PDA

View Full Version : Wimbledon Champ Venus Williams in Airliner Scare


Capt PPRuNe
10th Jul 2001, 18:38
Wimbledon Champ Venus Williams in Airliner Scare
July 10, 2001 7:28 am EST
LONDON (Reuters) - A jet carrying U.S. tennis star Venus Williams and 130 other passengers to Milan was forced to turn back to London after a "funny smell" was detected in the cockpit, aviation sources said on Tuesday.

A spokeswoman for British Airways said the airline's Flight 572 to Milan's Malpensa Airport returned to Heathrow half an hour into its journey as a "precaution."

"The plane did an airborne return after a funny smell was coming from the cockpit. The very speculative newspaper reports of smoke filling the cockpit and plane were wrong," the spokeswoman said.

Passengers were put on another aircraft to complete their journey to Milan later on Monday.

The 21-year-old Williams on Sunday won her second straight Wimbledon title.

Source:iWon (http://www.iwon.com/home/news/news_article/0,11746,143370|top|07-10-2001::10:11|reuters,00.html)

Tennis Champ in 'BA Jet Scare'
WIMBLEDON champion Venus Williams is reported to have been among the passengers on a jet which filled with smoke at 30,000ft.

The 21-year-old American is said to have been one of 132 passengers travelling on a British Airways plane which was forced to return to Heathrow airport.

The jet was about half an hour into its flight to Milan when smoke reportedly billowed from the cockpit yesterday.

Emergency services were on standby at Heathrow where passengers were safely escorted off the plane, The Mirror reports.

All the passengers were put on a jet for Milan later in the morning.

A BA spokesman said: "Flight crew became aware of an oily, odd smell in the cockpit.

"We apologised to passengers and our engineers are now checking the aircraft."
icSouthLondon (http://icsouthlondon.ic24.com/0100news/0100national/page.cfm?objectid=11145566&method=full)

[ 10 July 2001: Message edited by: Capt PPRuNe ]

near enuf is good enuf
10th Jul 2001, 21:42
There is always a "Funny smell" in the flight decks I've been in !!! :D :D :D

HANGARPILOT
10th Jul 2001, 22:28
More bad press for aviation i see,
i have worked on several five sevens where crew have complained of this oily smell and we have on most occasions changed the apu due to oil in the bleed air!.

Any more thoughts on that note?.
------------------------------
I learned about flying from that!. :rolleyes:

whats_it_doing_now?
10th Jul 2001, 23:16
Personally I blame the flight crew. Funny smells in the cockpit seem to be part of the profession for one or two people!
It must have been a stinker for smoke to billow out the cockpit though!
:D :D :D

NigelOnDraft
11th Jul 2001, 01:20
Oily smell on Flt Deck...

Becoming a problem that is being looked at.

1. Largely BAe 146 - all the Aussie problems...
2. 757 comes 2nd to above

There are agencies looking closely at the implications, specifically Flt Crew Unions, especially the long term health concerns about the oil constituents.

NoD

The Prisoner
11th Jul 2001, 07:06
Maybe Venus should have showered after the final!

Lurk R
11th Jul 2001, 08:08
Doesn't it get crowded at 30,000 feet - that seems to be where all the airliners fly!!!

lineup
11th Jul 2001, 14:30
Funny smell in the cockpit!
IT WASN'T ME :rolleyes:

RVR800
11th Jul 2001, 19:18
A doctor writes..

Funny smells in the cockpit

Often preceded by a Chicken Phaal at the Hounslow Tandoori followed by a cabin altitude of 8000 feet x 2