PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Article: NTSB: Emirates 777 continued flight after loud bang, messages
Old 6th Sep 2011, 23:05
  #108 (permalink)  
MTOW
 
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Seconded, lomapaseo.

sAx, maybe five times out of ten departing Heathrow, an aircraft will be instructed by ATC to stop climb at around 5,000' because of conflicting traffic. This involves a major reduction in power, which, (the sudden loss of engine noise), quite a few passengers perceive to be a major emergency. (I had the wife of a colleague, [who you'd think would know better] assure me that "The engines failed!!!!")

Although it's absolutely no big deal, I accepted that for many pax, it was - (a bit like the turbulence that so affected you and the FO quite correctly told you it wasn't). So, if things were looking busy (when aren't they at Heathrow?), I got into the habit, if time permitted, of telling my passengers to expect the reduction in power when I made the 'cabin crew take your seats' call immediately before takeoff, usually finishing with the comment that since I'd warned them, it probably wouldn't happen today.

It's not arrogance that people responding to your REPETITIVE posts are displaying. They're just trying to tell you something you should by now, (by page 6!!!,) appreciate - passenger aeroplanes quite often fly, (I'd go so far as to say on a daily basis) with bits and pieces missing or not working. Airlines have a very comprehensive document called a Minimum Equipment List that, before departure, a crew and the engineers may refer to to see if those very clever men and women who built the aeroplane consider it is safe to set out without.

After the aeroplane has moved, that list is no longer the decider. On a 777, in most (but obviously not all) cases, it's a wonderful little screen that comes up with all manner of messages called the EICAS, and on the Airbus, the ECAM.

I've suffered (I use that word quite accurately!) a major lightning strike immediately after takeoff and I can assure you, the bang we felt when it hit the aircraft (both me and the passengers!) right under the FO's windshield was major, I'd go so far as to say extreme. (It felt like we'd hit a solid object.)

I assumed our radar and radios at the very least would have been fried. However, a check of all systems - and a check of the STATUS page - assured me everything was still functioning. However, using your (apparently unchangeable) logic, I should have dumped fuel (as the Moscow crew would have had to) and returned to land immediately, "because you never know..."
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