747 turns back to HKG after losing part of wing ...

[Flopster]

HONG KONG (AP) - Part of the wing fell off of a jumbo jet flying from Hong Kong to Thailand, but the pilot turned back and landed safely as frightened passengers shot pictures of the hole in the wing, officials said Monday. Orient Thai Airlines flight OX262 to Chiang Mai had been in the air for 18 minutes Thursday when the crew radioed Hong Kong for permission to return because of an unspecified mechanical problem, said Grace Ng, a spokeswoman for the Civil Aviation Department.

Some passengers were alarmed to see the gap in the left wing of the Boeing 747-200. They took pictures through the cabin windows and supplied them to local newspapers that displayed them prominently in Monday's editions.

After the jet landed, Hong Kong ground inspectors found that the top of the wing was missing a panel that measured 80 centimetres by 100 centimetres (32 inches by 40 inches), Ng said.

Investigators are trying to determine why it fell off, but Ng said there had been no danger of a crash.

The Oriental Daily News said about 300 people were aboard the flight, but Ng was unable to provide any figures.

[404 Titan]

Yeh this is the mob that bought all those really old clapped out B747 classics from China Airlines in Taiwan a few years ago just after they themselves lost one in a mid air break up from Taipei to Hong Kong killing all on board. Even after being repainted in Orient Thai Airlines colours, they still look like a heap of s**t.

[Tarek Nor]

There are some pictures and info here:

http://www.airliners.net/discussions/general_aviation/read.main/1293576/

[Flight Detent]

Hi all,
Well, I've got that TF-ABQ mentioned in my logbook a number of times, no sweat!
It's part of the leading edge which probably got 'stood on' (It's a no-walking area!) during some maintenance work.
Then, with the krugers extended for this particular takeoff it got to it's limit, and blew off! It gets a little pressurized in there whilst the LE flaps are extended.
Looks a bit untidy, but no real problem, just inconvenient to have to return to HK.
More embarrassing than anything, I guess!!

Cheers

[ZFT]

404

<<Yeh this is the mob that bought all those really old clapped out B747 classics from China Airlines in Taiwan a few years ago >>

I'm not sure you are correct. The only ex CI aircraft they planned to operate was the 742 that was destroyed before delivery. All their other 742 were ex Japan & USA I believe.

Apologies if I'm incorrect.

[av8boy]

I knew it.

Enlarged the image. Clearly plywood and spruce.

Dave :O

[Devils Advocate]

Nought wrong with an aircraft made with plywood and spruce...... e.g. just look at the WW2 Hurricane fighter ( reportedly able to soak up a lot more punishment than it's all metal cousin's )

[Arkroyal]

Don't think there was much wood in the Hurricane old chap. Metal spaceframe I beleive.

[steamchicken]

Canvas over metal frame, I think. The Spit was all-metal.

[Willit Run]

Now this thread took quite a quick turn; from 747's to hurricanes and Spit's.
There are a couple planes at Orient Thai with ex-united paint jobs on them still.
S*#t happens!
On one of our old Tri-stars, a rather large section of skin peeled off the top of our left horizontal stabilizer, and went undetected(you can't see it on a walk around)untill one of our 747's taxi'd by and said " oh looky, check that out." We never felt a thing on the tristar and was mighty glad it was daylight when the 747 taxi'd by!

[SQUAWKIDENT]

Maybe he meant the De Havilland Mosquito aka "the Wooden Wonder"

[Yankee_Doodle_Floppy_Disk]

Hurricane appears to be Wood and canvas aft of the wing, metal construction from the wing forward. Am I correct, or is it just an illusion?

[Load Toad]

Speaking as a total novice...

I thought the Hurricane was an all metal frame. The earliest examples had fabric covering the wings and fusalage. I thought that by the start of WW2 that the wings were metal covered and only the rear fusalage aft of the cockpit was fabric covered.
I can't recall that any of it was made of wood. (Unlike the famous Mossie).
I read that it had a great ability to withstand battle damage, one reason, but certainly not the only one was that the 20mm cannon shells used by the Germans were designed to explode on impact and if the shell hit the fabric then this impact wasn't sufficient to cause the fuse to action. Also the fusalage construction being tubular was fairly resistant to the exploding shells.

But as I say I'm a total novice and I must of read this stuff at school over 20 years ago. Hope one of the experts can clarify this for you.









20 years ago! aaarrrggghhh