Singapore Airlines "evacuation"
Nunc est bibendum
interesting to see if a true account of the flight crew decision making process ever reaches the light of day given the location of the event and the company.
Talk about damned if you do and damned if you don't!
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Evacuation
My only comment is that to me it seems this incident was potentially a repeat of the Saudi L1011 event at Riyadh in 1980 where everyone onboard perished. Different circumstances I know, an internal fire v's an external one, however delays in ordering an evacuation led to an avoidable loss of 301 lives.
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Strong fuel fumes reported in the cabin?
I once had strong fuel fumes reported in the cabin by the cabin crew. They could not identify the source & the concern was that it was coming from a fuel leak or a spill in the cargo holds.
After landing one of the pax mentioned to the F/A as he left the aircraft that they may have been looking for his fuel soaked jumper. Turns out he was a refueller. I don't know why he didn't identify himself & the jumper earlier.
Things are usually not as clear cut as they would appear in hindsight. Pontificating on this site does not really address the issue in such a manner that all can learn from the event & perhaps handle things better if it ever happens again. Rather, it shows a lack of experience or a mindset that is set in concrete, or both.
Aviation eventually catches up with those who feel they can do things by rote, as things never happen exactly the same way twice. Those who use a blend of their own experience, the experience of others, SOP's & systems knowledge to manage both normal everyday situations & non-normal situations as they occur, tend to do better throughout their aviation careers.
Two things I pondered….
Did the crew advise ATC that they had a problem? From one video it appears that the fire services were not standing by in close proximity, possibly as they had no prior warning and:
Was a visual inspection made of the suspect engine to see if there was fuel leaking prior to commencing the approach? An engine problem I was involved in on a 744 some years ago was initially identified by an increased fuel flow and the smell of fumes in the cabin. The fuel leak was clearly visible as a stream of vapour behind the engine. Even at night with the strobes flashing, a vapour trail would be easily seen.
We did shut the engine down as a result and the fuel leak stopped but we still had the firies nearby on landing, just in case.
Did the crew advise ATC that they had a problem? From one video it appears that the fire services were not standing by in close proximity, possibly as they had no prior warning and:
Was a visual inspection made of the suspect engine to see if there was fuel leaking prior to commencing the approach? An engine problem I was involved in on a 744 some years ago was initially identified by an increased fuel flow and the smell of fumes in the cabin. The fuel leak was clearly visible as a stream of vapour behind the engine. Even at night with the strobes flashing, a vapour trail would be easily seen.
We did shut the engine down as a result and the fuel leak stopped but we still had the firies nearby on landing, just in case.
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From the main thread -
If this is actually true, I find it amazing that some posters would have had the RFS turned out & a full cabin preparation done prior to the landing. It also is a good lesson in waiting for all the facts before forming a definite position on what should or should not have been done.
From the reports the engine problem was low oil pressure. The decision was made to turn back rather than continue to Milan. The aircraft did not have a major problem and was not on fire until after it landed.
If this is actually true, I find it amazing that some posters would have had the RFS turned out & a full cabin preparation done prior to the landing. It also is a good lesson in waiting for all the facts before forming a definite position on what should or should not have been done.
If this is actually true, I find it amazing that some posters would have had the RFS turned out & a full cabin preparation done prior to the landing. It also is a good lesson in waiting for all the facts before forming a definite position on what should or should not have been done.
As far as the cabin. I would not be giving brace commands, but would certainly brief the crew on exactly the situation (engine problem/failure, returning to land in x minutes, emergency services standing by, may stop on runway or just off, may end up in alert/emergency phase). I would also brief the passengers.
I would be closely monitoring the engine indications (if not completely shutdown) and also fuel burn/qty to determine if possible fuel leak.
I find it amazing that anyone would not do that!
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No Eclan, I wasn't referring specifically to you. But if the cap fits.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, including you. All I am saying is that things are almost always not as simple as some would like to believe. Those who are willing to rush in & imply that the captain is incompetent based on some newspaper reports & a video, would do well to not be so definite about things. No-one on here has all the information, particularly what went on, on the flight deck.
By the way, I don't do 'pissing contests' as you call them, but you go right ahead. And,
is pretty good for pontification.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, including you. All I am saying is that things are almost always not as simple as some would like to believe. Those who are willing to rush in & imply that the captain is incompetent based on some newspaper reports & a video, would do well to not be so definite about things. No-one on here has all the information, particularly what went on, on the flight deck.
By the way, I don't do 'pissing contests' as you call them, but you go right ahead. And,
I strongly suspect you do not know how much you do not know. Which makes you dangerous.
Last edited by Oakape; 11th Jul 2016 at 21:22.
