YVR closed. Any Information?

[ChrisVJ]

LOcal radio saying Vancouver is closed. We are expecting an arrival in half an hour and can't get any information. Radio refers us to Internet but there is nothing new on the YVR site.

[boaclhryul]

In journospeak, from The Province: "Police and fire authorities have closed off the Bridgeport connector to Vancouver International Airport in response to an emergency with an inbound Cathay Pacific plane that has 290 passengers on board. The plane is reportedly dumping fuel over Vancouver Island in preparation for an emergency landing. Authorities are officially warning drivers to stay away from the airport and Richmond. Authorities are considering closing Grant McConachie Way, Cessna Boulevard and Moffat Road."

[armchairpilot94116]

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2007/12/14/bc-planelanding.html?ref=rss

Lets hope it lands safely.

[cinnamon bun]

Just landed, all is fine.

[armchairpilot94116]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071214.wairbus14/BNStory/National/home

safe landing !!

[ChrisVJ]

Thanks people. Good news at least!

If you want information on aviation things you know where to get it!

Apparently roads are already open again, (Not sure why they closed the roads, I thought planes used runways.)

No doubt we'll learn more about this later.

[boaclhryul]

Was YVR-HKG outbound. Returned due to "flap problem". Now landed safely.

[PJ2]

Much ado....

[Dushan]

CTV had "LIVE" cameras showing the runway, with "experts" being interviewed. When asked, with great anticipation, what are the chances of something going wrong with this landing the expert said "virualy nil" to the jurno's great chagrin.

Dumping fuel over Vancouver Island, however, could get everybody in trouble with the green brigade.

[jonny dangerous]

Dumping fuel over Vancouver Island, however, could get everybody in trouble with the green brigade.

...and that would be a neat trick for the bus.

[PaperTiger]

Not sure why they closed the roads, I thought planes used runways.There is one road which goes past the end of 08R, although even without flaps it would take a significant overrun to reach it. The three bridges which were closed off all funnel into that one road so I suppose there is some sort of logical thinking there. I have no explanation as to why the closures lasted several hours and not just during the approach and landing.
I guess the YVR 'authorities' are still a bit twitchy after the recent bad press.

[PJ2]

I guess the YVR 'authorities' are still a bit twitchy after the recent bad press.
I don't think so. Except as described, the roads and bridges aren't that close to the ends of the runways so overrun woudn't not be a consideration and I think the notion that they were closed because "a stricken airplane" might hit them is a bit extreme.

Vancouver airport is located on Sea Isand and is served only by bridges. What makes more sense is, the bridges and their access roads were closed to facilitate emergency vehicle traffic in case of an accident. Unlike city streets where there are places to pull over, if traffic is jammed on a bridge there is much less room to permit passage of fire and ambulance traffic. There are only four routes out of the airport, (two to Richmond, two to Vancouver). At the time of day that this happened, the bridges were a parking lot in rush-hour.

[ChrisVJ]

Later news implied PJ2's answer. I don't like saying it but the response was rather organised and impressive. Traffic was moving again only a few minutes after the landing and Mrs CVJ was at the airport when offspring, whose plane was barely delayed, was picking up his luggage.

Cathay spokesman said "Warning light for flaps function." Passengers were told they'd be off again in a couple of hours but ended up staying in Vancouver overnight. News reported as "access for inspection was more difficult than expected."

[PJ2]

Likely a Slat or Flap Locked abnormal - straightforward QRH procedures, well practised in the sim. There are a few considerations but the most significant one is in the QRH notes for fuel consumption with any slat-flap extension, and will almost certainly be the reason for the turn-back.

Depending upon the configuration at the time of failure, the approach speed (Vls) would likely either have been Vref + 10kts (For takeoff - Slats extended to Config 1, Flaps at Config 2) or Vref + 25. Both runways are more than capable of handling the slightly longer landing run required. It was an abnormal, not a full emergency as initially described by local media.

Re the media....
I see some reluctance to criticize the media but the talking heads were bandying around phrases like, "emergency landing with 290 people on board" when nobody really knew what the issue was. "Selling" the story seemed to justify the hype; - the landing was just in time for the local evening news.

The turnback and landing was much ado about nothing. If the media wants to avoid the criticisms offered up here, these stories have to be handled more maturely and with integrity - which means inform people without sensationalization. I used to accept calls from media people (and was asked about this one), to discuss these kinds of events but more than once I was either trapped into my words and taken out of context or what I said was sensationalized even though I said at the time it was not what I meant. Almost without exception, one simply cannot have a technical discussion with the media and expect it to used as intended. I know Larry Pynn of the Vancouver Sun and was there when he was awarded the Flight Safety Foundation's Cecil A. Brownlow Award (http://www.flightsafety.org/citations/pynn_citation.html) for Publication in 2006 so I know good aviation reporting can be done. Byron Acohido, (Seattle Post (http://www.iasa.com.au/folders/Safety_Issues/others/acohido/rudd_102796.html)Intelligencer - (Pulitzer Prize B737 series) is another. Too often when it comes to aviation accidents however, reporters have short deadlines and need it snappy, sexy, short and preferably with a targeting sound-bite. That said, the relationship is symbiotic with the reading public which enjoy a good vicarious daily scare.

If one wishes to control such interviews, one learns very quickly how to get the message across and still do it accurately but experience has taught that this is rarely the full agenda. It is a sales and entertainment business, not an information/education business.

Here's the QRH Note:

As a guideline, determine the fuel consumption in clean configuration at same altitude without airspeed limitation (e.g. from ALTERNATE FLIGHT PLANNING tables) and multiply this result by 1.4 (SLATS EXTENDED) or 2 (FLAPS EXTENDED) or 2.3 (SLATS and FLAPS EXTENDED) to give the fuel consumption required to reach the destination in the current
configuration.