three lives were lost while 200 were injured.

    Recently Asiana Airlines admitted the pilot was flying too slowly.

    The post is an update of:
    Breaking News: Asiana Airlines Crash in San Francisco
    NTSB Issues Investigative Update on Crash of Asiana Flight 214
    Before Crash, Asiana Airlines Told to Revamp
    Update on Asiana Crash
    Asiana Crash Updated
    Asiana Flight 214 Investigative Hearing Postponed
    Automated Cockpit Props up Undertrained Pilots

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    Latest Video Coverage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Search

    Videos below not visible on the front page
    Readers and subscribers, please feel free to tweet @georgehatcher if you have more current MH370 news.

    AL Jazeera says Chinese ire over MH370 is hurting Malaysia ties.
    Chinese protests put a face on the lost passengers. China officials feel public pressure from the grief and anger of the Chinese people.

    The search for debris from #MH370 has been moved north based on alternative estimates of speed.

    The zone of focus, 1100 kilometers away is outside of the “roaring forties” air zone, taking the search out of bad weather.

    New computation of location is based on faster speeds, faster usage of fuel based on Kuala Lumpar data. Termed the most credible lead.

    Pencarian beralih, pesawat bergerak lebih pantas

    Families wish the information was coming faster and staged a walk-out after a disappointing press conference. Hopes are high in some areas that debris will be found on Saturday’s search.

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    Prime Minister Endorses Australian-based search

    On March 24, Najib Razak, Malaysia’s Prime Minister, announced that new computations by Inmarsat and the AAIB, flight MH-370 ended in the South Indian Ocean west of Perth (Australia). At this point, Malaysia endorsed the new search search parameters.

    The full statement:

    “This evening I was briefed by representatives from the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch — or AAIB. They informed me that Inmarsat, the UK company that provided the satellite data which indicated the northern and southern corridors, has been performing further calculations on the data. Using a type of analysis never before used in an investigation of this sort, they have been able to shed more light on MH370’s flight path.

    Based on their new analysis, Inmarsat and the AAIB have concluded that MH370 flew along the southern corridor, and that its last position was in the middle of the Indian Ocean, west of Perth. This is a remote location, far from any possible landing sites.

    It is therefore with deep sadness and regret that I must inform you that, according to this new data, flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean.

    We will be holding a press conference tomorrow with further details. In the meantime, we wanted to inform you of this new development at the earliest opportunity. We share this information out of a commitment to openness and respect for the families, two principles which have guided this investigation.

    Malaysia Airlines have already spoken to the families of the passengers and crew to inform them of this development. For them, the past few weeks have been heartbreaking. I know this news must be harder still. I urge the media to respect their privacy, and to allow them the space they need at this difficult time.”

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    Broken Wing Forces Delta Airlines Flight 2412 to Make Emergency Landing

    delta

    Delta Airlines flight 2412 was on its way from Orlando to Atlanta, when a part of its right wing fell off.  The missing wing panel of Boeing 757 was first spotted by passengers after which, the pilot instantly decided to make emergency landing.

    There were 179 passengers and 6 crew members on the plane, who then took a sigh of relief when the plane was safely landed in Atlanta at about 7:30 pm, on March 16, 2014.

    According to Delta Airlines spokesperson, the broken wing panel did not affect the ability of aircraft to fly or land.

    The incident could have been very serious and undoubtedly, it was very scary for the passengers to look out and see part of a wing missing.

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    Malaysia Airlines MH370 Where Are You? Can Satellites Tell Us

    After being in flight for forty minutes, the Malaysia Airlines MH370 vanished, but not without a trace. The disappearance occurred ten days ago on March 8, 2013. Techies world-wide are convinced that a trail is discoverable via satellite signal, as engines continued to transmit data after other communications were shut down. So is China, who has engaged the assistance of ten ships and twenty-one satellites in the search. The Boeing 777 was waylaid, misplaced or otherwise disappeared between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing.

    China and Malaysia are not alone in the search. In response to Malaysia’s plea for world-wide assistance in scouring earth, wave and sky, twenty-six countries are pitching in:

    Malaysia, Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, China, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, UK, the United States, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

    Australia is searching in the Indian Ocean.

    Three BEA investigators with Air France Flight 447 experience are lending their expertise.

    Two individuals boarded with stolen passports. Hundreds of theories about the disappearance are developing. From treachery to catastrophic failure to a dry run for a “9/11” style attack, every possible scenario has been postulated.

    Malaysia Airlines is providing accommodations for relatives at the Lido Hotel where family briefings are being held at six o’clock every evening.

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    NTSB Report Blames Clear Air Turbulence for United Airline Flight Injuries

    The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released the preliminary investigation report on the February 17 incident of United Airlines Flight 1676, flying from Denver-to-Billings, which suddenly started to jolt, injuring many passengers.

    According to the report, the airplane was in cruise flying mode at an altitude of 34,000 feet, when it ran into extreme clear air turbulence and resulted in several injuries. The report further elaborates that among 114 passengers and flight crew, 2 were seriously injured while 9 were hospitalized with minor injuries.

    The Boeing 737-700 was also damaged and was taken to United maintenance facility in Houston.

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    Updates on Malaysian Boeing 777-200 Crash

    Women are silhouetted as they watch a Malaysia Airlines jet taxi on the tarmac at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

    According to the aviation sources, the investigation teams will successfully locate the remains of Malaysian Boeing 777-200, which was carrying 239 people and was reportedly vanished off Vietnam.

    Ronald Schleede, an ex U.S. National Transportation Safety Board investigator opines that the search teams will definitely find the lost plane, as they have all the capabilities and resources to do so.

    A Vietnamese coast guard commander has said that a potential fragment from the plane was found by a helicopter, 56 miles south of Vietnam’s To Chu Island. He elaborated that the fragmented might be a part of the window or emergency door.

    The air search teams have also spotted two fuel sticks, at a distance of 9 miles from Vietnam’s south coast.

    The investigators say that once they are able to locate the plane, the flight deck recordings as well as other instruments and physical evidences will aid in finding the reasons behind the crash. 

    For picture source, click Here

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    Stolen Passports aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH 370

    An Austrian and an Italian passport used by passengers aboard missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH 370 were recorded in Interpol’s Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database.

    INTERPOL is conducting checks on all other passports used aboard flight MH 370. They are trying with National Central Bureaus to discover the identities of the people using the stolen passports. Interpol also bemoans the countries who didn’t bother with security checks—those who waited for the worst to happen before putting in safety measures.

    The question remains who were using the tickets? Were they Uighur, a faction well known to the Chinese, but not so well known outside of China?

    Chinese investigators reported that one-way tickets bound for Europe that were used by the persons who used the stolen passports were provided by an Iranian purchaser over the phone, who said he was Kazem Ali. It was a cash purchase. The tickets issued Thursday from a Pattaya, Grand Horizon, travel agency. A number of countries are involved in the investigation, including the US due to the origin of the plane, and each country who had citizens aboard, but the investigation is led by the country where the plane is registered, Malaysia, is to lead the investigation.

    At the time the passports were used for this flight, no one in Malaysia checked the database for the tickets, or else they would have been detected.

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    #9M-MRO Fender Bender long before Flight MH370

    This is not the first time we have met this Malaysia Airlines Boeing.

    Our first meeting with #9M-MRO was when it had a fender bender at Shanghai-Pudong International when it was taxiing and bumped the tail of a China Eastern Airlines A340 plane, B-6050. The Boeing wingtip broke off; and the tail of the other plane. Other sources list this as a different plane but you can’t argue with the BEA as a source. They’re French.

    The BEA lists it here http://www.bea.aero/fr/enquetes/2012/2012.semaine.32.pdf as
    “BOEING 777-200 9M-MRO AD Shanghai Pudong – Chine 263 on déterminé Inconnu 0 TP Collision au sol entre deux avions”

    Our usual aviation photographers at Airliners net don’t show the down and dirty photos any more, so we had to do some ground-level searches to find this. These are from the plain old internet, none of our experts so feel free to blame (or praise) the search engine. This plane was broken. But if it was flying okay the accident well over a year ago, then do we presume the site of the damage was as good as new?

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    No Mayday, then Gone

    I could speculate here about what caused the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, but that is all it would be: speculation. One can look at the type of plane, the weather, and various circumstances, but the truth is that the devil is in the details, and we just don’t know the details. The investigation will turn them up; the investigation can be a long road down a circular path.

    It makes it more difficult when there was no distress call. No mayday. Think of this: if something happens and you’re on a plane rapidly losing altitude—or with catastrophic issues which could be anything on a plane from a drunk grandpa to a bomb on board to a bad repair failing, to a sudden system failure due to frozen pitot tubes, what is the first thing that you are going to do if you’re part of the flight crew? That’s right—the first thing will be to fix the issue, and stay in the air. The last thing to do after the crisis is handled is to call ATC and let them know what’s going on.

    But because there was no distress call, we can assume that whatever happened happened fast. And now the wildest speculation of all is that the two people with fake passports were terrorists carrying a bomb. Do we need to go down that thought path? There are plenty of things that could have gone wrong although the 777 has a a stellar safety record.

    Now too, there is even speculation where the plane went down, apparently. There’s an oil slick approximately where the teams are searching. Maybe they’re right. Maybe under that slick, there’s a beacon to hear.

    Still, I keep hoping there’s a raft somewhere full of survivors.

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    Malaysia Airlines Flight Update

    Although the Malaysia Airlines has denied reports of a beacon, the Malaysian navy has said publicly they have tracked the wreckage of the missing Malaysia Flight MH370, and has dispatched a plane, two helicopters and four vessels i addition to the Philippines three navy patrol boats and one surveillance plane. Chinese ships and aircraft are on standby with eight ships belonging to the Nanhai Rescue Bureau and the Hainan Maritime Safety Administration, and a supporting air fleet. Boeing expressed their concern and are sending a team to assist the investigation.

    Meanwhile, in spite of the airline telling the public the whereabouts are unknown, families are being told to take their valid passports to KLIA airport before 6 pm for MAS travel arrangements to the crash site.

    If the plane is down (and even if it is magic thinking, we are still hoping it landed safely somewhere), search and rescue is still within the “24-hour golden window” in which it is more likely to find survivors. Eighty% of the family members have been contacted by Malaysia Airlines, according to Malaysia Airlines at the conference at Sama Sama Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, March 8, 2014.

    The plane that is missing is registration number 9M-MRO. In September 2012, the plane was on the ground and suffered an airfield incursion when it collided with a China Eastern Airlines’ Airbus.

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    Malaysia Airlines Flight Missing

    Saturday at 12:40 a.m. a Malaysia Airlines B777-200 (registration #9M-MRO) took off from Kuala Lumpur and disappeared.

    Subang Air Traffic said radio and radar contact was lost from flight MH370 at 01:22, forty minutes into the flight, contact was never made with Ho Chi Minh Control Center in Vietnam at the expected time. Chinese reports deny the plane ever entered their airspace. Subang ATC did not inform the airline until 02:40, which may have caused a catastrophic delay in the information stream, preventing the possibility of rescue.

    A search is underway for the missing plane somewhere along the route between the Gulf of Thailand and the China Sea, northeast of Kota Bharu (Malaysia).

    Radar suggests a descent of the aircraft.

    The plane’s first flight was May 14, 2002. It is 11 years old and flew on Rolls Royce Trent 892 engines.

    The flight’s intended destination was Beijing.

    Our prayers are with the twelve crew and 227 passengers. Reports are that two infants were aboard.

    Malaysia Airlines has released two statements so far:

    “Saturday, March 08, 07:30 AM MYT +0800 Media Statement – MH370 Incident released at 7.24am

    Sepang, 8 March 2014: Malaysia Airlines confirms that flight MH370 has lost contact with Subang Air Traffic Control at 2.40am, today (8 March 2014).

    Flight MH370, operated on the B777-200 aircraft, departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41am on 8 March 2014. MH370 was expected to land in Beijing at 6.30am the same day. The flight was carrying a total number of 227 passengers (including 2 infants), 12 crew members.

    Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their Search and Rescue team to locate the aircraft.

    The airline will provide regular updates on the situation. Meanwhile, the public may contact +603 7884 1234 for further info.

    ==
    2nd statement
    Saturday, March 08, 09:05 AM MYT +0800 Malaysia Airlines MH370 Flight Incident – 2nd Media Statement

    We deeply regret that we have lost all contacts with flight MH370 which departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41 am earlier this morning bound for Beijing. The aircraft was scheduled to land at Beijing International Airport at 6.30am local Beijing time. Subang Air Traffic Control reported that it lost contact at 2.40am (local Malaysia time) today.

    Flight MH370 was operated on a Boeing B777-200 aircraft. The flight was carrying a total number of 239 passengers and crew – comprising 227 passengers (including 2 infants), 12 crew members. The passengers were of 13 different nationalities. Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their Search and Rescue team to locate the aircraft. Our team is currently calling the next-of-kin of passengers and crew.

    Focus of the airline is to work with the emergency responders and authorities and mobilize its full support. Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected passengers and crew and their family members. The airline will provide regular updates on the situation.

    The public may contact +603 7884 1234. For media queries, kindly contact +603 8777 5698/ +603 8787 1276.

    For the next-of-kin, please inform them to to Anjung Tinjau, Level 5, KLIA. Our staff will be there to assist. Transport will be provided to go to the South Support Zone Facility building for the next-of-kin.

    Or next-of-kin may head straight to the Support Facility Building at KLIA’s South Support Zone.

    —-

    Flight Path



    Flight path

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    Turbulence: Rough Ride on United Airlines

    United Boeing 737-700 #N23708 en route from Denver to Billings had 114 passengers and 5 crew when it encountered turbulence. The tower reported winds at “200 at 2-8 gust 3-6.”

    Fifteen minutes outside of landing, three crew and two passengers sustained injury. According to interviews, one flight attendant struck the ceiling, and also a passenger. An infant flew out of its parents arms and landed on a seat when it felt like the plane dropped. Passengers complained of inadequate feedback from the airline.

    Pilots declared an emergency; and after they landed safely with emergency services on standby, they taxied to the gate. The flight attendant who struck the ceiling knocked out a ceiling panel and suffered a bleeding wound for which “medical attention at the gate” was requested. One flight attendant is in intensive care.

    One passenger in the video below says it felt like the plane was “hit from the bottom.” At that point, loose items in the cabin were disturbed.

    In George’s Point of View

    We can only hope that one day they will have a fix for turbulence. This is terrible.

    See Videos Below


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    Co-pilot accused of hijacking Ethiopian Airlines flight


    The Eithiopian Airlines Boeing 757 flown from Addis Ababa to Geneva instead of its intended destination Rome was commandeered by its co-pilot, who was seeking asylum in Geneva.

    The co-pilot told ATC the plane was being hijacked, and after he landed, climbed down a rope from the cockpit, and told ground police forces that he was the hijacker.

    Ethiopia, which has a reputation of targeting journalists, opposition and minorities, has a deteriorating human rights record, and owns Ethiopia Airlines. Charges against the co-pilot could result in a twenty year prison sentence.

    No one was injured in the hijacking, but two Italian fighter jets “escorted” the plane to Geneva. Two hundred and two people were aboard.


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    Alaska Airlines Emergency Landing

    On Feb 10 2013, Alaska Airlines flight 837 en route from Norman Y Mineta San Jose Int’l Airport to Honolulu departed and returned to Mineta San Jose after a power problem in a navigation system an hour into the flight. 132 passengers and six crew were aboard.

    When the captain decided to return to Mineta San Jose, the San Jose Fire Department was on standby.

    The Boeing 737-800 (738) made a safe landing at 9:40 a.m after two hours in the air, and did not need towing.

    The replacement flight was scheduled to leave at 10:45.

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    Pegasus “Sochi Olympics” Hijack Attempt


    On Feb 7 2014, on a Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737-86J en route from Kharkov to Istanbul, the 45-year-old passenger seated in “2F” hollered “BOMB!” threatened there was a bomb in the baggage compartment and wanted to hijack the plane to go to the Sochi Olympics. His attempt to enter the cockpit was foiled. When pilots entered Turkish airspace, they informed authorities.

    An F-16 Turkish military fighter jet was called to provide an escort.

    The flight landed in Istanbul (on the Asian side of the airport where Pegasus has its hub) where the Ukrainian man was taken into custody.

    There was no bomb. None of the 110 passengers were hurt.

    The passenger was just intoxicated.

    Videos Below

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    AI Tires Blown

    On Feb 2, Air India Flight AI-191, a Boeing 777-337ER, en route from Ahmedabad to Mumbai blew three tires on landing. The crew was able to taxi to the gate with assistance. No injuries to the 260 passengers resulted from the blown tires, and there were no reports of injuries using the emergency exits.

    The AI flight’s eventual destination was the US. Passengers continuing their journey were provided an alternative Boeing 777.

    THere’s no indication if the tires blew do to the runway surface, tire quality, a hard landing or other reason. The incident is under investigation.

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    Cargo Flight Gear Collapse on Taxi


    A “Toll Priority Logistics Cargo” (out of New Zealand) Boeing 737-300F en route from Brisbane to the Solomon Islands landed at Honiara International Airport on Guadalcanal Island. The right landing gear collapsed on roll out (gear collapse on taxi) on the runway.

    None of the three crew were injured.

    The plane blocked the single runway resulting in closing of the airport. Incoming flights are being diverted to alternate locations. The incident is under investigation.

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    NTSB PARTICIPATING IN JAPAN’S INVESTIGATION OF B-787 BATTERY SMOKE EVENT

    A maintenance crew observed a Japan Air Lines Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner at Tokyo-Narita Airport with white smoke coming from the lithium-ion batteries when one of eight cells started leaking. The euphemism used by the media was “venting gas.” No passengers were aboard and the plane was parked undergoing maintenance when it occurred but 158 passengers scheduled to fly on it were provided a different plane.

    Press Release
    The National Transportation Safety Board will participate in the investigation of a smoke event involving the main battery of a Japan Airlines B-787 that occurred while the aircraft was parked at Tokyo’s Narita Airport on Jan. 14.

    The investigation is being led by the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau. NTSB aircraft systems investigator Mike Bauer will travel to Japan to assist with the investigation.