Query about Ryanair Diversion FlightFR 9202

[dicksorchard]

Hi i was a pax onboard Ryanair Flight FR 9202 from Liverpool to Oporto last Tuesday 2nd September .

We had to Divert into Bristol airport due to a technical fault with the aircraft

Initially told by the Captain that there was a technical fault with the aircraft and he had contacted Ryanair operations and been advised to divert into Bristol .

Everything was as far as i am concerned was handled very professionally and apart from a brief stop in Bristol the flight was very uneventfull .

I just have a couple of querys . maybe you guys can help .

On landing the captain explained the nature of the technical fault as " a strap being trapped in one of the door's " ?

Could that have been one of those yellow ribbon type straps next to the main door's inside the cabin ? or do you think it could have been a strap from within the baggage hold ?

Just curious how ?

Secondly when an aircraft diverts do's it always have to refuel ?

We seemed to be refuelling for some considerable time ?

I have no complaints about Ryanair or the crew concerned . In fact everyone commented that the Captain & Fo where very informative & that the matter was handled very swiftly ..

Unusually rather than the usual moaning & groaning from my fellow Pax there where lots of people nudging each other and saying " better to be safe than sorry " etc but there was one old git telling anyone who would listen that we didnt have enough fuel in the first place & thats why we where refuelling !

My missus being a very nervous pax just wants some good olde reasurrance and im just curious .

Anyone happen to know what went on ?

[Capt Hook]

Can't answer the question about the strap; however with regards to the fuel, the a/c would not have left LPL with sufficient fuel to divert and get airbourne again to the original destination. The a/c would have needed a 'Top Up' which would not have taken that long once the bowser is connected; I would assume the remaining delay was down to the filing of new ATC flight plans etc.

[Johnny F@rt Pants]

Refuelling is almost certainly going to be required after an unscheduled stop.

[dicksorchard]

unscheduled stop

Thanks Capt Hook & Johnny F@rt Pants- the missus is already feeling a bit more secure with this new knowledge to hand ...

The old git responsible for the scaremongering concerning the reasons for re-fuelling got a good tongue lashing off a few of my other fellow pax ...what an ar--hole .

It was actually quite unnerving to watch the mini wave of hysteria that this guy managed to create in the midst of what had been a very calm situation .

Human nature is fascinating but at times can be very destructive .

I was'nt 100% certain that what my common sense was telling me was in fact correct -ie if you make an unscheduled stop then your goin to need to top up the tank again ! I shud have gone with the flow and joined in barracking the old sod .

Come to think of it - it did take a while to attach the fuel Bowser & being a pax and not a pilot i didnt even consider the Atc restriction / flight plan issue's etc .

All in all it was a learning process & thats why forums like this are invaluable .

cheers for taking out the time to post guys .

[spinnaker]

dicksorchard,

The old git you mentioned, was he a retired corporal from the RAF, and telling folk that the crew should be court marshalled. If so, I think its the same guy I off loaded a couple of years ago.

Never mind, glad to hear all's well. The fuelling perfectly normal on a div.

[spinnaker]

As they landed with more than reserve fuel, they didn't actually need extra fuel, that's what the 300kgs are for. Although its a requirement to plan reserve fuel, it may turn out that there is no SOP to arrive with any fuel at all. The bowser was just to keep the passengers happy.

[Swedish Steve]

Could that have been one of those yellow ribbon type straps next to the main door's inside the cabin

Almost certainly. It is very easy to close the door and leave the strap outside. The metal end then bangs against the fuselage making a lot of noise.

[TightSlot]

Straps can be trapped outside doors as described. The end of the strap had a metal/plastic fitting that will flap in the airflow and apart from the clattering noise, may potentially cause damage to the fuselage. It is a Cabin Crew check to ensure that the straps are not caught in the door frame. Many modern aircraft now have retractable torsion type safety straps in the frame in order to avoid this happening.

It is an immutable law that on any given passenger load, there will always be one barrack-room lawyer type old git as described above. The best response is usually to remain scrupulously polite, and to ensure that information is accurate and updates frequent - this will ensure that his fellow passengers will eventually tire of him and say all the things that you, as crew, just can't.

[dicksorchard]

how much would a divert cost ?

spinnaker The old git in question was without doubt ex- services ...he just oozed it !
shouted from the rafters that when he was " in uniform etc etc " so could quite easily have been the same chap you off loaded .

TightSlot & Swedish Steve now i know what the funny "dud dunk " sound was !
It started as soon as we where going down the runway and i initially thought it was the nose wheel as we where sitting in the 1st row - i shud have realised it was'nt when said " dud dunk " continued well after take off !

Would the cabin crew member responsible for that particular door get reprimanded in any way ?

... sounds like an easy enough mistake to make ....then again don't want to think of the added cost of a divert ?

wonder how much something like that would cost an airline ?

cheers guys

[TightSlot]

Would the cabin crew member responsible for that particular door get reprimanded in any way ?

Yes - an expensive error

... sounds like an easy enough mistake to make

Many errors are easy to make - you have to concentrate harder to protect against them. Training and safety culture should help to reduce risk.