Kulula Emergency in GRJ

[Stormwinds]

I heard Kulula had a massive emergency in GRJ, aircraft turned back after explosive depresurization and cabin door popped out. Anyone got any more details.

People at the airport say pax were severely traumatized.

[theBOSS]

for which newspaper do you work?

[divinehover]

Massive? That must mean several hundred dead with a complete hull loss.

[FFWD]

A friend was on the flight, she reckons it was massive, the moment the masks deployed some passengers went histerical:*

[Doodlebug2]

MASSIVE emergency. Must be like FULLY ready..:E

[OverRun]

Terror As Jet Falls from Sky

Passengers told of their horror today, as the packed holiday jet they were travelling on, suddenly plunged 20 ft straight down. The Airbus 737 was cruising at 58,000ft, at a speed of 735 mph when, with no warning at all, it appeared to lose control and plummeted towards the earth as the pilots grappled with the controls, struggling to regain control of the aircraft. Mr Eselwene, (56), from Isipingo said that one minute they were flying along normally, then the plane just fell like a stone. " It was absolute chaos in the cabin. People were screaming and one member of cabin crew had to grab the arm of the chair to stop herself tripping. It knocked my glass of coke, clean of my tray!" Mr Eselwenes travelling companion, Ms Nyowopo (24) went on to say, "The plane was full of childrens and babies who were all crying afterwards. Actually, they had been screaming all flight, but they definitely screamed a bit louder when we dropped down so far. I was terrified and I thought we were all going to die!

Early speculation into the cause of this near catastophy, seems to be centering around the possibility of the aircraft having flown into clear air turbulence which is a gap with no air in it, but foul play has yet to be ruled out. The aircraft went on the make a safe landing at George airport, where anxious relatives were waiting to meet the passengers. The aircraft received a thorough check from engineers during the 30 minute turn around. The airline has stated that it can not, at this point, comment on the incident until the full facts have become known, but that a full and frank investigation will take place immediately.

[flyems]

No mention made of the flightcrew valiantly avoiding hitting hospitals, schools and old ladies whilst making the emergency landing? :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[Rabscuttle]

They also avoided several crowded market places.

[TXaviator]

i thought the crowded marketplace was generally a hazard for more elderly motorists?

:p

[johan_jnb]

flight MN910
Decompression, crew turned back, no mess, no fuss. :}

[unstable load]

Decompression, crew turned back, no mess, no fuss.


probably caused by


clear air turbulence which is a gap with no air in it,


Don't you just love the journalistic excellence at work here??:D

[grjplanes]

Oh my goodness, where was this published?

20 ft straight down

Must have come close to earth...real close call

Airbus 737

Must be the one from the future, where Boeing and Airbus finally become one.

cabin crew had to grab the arm of the chair to stop herself tripping

Oh no, not the arm! She should have gone for the feet.

knocked my glass of coke, clean of my tray

No, she should have gone for that one


The plane was full of childrens and babies who were all crying afterwards. Actually, they had been screaming all flight, but they definitely screamed a bit louder when we dropped down so far.

So many children that they became childrens, naughty kids, why yelling so loud when the adults is so calm...

into clear air turbulence which is a gap with no air in it

HUH??? a gap without air, becomes air turbulence...HUH?

foul play has yet to be ruled out

Ofcourse, very important, it could have anybody...infact I saw someone the other day in George looking just like Osama, all though it could just as well have been Obama. Unless it was like a chicken that flew so high, and suffocated because it couldn't get air in the gap...

where anxious relatives were waiting to meet the passengers

Yes all the relatives were hanging around GRJ airport half-and-hour later, just incase their family might return...or does Kulula now also let people make phone calls in-flight, probably only when there's emergency.


The aircraft received a thorough check from engineers during the 30 minute turn around

Ok when was this now...the 30mins between normal arrival and departure...or the 30mins between departure and turn-around and arrival again...or the 13hours it was stuck at GRJ eventually...?

I'm actually hoping this is just a joke, and that it wasn't actually a published article, for the journalists sake!

This aircraft came in for the 'emergency' landing straight over my workplace and I saw it...and now I have to admit, the wheels just brushed my hair...I was really scared there might have been a gap somewhere...I tell you that air is lost somewhere now!

[arf1410]

"airbus 737" ???

"cruising at 58,000 feet"?

"Speed of 735 mph"?

"clear air turbulence which is a gap with no air in " ??


yessireee, another well written article....

[tedstriker]

OverRun, I thought it was funny! Thanks for the laugh!!

[mactheknife]

Now that was funny Overun - well done.

You just left out the bit where the problem was due to a lost bolt in the turbine (engine) caused by human instrumentality.

[Fall Out Boy]

Post of the year Overrun! :ok:

(in the desperate hope that you in fact did type it, and stressing that our local aviation newspaper jurno's have not dropped to even lower heights......)

[ugflyer]

Oh meeeen.....I am dying of laughter here........I have to say that must have been made up just for the effect.

[Solid Rust Twotter]

Arf1410 and Grjplanes

Pisstake bypass was a success I see....:hmm:

[dynamite dean]

I remember a few years ago (2002) on an old 737 SAA flt into George with a berg wind blowing reported W/V was northerly gusting to 48KT. The young Afrikaans lassy popped her head round as the aeroplane was being knocked around and she said I quote ' everybody stay seated, Maximum Turbulence!!!!!' Unfortunately the lady next to my wife started to cry and I burst into a giggle!:}:\

[arf1410]

OK, I fell for it...good job overrun!

what's sad though is that overrun's humor was not so far over the top, or much more absurd than some "news" articles that really have been published!

[Goffel]

Civil Aviation are said to be investigating the alleged incident of said carrier.

It is reported from a very reliable source that CAA is investigating a series of contravention of regulations in this incident.

The said company were not allowed to fly above 50000 feet as they are not yet RVSM compliant.

They also contravened their MOP whereby it states on page 722, that they have to do a turn around in 25 mins, regardless of what happens.

They also contravened their "Alternate" as their alternate was Durban....(fuel is cheaper in Durban than in George).

The MOP also states that the in-flight telephone system is out of bounds to all passangers, including cockpit crew...(only the cabin crew have telephone licences).

Oh well.
:E

[PAXboy]

But in GRJ, they just refuel you with gas pumped straight up from Mossel Bay. The problem with using the inter-phone is that the CC do not always have their phone cards charged up.

[Capetonian]

Brilliant wind up but sad to see some actually fell for it.

I was on an SAA 737 once and the captain requested seat belts on as were into a bit of chop over East London en route to Durban along the coast. A little old lady's voice was heard : "If he slowed down it wouldn't be so bad ....."

[rudder hard over]

Explosive decompression is a huge mountain out of a mole-hill by sensation loving press and public. In practice, apart from russing air and popping ears, masks on, close power, barbers pole and apart from a-little of a nose down attitude, its not really such a big deal to the trained professional. Cheers for the laugh though, really enjoyed that... an Airbus 737 ha ha

[Doodlebug2]

RHO, Maybe you should research (maybe experience...) explosive decompression a LITTLE bit more before making such wild statements...:=

[reptile]

The said company were not allowed to fly above 50000 feet as they are not yet RVSM compliant.

You should mention to your "very reliable" source that there was no requirement for Comair to be RVSM compliant in order to fly above 50 000' on that day, for two reasons:

1. RVSM has not yet been implimented in SA airspace.

2. The RVSM airspace will fall between FL290 and FL 410

EFFECTIVE 0001 UTC, 25th SEPTEMBER 2008
RVSM will be implemented within the South African Area of Responsibility, between FL290 and FL410, inclusive.

excerpt from:
AIRAC AIP SUPPLEMENT
S049/08

[Lammers]

Thanks lads I needed that:D