Qantas Planes Now Falling Apart
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Qantas Planes Now Falling Apart
I think most of us are a bit sick of reading about the smallest issue on Qantas aircraft such as a hydraulic leak casuing 2 hour delays. I do know that a number of newsworthy incidents have gone unnoticed and will post what I know. Start your investigations here journos.
Last night and just boarding now are 400 pax on the QF 31 bound for LHR after a 6 hour delay. An engine panel fell off overnight somewhere between Syd and Sin and a new temp panel has been manufactured to facilitate aircraft dept.
About 3 weeks ago VH-OEC landed at JFK. A trailing edge flap canoe was dropped on landing and later recovered from side of the runway. This panel is the covering over flap drive mechanisms and is not a small A4 size component. It is approximately 10 feet long and takes 2 or 3 men to lift in place.
You can call Mr Cox for more info.
Last night and just boarding now are 400 pax on the QF 31 bound for LHR after a 6 hour delay. An engine panel fell off overnight somewhere between Syd and Sin and a new temp panel has been manufactured to facilitate aircraft dept.
About 3 weeks ago VH-OEC landed at JFK. A trailing edge flap canoe was dropped on landing and later recovered from side of the runway. This panel is the covering over flap drive mechanisms and is not a small A4 size component. It is approximately 10 feet long and takes 2 or 3 men to lift in place.
You can call Mr Cox for more info.
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????????????
CH7 news this morning "A Qantas aircraft was delayed 30min due to a technical problem and delay in paperwork"
Unbelievable really. It's quite sad that our media are so incapable of reporting actual factual newsworthy events. What is even sadder is that the media consider this type of reporting and journalism as the standard. These are pure scare tactics and it really is getting very boring. Journalists in their integrity and ethical standards have descended to the level of Used Car Salesman and Politicans.
Two thumbs up for the passenger who has CH7 on speed dial. Great work by reporting the dramatic breaking news of a 30min delay.
CH7 news this morning "A Qantas aircraft was delayed 30min due to a technical problem and delay in paperwork"
Unbelievable really. It's quite sad that our media are so incapable of reporting actual factual newsworthy events. What is even sadder is that the media consider this type of reporting and journalism as the standard. These are pure scare tactics and it really is getting very boring. Journalists in their integrity and ethical standards have descended to the level of Used Car Salesman and Politicans.
Two thumbs up for the passenger who has CH7 on speed dial. Great work by reporting the dramatic breaking news of a 30min delay.
Last edited by Tempo; 14th Aug 2008 at 22:53.
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Also on Brisbane ABC Radio
Yes, I heard it at about 6:25 am today. The guy must have numbers in his mobile for all the networks. He must have called as soon as he could switch his mobile back on (if he actually turned it off after boarding !).
Any theories as to why the ABC and other media are trying to crucify Qantas ? Seems to me that most of the recent 'incidents' are just the result of people doing their job properly and taking the proper (safe) action.
Any theories as to why the ABC and other media are trying to crucify Qantas ? Seems to me that most of the recent 'incidents' are just the result of people doing their job properly and taking the proper (safe) action.
Silly Old Git
Anyone here read Crikey?
Crikey - Qantas 737 saga a deadly dangerous farce - Qantas 737 saga a deadly dangerous farce
Crikey - Qantas 737 saga a deadly dangerous farce - Qantas 737 saga a deadly dangerous farce
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August 2007
Not wishing to re-kindle VH-OJK Oxygen bottle saga but I think it would be appropriate at this point to remember an incident that happened nearly 12 months to the day last year. This is the same place where repairs are going to be made to VH-OJK lets hope that once it gets airborne it makes it back to Aus.
Jetstar 330 grounded 3 days after returning from overseas maintenance in Manilla
Jetsar A330 VH-EBC has been grounded today for at least 24 hours after a loud noise from door 2L forced passenger to be moved from the area when the aircraft reached altitude. The aircraft left Manilla 4 days ago after completion of another overseas heavy maintenance check. Qantas management were in flat spin mode again today attempting to find a spare Qantas aircraft to replace the scheduled service. The defect was first identified on the first flight out of Manilla. A temp repair carried out on an Engineering Authority failed to fix the problem on the following sector to Bkk and on return to Australia it was decided that the aircraft was no longer fit to fly. An incorrectly installed door sill appears to be the likely source but Qantas Engineering spokesperson CD says that Qantas's commitment to safety is higher than ever before.
Jetsar A330 VH-EBC has been grounded today for at least 24 hours after a loud noise from door 2L forced passenger to be moved from the area when the aircraft reached altitude. The aircraft left Manilla 4 days ago after completion of another overseas heavy maintenance check. Qantas management were in flat spin mode again today attempting to find a spare Qantas aircraft to replace the scheduled service. The defect was first identified on the first flight out of Manilla. A temp repair carried out on an Engineering Authority failed to fix the problem on the following sector to Bkk and on return to Australia it was decided that the aircraft was no longer fit to fly. An incorrectly installed door sill appears to be the likely source but Qantas Engineering spokesperson CD says that Qantas's commitment to safety is higher than ever before.
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I saw a QF 747 parked on the maintenance ramp yesterday, in Manila, as we taxied past and the right side was taped up and covered with black plastic. Looks like it is waiting for some TLC.
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To the Engineers who are releasing this rubbish, stop. It is becoming boring, and you know the old saying "To much of a good thing" The public are over it, it is yesterdays news, if you have anything serious to say go to your union, or (God help us) CASA. Otherwise you just might cook the golden egg. We all get the picture.
All will be revealed (hopefully) within the next couple of weeks:
CASA Qantas probe 'not looking pretty'
Ben Sandilands writes:
The special audit of Qantas by CASA is “not looking pretty” according to information passed to Crikey. Several CASA sources have made the same points. Every metric in relation to Qantas maintenance performance shows a downward trend, and there is clear evidence that maintenance action has been deferred to save costs. The best estimate suggested for the completion of the audit report is more than a week from today, which would coincidentally take it beyond next Thursday’s release of the record Qantas profit for the 12 months to June 30.
The following week is also likely to see the dropping of the report of the Senate Inquiry into the administration of CASA which sat in July. That inquiry was a response to intense anger over the safety regulator's failed oversight of Transair before its turboprop airliner crashed into a hillside approaching the Lockhart River airstrip in northern Queensland in May 2005, killing all 15 people on board. The spokesman for CASA, Peter Gibson, declined to answer questions today about the progress or content of the audit. He also defended the failure of CASA to pick up the non-compliance of Qantas since 2003 with a compulsory airworthiness directive to strengthen a pressure bulkhead under the cockpit of the six Boeing 737-400s that the airline suddenly grounded on Wednesday night.
Those jets had flown for nearly five years without the completion of work ordered to remove the risk of a "sudden decompression", which is management speak for a mid-air break up. “We have thousands of ADs out at any time,” Gibson said. “There would be 2000 of them right now applicable to Qantas. No safety regulator in the world would check whether every AD has been complied with.” However, when asked whether an AD that applied to pressure bulkheads on a passenger jet might not have been considered more obviously important than others, he said that was a question that was yet to be answered. CASA is flirting with the same risky territory it found itself in after the Transair crash. It knew Transair was dangerous yet failed to warn the public. If it doesn’t reveal all that it finds out about Qantas in this audit, and there is a maintenance related accident involving the carrier, the consequences for CASA and the Rudd government will be enormously bad.
A five-year long failure of a safety regulator and a major airline to fix a potentially catastrophic weakness in a main line jet as seen in the Qantas bulkhead debacle is without obvious precedent in a developed world airline. Qantas flew the jets in question more than 9000 times in violation of its obligations, assuming each 737 performed around six sectors a day before Qantas discovered its error. In the US yesterday the FAA fined American Airlines $US7.1 million for flying just two of its MD-83s 58 times in violation of its rules on "improperly deferring maintenance on safety related equipment" and other deficiencies. Qantas has never been fined a cent by the Australian regulator over any safety related issue.
Ben Sandilands writes:
The special audit of Qantas by CASA is “not looking pretty” according to information passed to Crikey. Several CASA sources have made the same points. Every metric in relation to Qantas maintenance performance shows a downward trend, and there is clear evidence that maintenance action has been deferred to save costs. The best estimate suggested for the completion of the audit report is more than a week from today, which would coincidentally take it beyond next Thursday’s release of the record Qantas profit for the 12 months to June 30.
The following week is also likely to see the dropping of the report of the Senate Inquiry into the administration of CASA which sat in July. That inquiry was a response to intense anger over the safety regulator's failed oversight of Transair before its turboprop airliner crashed into a hillside approaching the Lockhart River airstrip in northern Queensland in May 2005, killing all 15 people on board. The spokesman for CASA, Peter Gibson, declined to answer questions today about the progress or content of the audit. He also defended the failure of CASA to pick up the non-compliance of Qantas since 2003 with a compulsory airworthiness directive to strengthen a pressure bulkhead under the cockpit of the six Boeing 737-400s that the airline suddenly grounded on Wednesday night.
Those jets had flown for nearly five years without the completion of work ordered to remove the risk of a "sudden decompression", which is management speak for a mid-air break up. “We have thousands of ADs out at any time,” Gibson said. “There would be 2000 of them right now applicable to Qantas. No safety regulator in the world would check whether every AD has been complied with.” However, when asked whether an AD that applied to pressure bulkheads on a passenger jet might not have been considered more obviously important than others, he said that was a question that was yet to be answered. CASA is flirting with the same risky territory it found itself in after the Transair crash. It knew Transair was dangerous yet failed to warn the public. If it doesn’t reveal all that it finds out about Qantas in this audit, and there is a maintenance related accident involving the carrier, the consequences for CASA and the Rudd government will be enormously bad.
A five-year long failure of a safety regulator and a major airline to fix a potentially catastrophic weakness in a main line jet as seen in the Qantas bulkhead debacle is without obvious precedent in a developed world airline. Qantas flew the jets in question more than 9000 times in violation of its obligations, assuming each 737 performed around six sectors a day before Qantas discovered its error. In the US yesterday the FAA fined American Airlines $US7.1 million for flying just two of its MD-83s 58 times in violation of its rules on "improperly deferring maintenance on safety related equipment" and other deficiencies. Qantas has never been fined a cent by the Australian regulator over any safety related issue.
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It will certainly be interesting if the findings are released or will QF be afforded the same protection as their overseas providers.
Foreign servicing of jets kept secret - World News - World - General - The Canberra Times
Foreign servicing of jets kept secret - World News - World - General - The Canberra Times
AUDITS of overseas facilities used to service Australia's passenger jets are being kept secret by the nation's aviation safety regulator over fears their release could cause adverse publicity for foreign-owned maintenance companies.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority faces accusations of acting against the public interest by refusing to release 1000 pages from its audits of maintenance facilities in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and New Zealand during 2006 and 2007.
The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association has sought the audits under the Freedom of Information Act. Its request was prompted by last year's leak of a scathing 2006 Qantas audit of work performed on one of its jets by the Singapore Airlines Engineering Company in Singapore.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority faces accusations of acting against the public interest by refusing to release 1000 pages from its audits of maintenance facilities in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and New Zealand during 2006 and 2007.
The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association has sought the audits under the Freedom of Information Act. Its request was prompted by last year's leak of a scathing 2006 Qantas audit of work performed on one of its jets by the Singapore Airlines Engineering Company in Singapore.
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Peuse,
Thats my point.....how is a 30min delay due to a technical problem an 'incident'? Applying a MEL or getting an EA is not an incident. It is the crew acting professionally and applying SOPs to the daily operation of an aircraft.
Thats my point.....how is a 30min delay due to a technical problem an 'incident'? Applying a MEL or getting an EA is not an incident. It is the crew acting professionally and applying SOPs to the daily operation of an aircraft.
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No one is saying that QF's reaction to a technical delay is the issue, the issue is why are they having so many. I acknowledge that all airlines have daily incidents that never make the media headlines, but just the fact that the public and whistle blowers are reporting them does this mean that they are becoming frustrated and disillusioned with the national carrier.
Surely this must be worrying for the QF Directors who have a mandate to protect share holder investments. When are they going to start asking questions of QF maintenance management like WHY, HOW, WHO IS NOT DOING THEIR JOB, HAVE WE GOT A PROCESS TO CORRECT THE DOWN WARD SPIRAL, IS THEIR SOME ONE WE CAN SACRIFICE TO CALM THE BEASTS?
Surely this must be worrying for the QF Directors who have a mandate to protect share holder investments. When are they going to start asking questions of QF maintenance management like WHY, HOW, WHO IS NOT DOING THEIR JOB, HAVE WE GOT A PROCESS TO CORRECT THE DOWN WARD SPIRAL, IS THEIR SOME ONE WE CAN SACRIFICE TO CALM THE BEASTS?
CASA Qantas probe 'not looking pretty'
Ben Sandilands writes:
Ben Sandilands writes:
Quick thread hijack here sorry ->
Does ANY pilot here take ANY faith in what Sandilands writes? The few articles I've see that hack spit out have been dross. He seems to have NFI what he's talking about half the time.
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Is it just me or is this, The Dixon Plan in end play?
It would appear that what ever the Dixon Plan was, it ain't working too good anymore!
Do you think the Board ( who must have approved the plan) have dropped the ball?
What with Industrial Legislation not exactly going the way it was supposed to , ie Workchoices, the Liberal Government getting the boot, see Workchoices, delays in aircraft delivery, could that be the reason for delayed maintenence? These aircraft weren't even supposed to be here still.
The botched APA deal.
The travelling public not exactly taking to Jetstar as envisaged (see Japan loads)
List anymore as you see fit.
Might we see a few sacrifical lambs of the old guard soon ?
Would this then not allow the new guard to draw a line under the debarcle the Dixon Plan is becoming.
Maybe then the new guard could change tack and actually grow the company in order to make increased profits and how about allowing Qantas to once again offer a half decent product!
What do you think, after the release of the CASA audit, (I hear this is a "real" CASA audit this time )we might be hearing:
Big Brother has spoken, it's time to go ......?
It would appear that what ever the Dixon Plan was, it ain't working too good anymore!
Do you think the Board ( who must have approved the plan) have dropped the ball?
What with Industrial Legislation not exactly going the way it was supposed to , ie Workchoices, the Liberal Government getting the boot, see Workchoices, delays in aircraft delivery, could that be the reason for delayed maintenence? These aircraft weren't even supposed to be here still.
The botched APA deal.
The travelling public not exactly taking to Jetstar as envisaged (see Japan loads)
List anymore as you see fit.
Might we see a few sacrifical lambs of the old guard soon ?
Would this then not allow the new guard to draw a line under the debarcle the Dixon Plan is becoming.
Maybe then the new guard could change tack and actually grow the company in order to make increased profits and how about allowing Qantas to once again offer a half decent product!
What do you think, after the release of the CASA audit, (I hear this is a "real" CASA audit this time )we might be hearing:
Big Brother has spoken, it's time to go ......?
Last edited by blow.n.gasket; 15th Aug 2008 at 10:54.
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Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee........... bye bye Muzza Cox
Qantas botched maintenance on 737s, claims engineers
Steve Creedy | August 15, 2008
QANTAS engineers say the airline's staffing problems are coming home to roost after management admitted this week that it failed to complete maintenance designed to prevent cracking in 737 forward pressure bulkheads.
Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association President Paul Cousins said yesterday the work was not done because the airline's engineering services department had not issued the necessary paperwork. Mr Cousins blamed the airline's constant cost-cutting program for "getting rid of personnel who had the necessary experiences to make sure these things get done correctly". "Certainly the engineering services department is one of them. It's feeling the same as we are, and obviously the guys are overworked and have a multitude of stuff to go through," he said. "Unfortunately, when you don't have the resources, things get missed." Qantas admitted on Wednesday that it had failed to complete a maintenance procedure ordered eight years ago, that was designed to prevent an explosive decompression on six Boeing 737s now grounded until at least next week. A US Federal Aviation Administration directive was issued in 2000 after the regulator received reports of numerous cracks in critical areas of the forward pressure bulkhead. The airline voluntarily grounded the planes and informed Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority after an internal audit found problems with maintenance paperwork. It later admitted that a step in the maintenance -- understood to involve the installation of clips to strengthen the bulkhead -- had not been completed. CASA has stepped up an investigation of Qantas maintenance begun after a mid-air explosion blew a hole in the side of of Boeing 747-400 near Manila three weeks ago. Mr Cousins said the paperwork for this modification was complex and involved multiple engineering instructions and advisories. There were also different procedures for different planes. He said staff in engineering services had to sort through the paperwork and decide what went with what particular aircraft. "And it was during that process that certain things were missed," he said. The union has been highlighting problems with engineering for the past 18 months but its concerns had been dismissed as part of a pay campaign. With voting on a new enterprise agreement now under way, Mr Cousins said the airline was no longer able to apply that argument.
"We've been trying to highlight over the last couple of years that engineering management that's come into Qantas over the last five years and then changed again about three years ago, doesn't really have ... a full understanding of what engineering does," he said.
Oh my oh my
Qantas botched maintenance on 737s, claims engineers
Steve Creedy | August 15, 2008
QANTAS engineers say the airline's staffing problems are coming home to roost after management admitted this week that it failed to complete maintenance designed to prevent cracking in 737 forward pressure bulkheads.
Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association President Paul Cousins said yesterday the work was not done because the airline's engineering services department had not issued the necessary paperwork. Mr Cousins blamed the airline's constant cost-cutting program for "getting rid of personnel who had the necessary experiences to make sure these things get done correctly". "Certainly the engineering services department is one of them. It's feeling the same as we are, and obviously the guys are overworked and have a multitude of stuff to go through," he said. "Unfortunately, when you don't have the resources, things get missed." Qantas admitted on Wednesday that it had failed to complete a maintenance procedure ordered eight years ago, that was designed to prevent an explosive decompression on six Boeing 737s now grounded until at least next week. A US Federal Aviation Administration directive was issued in 2000 after the regulator received reports of numerous cracks in critical areas of the forward pressure bulkhead. The airline voluntarily grounded the planes and informed Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority after an internal audit found problems with maintenance paperwork. It later admitted that a step in the maintenance -- understood to involve the installation of clips to strengthen the bulkhead -- had not been completed. CASA has stepped up an investigation of Qantas maintenance begun after a mid-air explosion blew a hole in the side of of Boeing 747-400 near Manila three weeks ago. Mr Cousins said the paperwork for this modification was complex and involved multiple engineering instructions and advisories. There were also different procedures for different planes. He said staff in engineering services had to sort through the paperwork and decide what went with what particular aircraft. "And it was during that process that certain things were missed," he said. The union has been highlighting problems with engineering for the past 18 months but its concerns had been dismissed as part of a pay campaign. With voting on a new enterprise agreement now under way, Mr Cousins said the airline was no longer able to apply that argument.
"We've been trying to highlight over the last couple of years that engineering management that's come into Qantas over the last five years and then changed again about three years ago, doesn't really have ... a full understanding of what engineering does," he said.
Oh my oh my
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Oh please Mr Cusins would you like a tissue it sounds like your nothing more than a wanabe manager who had to settle for some pityful job in the union. Were do you think youd be if there was no qantas is that what you really want Cusins. I happen to know for a fact that the current team of managers came within a wisker of closing all heavy maintenance but decided not to to save you and your presous members. You should be grateful that every fortnight when you go to the Credit Union there is a nice big level 13 pay sitting there for you to feed on. Just get on with your lives and stop trying to destroy everyone elses lives.
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So Paul points out the facts and Mr Qantas replies with a schoolyard insult.
Not a good look if you are representative of management, Mr Qantas.
What is your point exactly? Anything constructive to add?
Not a good look if you are representative of management, Mr Qantas.
What is your point exactly? Anything constructive to add?