View Full Version : QR crew stuck in a lift for 3 hours
crewmeal
2nd Jan 2024, 19:41
As reported in the press a QR crew were stuck in a lift at Birmingham airport.
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/birmingham-airport-flight-delayed-after-28376131
You couldn’t make it up
Oh, but you could. As a crew we were stuck in a lift at Aberdeen once. Naturally we pressed the intercom button, and spoke to the person at the other end. After explaining the situation, the reply was "Stay there; don't move". THAT you couldn't make up
MissChief
2nd Jan 2024, 22:03
As reported in the press a QR crew were stuck in a lift at Birmingham airport.
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/birmingham-airport-flight-delayed-after-28376131
You couldn’t make it up
Single pilot operation apparently.
dejapoo
2nd Jan 2024, 22:09
Will they be fired or flogged?
Equivocal
2nd Jan 2024, 22:41
You couldn’t make it upProbably correct, but having had some dealings with the people who run BHX day-to-day, I can't say it surprises me.
BoeingDriver99
2nd Jan 2024, 23:18
999 - “unattended bag on elevator xyx”
Use the useless “security” paranoia to your advantage.
"Will they be flogged and fired : Very likely.
compressor stall
3rd Jan 2024, 00:47
Play was delayed in the second cricket test the other day between Aus and PAK when the third umpire was stuck in a lift.
it happens.
Gordomac
3rd Jan 2024, 05:21
Really grott Hotel in Trivandrum. Stuck in the lift with stunning Dutch CA. Staff had to work really hard io get us out. Didn't h elp with both of telling everyone to just go away.
FullOppositeRudder
3rd Jan 2024, 07:22
They'll probably take the stairs from now on ...
farefield
3rd Jan 2024, 08:49
What floor were they trying to reach?
11?
I bet they kept their hat on the entire time, just in case.
Uplinker
3rd Jan 2024, 10:20
As a flight crew we once got locked into a corridor at Newcastle airport very late one night after a long duty. No agent with us and not our base, so we had no door release cards. Using the wall phone had no effect and we could not call anyone else.
Sod this I said, I need to sleep and I am not going to wait here in this corridor all night. So I broke the glass on the green emergency door release switch.
Not so easy in a lift though.......Poor sods. Although, taking the lift at Birmingham?? It's only 2 storeys high - use the stairs !
Salina Chan
3rd Jan 2024, 12:27
999 - “unattended bag on elevator xyx”
Use the useless “security” paranoia to your advantage.
probably not going to work in FRA. Reported an unattended bag there recently while we were still landside to a group of patrolling policemen. They couldn't care less.
I got stuck in the southern end of BN domestic at midnight. This was bak in the days when Ansett occupied that section.
Escorted pax to the empty terminal. Automatic doors opened to let us off the apron.
Went to go back to the aircraft only to find that the doors to the apron would not open.
Funny when you need security they are hard to find.
An hour or so later I got back to the aircraft.
davidjpowell
3rd Jan 2024, 13:19
The temporary lifts are a bit weird, and do not feel particularly temporary. Almost a normal lift built onto scaffolding.
Felt a little rickety.
Bet they use the stairs next time...
nicolai
3rd Jan 2024, 14:21
Schiphol (AMS) had a temporary lift to one of the upper levels of the airport for some months a few years ago. It took you via a temporary path along the roof around some construction (maybe around the time they were converting from at-gate to central security, and therefore building a lot of new passages on top of existing walkways).
I'm sure it was a fully functional and safe device, and it did seem to work well, but it was definitely incongruous walking along a temporary passageway along part of the roof, made of scaffolding and plastic sheeting, to what looked like a perfectly normal lift with all the usual sort of buttons just stuck in the middle of the scaffolding works.
crewmeal
3rd Jan 2024, 15:23
I wonder what was written on the voyage reports regarding the delay when they got back.
GrassRootsFlying
3rd Jan 2024, 15:52
What floor were they trying to reach?
11?
;Your post was not lost on me.
Your post was not lost on me.
They always ask for the 11th floor in the hotels. The penthouse we call it.
GrassRootsFlying
3rd Jan 2024, 16:22
They always ask for the 11th floor in the hotels. The penthouse we call it.
oK. I assumed that what was meant was the sketch on Scottish TV.
Not savvy enough to post a You tube link.
Google You tube lift eleven.
regards
FlyingRoland
3rd Jan 2024, 22:32
Should have taken the stairs..
oceancrosser
4th Jan 2024, 18:03
Should have taken the stairs..
Agreed. I avoid run down elevators at run down airports…
If I got stuck in an elevator like that for hours I know I would get full support from my Dir Flt Ops and Chief Pilot for refusing to operate after. No worries about getting thrown under the bus.
farefield
4th Jan 2024, 18:18
oK. I assumed that what was meant was the sketch on Scottish TV.
Not savvy enough to post a You tube link.
Google You tube lift eleven.
regards
It was. As they said " If you don't understond the lingo , go back to yer ain cuntry!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbDnxzrbxn4
Just a job
4th Jan 2024, 18:53
Left the 'cab' at Johannesburg tower on a break from working GND many many years ago. Got a coffee, had a bit of a rest and took the lift 'upstairs' to do a stint on TWR.......yep, halfway up the lift ground to a shuddering halt. Took several hours for the lift company to come out from the city centre to get it going again.
One of the most relaxing shifts I ever had....
GrassRootsFlying
6th Jan 2024, 17:02
It was. As they said " If you don't understond the lingo , go back to yer ain cuntry!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbDnxzrbxn4
Presumably with the voice recognition in the Birmingham lift, they should have said “eleven” in a Brummie accent.
yours aye.
Flying Wild
6th Jan 2024, 20:25
There are no stairs to get to staff security at the moment. The airport will apprently be relying on 50pax capacity lifts to get people from check-in to new security. They removed the escalators to get up to the first floor.
SpamCanDriver
6th Jan 2024, 23:05
There are no stairs to get to staff security at the moment. The airport will apprently be relying on 50pax capacity lifts to get people from check-in to new security. They removed the escalators to get up to the first floor.
There are stairs, they're right next to the temporary lift they got stuck in
I remember someone getting airborne out of Birmingham with the bags of people who weren’t onboard. The people had passed through the gate and then got in the lift down to the air bridge. The lift stopped and the passengers got stuck, but as they had gone through the gate, and were nowhere to be seen, everyone assumed they were onboard. Flight departed without them!
Think they were stuck in there for a few hours, and the aircraft had to divert.
I always avoid the lifts at Birmingham.
WelshGeorge
21st Jan 2024, 17:16
How can it take so long to release people from a lift - what would have happened if there had been a fire?
Three hours to release people from a lift is crazy!
Uplinker
21st Jan 2024, 22:42
In our wonderful country they probably had nobody on duty at the airport who knew how to operate the lifts, or wasn't allowed to because of insurance and safety. So they probably had to call out the manufacturer or whoever held the maintenance contract from home miles and miles away to drive in to release the people.
Ken X
22nd Jan 2024, 06:31
In our wonderful country they probably had nobody on duty at the airport who knew how to operate the lifts, or wasn't allowed to because of insurance and safety. So they probably had to call out the manufacturer or whoever held the maintenance contract from home miles and miles away to drive in to release the people.
I can't speak for Birmingham but both Heathrow and Gatwick have a full shift of lift and escalator engineers on site 24/7. They have a matter of minutes to attend any trapping incident as per their contract.
The matter of releasing the occupants depends on the mode of failure. The vast majority merely require an electrical reset or moving the car to the nearest landing which can be achieved quickly, usually within a few minutes of arrival on site.
Occasionally the rescue takes longer and I know of one case where the fire brigade had to be tasked to build a ladder train several storeys down the shaft. Entry was effected to the car by cutting a hole in the roof. All this takes time to achieve in a manner which ensures the continuous safety of both those within the car and the personnel undertaking the rescue.
It takes as long as it takes to assess the situation, correctly determine the failure mode and formulate an effecient and safe form of rescue which prevents further distress to the car occupants. They may be elderly, infirm or children and not fluent in the local language. You really do not want to get it wrong.
WingNut60
22nd Jan 2024, 08:23
Shouldn't that be "elevator eleven"?
boaclhryul
22nd Jan 2024, 14:29
Certainly not 9-3/4.
I can't speak for Birmingham but both Heathrow and Gatwick have a full shift of lift and escalator engineers on site 24/7. They have a matter of minutes to attend any trapping incident as per their contract.
I'm surprised. Early one morning was on the Heathrow "Travelator" from the Underground station to the terminal, someone ahead had a stupidly overloaded baggage trolley with about 8 suitcases piled high on it, it failed to surmount the little rise at the end and then overturned, blocking everyone following. I was the only one with presence of mind to see this ahead and press one of the emergency stops.
On I go, day's work at the destination, flew back in the evening. Guess what, passed the Travelator, still stopped..
MarcK
30th Jan 2024, 22:01
On I go, day's work at the destination, flew back in the evening. Guess what, passed the Travelator, still stopped..
In my experience, insurance requires a licensed and certified engineer to inspect before restarting. I got roundly chewed out when I stopped an escalator when someone fell.
n5296s
31st Jan 2024, 01:46
both Heathrow and Gatwick have a full shift of lift and escalator engineers on site 24/7
From many years of experience as pax at LHR, I've come to the conclusion that there is some clever software somewhere to ensure that no matter where you are going to and from, there is always at least one moving walkway that isn't working. Maybe that's what the engineers are there for, to manage the software?
galaxy flyer
31st Jan 2024, 03:19
I was stuck in the lift at the Anchorage Hilton for an hour or two. A bunch screaming teenagers with me. The hotel engineer tried prying the door, which got it moving again, but soon stopped. I called the FD, who straightened things out promptly..
Ken X
31st Jan 2024, 05:44
In my experience, insurance requires a licensed and certified engineer to inspect before restarting. I got roundly chewed out when I stopped an escalator when someone fell.
Speaking with my former hat on as a "Competent Person" employed by the Insurance company please carry on stopping machines when necessary. The stop buttons are there to be used.
Unfortunately some people like to take advantage of a mishap to try and claim damages, sometimes up to five years later! This is the reason that every incident or accident has to be investigated and logged. The machine has to be carefully checked for any defects by a qualified engineer and the results recorded before the machine is restarted. Sometimes the machine is damaged during the incident and has to be fixed before returning to service. Too many times I have seen a user on an escalator with a huge case, (lifts are available) waving to their mate with one hand and busily texting on their phone with the other whilst doing a reasonable impression of a Meerkat trying to locate a shop or bar. They then take a tumble and try to blame the Airport. :rolleyes:
Ken X
31st Jan 2024, 06:04
From many years of experience as pax at LHR, I've come to the conclusion that there is some clever software somewhere to ensure that no matter where you are going to and from, there is always at least one moving walkway that isn't working. Maybe that's what the engineers are there for, to manage the software?
We have had some interesting moments whilst inspecting machines at Airports,
One occurred when working in a Pier on a Travellator on a Gatwick Arrivals side corridor at around 02:00. The Departures corridor is identical but one floor below for segregation. We were firmly berated by one passenger who declared that they had left Gatwick two weeks ago and the same machine we had out for inspection was inoperative when they left and still not working on their return. Apparantly we were not pulling our weight. We actually only had the machine out for an hour.
In the Europier feeder corridor at Terminal One, Heathrow there was a very long Travelator which was longer than the British Standard allowed without a gap in the handrail ballustrades. Therefore it had two handrails, a gap where the pallets submerged under a deck and two more handrails on the second stage. It crested a rise in the centre so you could not see one end from the other. We turned it off for inspection for a couple of hours and had several passengers complaining that "They have got two machines turned off, why can't one be left on, it's really inconsiderate" We soon gave up trying to explain and kept our heads down.
When I retired in 2000 there were over 300 escalators and travellators at Heathrow and sods law states one of the ones I use when flying since is out for one reason or another so I feel your pain. :)