Incident: Qatar B773 and Juneyao A320 near Shanghai on Aug 13th 2011, fuel emergency or not
By Simon Hradecky, created Wednesday, Aug 24th 2011 20:19Z, last updated Wednesday, Aug 24th 2011 20:19Z
A Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300, registration A7-BAC performing flight QR-888 from Doha (Qatar) to Shanghai (China), needed to enter a holding around 14:40L (06:40Z) while on approach to Shanghai's Pudong Airport due to weather. The crew subsequently decided to divert to Shanghai's Hongqiao Airport at 15:10L and declared emergency due to being low on fuel.
A Juneyao Airlines Airbus A320-200, flight HO-1112 from Shenzhen to Shanghai Hongquiao (China), was on approach to Hongqiao Airport, when Air Traffic Control instructed the crew to abort the approach in order to accomodate the emergency of QR-888. The crew, without requesting priority or declaring emergency, refused the instructions and continued their approach for a safe landing forcing ATC to delay the Boeing 777-300.
Flight QR-888 landed safely on Shanghai's Hongqiao Airport at 15:37L following the Airbus. The aircraft later continued to Pudong reaching their destination with a delay of 9 hours.
China's Civil Aviation Authority (CAAC) reported on Aug 24th that QR-888 declared emergency due to fuel shortage while waiting for approach to Pudong and diverted to Hongqiao. Air Traffic Control issued instructions to Juneyao's flight 1112 to give way to the Qatar Boeing, the crew however did not comply with the instructions forcing the controllers to re-arrange the landing sequence. The CAAC opened an investigation and pledged: "Verified violations will be severely dealt with according to law."
A briefing circling in China's aviation industry suggests that the Qatar Boeing 777 landed with 5 tons of fuel remaining, the Juneyao Airbus A320 with 2.9 tons of fuel remaining.
Metars Pudong:
ZSPD 130900Z 24008G13MPS 210V270 9999 -TSRA SQ SCT030CB 29/23 Q1005 BECMG FM0910 33007G12MPS +TSRA SQ
ZSPD 130830Z VRB01MPS 9999 TS FEW030CB 29/22 Q1002 BECMG TL0930 20005MPS TSRA
ZSPD 130800Z 32008G13MPS 9999 TS SCT016 SCT030CB 27/21 Q1003 BECMG TL0915 22005MPS -SHRA
ZSPD 130730Z VRB03MPS 9999 -TSRA SCT016 SCT030CB 29/23 Q1003 BECMG TL0900 22005MPS NSW
ZSPD 130700Z 14006MPS 9999 TS SCT030 SCT030CB 32/25 Q1003 BECMG TL0830 NSW
ZSPD 130630Z 15005MPS 120V180 8000 SCT026 FEW026TCU 33/25 Q1003 WS RWY17R NOSIG
ZSPD 130600Z 14007MPS 8000 SCT026 FEW026TCU 33/25 Q1003 NOSIG
ZSPD 130530Z 17005MPS 8000 SCT026 FEW026TCU 32/26 Q1003 NOSIG
ZSPD 130500Z 17007MPS 7000 SCT026 FEW026TCU 32/26 Q1003 NOSIG
ZSPD 130430Z 16006MPS 7000 SCT026 32/26 Q1003 NOSIG
ZSPD 130400Z 19004MPS 150V270 7000 SCT023 33/25 Q1004 NOSIG
ZSPD 130330Z 21003MPS 150V290 7000 SCT023 FEW023TCU 33/24 Q1004 NOSIG
Metars Hongqiao:
ZSSS 130900Z VRB01MPS CAVOK 25/24 Q1005 RETSRA NOSIG
ZSSS 130830Z 21007MPS 160V240 1600 R18L/0800VP2000D R18R/1000VP2000D +TSRA BKN026CB 25/23 Q1004 BECMG TL0840 TSRA
ZSSS 130800Z 12007MPS 9999 -TSRA SCT030CB 29/21 Q1002 BECMG TL0840 TSRA
ZSSS 130730Z 18007MPS 8000 SCT030 32/24 Q1002 NOSIG
ZSSS 130700Z 22005MPS 9999 FEW030TCU 33/24 Q1002 NOSIG
ZSSS 130630Z 24004MPS 190V280 9999 FEW030TCU SCT030 34/22 Q1002 NOSIG
ZSSS 130600Z 23005MPS 200V260 9999 SCT030 34/23 Q1002 NOSIG
ZSSS 130530Z 22003MPS 170V250 9999 SCT030 34/24 Q1002 NOSIG
ZSSS 130500Z 23003MPS 190V280 9999 BKN028 34/25 Q1003 NOSIG
ZSSS 130430Z 24002MPS 200V280 9999 BKN028 33/24 Q1003 NOSIG
ZSSS 130400Z 25003MPS 220V290 9999 BKN026 33/24 Q1003 NOSIG