MH 122 Syd KL diverted to Alice Springs due to "Technical Issues"

[blakmax]

Reports on Australian ABC24 that MH122 Syd to KL diverted to Alice Springs for technical reasons.

[Airbubba]

Some of the usual references:

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/9m-mtm#102853f6

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/MAS122/history/20180118/0216Z/YSSY/YBAS

http://archive-server.liveatc.net/ybas/YBAS-Jan-18-2018-0730Z.mp3

http://archive-server.liveatc.net/ybas/YBAS-Jan-18-2018-0800Z.mp3

[WingNut60]

Quoting the West Australian newspaper:-

Flight MH122 was above Derby in remote WA when the pilot made the decision to land due to “technical reasons”, the airline said.

Passengers on board the flight, which departed Sydney at 1.35pm local time have told of their terror, taking to social media to tell how the plane’s crew were “preparing to crash”.


While the above is sure to elicit cries of woe over standards of aviation journalism, the truly frightening thing is that it actually and accurately reflects the current standard of ALL newspaper journalism.

[Airbubba]

From the ATC tapes linked above, MH122 declared a PAN on descent into ASP.

Here's the classic 'I hoid a bang and I knew we wuz gonna die!' news coverage:

The husband of a passenger onboard a Malaysia Airlines flight forced to divert to Alice Springs says his wife has described the experience as "hell".

Flight MH122 was travelling from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur with 224 passengers onboard this afternoon when one of the Airbus A330-300 plane's engines is believed to have been shut down.

Chin Kanani said his wife became alarmed when she heard a banging sound.

"She said she was on the loo when she started hearing loud banging noises from the right-hand side of the plane and that's when all it started," Mr Kanani said.

"It was like hell this flight and they were told to be ready for an emergency landing."

Malaysia Airlines flight MH122 to Kuala Lumpur forced to divert to Alice Springs - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-18/malaysia-airlines-flight-mh122-forced-to-divert-to-alice-springs/9341584)

‘Brace for impact’: Passengers terrified as Malaysia Airlines flight makes emergency landing in Alice Springs

By Sean Davidson
10:28pm Jan 18, 2018

A terrified passenger has told of how she "thought she was going to die" after crew on board a Malaysia Airlines flight told passengers to brace for impact when the plane started vibrating.

Flight MH122, an Airbus A330 heading to Kuala Lumpur from Sydney, was four hours into the flight when a "massive vibration" rocked the plane, forcing it to divert to Alice Springs.

"The lights had just been turned off and everyone was settled in," Donna Edwards, who was travelling to London, told 9news.com.au.

"All of sudden a massive vibration, the whole plane was shaking."

Ms Edwards said passengers were holding hands and bracing for 30 minutes before the crew announced everyone should "brace for impact".

"The fight attendant came on and said the pilot will give a 30-second warning before impact," she said.

"One of the crew stopped near us and one guy said ‘are we crashing or are we landing’.

"The crew member said 'I don't know'.

“We were just bracing for the worst. I thought I was going to die.

"But then 30 minutes later the crew said it was under control."

https://www.9news.com.au/national/2018/01/18/20/37/malaysia-airlines-mh122-makes-emergency-landing-in-alice-springs

[adsyj]

interesting choice for diversion. Was he running for Melb and had to put her down. Darwin would on the face of it seem the better initial option.

[Airbubba]

A Twitter report from a pax:

Sanjeev Pandey

@sppandey81
1 hour ago

#malaysian airlines #mh122. Emergency landing at Alice Springs. The scariest part was that once the engine started to make a loud disturbing noise, the flight attendants all seemed nervous n clueless. For around 15 mins, there was no announcement.15 mins were as long as 15 hours!

The pilots were probably busy shutting down the engine, assessing the situation and evaluating options.

A timely update like Captain Eric Moody's classic PA would be helpful though:

Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We have a small problem. All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them going again. I trust you are not in too much distress.

[megan]

Darwin would on the face of it seem the better initial optionWhy? It's miles off track, whereas the Alice is on track, if he's going great circle it would put him 27nm abeam, but I'll assume he was planned overhead on the airway.

[Capt Claret]

Why? It's miles off track, whereas the Alice is on track, if he's going great circle it would put him 27nm abeam, but I'll assume he was planned overhead on the airway.

Close to Derby when they turned around as shown on Flight Aware.

Derby - Alice ~694nm
Derby - Darwin ~ 516nm

Monsoon season so DRW weather might have been not so good.

I wonder why Broome was discounted?

[1a sound asleep]

No pan call until near ASP. Looks like they were heading for MEL and then reality hit. Broome was 100 miles from point of diversion. Why were pax told to brace for impact at FL300 ? :rolleyes:

[Ancient Mariner]

Trust me, as SFL, having an engine go bang is no fun. Happened to me, SAS B767 climbing out from Beijing. The aircraft was shaking so bad I expected my fillings to drop out. Then again you, as pax, have no clue what's going on and I fully expected a close encounter with the ragged mountains just below us.
On top of that they would not serve me another whisky while returning to land. Business class and all.
Per

[krismiler]

At least he diverted to a suitable airport instead of continuing on like some people have done.

[Pom Pax]

Monsoon season so DRW weather might have been not so good.

And the same applies for all of the Western Australian coastal airports.
However all of central Australia virtually cloud free.

[RAT 5]

Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We have a small problem. All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them going again. I trust you are not in too much distress.

Should be on all command courses. I found there was so little guidance of suitable PA's in NNC's. Given the young age of some who might have to make one..........some help to keep the situation calm 'back there' IMHO is most welcome.

I'm not familiar with this region, or the airports they chose, but, as a generalism, the closest suitable may not be the nearest; in that, by the time you've completed your analysis, executed a checklist or 2, decided where to go reference weather and facilities and LDA, dug out the charts, planned the descent & approach, briefed all who need to be, you might have used up more time than a normal 20-25 minute descent. I hear some people say that you should drop into the airfield nearest underneath you, but if you do and then spend 10 mins holding, to finish up, you could have gone further to a more familiar/convenient/suitable airport with a full defence in place: it might even be your departure airport.

[crwkunt roll]

Looks like they were heading for MEL and then reality hit.
Why would they be heading for Melbourne?

[Ushuaia]

Why would they be heading for Melbourne?

Exactly.

I think it's because the PPRune experts have determined so. The evidence supporting this, however, is rather scant.

Same same the nonsense above re bracing at FL300. Evidence? Oh, a media report about what passenger said. Must be fact then. PPRune has spoken. Not even 24 hours later.

Troubling, isn't it?

As for AS vs DN: I haven't even bothered to check old TAF's but can almost guarantee there would have been TS all over DN. Sounds like AS was a very smart choice by a couple of PROFESSIONAL pilots flying a twin with OEI.

[wiggy]

+lots to many of the above comments.

Broome may not have been an authorised airfield for the type involved..we fly over that part of the world in a big twin and it is certainly not authorised for us...(and yes, I know that consideration goes out of the window if the fit has definitely hit the san such as a fire and/or smoke.), Darwin is a way off and may have had weather issues....The Alice OTOH may have been the best fit given circumstances (which we won’t get from flight radar and/or the Twitter sphere).

[0ttoL]

Just saw JT on Sunrise this morning.
Says it was probably "an engine stall"

<sigh>

[Pearly White]

Just saw JT on Sunrise this morning.
Says it was probably "an engine stall"

<sigh>Surprised he didn’t suggest they could have bump-started, given they had sufficient altitude then...

[Pearly White]

Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We have a small problem. All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them going again. I trust you are not in too much distress.

Should be on all command courses. I found there was so little guidance of suitable PA's in NNC's. Given the young age of some who might have to make one..........some help to keep the situation calm 'back there' IMHO is most welcome.

I'm not familiar with this region, or the airports they chose, but, as a generalism, the closest suitable may not be the nearest; in that, by the time you've completed your analysis, executed a checklist or 2, decided where to go reference weather and facilities and LDA, dug out the charts, planned the descent & approach, briefed all who need to be, you might have used up more time than a normal 20-25 minute descent. I hear some people say that you should drop into the airfield nearest underneath you, but if you do and then spend 10 mins holding, to finish up, you could have gone further to a more familiar/convenient/suitable airport with a full defence in place: it might even be your departure airport.Subsequently, on the TV chat show circuit, Captain Eric Moody said “I’d done some gliding in the Air Training Corps about thirty years ago, but this was the first serious gliding I have done since!”

[Fris B. Fairing]

Subsequently, on the TV chat show circuit, Captain Eric Moody said “I’d done some gliding in the Air Training Corps about thirty years ago, but this was the first serious gliding I have done since!”

Not to mention the badger reference.

[peewit]

With airlines making statements like this "Malaysia Airlines' flight MH122/ 18 January 2018 from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur has been diverted to Alice Springs due to technical reasons" it is hardly surprising that passengers get scared and media get it wrong. Maybe advising passengers and future passengers that shutting down one engine and making a safe landing is something that pilots are trained for would be more informative than just keeping everyone in the dark with "technical reasons".

[1a sound asleep]

With airlines making statements like this "Malaysia Airlines' flight MH122/ 18 January 2018 from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur has been diverted to Alice Springs due to technical reasons" it is hardly surprising that passengers get scared and media get it wrong. Maybe advising passengers and future passengers that shutting down one engine and making a safe landing is something that pilots are trained for would be more informative than just keeping everyone in the dark with "technical reasons".

SPOT ON! Its the deception and not being told that pax hate and will use against an airline. "Operational reasons" and "technical issues" are basically like "cover up" or "we dont want to tell the truth"

[Nil further]

If you ask anyone who was actually there , that was about Eric Moodys contribution to the entire thing .

Not a hero ......not a clue .....allegedly.

[NSEU]

Just saw JT on Sunrise this morning.
Says it was probably "an engine stall"

<sigh>

Isn't "engine stall" a generic term for something caused by a disruption of airflow through the engine (for whatever reason)? Without details of what actually caused the problem, how can you say it wasn't a stall?

[krismiler]

When Emirates crashed a B777 during a botched go around in Dubai, they described it as "an operational event".

[jack11111]

Declaring a "technical issues" to me is such tosh when really you should say: "One engine shut-down due to an abundance of caution."

Technical issues is just weaselly, airline speak.

Passenger claims: "Passengers on board the flight, which departed Sydney at 1.35pm local time have told of their terror, taking to social media to tell how the plane’s crew were “preparing to crash”.

Mr Wolton said while it was a frightening experience, it proved aircraft can fly safely with only one engine.

We really need to find higher quality SLF.

"The passengers are revolting, Captain" They certainly ARE.

[tartare]

...or a major malfunction? :E
Seriously though - imagine what it's like to be SLF, and hear a loud bang then experience intense vibration.
You'd be ****ting yourself.
Hell - I'm a pilot and I'd be ****ting myself (jeez, that sounded like a blade cutting loose, did it miss the cabin, take out any hydraulic lines, is the whole disk next?).

"Ladies and gentlemen, obviously we have a problem with one engine - the plane can fly perfectly well without it running. We're going to shut it down and quickly drop to a lower altitude as a precaution, please ensure you're seated with your seatbelts firmly fastened...."

[Sunfish]

Part of the reasoning will include proximity to maintenance facilities.

[Global Aviator]

People fast to kick the feet into MH, as as been said above it appears a solid decision to divert to a pretty much guaranteed CAVOK airport. International airport, facilities, no doubt also on most airlines approved airports. It’s a no brained really.

Fly the plane deal with the issues divert to suitable airport. Obviously not thinking but it’s not a home base for engineering.

So far to me it’s nice work Capt and crew.

[Anilv]

At least he diverted to a suitable airport instead of continuing on like some people have done.

damned if you do, damned if you don't..

Anilv

[Capn Bloggs]

Part of the reasoning will include proximity to maintenance facilities.
In a twin, that should have nothing to do with it.

[Miraz]

Diverting to ASP seems like a sensible call - it's been on the ground for several hours, and not a single PPRUNE post with any photos of damaged components or claims of first hand knowledge. :ok:

[Octane]

Is Alice Springs an international airport?!

[Lookleft]

Part of the reasoning will include proximity to maintenance facilities.

What maintenance facilities for an A330 do you think exist in AS Sunfish? I would suggest that the crew diverted to AS because it was closest suitable airport due to its ATC and passenger facilities, the weather and its proximity to their position.

Job well done from where I sit.

[Gegenbeispiel]

At least he diverted to a suitable airport instead of continuing on like some people have done.

Continuing out over water on one engine when the problem occurred over land would have seemed somewhat insane - and contrary to procedures.

Sounds like a job well done by the flight crew. The brace position call may have been airline's procedure for any landing with engine problems, same as having fire appliances rolling.

[WingNut60]

Cannot be pleasant sitting watching a windmilling engine banging away outside your window.

This incident seems to bear some similarity to the Air Asia Airbus A330, (9M-XXE) incident near Carnarvon, Western Australia, on 25 June 2017.

Final report for that event due out soon. I'm eager to see what ATSB has to say about that turn-back.

[CurtainTwitcher]

I'm eager to see what ATSB has to say about that turn-back.

It will be a masterful work of diplomacy...

[mrdeux]

Darwin had thunderstorms. Alice, Learmonth both ok. Alice is a bit further than Learmonth, but not hugely.

What about Curtain? I'm sure the pax would love a night in Hedland. And it was less than 100 miles away.

[WingNut60]

Emergency services also come into the equation. Not a lot at Curtin nor Learmonth.
You'd probably do better at Karratha. Might be a bit short for an ailing A330.

Port Hedland however does have Immigration available from time to time.

What about Curtain? I'm sure the pax would love a night in Hedland. And it was less than 100 miles away. Not sure about your geography here. More like 300+.
And Curtin was pretty much straight down.

[ACMS]

Well there’s LAND ASAP in Red and LAND ASAP in Amber.

Up to the CN and crew to decide which one they fit into and therefore which place they “SELECT” to go based on the information they have at their disposal AT THE TIME isn’t it.

( My company certainly don’t have any charts for Curtain )

You Monday morning quarterbacks need to wind it in a bit.

They all walked away and the operation was safe.

[Oodnadatta]

My trusty old GPS shows 737km from Curtin to downtown Port Hedland..

[DancingDog]

Darwin weather at the time was no good (I was in it😏).

Curtin/Derby must hardly have any people there let alone permanent ARFF.

On the face of it looks like the tech crew did a good job to me.

[2dPilot]

'Shaking' Malaysia Airlines flight turns back to Australia - BBC News (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-42741598)

Sounds like a very unpleasant experience, but with a good outcome.
No explanation given though - any more inf out there?

EDIT:
Engine Failure? http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-18/malaysia-airlines-flight-mh122-forced-to-divert-to-alice-springs/9341584

Track: https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/mh122#102853f6

[Capt Fathom]

Not surprisingly, there is a thread already running the the Australian Forum!

[jumby164]

Is Alice Springs an international airport?!

There is a regular USAF milkrun flight for the Pine Gapians.

[wheels_down]

AirAsia didn’t divert and went to Melbourne. Got a thrashing on pprune for doing so.

Malaysian diverted to Alice instead of continuing. Got a thrashing on pprune for doing so.

:ugh::ugh::ugh:

[1a sound asleep]

What happened to land at the nearest :ugh::ugh::ugh::ugh::ugh::ugh::ugh::ugh::ugh::ugh:

[Capt Fathom]

Nearest what?

[zanzibar]

"What happened to land at the nearest ............" ????????

Nearest suitable is not necessarily the nearest physically. No-one here thus far has indicated what MH policy has to say. Might be smart to learn that before making comments..

[Stuart Sutcliffe]

Capt Fathom, you beat me to it - ".... land at the nearest" what?

The 777 QRH, for example, has many references to "Plan to land at the nearest suitable airport." Quite a few things to consider for an airport to be suitable, including being available for use, and weather commensurate with the types of approach that can be used.

"To land the airplane as soon as possible, if needed" tends to be limited to time critical things e.g. Smoke, Fire or Fumes, the priority being to get the aircraft on the deck quickly, before the event overwhelms the crew and/or aircraft.

But, 1a sound asleep, to cry "Whatever happened to land at the nearest" and bang heads against walls ...... well, you perhaps haven't given your comment as much thought as you should? Until it is clear(er) what happened to MH122, you aren't really in a position to criticise, are you?

[DaveReidUK]

Not surprisingly, there is a thread already running the the Australian Forum!

PPRuNe: MH 122 Syd KL diverted to Alice Springs due to "Technical Issues" (https://www.pprune.org/australia-new-zealand-pacific/604348-mh-122-syd-kl-diverted-alice-springs-due-technical-issues.html)

[LeadSled]

Not to mention the badger reference.I actually have/had that on VHS, one of the all time great TV interviews, unlike talkback radio, TV is "real time"(or was??).
Tootle pip!!

[Warragul]

Is Alice Springs an international airport?!

Only by prior arrangement or in an emergency.

The USAF milkruns are cleared elsewhere usually Richmond I believe.

[Veruka Salt]

Diverting to YBAS sounds like a perfectly reasonable decision to me, based on what has been reported. And since when does it matter whether it is an 'international aiport'? It's not as though they planned to go there!

[zanzibar]

Is Alice Springs an International,airport?

From the AIPs, Gen, page 1.2-22. Suitable for international ops. in these circumstances..
"Alternate Airports to International Airports
Alice Springs
Serviced for international arrivals in the event of an emergency/stress"

[Arnold E]

Interesting the discussion here about where to land and particularly what the company policy is. If I was a passenger, or indeed the pilot with an engine failure on a twin engine aircraft, the last thing on the list of considerations to me would be company policy. the heroes who want to continue beyond the absolute nearest runway that can accept the aircraft in my opinion are crazy. An engine has failed, why? what has caused it? what is the condition of the other engine? will it fail also? Is the failed engine windmilling? will it suddenly seize? what are the consequences if it does? was the pylon damaged in any way during the event? If I am ever a passenger on an aircraft that you are flying and it has an engine failure (catastrophic by the sounds of it), please forget all the hero pilot **** and get the damn thing on the ground as soon as possible:rolleyes:

[sudden twang]

Part of the reasoning will include proximity to maintenance facilities.
My definition of nearest suitable does not include maintenance facilities because the big book “ capts guide to maintenance facilities worldwide “ has been removed to save weight.

[Duck Pilot]

There is a grave yard at Alice if they want to leave it there......

[sudden twang]

I’d much rather the pilots,to use Gene Krantzs phrase
“ work the problem” rather than being distracted telling me as SLF they’re “working the problem”. The word nearest is interesting the Honeywell FMC alternates Page never gives less than 15mins if at cruising altitude. Nearest in distance is not necessarily nearest in time. If it’s ok with you Arnold I’ll fly an extra few minutes to have a 20kt HW v a 20kt XW OEI because I’m not a hero. I also know the other engine maybe suspect ( eg.ice crystal icing ) but again also know if I get to 1000R clean at 210kts the jet will autoland no engines.

[Jeps]

Looks like it was handled well by the crew, kudos. Not surprising since MH from my understanding has very good standards and training. Just happen to be ‘Victims’ of two unfortunate events quite close together. I doubt the other KL based operator would’ve made the same decisions.....

[Gegenbeispiel]

Is Alice suitable for a chartered An-22 or B747-8F to bring in a spare engine, other bits needed and tooling to swap engines? And take the bad one to be investigated?

[Capn Bloggs]

https://s26.postimg.org/v5juy91nd/MAS122.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/71t39yj6d/)

[ExSimGuy]

Is Alice suitable for a chartered An-22 or B747-8F to bring in a spare engine, other bits needed and tooling to swap engines? And take the bad one to be investigated?
As a regular SLF, but someone who has never flown a jet above about 20 ft ;) (back in my days at BA Cranebank)
I'd respectfully suggest that the above argument is (merely) a logistics issue, and not a safety one.
(Plus I'm sure that any airline would rather face trucking whatever is needed to ASP in prefererence to recovering the debris from the middle of nowhere!)

[Old Fella]

The Captain would have chosen to land at Alice Springs based on all the information available to him at the time. You can be sure the safety of the aircraft and occupants would have been paramount in his mind.

[rob_ginger]

Some technical questions - I see from the flightaware plot in post 2 and the altitude plot in post 63 that the aircraft did a 180 degree turn, and descended from 10,000m to around 7,000m. Is the 180 turn (to get out of the way of other aircraft,as I understand it) a Malaysian SOP, or is it pretty universal world wide? And what's the approximate OEI ceiling for an A330 - obviously depends on gross weight, etc.. (I already know the A330 ceiling with two engines out :)).

And from the linked ATC audio I thought I heard a request for a "high speed descent" - is that usual? No criticism intended - just interested in the technical details.

BTW, my personal experience affirms that engine failures/shutdowns in flight are very rare. I've done a lot of flying to Asia and Europe over the years, and the only engine shutdown I can remember was on a BA Bristol Britannia. (I bet there's not many people reading can say they've flown in a Britannia!).

[Perrin]

I have nice kite, nice ride.

:ok:

[jumby164]

Only by prior arrangement or in an emergency.

The USAF milk runs are cleared elsewhere usually Richmond I believe.

They used to stop in Alice to drop off vehicles and supplies in the 90's - pretty sure it was a Galaxy. In 95 they even delivered a flag pole for a local RAAF Radar Unit.

[scifi]

Alice Springs does have a road, the Stuart Highway. So they could bring a spare engine in by road. Looks like another Goose Bay type engineering problem, but a bit warmer.
.
http://www.airports-worldwide.com/img/au/big/alice_springs_australia_03_big.jpg
.

[packapoo]

Retired aircraft park at Alice Springs.....Seems a good opportunity to swap planes and continue...

[LeadSled]

In a twin, that should have nothing to do with it.
Folks,
Is there no end to surprises, I am agreeing with Bloggs about something??
Tootle pip!!

[Old Fella]

Rob-Ginger. "Not many here who would have flown on a Bristol Britannia" ???

I serviced them in the early 1960's, along with Connies when they transited Adelaide. Also serviced and flew in Bristol Freighters, something which even fewer would have done I suspect.

As for the 180 degree turn and descent from 10000 metres to 7000 metres
the turn would simply to back-track toward Alice Springs and the descent may well have been the OEI driftdown altitude for the weight and ISA conditions prevailing.

[zanzibar]

Interesting the discussion here about where to land and particularly what the company policy is. If I was a passenger, or indeed the pilot with an engine failure on a twin engine aircraft, the last thing on the list of considerations to me would be company policy. the heroes who want to continue beyond the absolute nearest runway that can accept the aircraft in my opinion are crazy. An engine has failed, why? what has caused it? what is the condition of the other engine? will it fail also? Is the failed engine windmilling? will it suddenly seize? what are the consequences if it does? was the pylon damaged in any way during the event? If I am ever a passenger on an aircraft that you are flying and it has an engine failure (catastrophic by the sounds of it), please forget all the hero pilot **** and get the damn thing on the ground as soon as possible:rolleyes:

Maybe I should have put "SOPs" instead of "policy" for your better understanding, Arnold, although there is usually not much between them.

Do you understand that these a/c are maintained to ETOPS/EDTO (or similar) standards which means the probability of both engines suffering a failure is reduced to an infinitesimal level? That is why they are certified to fly for 120/180/217 minutes (depending on the type) on one engine.

If you would like the crew to get the a/c on the ground as soon as possible (into an airport that is less than ideal i.e. suitable) when it is not required then I take it you would be extremely uncomfortable being in a twin-engined aircraft crossing the Pacific where the nearest aerodrome might be somewhere like Tarawa or Kosrae. They certainly might be nearer (achieving your "as soon as possible" desire) but they are not "suitable" for a number of reasons.

As to a failed engine windmilling and then seizing - what is the issue, it's not developing power anyway? Seizure would preclude any relight attempt but not many would want to try that seeing they've shut it down for good reason.


p.s Just commenting on your "the absolute nearest runway that can accept the aircraft". We don't know the circumstances that took WA coastal aerodromes out of consideration. Things like RFF, weather, available approaches, pilot familiarity (the crew may well have done sim famil into ASP for all we know) are all factors that contribute to an aerodrome being "suitable". It may well transpire that ASP was "the absolute nearest runway that can accept the aircraft". Why don't we wait until we have the facts.

.

[scifi]

My bet is that they were trying to back-track to Sydney. They first found out that they could not maintain 10000m so had to descend to 7000m. Then they realised that Sydney was going to be just too far away. So only then did they declare a Pan, and landed at the nearest airfield.


Does anyone have any details of what has happened to the aircraft at Alice, or are news sources limited there.
.

[morno]

Get your arm out from between the cusion and the arm of the chair

[megan]

Originally Posted by Arnold E
Interesting the discussion here about where to land and particularly what the company policy is. If I was a passenger, or indeed the pilot with an engine failure on a twin engine aircraft, the last thing on the list of considerations to me would be company policy. the heroes who want to continue beyond the absolute nearest runway that can accept the aircraft in my opinion are crazy. An engine has failed, why? what has caused it? what is the condition of the other engine? will it fail also? Is the failed engine windmilling? will it suddenly seize? what are the consequences if it does? was the pylon damaged in any way during the event? If I am ever a passenger on an aircraft that you are flying and it has an engine failure (catastrophic by the sounds of it), please forget all the hero pilot **** and get the damn thing on the ground as soon as possibleGot an idea for you Arnold. The IFE could have a page, where if an emergency occurs, which could display a range of options. All the passengers vote, and the winning vote is what the crew does. After all, the crew has absolutely no idea of the best course of action, which your post so eloquently espouses. Of course you would need to pay extra when purchasing the ticket for access to this facility.

[Capn Bloggs]

which your post so eloquently espouses.
No it doesn't.

I can see exactly what Arnold is getting at and it doesn't involve having a vote or going to the nearest convenient airport.

[Berealgetreal]

Vote via facebook or Twitter would be better.

[zanzibar]

or are news sources limited there?

No, they reported that the aircraft diverted there and had footage of, and interviews with, the pax as well as footage of the a/c on the tarmac.
Not newsworthy any more so there'll be SFA from the press.

[FAR CU]

Quote:
In a twin, that should have nothing to do with it.
Folks,
Is there no end to surprises, I am agreeing with Bloggs about something??
Tootle pip!!


OBVIOUS - to all but "the great unwashed". Not even a "command decision".

[Fliegenmong]

"Got an idea for you Arnold. The IFE could have a page, where if an emergency occurs, which could display a range of options. All the passengers vote, and the winning vote is what the crew does. After all, the crew has absolutely no idea of the best course of action, which your post so eloquently espouses. Of course you would need to pay extra when purchasing the ticket for access to this facility."

Remember, years ago now, when PPRUNE was a place of intelligent discourse and not a vipers pit of of sm@rt @rssed replies?

[Capt Fathom]

I thought this thread had run its course... then scifi came up with some hair-brained speculation!
Then off we go again!

[Buswinker]

For those bemoaning a lack of media updates

Volga Dnepr Airlines IL 76 flew a new engine in today from KL via Darwin

Vodka burner scheduled to fly out Saturday 27th

[WingNut60]

Sit tight folks. Report expected June 2018

Engine failure or malfunction involving an Airbus A330, 9M-MTM, near Curtin, Western Australia on 18 January 2018


Investigation number: AO-2018-007

[Continue Approach]

To continue from Buswinker's post.......

- Volga Dnepr Airlines IL 76 arrived with new engine Thu 25th Jan;

- Engine installed onto the A330 over following days (mostly nights) at the Alice Springs aircraft storage facility;

- Volga Dnepr IL 79 (RA-76950) Departed with u/s engine Sat 27th Jan for DRW & KUL as VDA3144;

- MAS A330 (9M-MTM) departed for KUL Sun 28th Jan as MAS5102.

[WingNut60]

To continue from Buswinker's post.......

- Volga Dnepr Airlines IL 76 arrived with new engine Thu 25th Jan;

- Volga Dnepr IL 79 (RA-76950) Departed with u/s engine Sat 27th Jan for DRW & KUL as VDA3144;


I know (think) that it's just a typo, but it's sort of confusing.