SCMP - Scare for 170 Cathay passengers as pilot forced to abort landing
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SCMP - Scare for 170 Cathay passengers as pilot forced to abort landing
Scare for 170 Cathay passengers as pilot forced to abort landing May Chan
Updated on Jun 26, 2008 A passenger described frightening scenes aboard a Cathay Pacific flight that aborted its landing shortly before it was due to touch down at Chek Lap Kok yesterday morning.
Peter Krien, one of the 170 passengers aboard flight CX829 from Toronto, said it was the scariest flight he had ever taken.
The Airbus A340 approached Chek Lap Kok at 6am when both the No 8 typhoon signal and the red rain warning were in force.
"As the plane began to descend, the weather was so bad that I could not see anything but a grey mass outside the windows," Krien, who is a journalist, said. "And there was turbulence ... little kids were scared and some people clasped their hands and started praying."
He said that when the screen on the seat back read that the flight was one minute away from landing, he felt the plane pick up speed rapidly and gain height.
"In all those years I have flown, this was the scariest flight," Krien said. "Finally, the flight landed after making a big circle. We were so happy that it landed safely. Everyone was clapping and shook hands with the pilots as we left the cabin."
A Cathay Pacific spokeswoman confirmed that the flight was forced to abort a landing. She said pilots had the power to make decisions about landing when there were safety concerns over bad weather. The Airport Authority said Severe Tropical Storm Fengshen had delayed 135 inbound and 182 outbound flights and caused 25 flights to be cancelled.
The death of quality journalism continues...
Updated on Jun 26, 2008 A passenger described frightening scenes aboard a Cathay Pacific flight that aborted its landing shortly before it was due to touch down at Chek Lap Kok yesterday morning.
Peter Krien, one of the 170 passengers aboard flight CX829 from Toronto, said it was the scariest flight he had ever taken.
The Airbus A340 approached Chek Lap Kok at 6am when both the No 8 typhoon signal and the red rain warning were in force.
"As the plane began to descend, the weather was so bad that I could not see anything but a grey mass outside the windows," Krien, who is a journalist, said. "And there was turbulence ... little kids were scared and some people clasped their hands and started praying."
He said that when the screen on the seat back read that the flight was one minute away from landing, he felt the plane pick up speed rapidly and gain height.
"In all those years I have flown, this was the scariest flight," Krien said. "Finally, the flight landed after making a big circle. We were so happy that it landed safely. Everyone was clapping and shook hands with the pilots as we left the cabin."
A Cathay Pacific spokeswoman confirmed that the flight was forced to abort a landing. She said pilots had the power to make decisions about landing when there were safety concerns over bad weather. The Airport Authority said Severe Tropical Storm Fengshen had delayed 135 inbound and 182 outbound flights and caused 25 flights to be cancelled.
The death of quality journalism continues...
Not that dreaded 'grey mass outside the window' combined with turbulence thingy again.
No wonder our journo friend calls himself Krien
Krien in public is most unbecoming.
No wonder our journo friend calls himself Krien
Krien in public is most unbecoming.
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more from the SCMP...
Eight injured, two seriously, as turbulence hits Cathay flight Clifford Lo
Updated on Jun 27, 2008 Eight people on a Cathay Pacific flight were injured yesterday - two seriously - when they were tossed about by turbulence in the second such incident this month.
The three crew and five passengers were hurt as the Airbus A330 approached Chek Lap Kok on a flight from Bangkok shortly before 2pm.
Two female crew members, aged 21 and 40, remained in serious condition in hospital last night.
Six others, including a 72-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman earlier listed as stable and a 57-year-old Japanese woman, were discharged after treatment.
A spokeswoman for the airline said the captain had sent a message at 1.51pm alerting the Hong Kong control tower that the plane had encountered turbulence and there were several injured on board.
"The `fasten seat belt' sign was switched on at the time of the incident and the crew had already made a pre-landing announcement to passengers," the spokeswoman said.
Ambulances and fire engines were on standby when the plane touched down safely at 2.12pm.
The injured, five males and three females, were taken to Princess Margaret Hospital. Some were on stretchers with head and neck supports and wearing oxygen masks.
The plane, flight CX708 carrying 241 passengers, 10 flight attendants and two pilots, left Bangkok at 9.45am and had been due to land at Hong Kong at 1.40pm.
Cathay Pacific said the airline would do everything possible to help the affected passengers and staff.
The Civil Aviation Department said the airline would be asked to investigate the incident and submit a report.
On June 12, eight crew members and five passengers on a Dragonair flight from Beijing were injured when the plane was hit by turbulence before landing in Hong Kong.
Updated on Jun 27, 2008 Eight people on a Cathay Pacific flight were injured yesterday - two seriously - when they were tossed about by turbulence in the second such incident this month.
The three crew and five passengers were hurt as the Airbus A330 approached Chek Lap Kok on a flight from Bangkok shortly before 2pm.
Two female crew members, aged 21 and 40, remained in serious condition in hospital last night.
Six others, including a 72-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman earlier listed as stable and a 57-year-old Japanese woman, were discharged after treatment.
A spokeswoman for the airline said the captain had sent a message at 1.51pm alerting the Hong Kong control tower that the plane had encountered turbulence and there were several injured on board.
"The `fasten seat belt' sign was switched on at the time of the incident and the crew had already made a pre-landing announcement to passengers," the spokeswoman said.
Ambulances and fire engines were on standby when the plane touched down safely at 2.12pm.
The injured, five males and three females, were taken to Princess Margaret Hospital. Some were on stretchers with head and neck supports and wearing oxygen masks.
The plane, flight CX708 carrying 241 passengers, 10 flight attendants and two pilots, left Bangkok at 9.45am and had been due to land at Hong Kong at 1.40pm.
Cathay Pacific said the airline would do everything possible to help the affected passengers and staff.
The Civil Aviation Department said the airline would be asked to investigate the incident and submit a report.
On June 12, eight crew members and five passengers on a Dragonair flight from Beijing were injured when the plane was hit by turbulence before landing in Hong Kong.
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I have noticed on flights when the signs go on at 20,000, pax and crew treat it as just a time to landing reminder, last call for toilet runs etc. I dont have much sympathy for pax who defy the seat belt signs but best wishes to the crew who were injured!! Speedy recovery!!
I also have little sympathy for any pax up-ended in turbulence when the belt sign is on. If he/she lands on top of me I wouldn't be best pleased. It happens from time to time but I generally find the crew on CX are there like a shot when they see it.
On Wednesday inbound from CEB, the sign went on about 120 miles out after an early announcement from the flight deck so everyone was ready for it, particularly given the weather conditions around HK at the time.
The pax have no one to blame but themselves
.
Hope the crew recover well
.
On Wednesday inbound from CEB, the sign went on about 120 miles out after an early announcement from the flight deck so everyone was ready for it, particularly given the weather conditions around HK at the time.
The pax have no one to blame but themselves
. Hope the crew recover well
.
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Don't we pilots have other things to do after a flight?!
Choking back tears, Krien later admitted that the grey mass outside the windows may have been due to the fact that he'd forgotten to remove his eye shades. "It was the scariest thing I've done since riding the Mid Levels escalator without holding the handrail or jumping across the platform gap on the MTR", he added. 
loser.
loser.
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I am very sad to hear about the cabin crew who were injured in this event.
I believe though, that they are mostly oblivious to the real dangers of what turbulence and bad weather can do. They do not have the big picture and we pilots forget this at times.
Unfortunately our procedures (at CX) allow them to keep working whilst the seatbelt signs are on (unless specifically asked to be seated) - so perhaps this breeds a complacency associated with this practice.
I also think that CX has such a strong service standard that the ISM is worried soley about this aspect of the job and gets worried if noodles/ tea and coffee cannot be served. Let alone suspending the service!!
An example, a few days ago, in this terrible weather, I briefed the ISM that we would keep the crew seated after departure as we were expecting turbulence and bad weather for quite some time.
Shortly after passing 3,000' feet I could hear the sound of galley carts and cabin crew moving around in the galley behind me!!
We most definitely had not cycled the seatbelt signs at this stage and were looking at a lot of red on the weather radar ahead!
Of course I called the ISM and made sure that she packed everything away and sat the crew down - but it is very difficult when the procedures for both of us seem so loose, and she is so concerned about the flight time and getting the service completed in time.
I hope that all of the injured crew and pax make a speedy recovery, and that somewhere along the track we can make our procedures safer for the whole crew to prevent this kind of thing in the future.
I believe though, that they are mostly oblivious to the real dangers of what turbulence and bad weather can do. They do not have the big picture and we pilots forget this at times.
Unfortunately our procedures (at CX) allow them to keep working whilst the seatbelt signs are on (unless specifically asked to be seated) - so perhaps this breeds a complacency associated with this practice.
I also think that CX has such a strong service standard that the ISM is worried soley about this aspect of the job and gets worried if noodles/ tea and coffee cannot be served. Let alone suspending the service!!
An example, a few days ago, in this terrible weather, I briefed the ISM that we would keep the crew seated after departure as we were expecting turbulence and bad weather for quite some time.
Shortly after passing 3,000' feet I could hear the sound of galley carts and cabin crew moving around in the galley behind me!!
We most definitely had not cycled the seatbelt signs at this stage and were looking at a lot of red on the weather radar ahead!
Of course I called the ISM and made sure that she packed everything away and sat the crew down - but it is very difficult when the procedures for both of us seem so loose, and she is so concerned about the flight time and getting the service completed in time.
I hope that all of the injured crew and pax make a speedy recovery, and that somewhere along the track we can make our procedures safer for the whole crew to prevent this kind of thing in the future.
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wonder why they try to report a piece of aviation news in non aviation terms. maybe they should try to learn something about the industry first.
what the hell is "abort landing". and been "forced" to do it?!?
bloody journalists
what the hell is "abort landing". and been "forced" to do it?!?
bloody journalists
