Air NZ: 2nd incident losing parts in flight
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Have you guys who are taking the mickey out of ANZ got short memories. It wasn't too long ago when Qantas and Ansett were having their maintenance problems. As per usual these occurrances highlight possible deficiencies wich are then corrected and then the frequency of these problems goes away.
All airlines have them. Some are more high profile than others. The end result is that they are fixed and thank goodness for that.
All airlines have them. Some are more high profile than others. The end result is that they are fixed and thank goodness for that.
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Just heard on BBC an Air NZ 747 on LAX-LHR run had to shutdown in flight #3 , due to "popping and banging" noises...Dumped fuel and returning to LAX. According to BBC this is the same machine that started this thread...........oooops??
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Air NZ Shares Stutter On Engine Failure
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1114 [Dow Jones] Air NZ defends safety record but shares losing more altitude, down 3.9% in NZ, 4.4% in Sydney; renewed spotlight on safety adds to pressure from oil price rise, threat of war. Spokesman Mark Champion says there will be investigation into what caused engine to overheat after Air NZ 747-400 forced to return to London Heathrow early this morning.; transport safety regulators also likely involved. Though plane is same one that lost section of wing flap on takeoff from Auckland in late August, Champion stresses 2 incidents aren't technically related. (WES)
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1114 [Dow Jones] Air NZ defends safety record but shares losing more altitude, down 3.9% in NZ, 4.4% in Sydney; renewed spotlight on safety adds to pressure from oil price rise, threat of war. Spokesman Mark Champion says there will be investigation into what caused engine to overheat after Air NZ 747-400 forced to return to London Heathrow early this morning.; transport safety regulators also likely involved. Though plane is same one that lost section of wing flap on takeoff from Auckland in late August, Champion stresses 2 incidents aren't technically related. (WES)
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Best quote is "the airline has an excellent safety record, excluding the Erebus disaster" I am sure most airlines have an excellent safety record when you exclude hull losses.
Jinx dogs Air NZ jet
26 September 2002
An Air New Zealand jumbo jet forced to land in London after an engine failed not only lost a flap last month but also suffered major engine trouble last year.
The Los Angeles-bound Boeing 747-400 which flew back to Heathrow Airport 90 minutes after take-off yesterday was the same plane that lost 2m of wing flap while taking off from Auckland on August 30.
Last year, the same jumbo was forced to land in Fiji with engine trouble.
The problems with the jinxed jet were revealed as the airline admitted yesterday it is concerned passengers will start to question its safety record.
In the latest incident, the Los Angeles-bound 747 was forced to dump fuel and return to London after the crew heard a series of loud bangs in its number three engine at about 30,000 feet.
The engine was shut down and the aircraft, with 358 passengers aboard, landed safely with three engines operating.
Chief executive Ralph Norris defended the airline's safety record yesterday, saying he was satisfied there was no systemic problem with the airline's engineering systems.
"I am very concerned about the fact that passengers will think we have safety problems. Unfortunately it's like the old adage – things come in threes."
He said the experience was likely to have been stressful for passengers and the airline would be carrying out a full investigation into what went wrong.
"Engine shutdowns of the kind we saw this morning aren't everyday events – but they aren't rarities either.
"We will tell you what went wrong – and what we're doing about it – when we've gathered and assessed the evidence ..." he said.
Air NZ's record came under scrutiny after a large inspection panel fell from a Japan-bound Boeing 747 on August 24. The airline later admitted staff had failed to check that the panel had been screwed back on properly after maintenance.
The investigation into why a large section of flap failed on a jumbo bound for Los Angeles on August 30 is continuing.
The aircraft involved in the latest incident – ZK-NBS – was built in 1989 and is the oldest aircraft in Air New Zealand's eight-strong fleet of Boeing 747s. The airline said the flap and the engine incidents were completely unrelated and pointed out the engine was about half way through its 10,000-hour life cycle.
Air NZ has 15 Rolls-Royce RB 211 engines _ the type involved in the London shutdown _ and has a failure rate running at one-sixth of the international average. Its last engine failure was in 1996, the airline said.
The airline is also checking all the fuel pumps on its jumbo fleet after Boeing warned they may have a manufacturing fault that could ignite fuel. The fuel pump warning is Boeing's biggest parts problem in about 17 years, with 35,000 fuel pumps on more than 3200 aircraft worldwide needing inspection.
But Air NZ said the engine failure was also unrelated to the fuel tank problem. It is believed the investigation may focus on whether an engine blade failed. The investigation is likely to take six weeks.
Aviation specialist Les Bloxham said Air New Zealand's safety credibility had suffered another blow.
"If this turns out to be another maintenance problem, it will have major implications for the airline," he said.
Travel agents were standing behind the airline last night.
Greg Bridgman, spokesman for business travel specialist BTI New Zealand, said there had been no cancellations out of safety concerns.
He said the airline had a great safety record – excluding the Erebus disaster – but the three incidents came at an unfortunate time. "Of course it's a setback for the airline. It's like Air New Zealand's come out of intensive care and now they've got another infection. With good management, they will hopefully get back on track."
Tony Moffatt, commercial director at House of Travel, also reported no cancellations sparked by safety concerns.
The Civil Aviation Authority has appointed an investigator to look into the engine failure. Air NZ said it would also be talking to engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce about what went wrong.
Air NZ has leased a spare engine from British Airways and the troubled plane will return to Auckland today
Jinx dogs Air NZ jet
26 September 2002
An Air New Zealand jumbo jet forced to land in London after an engine failed not only lost a flap last month but also suffered major engine trouble last year.
The Los Angeles-bound Boeing 747-400 which flew back to Heathrow Airport 90 minutes after take-off yesterday was the same plane that lost 2m of wing flap while taking off from Auckland on August 30.
Last year, the same jumbo was forced to land in Fiji with engine trouble.
The problems with the jinxed jet were revealed as the airline admitted yesterday it is concerned passengers will start to question its safety record.
In the latest incident, the Los Angeles-bound 747 was forced to dump fuel and return to London after the crew heard a series of loud bangs in its number three engine at about 30,000 feet.
The engine was shut down and the aircraft, with 358 passengers aboard, landed safely with three engines operating.
Chief executive Ralph Norris defended the airline's safety record yesterday, saying he was satisfied there was no systemic problem with the airline's engineering systems.
"I am very concerned about the fact that passengers will think we have safety problems. Unfortunately it's like the old adage – things come in threes."
He said the experience was likely to have been stressful for passengers and the airline would be carrying out a full investigation into what went wrong.
"Engine shutdowns of the kind we saw this morning aren't everyday events – but they aren't rarities either.
"We will tell you what went wrong – and what we're doing about it – when we've gathered and assessed the evidence ..." he said.
Air NZ's record came under scrutiny after a large inspection panel fell from a Japan-bound Boeing 747 on August 24. The airline later admitted staff had failed to check that the panel had been screwed back on properly after maintenance.
The investigation into why a large section of flap failed on a jumbo bound for Los Angeles on August 30 is continuing.
The aircraft involved in the latest incident – ZK-NBS – was built in 1989 and is the oldest aircraft in Air New Zealand's eight-strong fleet of Boeing 747s. The airline said the flap and the engine incidents were completely unrelated and pointed out the engine was about half way through its 10,000-hour life cycle.
Air NZ has 15 Rolls-Royce RB 211 engines _ the type involved in the London shutdown _ and has a failure rate running at one-sixth of the international average. Its last engine failure was in 1996, the airline said.
The airline is also checking all the fuel pumps on its jumbo fleet after Boeing warned they may have a manufacturing fault that could ignite fuel. The fuel pump warning is Boeing's biggest parts problem in about 17 years, with 35,000 fuel pumps on more than 3200 aircraft worldwide needing inspection.
But Air NZ said the engine failure was also unrelated to the fuel tank problem. It is believed the investigation may focus on whether an engine blade failed. The investigation is likely to take six weeks.
Aviation specialist Les Bloxham said Air New Zealand's safety credibility had suffered another blow.
"If this turns out to be another maintenance problem, it will have major implications for the airline," he said.
Travel agents were standing behind the airline last night.
Greg Bridgman, spokesman for business travel specialist BTI New Zealand, said there had been no cancellations out of safety concerns.
He said the airline had a great safety record – excluding the Erebus disaster – but the three incidents came at an unfortunate time. "Of course it's a setback for the airline. It's like Air New Zealand's come out of intensive care and now they've got another infection. With good management, they will hopefully get back on track."
Tony Moffatt, commercial director at House of Travel, also reported no cancellations sparked by safety concerns.
The Civil Aviation Authority has appointed an investigator to look into the engine failure. Air NZ said it would also be talking to engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce about what went wrong.
Air NZ has leased a spare engine from British Airways and the troubled plane will return to Auckland today
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Just a question that arises from Albatross's post, actually it's something that has irked me for some considerable time.....
Who the hell is Les Bloxam, "aviation expert", "aviation specialist", "aviation commentator" etc. etc.
Does he, or has he ever had anything to do with aviation (even a tenuous connmection might do) or is just yet another wally who crawls out from where ever at the beck and call of the media to pontificate on a subject that he has so far shown to have very little understanding of?
I guess it gives the media an out because they can say that they only printed what their "expert" said.
I note with interest that the NZ Herald's business editor Fran O'sullivan is also an expert in matters relating to aircraft engineering and airline operations.
A word of advice to Herald readers: If Fran's business expertise is on the same level as her aviation expertise, don't pay any attention to any hot investment tips she might let slip, that shirt you're very fond of may not be on your back for very long!!!!
Anyway, must away to work, it's a risky business ('cos Fran says so, and so does Les), but someone has to do it.
Who the hell is Les Bloxam, "aviation expert", "aviation specialist", "aviation commentator" etc. etc.
Does he, or has he ever had anything to do with aviation (even a tenuous connmection might do) or is just yet another wally who crawls out from where ever at the beck and call of the media to pontificate on a subject that he has so far shown to have very little understanding of?
I guess it gives the media an out because they can say that they only printed what their "expert" said.
I note with interest that the NZ Herald's business editor Fran O'sullivan is also an expert in matters relating to aircraft engineering and airline operations.
A word of advice to Herald readers: If Fran's business expertise is on the same level as her aviation expertise, don't pay any attention to any hot investment tips she might let slip, that shirt you're very fond of may not be on your back for very long!!!!
Anyway, must away to work, it's a risky business ('cos Fran says so, and so does Les), but someone has to do it.
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Mungo...you are 100% correct about the Herald reports. Les Bloxham is just another fool they run to because they think he knows something.
According to Les, flaps slow an aircraft down, and the Boeing directive to check centre fuel-tank pumps has something to do with the No3 engine shutdown on an NZ 744 out of LHR the other day.
Another one they pull out of the woodwork (on TV too) is Ewan Wilson of Kiwi Air fame. Now I'd love to know what he's supposed to be an expert in! He's still smarting because ANZ dared to compete with him.
ANZ's biggest problem at the moment is with the public perception. This is fuelled by the media who love to beat up a story. The fact that it was the same a/c (ZK-NBS) that had an engine shutdown at LHR that lost the starboard fore-flap has the media drooling.
Even the idiot gnome Paul Holmes last night (who has a PPL so should know better!) took delight saying to the ANZ CEO last night on TV that he'd see him back in a couple of weeks for the next incident. Yeah, that really helps! The fact that engine shutdowns occur occasionally, and that that engine could well have been on a different a/c (but just happened do be on NBS) completely escaped him.
If the recent incidents had happened 3 months apart, there'd be no story!
So far the only icident of note was the panel on ZK-SUI that wasn't bolted down. I doubt the flap seperation or engine shutdown had anything to do with bad maintenance. But of course, until the reports are out it's hard to say.
I hate ANZ as much as the next guy, but boy I'm starting to feel sorry for them. And that goes against the grain!
According to Les, flaps slow an aircraft down, and the Boeing directive to check centre fuel-tank pumps has something to do with the No3 engine shutdown on an NZ 744 out of LHR the other day.
Another one they pull out of the woodwork (on TV too) is Ewan Wilson of Kiwi Air fame. Now I'd love to know what he's supposed to be an expert in! He's still smarting because ANZ dared to compete with him.
ANZ's biggest problem at the moment is with the public perception. This is fuelled by the media who love to beat up a story. The fact that it was the same a/c (ZK-NBS) that had an engine shutdown at LHR that lost the starboard fore-flap has the media drooling.
Even the idiot gnome Paul Holmes last night (who has a PPL so should know better!) took delight saying to the ANZ CEO last night on TV that he'd see him back in a couple of weeks for the next incident. Yeah, that really helps! The fact that engine shutdowns occur occasionally, and that that engine could well have been on a different a/c (but just happened do be on NBS) completely escaped him.
If the recent incidents had happened 3 months apart, there'd be no story!
So far the only icident of note was the panel on ZK-SUI that wasn't bolted down. I doubt the flap seperation or engine shutdown had anything to do with bad maintenance. But of course, until the reports are out it's hard to say.
I hate ANZ as much as the next guy, but boy I'm starting to feel sorry for them. And that goes against the grain!
