Malaysia Airlines MH066 Diversion to HKG

[Captain_Snor]

MAS just released this https://www.facebook.com/my.malaysiaairlines/posts/522542071192324?cid=crisis_management_20580314&stream_ref=10

Malaysia Airlines confirms that flight MH066 from Kuala Lumpur to Incheon on 23 March 2014 was diverted to Hong Kong due to an inoperative aircraft generator which supplies normal electrical power. However electrical power continued to be supplied by the Auxiliary Power Unit. The aircraft was then diverted to Hong Kong for rectification and landed uneventfully.

MH066 operated on the A330-300 aircraft, departed from Kuala Lumpur at 11.37pm and was scheduled to arrive Incheon at 6.50am local time.

All 271 passengers from M066 have been transferred on other carriers. The return flight MH067 from Incheon to Kuala Lumpur is cancelled and passengers have been transferred on other carriers as well as subsequent Malaysia Airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur.

[femanvate]

A non-p opinion: There are 2 engine driven generators on the A330: the APU generator produces the same output, and there a wind driven turbine (RAT) to back it all up.
"Breaking News" to the media is not necessarily breaking news in the cockpit.

[poorjohn]

Does loss of a single generator require the apu be fired up and a/c diverted on this route?

[Capn Bloggs]

The name of the OP is appropriate; obviously trying to beat-up on MAS while we should actually be snoring over this. :=

[nitpicker330]

You certainly would start the APU, divert to HK? Not likely unless something else was going on.

Single IDG failure is not a LAND ASAP item.

No problems flying on even in ETOPS with only 2 IDG's available.

You can even dispatch with an Eng IDG inop under certain conditions.


(Underlined to enhance my point :) )

[wiggy]

divert to HK? Not likely unless something else was going on.

Here we go again.........:ugh:

Yes it's only a IDG out, yes it's an ETOPS type...but maybe, given the defect, it was simply a case that the company preferred that the aircraft was diverted to HKG rather than continue to ICN (spares/facilities/engineering support).

Nevertheless standing by for the conspiracy theories and an unknown number of deleted messages.

[nitpicker330]

Yes that's what I'm saying. There must have been something more to the problem. Single IDG failure on the A330 doesn't by itself require a diversion to land ( Indeed it doesn't even trigger a LAND ASAP in Amber in the ECAM )

[wiggy]

Sorry nitpicker, I'm finally on your wavelength. Apologies if I was a bit terse, I'm suffering from two weeks plus of conspiracy fatigue..

[Hunter58]

The additional problem might be that MAS did not want any media-speculation about any of the usual snags that in normal circumstances would not even make it outside the company.

[arearadar]

Here we go again,

nitpicker trying to create a new drama ?

[nitpicker330]

No, quite the opposite actually. I'm only guessing but the "something more" could have been quite simply that the APU was inop and thus they only had 1 IDG remaining.
It could not have been simply 1 IDG failing.........

Either way the crew did what they needed to do on the day with what they had.

Settle down.

[Hunter58]

The something more in such cases is statistically called the press.

[Shaman]

Pax told to prepare for a ditching:

Malaysian Airline flight diverted to Hong Kong due to electrical issue as search for missing flight | Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2587692/Malaysian-Airline-flight-diverted-Hong-Kong-electrical-issue-search-missing-flight.html)

Perhaps the a/c was despatched with one gen inop?

[arearadar]

Sorry nitpicker, just up to here with the MH370 saga !!

[Mungo Man]

From the Daily Mail...

Fire crews were put on standby for the arrival of the Airbus 330-300, a larger jet than the Boeing 777 which is missing - the Airbus can carry up to 440 passengers, while the Boeing has a 365 passenger capacity.

[island_airphoto]

This does seem a litte overboard for one out of three generators going offline. Maybe they think with the press all over them they need to be really really above suspicion?

[Brookmans Park]

BBC made this sound quite exciting pax apparently briefed for a water landing after a single generator failure yesterday.