Cathay Emergency Descent

[Flyer Flier]

Anyone from Fragrant Harbour able to complete the details on yesterday's (Friday) emergency descent by Cathay over Georgia?

Typical that it happened over high terrain. The fact that these are thankfully rare occurrences, doesn't lessen the fact it might one day happen to any of us. It would be useful to know where they ended up etc.

[Flying Lawyer]

It would be useful to know where they ended up etc.

How? :confused:


(Assuming some sort of incident happened and it was actually an emergency. )

[Load Toad]

Yup - on for all those occurances where I might suffer an emergency decent over Georgia allowing for all potential variables it would of course be interesting to know where another flight ended up......?










Anyway - on HK news Friday night the CX report concerned a flight that hit turby-lance out of Manila...flight arrived safely but I think 15 crew and passengers injured. They didn't end up near Georgia.

[fortuna76]

This has got to be the most confusing post ever to be on the top of rumours and news for a day.

Emergency descent, turbulence, georgia, mountains, manila........

You all lost me guys:confused:

Can somebody please explain, what, where and why.

Please....I am dying to find out :ok:

[Flyer Flier]

Flying Lawyer:
Perhaps the fact that they declared a MayDay, turned off the airway and were descending with their masks on into an area with MSAs around 15000 ft does mean it is of interest to those of us who do the routes across that part of the world.

We have set procedures for depressurisations on certain high terrain segments which require a different emergency descent profile from normal. This also might involve having diversions such as Simferopol, Odessa or Ashgabat and it would be useful to know if they did divert to somewhere off the beaten track and how they were handled etc.

As the only sensible replies that I was interested in, would only be forthcoming from someone from Fragrant Harbour, I hadn't bothered to elaborate that it was Georgia, the country, because they would obviously known that.....and besides why would Cathay be over Georgia USA? And Georgia hardly has any high terrain to worry about depressurisations (Probably 5000 ft highest peak?)

So then back to the question, any info ?
FF

[Flying Lawyer]

Flyer Flier

Thank you for responding.
I learn a lot from PPRuNe, and I've just learned some more. :ok:

[RFS]

Flyer Flier

Came on frequency just as the Cathay flt was downgrading from a mayday to a pan. They were level at Fl140 and attempting to sort out their pressurisation prob.Not sure what happened later as changed controllers.

The crew sounded as if they had it all in hand despite several queries and a little bit of confusion on the part of ATC.

At least it was a beautiful day with good vis and no weather anywhere near, thankful for small mercies!

[Flyer Flier]

RFS
Thanks for that, we just heard the initial calls whilst working Tblisi Control.

Flying Lawyer
You're welcome, especially to yourself who has done so much to help pilots in your legal capacity. Hope I never need you, but please keep up the good work.

FF

[blueloo]

i think that 5000ft referred to Georgia USA....

[Flyer Flier]

Thanks blueloo, that's correct, I was referring to Georgia USA, which only has a highest peak of 4784 feet. (Isn't Google handy!)

Where as the emergency descent took place in Georgia, the country, which has many peaks above 15000 ft and some up to 17,000 ft.

Mike,
There were quite a few posts earlier on the thread which have now been deleted, by people assuming I meant Georgia USA and not Georgia the country. It seems my reply to their now deleted posts makes that last sentence seem a little confusing out of context.

[christep]

I have to ask - does anyone have more info on this? There has been nothing that I have seen in the HK press, so would I be right is assuming this was a cargo flight (I'm struggling to thing what pax flights might route over Georgia, but the cargo on from Dubai might well)?

[Feather #3]

christep,

You'll then be horrified to learn that a very considerable number of pax flights from SEA to Europe fly over Georgia each 24hr period; Cathay, British Airways, Thai, Pakistan, Air india, Qantas, Singapore, Malaysian, etc., etc.

Gets quite busy in the early hours when the North & Southbound "pushes" cross.

G'day ;)

[HotDog]

christep, the freighter out of Dubai, definitely does not track over Georgia. Have a look at a map.

[mizzy]

it was a freighter operation, it experienced a pressurisation problem when enroute to LHR from DEL. Diverted to FRA @ FL140, nothing too serious and continued to LHR after fixing.

[Flyer Flier]

Thanks Mizzy,
That fills in all the blanks and well done to the crew for handling said situation so competently.

It is an interesting point here, that had the flight been carrying passengers, then their reaction to experiencing the emergency descent would have undoubtedly made the papers and may well have been hyped up by the press. Where as the freight doesn't have a death defying story to tell and so a potentially serious incident which was well handled by the crew of B747 stays rightfully low key.

Anyway, well done guys. :ok:
Cheers
FF

(Edited having re-read following a post night flight sleep. :zzz: )