Faulty BA plane 'put lives at risk' - BBC News

[Flying-Jock]

Any one have proper info on this and not just the DM hype? (or have I missed an earlier post?)
Thanks

Furious passenger sit-in after double scare on BA jet: Jammed wing flaps force plane to return to Saudi Arabia twice in 24 hours | Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2387319/Furious-passenger-sit-double-scare-BA-jet-Jammed-wing-flaps-force-plane-return-Saudi-Arabia-twice-24-hours.html)

[Pinkman]

Probably SLF over-egging it at bit but would be interesting to know what actually happened:

BBC News - Faulty BA plane 'put lives at risk', passengers say (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23631153)

[Captivep]

Quite surprised that the pilot isn't branded a hero - (s)he clearly avoided schools and hospitals on both landings...

:)

[Hotel Tango]

Completely exaggerated tosh, as usual :ugh:

[DaveReidUK]

Let's see if this thread lasts any longer than the last one on this topic. You mean this - still current - one ?

http://www.pprune.org/airlines-airports-routes/520995-bas-bad-day-riyadh.html

[Walnut]

From the pictures it looked as if they could not retract the flaps. Clearly they could not make LHR in this condition. Many years ago I had a similar condition on a B767 going to Moscow. On this flt I was able to retract the flaps but I had a "status" message which said the next extention would be difficult. I called Maintrol & suggested I return. They said no. Consequently after much hazzle the flt got canx ex Moscow & I ended up positioning the flt back empty via Helsinki. This a/c had a long history of similar "status" messages. Sometimes I wonder if the percentage game is played too often.

[LookingForAJob]

You mean this - still current - one ?

http://www.pprune.org/airlines-airpo...ay-riyadh.html
Ah, yes, that's the one - couldn't find any trace of it earlier.

As a matter of curiosity, am I right in thinking in the Mail's picture showing 'A single member of staff from British Airways tries to deal with 300 angry customers after two terrifying aborted flights to London in 24 hours', it's a/the Captain speaking with the pax?

[Basil]

Passengers had screamed and been physically sick
That wasn't because of the jammed flaps, it was because they were returning to Riyadh! :}

[DaveReidUK]

it's a/the Captain speaking with the pax?Yes, I was wondering that too. If it was, he's a brave chap. :O

[Paulok]

I would have been very annoyed at being deprived of my G&T on departure form Riyadh and the prospect of having to return twice wild have totally ruined my day.
:ugh:

[fenland787]

after two terrifying aborted flights to London in 24 hours',I guess that Daily Wail readers have a pretty low terror threshold then? God help them if there actually was an emergency on a flight. If you scream and throw up at the thought of landing normally - albeit not where you had hoped - what do you do when the chutes are deployed I wonder?

[Bigpants]

The crew did the right things but the double failure does reflect the fact that this fleet is ageing and needs replacing fast.

BA had a very close call in South Africa when a 747 self retracted part of the high lift devices just after take off. Fine piece of flying to keep it airborne.

A safe outcome but damaging for the brand.

[peterarmitage]

Does anyone know which 747 this was? How old and how many hours / flights has it done?

Is it the same spec of 747 that flies one of the two daily rt flights LHR to IAH? I could never figure out why the earlier flight is a 777 and the late flight a 747.

Anyone know why?

[PAXboy]

The selection of machine type is based on the long history of data held on each route. They know how many pax and, crucially, what type of pax, are on that route and can predict demand with remarkable accuracy.

Aircraft are often changed during the day. A example might be: A 767 for the first of the day then 319s during the day and a 767 again in the evening.

Further, on routes that do double overnights, such as LHR~JNB, whilst they might be both 744s, they may have different Biz pax seating.

[champair79]

Peter it was G-BNLN. One of the older 747s in the fleet but by no means unsafe.

The Houston flights are both operated on 777s for the summer season.

Champ

[crewmeal]

Does anyone know which 747 this was? How old and how many hours / flights has it done?

What's that got to do with anything? There are plenty of aircraft a lot older flying around the world which are perfectly serviceable. Why people think the age of an aircraft contributes to a problem is beyond me.

[ExXB]

Can't imagine: (clipped from various sources)

FEAT 103 TPE-KAO Fourteen minutes after take-off the aircraft suffered an explosive decomression and disintegrated.

Grumman Goose vicinity Miami Seaplane Base shed the complete right hand wing when the main spar failed.

China Airlines B742, en-route, Penghu Island Taiwan, broke up in mid air, over Penghu Island Taiwan, following structural failure.

Japan Air Lines B741 experienced a loss of control attributed to loss of the vertical stabiliser. The aircraft continued its flight for 30 minutes and subsequently impacted terrain.

British Airways ex SYD. A large part of the Concorde's rudder fractured and separated in flight.

Aloha B732 suffered sudden structural failure and explosive decompression at FL240. Nearly 6 metres of cabin skin above the passenger floor line separated from the aircraft.

The accident of Scandinavian Airlines’ (SAS) airplane Dash 8-400 in Denmark was caused by corrosion of the hydraulic cylinder ...