Vietnam 777 hits turbulence, 24 wounded

[kbrockman]

Channel NewsAsia - Turbulence injures 24 on Vietnam Airlines flight to Paris - channelnewsasia.com (http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/1088258/1/.html)

A Vietnam Airlines flight to Paris lurched violently in flight on Wednesday, causing 24 of those on board to suffer injuries ranging from bruises to broken bones, French authorities said.

According to other sources, 8 seriously injured including 3 crew.

[jfkjohan]

Hmmm.... CAT?

[kbrockman]

Since it was a flight from Vietnam to France, and they clearly landed in Paris, I wonder when it happened, might have well been still over Asia, deciding to continue to Paris anyway.

[Lonewolf_50]

Hmmm.... CAT?
Absent more information, a few florins wagered on that one.


As they say, CAT happens. :p


(Who are they, anyway? :confused:)

[Dairyground]

I am always amazed to hear the sound of seat belts unclipping soon after take-off. Some people just don't seem to learn, that cruising can be dangerous, until they get injured...

I must plead guilty to being one of those who frequently unclip their seatbely as soon as the sign goes off. The recommendation is usually to have the belt tightly fastened during takeoff, landing and turbulence, and to keep it loosely fastened at other times.

A loosely-fastened bely offers reasonable protection, permits movement within the seat space, and is much more comfortable on a long flight than a tight one.

With most belts, the obvious way to change the state from tight to loose is to unclip, move the buckle and then reclip. This is what I generally do, and will continue to do until inertia reel belts, or some similar technology appears.

I cannot, of course, answer for everyone, but I am sure that I am not alone in my mode of seat belt use.

[ChristiaanJ]

As always, figures vary wildly... Some French press mentions 33 injured and 12 taken to hospital, but otherwise no other news.
Flight VN535 Hanoi Paris, landed CDG about 7:20am this morning.

CJ

[Hotel Tango]

I suspect those were people who were not wearing their seat-belts during cruise...

Here we go again. How that makes my blood boil. CAT can be very unexpected as we all know. Was the seatbelt sign on? If not, the cabin crew would have been going about their business in the cabin or galley and with an B777 full of pax there will always be a number on their way to or from the lavatories. If (in the cruise) the operator has a self service refreshment policy operating from the galley there will also be a small number on their way to or from the galley. Sure there are those that stay unbelted whatever, but on a ten hour plus flight (when the seatbelt sign is OFF) there will always be some movement in the cabin for valid reasons. These are most likely to be the ones that get injured in the event of UNEXPECTED CAT.

[ChristiaanJ]

How that makes my blood boil.Keep cool, man......
CAT will always be with us, and so will these incidents, nasty, but luckily rarely fatal.
And for some reason, in each case there will be a carbon copy thread here on PPRuNe.....

Dairyground,
I like your "mode of seatbelt use"...
You'll hear two clicks from me too... one to release the belt, dig a book or something from my under-seat bag, and adjust the belt, and one to refasten the belt.

CJ

[Hotel Tango]

ChristiaanJ, I don't think you understood my post as you seem to have got the complete wrong end of the stick. Tell me, do you not need to go to the lavatory once or twice on a 12 hour flight? What if unexpected CAT hits at that precise moment and you get injured? As one who normally sits with his belt on wouldn't statements such as AF_777's make your blood boil? There are too many posters ready to condemn others without giving the matter a little more thought.

[IJM]

Also, I am not sure of the relevance of the hand-clapping "smiley" in AF_777's post?

Hope the crew is alright though...

Absolutely agree with concern for the crew, but he/she has no sympathy for injured passengers who may have been "un-belted" (for lack of a better term) to go to/from the bathroom etc?

[west lakes]

I wonder when it happened,

Apparently over Russia, 2.5 hrs from destination.

[ChristiaanJ]

As one who normally sits with his belt on wouldn't statements such as AF_777's make your blood boil?No, not really, anymore, simply because, as an ancient, I've seen those same remarks every single time a similar incident happens..... There are too many posters ready to condemn others without giving the matter a little more thought.If my blood boiled with every dumb post on PPRuNe such as that one, I would need no central heating anymore....

The figures quoted seem to be about par for the course for a full 777... especially if the flight came from Hanoi, with people's body clock mostly five or six hours ahead....
Some going to the lavatory, some just waking up and stretching their legs, CC answering calls for coffee or tea, some indeed 'unbelted'.....

HT, I think we're on the same wavelength....

CJ

[wowzz]

Just a thought - should there not be a seat-belt in the loo, or do the potential hygiene implications outweigh safety considerations should turbulence occur? [Assuming people would use the belt anyway]

[L'aviateur]

Well next time I'm on a 14 hour flight with you AF_777 I'll remind you not to maintain your policy of keeping your seatbelt on and not to get up to use the toilet or get a drink of water, or something from your bag.

It's all about risk, and even without your seatbelt on, in your seat your at a low risk level. It's more likely mobile objects or people standing up walking around that are going to be affected, including the crew. After hundreds of flights I've never experienced unexpected severe turbulance, and think that risk is low, so I'll still continue going to the toilet etc and accept that one day I might be unlucky.