Jetstar Mackay emergency landing

[Wirraway]

National nine breaking news (Brisbane) reports a Jetstar 717 has made
an emergency landing at Mackay after cabin filled with smoke.

Wirraway

[Capt Claret]

1800 (CST) ABC news ran the story, saying that ~ 50 pax were being treated for smoke inhalation.

Short of the wings falling off, I can't think of anything I'd like less on an aircraft than a fire. :uhoh:

Well done chaps/chapettes.

[Wirraway]

ABC News Online
Monday, July 26, 2004. 6:35pm (AEST)

Cabin smoke forces Jetstar emergency landing

A Jetstar plane has made an emergency landing in Mackay, in north Queensland, after smoke was reported in the cabin.

About 50 passengers on board the flight from Hamilton Island to Brisbane are thought to have suffered smoke inhalation.

The plane landed safely just after 5:00pm (AEST) this afternoon.\

An investigation is underway.

==========================================

AAP

Jetstar plane makes forced landing
26jul04 7:26pm AEST

A JETSTAR Boeing 717 with 56 people aboard made an emergency landing at Mackay in north Queensland today.

Air Services Australia spokesman Richard Dudley said the aircraft landed safely about 5.15pm.

It was flying from Brisbane to Hamilton Island when the cabin filled with smoke at 5.12pm and the pilot was forced to divert to Mackay.

"Full emergency procedures were activated at Mackay Airport after smoke was detected in the cabin," Mr Dudley said.

"My understanding is there were 56 people aboard.

"There were no injuries but one flight steward was treated for smoke inhalation and the cause of the incident is being investigated by the Air Transport Safety Bureau."

The emergency was declared around 20 nautical miles south of Mackay.

=========================================

[Wirraway]

Tues "Sydney Morning Herald"

Emergency landing scare for Jetstar
By Ellen Connolly
July 27, 2004

A Jetstar plane was forced to make an emergency landing last night after passengers smelled smoke in the cabin en route to Hamilton Island - the scene of another safety scare involving the fledgling budget airline eight days ago.

The 50 passengers on last night's flight, including three children, said they noticed an odour and smoke in the cabin after the plane left Brisbane. Then the plane started shaking, they said.

An Air Services Australia spokesman, Richard Dudley, said a flight attendant was taken to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. However, a Jetstar spokesman said the crew member was treated at Mackay airport, where the plane made its emergency landing.

Mr Dudley said emergency services at the airport were put on full alert but the plane landed without incident.

A passenger, Walter Hendriksen, described the incident as unnerving. "Suddenly the lights go off on the no smoking [sign] and everything was shaking a little bit and a little child was crying because of the pressure in the air and the shaking from the plane," Mr Hendriksen told ABC Radio.

The incident occurred eight days after a near-miss between a Jetstar aircraft and a Qantas jet near Hamilton Island.

In that incident, a Jetstar pilot was forced to take dramatic evasive action after taking off from the island's airport. The Australia Transport Safety Bureau is investigating the incident.

Last month a Boeing 717 damaged its front entry door at Sydney Airport when it reversed away from the terminal with the passenger bridge still in position.

The Jetstar spokesman said the airline was adhering to the highest safety standards. He said there were conflicting reports about last night's incident. "There was an odour in the cabin and the crew felt it was appropriate not to proceed."

He said an early diagnosis suggested electrical wiring on a telephone was to blame.

"The flight attendant uses the phones between the front and back of the cabin. We believe the plastic coating around the inside of the wiring has warmed up and created an odour," he said.

The aircraft landed safely at Mackay at 5.15pm. The passengers were rescheduled on another Jetstar aircraft.

===========================================
Tues "The Australian"

Passengers treated after smoke scare
By Jason Gregory
July 27, 2004

EIGHT passengers were treated for smoke inhalation after a Jetstar Boeing 717 was forced to make an emergency landing on Queensland's central coast yesterday.

Flight 732 was heading from Brisbane to Hamilton Island when the cabin filled with smoke at 5.12pm and the pilot diverted to Mackay.

A Queensland Ambulance spokeswoman said eight of the 57 people on board were treated in the airport lounge for minor cases of smoke inhalation.

None of the 47 adults and three children or seven crew were admitted to hospital.

An Air Services Australia spokesman said the aircraft landed safely about 5.15pm after the emergency was declared around 20 nautical miles south of Mackay.

"Full emergency procedures were activated at Mackay Airport by the head air traffic controller after smoke was detected in the cabin by the pilot," spokesman Richard Dudley said.

"The fact there were ambulances and fire trucks means there was a full emergency activated by the pilot. It is the pilots' call. Obviously this time he thought they were required."

A Jetstar spokesman said the pilot made a precautionary landing after a smell entered the cabin.

"It is still early days and we are still investigating but we believe some of the wiring on the cabin phone heated up and created the smell," the spokesman said.

"We had a problem with the toilet earlier in the flight and we believe some moisture might have created a reaction where the wiring on the back of the phone heated up.

"These things are taken very seriously and my advice is all the passengers are fine."

All passengers were last night flown to Hamilton Island.

An Australian Transport Safety Bureau spokesman said it would investigate the incident.

============================================

[Cactus Jack]

"Suddenly the lights go off on the no smoking [sign] and everything was shaking a little bit and a little child was crying because of the pressure in the air and the shaking from the plane,"

Umm, yes.

Obviously furthering our excellent journalism standards here is Australia....

[smokestak]

Heard the crew were very calm and professional throughout. (over the radio at least). Congratulations to them for getting the airplane on the ground and everyone out.
Heard also that ATC were hounding them for information and making the crews job more difficult because of the detail they required. (in a time critical situation)
Would be interested to hear from our guys and gals on the console re the info they are required to ask in these situations.
Please don't take this as a criticism of our hard working and professional ATCers. :ok:

[NAMPS]

In that incident, a Jetstar pilot was forced to take dramatic evasive action after taking off from the island's airport. The Australia Transport Safety Bureau is investigating the incident.

:yuk:

[duknweev]

bare minumum: Nature of emergency (assuming pan/mayday declared)? Normal approach/landing and intentions? POB? Services required?

additional: (requested by paramedics) nature/description of smoke, number of affected people perhaps some draft triage? (requested by firies) fuel remaining, dangerous cargo, intended stopping/parking position, evacuation intentions? (requested by local ATC) preferred approach/rwy if non-duty suitable or preferred?

Yes, a lot of questions... the ATC probably had a couple of supervisors behind him on the phone at the time wanting answers asap. Better way to go "Jetstar523489 when you can I need some more deails" unlikely that the crew would have a spare 5 seconds and if the smoke got to the cockpit things would have been even more difficult.

[Time Out]

smokestak - if you don't intend criticism, perhaps choose your words a bit more wisely, rather than using words like "hounding" - specially when you don't seem close to the action - "heard that" is fairly vague. Your last line doesn't take away the potential damage of your earlier careless comment.

[topend3]

only 56 POB, thats not a very good load factor

[Cactus Jack]

56 POB? I dunno, if you listen to the short Irish bloke, then thats a load factor of around 76%. Figures are a bit rubbery of course. I'm convinced he is Godfrey re-born.

[Wirraway]

AAP

No problems with planes: Jetstar
July 27, 2004 - 4:44PM

Cut-price airline Jetstar insists it has no maintenance problems despite diverting an aircraft after the cabin filled with fumes.

The pilot of a Jetstar Boeing 717 made a precautionary landing in Mackay in north Queensland on Monday night shortly after flight attendants noticed a smell of burning plastic and wiring.

"Everything is well with Jetstar planes," Jetstar spokesman Simon Westaway said.

"We meet the highest safety standards of the Qantas group."

The Jetstar Boeing 717 with 56 people aboard was on a flight from Brisbane to Hamilton Island when the fumes were noticed about 20 nautical miles south of Mackay shortly after 5pm (AEST).

The pilot decided to take precautionary action and divert to Mackay where emergency services were waiting on full alert.

All the passengers and crew disembarked and were assessed by ambulance paramedics for smoke inhalation.

One female flight attendant was treated at the scene with oxygen, but did not require hospitalisation.

The 47 adult passengers and three infants then boarded a chartered Jetstar Boeing 717 at 8.30pm for the short flight to Hamilton Island.

Mr Westaway said the pilot and flight attendants had followed standard safety procedures in diverting for a precautionary landing.

"The crew acted appropriately," he said.

Meanwhile, the faulty Boeing had been flown to Newcastle where Jetstar has a maintenance base.

Investigations into the incident were still underway but Mr Westaway said it appeared the fumes came from moisture from water splashed in a toilet hand basin which created a reaction in wiring of a nearby intercom at the rear of the cabin.

The wiring heated up, setting off the fumes.

A spokesman for the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said it was investigating the incident, along with another earlier this month.

On July 17, passengers described what they said was a near-miss between a Qantas jet and a Jetstar aircraft near Hamilton Island.

Both airlines downplayed the incident in which the Jetstar plane, with 124 people aboard, took dramatic evasive action shortly after taking off from the island's airport.

Jetstar said its pilots changed course and Qantas said both planes were in visual contact and no danger was posed to any passengers.

© 2004 AAP

==========================================

[Zed]

Maths not your strong point then, CJ.

[Miss Pam Ann]

* there was no smoke in the cabin...only FUMES
* 50 pax on board
*F/A not taken to hospital...treated with 02 for approx. 10 mins on board only
* Emergency procedures were straight from the book
* Landed safely....no pax hospitalised
* Professional team effort from all tech and cabin crew

MEDIA.......GET IT RIGHT!!!

Good onya JETSTAR Crew I say! :ok:

[MoFo]

Hey Cactus.
That short Irish bloke you mentioned , talks in a strange tongue. I can't understand a word he says. He makes Marn Ferson sound literate.

Where did Dixon find him?

[FlexibleResponse]

Sunday MailJetstar’s troubles began Monday afternoon when a tap in a rear toilet could not be turned off on a Boeing 717 about to travel from Brisbane to Hamilton Island.

The plane left late, with the pilot advising passengers the plumbing problem had been fixed.

As the plan neared its destination, fumes started filling the cabin, leading the pilot to immediately divert to Mackay airport for an emergency landing.

Water had apparently overflowed from the broken tap and shorted wiring, generating the smoke and fumes.
Is this report is true, then it would appear to focus attention on the quality of Jetstar’s maintenance action conducted in Brisbane.

In any case, a big pat on the back for the flight crew.

[sinala1]

I just read the above mentioned article in the Sunday Mail over a few drinks down at the local... to say that the locals there thought I was going to bash one of them is an understatement to how I felt about the way it was written! No, I dont work for J*, but get so extraordinarily angry at the wreckless abandon with which journalists twist their words. I have been known to write more than 1 letter to the Editor, particularly the Sunday Mail - their journalism is just as bad as channel 9's A Current Affair - everything is a scandal... nothing "just happens". How about they report that the aircraft landed safe and well, with no one hurt, due to a job well done by all involved?

I propose we start a petition to ban all journalists from any form of aviation whatsoever - if they are such experts then they can start their own bloody airline! :mad:

Rant Over.

[Captahab]

1. This from Pam Ann on previous page -

Quote "NO SMOKE IN CABIN
* there was no smoke in the cabin...only FUMES
* 50 pax on board
*F/A not taken to hospital...treated with 02 for approx. 10 mins on board only
* Emergency procedures were straight from the book
* Landed safely....no pax hospitalised
* Professional team effort from all tech and cabin crew

MEDIA.......GET IT RIGHT!!!

Good onya JETSTAR Crew I say!" unquote

2. and this from Westaway -

Mr Westaway said the pilot and flight attendants had followed standard safety procedures in diverting for a precautionary landing.

"The crew acted appropriately," he said.

3. and from pax on board

Quote "The flight attendant yelled via the megaphone for the passengers to adopt the brace position as the aircraft descended rapidly" unquote


Now let me get this straight...... brace position on an emergency descent !!!

I would love to see the "book" that determined that that was appropriate action.

Gimme a break, how did they even get an AOC ???

[Jimmy Neutron]

I totally agree! Fumes, pax on O2 why the hell land for that! What they needed was a sick bag with the word BOB on it and they would have been considered heroes with our PM and the minister for Qantas, Anderson, praising their gal leant efforts in the face of real terror.

I think they did a fantastic job, well done!
:ok:

[Miss Pam Ann]

Captahab...

So you were on board were you?

Obviously not!!!

If you were, you would have heard the CM "point out" the Brace position on the safety briefing card...as they were trained to do....not adopt the brace position!

Mmmmmmmmm...one wonders of those who listen to so much rumour and innuendo :(

Miss Pam Ann :)