PPRuNe Forums

PPRuNe Forums (https://www.pprune.org/)
-   Australia, New Zealand & the Pacific (https://www.pprune.org/australia-new-zealand-pacific-90/)
-   -   QF depressurisation event (https://www.pprune.org/australia-new-zealand-pacific/619083-qf-depressurisation-event.html)

porch monkey 6th Mar 2019 04:30

As far as the 737 is concerned, it's good up to certified ceiling, according to Boeing. (FL 410) Subject to some caveats, of course. Not that I would necessarily advocate same......

morno 6th Mar 2019 04:32

I know in the 320, if the second pack fails, you don’t get a rapid depressurisation. So depending on your height when it fails, you may not actually get the rubber jungle at all.

The FL250 restriction is interesting though. The 320 doesn’t start placing restrictions unless the speed brakes are inop.

porch monkey 6th Mar 2019 04:36

Just to clarify, on the 737 the FL250 limit is at the planning stage only. (MEL) Not a requirement after dispatch.

morno 6th Mar 2019 04:41


Originally Posted by porch monkey (Post 10408156)
Just to clarify, on the 737 the FL250 limit is at the planning stage only. (MEL) Not a requirement after dispatch.

Thanks porch monkey, sounds more realistic

machtuk 6th Mar 2019 06:29

ALL MEL's have two meanings. one at the planning stage & another when airborne!

allthecoolnamesarego 6th Mar 2019 06:31


Originally Posted by porch monkey (Post 10408156)
Just to clarify, on the 737 the FL250 limit is at the planning stage only. (MEL) Not a requirement after dispatch.

this is from the DDG.
Except for ER operations, one may be​ inoperative provided flight altitude remains ​
at or below FL​ 250

das Uber Soldat 6th Mar 2019 07:20


if you are flying around on one pack, and the other one fails, you are going to get the rubber jungle.. / .. Its not a perhaps or a maybe
Its not a certainty.

mustafagander 6th Mar 2019 08:32

I am reliably informed that there was a time in the recent past when a certain airline in Oz had four A380s each with one pack inop, leaving one working. This went on for several weeks coz it is a major job to replace a pack even if you have the spares, which they didn't.
Trust the statistics, you'll get away with it!

Bootstrap1 7th Mar 2019 02:23


Originally Posted by mustafagander (Post 10408312)
I am reliably informed that there was a time in the recent past when a certain airline in Oz had four A380s each with one pack inop, leaving one working. This went on for several weeks coz it is a major job to replace a pack even if you have the spares, which they didn't.
Trust the statistics, you'll get away with it!


More that they need the groundtime to be scheduled to replace the heat exchangers. It is not a simple job like on other aircraft. It can take up to 4 shifts to remove rebuild and reinstall an A380 pack.

mustafagander 7th Mar 2019 08:27

Bootstrap 1,
That's what I also heard. If the parts become available the ground time needs to be also there and then we need at least 2 crews for, as I am told, about 24 hours to do each aircraft.
Still, it was eventually done and they got away with it. Think of the hours saved on the a/c packs coz they weren't fitted - a big saving of component hours. My friends used to tear their hair out, now they just shrug.

TempoTCu 7th Mar 2019 21:32

What I don't understand is, how come CASA haven't already bypassed legislation and issued a directive to say that no RPT operation is to commence unless that acft has three packs installed (the third one being for an extra level of redundancy), and that no flight is to operate if any one of those three packs are unserviceable ('cos there is always the possibility of a double pack failure). After all, safety is number one.

Australopithecus 8th Mar 2019 00:58

Well, not that, but perhaps it might be time to revisit the wisdom of applying the pack MEL for certain failures that led to the pack being inop. This is the second (and yesterday, third) time in a year a Qantas aircraft has done the dirty dive subsequent to dispatching with a pack MEL.

mrdeux 8th Mar 2019 01:47


Originally Posted by mustafagander (Post 10408312)
I am reliably informed that there was a time in the recent past when a certain airline in Oz had four A380s each with one pack inop, leaving one working. This went on for several weeks coz it is a major job to replace a pack even if you have the spares, which they didn't.
Trust the statistics, you'll get away with it!

I wouldn't be surprised if there is a tad more redundancy within the 380 pack system than that of the 737.

The question I'm left with though, is why did they end up with a rubber jungle. The aircraft cabin altitude shouldn't climb all that rapidly in the case of a second pack failure, so why didn't they beat it down?

Nkosi 8th Mar 2019 01:59

Depressurisation event
 
Outflow valve motored towards fullopen?

tdracer 8th Mar 2019 03:25


Originally Posted by TempoTCu (Post 10409927)
What I don't understand is, how come CASA haven't already bypassed legislation and issued a directive to say that no RPT operation is to commence unless that acft has three packs installed (the third one being for an extra level of redundancy), and that no flight is to operate if any one of those three packs are unserviceable ('cos there is always the possibility of a double pack failure). After all, safety is number one.

Why limit it to A/C packs? MEL operation is all about operating with reduced redundancy.
So simply ban all MEL operation for Australian based operators. Simples.
Of course, within 12 months there would no longer be any Oz based operators, but what the heck...


tdracer 8th Mar 2019 03:33


Originally Posted by Australopithecus (Post 10410018)
Well, not that, but perhaps it might be time to revisit the wisdom of applying the pack MEL for certain failures that led to the pack being inop. This is the second (and yesterday, third) time in a year a Qantas aircraft has done the dirty dive subsequent to dispatching with a pack MEL.

Packs are normally extremely reliable - maybe it's time to look at how the packs are being maintained/overhauled if they are failing at that rate. I don't see anyone else having these issues with the packs.

ECAMACTIONSCOMPLETE 8th Mar 2019 04:49


Originally Posted by tdracer (Post 10410076)
Why limit it to A/C packs? MEL operation is all about operating with reduced redundancy.
So simply ban all MEL operation for Australian based operators. Simples.
Of course, within 12 months there would no longer be any Oz based operators, but what the heck...

i think that the point that everyone is making is that with most MELs there is still a level of redundancy. Operating 1 pack inop with only 1 pack remaining gives zero redundancy. You lose that one pack, you’re going to have a depressurisation event.

Capt Fathom 8th Mar 2019 04:59


you’re going to have a depressurisation event
Maybe even a depressurisation Non-Event.

tdracer 8th Mar 2019 05:36


Originally Posted by ECAMACTIONSCOMPLETE (Post 10410094)


i think that the point that everyone is making is that with most MELs there is still a level of redundancy. Operating 1 pack inop with only 1 pack remaining gives zero redundancy. You lose that one pack, you’re going to have a depressurisation event.

Ah, if you look at an MEL, you'll find a number of systems where "Number installed" is 2, "Number required" is 1 (sometimes zero). MEL operation, pretty much by definition, means reduced safety relative to a full up aircraft. The effect on safety is very, very small (assuming the MEL limitations are observed), but if you're going to take Dick Smith's position of absolute safety regardless of cost, you need to ban MEL operation.
Or you can live in the real world.

ECAMACTIONSCOMPLETE 8th Mar 2019 06:15

Who is arguing to get rid of MELs? There are plenty of aircraft defects that are simple no go items. Perhaps operating with only 1 pack operable should be a no go defect. I have flown with plenty of captains at my airline who have refused an aircraft before due to an MEL being applied which may be legal to operate with but which in their opinion has too large an impact on the safety of the operation.


All times are GMT. The time now is 10:18.


Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.