Anger after fire alarm causes Cathay flight to be aborted
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Anger after fire alarm causes Cathay flight to be aborted
i know its a old story... but the comment from pax tickle me.. at 2am... i know i need a hobby...
Anger after fire alarm causes Cathay flight to be aborted
A Cathay Pacific plane with more than 200 passengers on board was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok after a fire alarm in its cargo hold went off minutes after it took off for Hong Kong.
Fire engines and emergency vehicles raced out to the Boeing 777-300, which was ordered to taxi to a remote part of the airfield after making a steep turn to touch back down in Bangkok just 29 minutes after it left.
Shaken passengers were kept on board for 90 minutes after Wednesday morning's drama as firemen checked the plane before they were taken back to the airport and made to wait for hours before being put on alternative flights.
A regular flier sitting in the front on flight CX700, which had 206 passengers, recounted the drama yesterday and said the incident confirmed his concerns about the older Boeing 777 planes used on regional routes.
The passenger, who asked not to be named, said: "We were only a few minutes into the flight when the pilot came onto the PA and said: 'We have a problem. We are going to have to return to Bangkok'.
"But then, in a somewhat terse voice, he said, 'All attendants to emergency posts'. As soon as he said that, everyone tensed up and I thought: 'This isn't good'.
"We proceeded to do a very sharp turn and then fly in a fairly direct line back to Bangkok airport. The landing was absolutely fine, but we landed surrounded by fire engines and ambulances.
"The captain said: 'We are safely on the ground. We have had an indication of a fire on board so we have been taken to a remote part of the airport and the fire services are doing an inspection of the plane'.
"There were no flames pouring out of the plane and it's entirely possible that it was something as simple as a defective light on a panel. As a passenger it's impossible to know. What I find frustrating is that since this happened, we have had no explanation, no e-mail, no phone call and no apology - nothing."
[B]The passenger - a businessman who holds a Cathay Pacific Diamond Card reserved for the most frequent fliers - said: "I've told my secretary not to book me on the 777s. I get her to look at what planes they have on each flight and I normally won't fly if it's a 777[/B].
"I've been worried about this for some time. I have felt these things are beyond serviceable. They are 20-plus years old and the airline has said in the past it would phase them out."
He added: "I have nothing but praise for the pilot and the crew. The pilot came across as very calm. He did the world's biggest U-turn but he did it with great aplomb.
"It's not the people that are the problem. It's the mechanical side of it. It's the fact that Cathay is maintaining a fleet that is inconsistent. You fly a brand new [Airbus] 330 and then a 20-year-old 777 on the same route one week after the next. That can't be maintainable."
In a written statement, a Cathay spokeswoman said: "Cathay Pacific confirms that flight CX700 from Bangkok to Hong Kong made a precautionary return to Bangkok after a cargo compartment fire warning light came on.
"The aircraft landed safely and responding agencies found no signs of smoke or fire in the compartment. Passengers have been accommodated on other Cathay Pacific flights or those of other airlines.
"Cathay Pacific's flight CX700 was a continuation of its flight from Colombo to Bangkok. The airline apologises for the inconvenience caused to passengers on these flights."
The spokeswoman said that the aircraft was returned to service on Friday and the cause of the incident was still being investigated.
"Safety is our top priority at all times and all our aircraft are safe," she said.
scmp. 30/7/2013
Anger after fire alarm causes Cathay flight to be aborted
A Cathay Pacific plane with more than 200 passengers on board was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok after a fire alarm in its cargo hold went off minutes after it took off for Hong Kong.
Fire engines and emergency vehicles raced out to the Boeing 777-300, which was ordered to taxi to a remote part of the airfield after making a steep turn to touch back down in Bangkok just 29 minutes after it left.
Shaken passengers were kept on board for 90 minutes after Wednesday morning's drama as firemen checked the plane before they were taken back to the airport and made to wait for hours before being put on alternative flights.
A regular flier sitting in the front on flight CX700, which had 206 passengers, recounted the drama yesterday and said the incident confirmed his concerns about the older Boeing 777 planes used on regional routes.
The passenger, who asked not to be named, said: "We were only a few minutes into the flight when the pilot came onto the PA and said: 'We have a problem. We are going to have to return to Bangkok'.
"But then, in a somewhat terse voice, he said, 'All attendants to emergency posts'. As soon as he said that, everyone tensed up and I thought: 'This isn't good'.
"We proceeded to do a very sharp turn and then fly in a fairly direct line back to Bangkok airport. The landing was absolutely fine, but we landed surrounded by fire engines and ambulances.
"The captain said: 'We are safely on the ground. We have had an indication of a fire on board so we have been taken to a remote part of the airport and the fire services are doing an inspection of the plane'.
"There were no flames pouring out of the plane and it's entirely possible that it was something as simple as a defective light on a panel. As a passenger it's impossible to know. What I find frustrating is that since this happened, we have had no explanation, no e-mail, no phone call and no apology - nothing."
[B]The passenger - a businessman who holds a Cathay Pacific Diamond Card reserved for the most frequent fliers - said: "I've told my secretary not to book me on the 777s. I get her to look at what planes they have on each flight and I normally won't fly if it's a 777[/B].
"I've been worried about this for some time. I have felt these things are beyond serviceable. They are 20-plus years old and the airline has said in the past it would phase them out."
He added: "I have nothing but praise for the pilot and the crew. The pilot came across as very calm. He did the world's biggest U-turn but he did it with great aplomb.
"It's not the people that are the problem. It's the mechanical side of it. It's the fact that Cathay is maintaining a fleet that is inconsistent. You fly a brand new [Airbus] 330 and then a 20-year-old 777 on the same route one week after the next. That can't be maintainable."
In a written statement, a Cathay spokeswoman said: "Cathay Pacific confirms that flight CX700 from Bangkok to Hong Kong made a precautionary return to Bangkok after a cargo compartment fire warning light came on.
"The aircraft landed safely and responding agencies found no signs of smoke or fire in the compartment. Passengers have been accommodated on other Cathay Pacific flights or those of other airlines.
"Cathay Pacific's flight CX700 was a continuation of its flight from Colombo to Bangkok. The airline apologises for the inconvenience caused to passengers on these flights."
The spokeswoman said that the aircraft was returned to service on Friday and the cause of the incident was still being investigated.
"Safety is our top priority at all times and all our aircraft are safe," she said.
scmp. 30/7/2013
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The average age of our 777 fleet must be what, 5-6 years?
No 777 in the world has been flying for 20+ years...idiots.
I would much rather fly on a 20 year old CX plane than a brand new almost anything else out there to be honest.
No 777 in the world has been flying for 20+ years...idiots.
I would much rather fly on a 20 year old CX plane than a brand new almost anything else out there to be honest.
Last edited by geh065; 1st Aug 2013 at 01:11.
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The 777 does have a history of false cargo fire warnings. How many have we had this year. there was one in BKK a few months ago, then there was one in Canada...the frogs one, the Durian one...any more?
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I have read this story before ..
I suspect he is confusing the 777 fleet with the much older 747 fleet
Was this a Simon Parry world exclusive in the SCMP ???
Simple tip just google the aircraft reg number for its age ..
Durian fruit has set off at least one false cargo hold fire alarm in the past
Was the A330 ?? Something to do with humidity settings ??
Mentioned in John Warham's book
I suspect he is confusing the 777 fleet with the much older 747 fleet
Was this a Simon Parry world exclusive in the SCMP ???
Simple tip just google the aircraft reg number for its age ..
Durian fruit has set off at least one false cargo hold fire alarm in the past
Was the A330 ?? Something to do with humidity settings ??
Mentioned in John Warham's book
The average age of our 777 fleet must be what, 5-6 years?
No 777 in the world has been flying for 20+ years...idiots.
No 777 in the world has been flying for 20+ years...idiots.
That said, the aircraft are well maintained.
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I wouldn't say the 777 has a history of these vents more than other types. In the first couple of years after service entry in the late 90s there were a few including a couple of ours. Teething problems is all it was and since then it has been fine until recently when we had two within a week or two. Does it indicate something or just mere coincidence?
Correct on the 777 entry dates... So as I said less than 20 years for the entire global 777 fleet and we have a young average age. We do have some older ones than average but they aren't really causing more issues than the newer ones in the fleet.
Correct on the 777 entry dates... So as I said less than 20 years for the entire global 777 fleet and we have a young average age. We do have some older ones than average but they aren't really causing more issues than the newer ones in the fleet.
He did the world's biggest U-turn but he did it with great aplomb.
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The UPS 744F crash back in DXB in Sept 2010. The accident report was just released recently. It all started with a Fire/Smoke indication on the main deck. In very quick succession, the flight deck was filled with smoke. So much so that the FO couldn't even see the VHF comm freq when requested to switch freqs. They fought valiantly, yet lost the battle. RIP. If you get a Fire/Smoke indication, LAND THE AIRCRAFT ASAP!! It might be a false indication.....and it might not. You may not have as much time as you think. Good job to the CX crew for getting back on the ground ASAP.
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For the record...
i had to bite my tongue after reading this article, but now that it's history, we had everyone off well within 20 mins from touchdown (still a bit too long for my liking but that's another story) - after determining there were no signs of fire and they (BKK) finally found a place to park us - the 90 mins he was referring to was our ground delay BEFORE takeoff due to the gate hold bec. of the black rainstorm wx in HKG that day. from alarm to touchdown was 8 minutes. of course never let the facts get in the way of a good story! at least he liked my u-turn! 
- from the pointy end of cx700
- from the pointy end of cx700
Last edited by esguerra1; 2nd Aug 2013 at 04:17. Reason: Title added
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For the fleet and age:
CX B777 (non ER, Trent 800 powered)
- Oldest a/c 19.1 yrs
- Fleet avg - 19.1 to 7.1 yrs = 13 yrs
CX's oldest a/c was the original Boeing test-flight a/c line number 0001. Purchased at a knockdown price, due to it being a -200 with -300 systems installed for test pruposes. Also this a/c originally had PW4000 engines, the pylons and engines were changed at Boeing before purchase.
So the man sitting with his diamond card wasn't that far wrong.
CX B777 (non ER, Trent 800 powered)
- Oldest a/c 19.1 yrs
- Fleet avg - 19.1 to 7.1 yrs = 13 yrs
CX's oldest a/c was the original Boeing test-flight a/c line number 0001. Purchased at a knockdown price, due to it being a -200 with -300 systems installed for test pruposes. Also this a/c originally had PW4000 engines, the pylons and engines were changed at Boeing before purchase.
So the man sitting with his diamond card wasn't that far wrong.
Last edited by N1 Vibes; 5th Aug 2013 at 05:54.
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If you want it to look older, you can ignore the 773s and just do stats on the 772 fleet that we operate.
Same thing with the A330s you take exclude the 'enhanced' ones and it will give you a much older average age than is representative. This you can do with any airline's fleet.
Same thing with the A330s you take exclude the 'enhanced' ones and it will give you a much older average age than is representative. This you can do with any airline's fleet.
Same thing with the A330s you take exclude the 'enhanced' ones and it will give you a much older average age than is representative. This you can do with any airline's fleet.
A regular flier sitting in the front on flight CX700, which had 206 passengers, recounted the drama yesterday and said the incident confirmed his concerns about the older Boeing 777 planes used on regional routes.
Last edited by BuzzBox; 5th Aug 2013 at 08:29.
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Every airline is going to have planes older than the average age (obviously). None of our 777s are 20+ years old. If he wants to avoid flying on all 777s then that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I suppose he shouldn't fly on the 744s or regionally configured Airbuses. Better still, only fly Hong Kong Airlines since they have a very low average fleet age.
