US Airways @ EINN
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This is the report running on the web news pages of RTE, the public service broadcaster in Ireland (http://www.rte.ie/news/2003/0831/landing.html):
>>>>>
August 31, 2003
(11:48) A passenger plane with more than two hundred people on board made an emergency landing at Shannon Airport this morning.
The US Airways flight from Philadelphia to Dublin was diverted after the captain reported a fire on board.
It's understood the fire may have started somewhere in the plane's electrical system.
There were 197 passengers and 10 crew on board.
The plane landed safely just before 11am [1000 GMT] and an investigation into the cause of the fire is under way.
>>>>>
There's 12" of video (you'll need RealOne Player) of the B767-200 landing in daylight at Shannon at http://www.rte.ie/news/2003/0831/6news/6news56_3a.smil
>>>>>
August 31, 2003
(11:48) A passenger plane with more than two hundred people on board made an emergency landing at Shannon Airport this morning.
The US Airways flight from Philadelphia to Dublin was diverted after the captain reported a fire on board.
It's understood the fire may have started somewhere in the plane's electrical system.
There were 197 passengers and 10 crew on board.
The plane landed safely just before 11am [1000 GMT] and an investigation into the cause of the fire is under way.
>>>>>
There's 12" of video (you'll need RealOne Player) of the B767-200 landing in daylight at Shannon at http://www.rte.ie/news/2003/0831/6news/6news56_3a.smil
Last edited by Shamrock 602; 1st Sep 2003 at 04:07.
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A Pax being interviewed in Shannon said the crew were preparing for a ditching, descended to 10000' to open the cockpit windows to clear the smoke in the cockpit/cabin, and requested any pax who were military/emergency services to assist with a possible water evacuation.
Media speculating about a fire in the "electrical systems".
Heard on the radio just now, I know these things are often hyped out of all proportion in the media, but this pax sounded fairly shaken up!
Well done for getting it down, the Swissair crash must have been well in their thoughts!
Media speculating about a fire in the "electrical systems".
Heard on the radio just now, I know these things are often hyped out of all proportion in the media, but this pax sounded fairly shaken up!
Well done for getting it down, the Swissair crash must have been well in their thoughts!
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This from today's (Monday) Irish Times:
Passengers tell of fire alert on flight from US
Pat Flynn
01/09/2003
Pilot said he was "taking plane down to 10,000 feet so he could open cockpit windows".
Passengers on board a transatlantic jet that was forced to make an emergency landing at Shannon Airport yesterday told how they feared the plane was going to have to ditch into the sea.
Fire crews on the ground at Shannon were told to "expect the worst", while Coastguard units and vessels off the west coast were on standby for more than an hour as the packed jet limped into Shannon with a fire in its cargo hold.
Two international airports were placed on full-alert as US Airways flight 306 from Philadelphia to Dublin declared an emergency 400 miles west of Shannon. There were 190 passengers and a crew of 10 on board.
The drama began at 9 a.m. when the pilot notified Air Traffic Control at Shannon that there was a fire on board the aircraft.
The airline confirmed last night that a fire had broken out in a cooling fan in the aircraft's heating system.
Passengers told how one stewardess "lost it completely" and said four times that "this isn't good".
Others told how the pilot announced that he was "taking the plane down to 10,000 feet so that he could open cockpit windows to let the smoke out".
Mrs Tracy Brennan, from Indiana in the US, spoke of how she was convinced the plane was going to have to ditch in the Atlantic.
"I had my eight-month-old daughter Grace on my knee and I was very frightened. I was very much afraid that we were going to have to make a water landing," she said.
Mrs Brennan's husband, Matt, who was coming to Ireland to attend a conference, said he was "praying to God that he would take me and not my daughter".
"I remember being woken up by the head steward and he told me there was a fire up front and that it wasn't good.
"He told us to clear everything from the floor in front of us, so I figured that they were thinking of flotation devices so we had to store everything up above real quick," Mr Brennan recalled.
The pilot asked all military personnel and all emergency services or firefighting people to come forward and to line up by the emergency exits.
One passenger, Mr Rob Rush, said he was asleep when he was awakened by cabin crew and told of the fire.
"I have firefighting and paramedic training, so I made myself known to the crew and was asked to go to the front of the plane.
The plane was about 15 to 20 minutes from Shannon when passengers at the rear of the aircraft were notified of the emergency.
However, passengers in first- class, at the front of the aircraft, knew from the start because they could see the smoke and smell it.
The original plane that the passengers had been due to travel on was taken out of service because of a mechanical fault.
Bad weather had also delayed the departure of the flight from Philadelphia.
Emergency services from two counties rushed to Shannon to assist the airport's own fire and rescue service.
Six units of the local authority fire service from Ennis and Shannon along with ambulances from Ennis and Limerick city were on standby at strategic locations on the airfield as the jet touched down at 10.59 a.m.
The aircraft came to a stop seconds later in the middle of the airport's main runway as fire crews went alongside.
Fire personnel could be seen carrying out an external inspection of the plane as passengers waited anxiously on board.
Coastguard units and vessels at sea were also on alert in an operation co-ordinated by Shannon Coastguard Radio.
Fire crews from Ennis and Shannon were stood down 25 minutes after the plane landed.
Passengers were taken to Dublin in a fleet of buses.
An Aer Rianta spokesperson said yesterday that it was the most serious incident at Shannon in almost three years.
On November 30th, 2000, eight people were injured as they were being evacuated from a Futura flight after its nose-gear collapsed on landing.
© The Irish Times
Passengers tell of fire alert on flight from US
Pat Flynn
01/09/2003
Pilot said he was "taking plane down to 10,000 feet so he could open cockpit windows".
Passengers on board a transatlantic jet that was forced to make an emergency landing at Shannon Airport yesterday told how they feared the plane was going to have to ditch into the sea.
Fire crews on the ground at Shannon were told to "expect the worst", while Coastguard units and vessels off the west coast were on standby for more than an hour as the packed jet limped into Shannon with a fire in its cargo hold.
Two international airports were placed on full-alert as US Airways flight 306 from Philadelphia to Dublin declared an emergency 400 miles west of Shannon. There were 190 passengers and a crew of 10 on board.
The drama began at 9 a.m. when the pilot notified Air Traffic Control at Shannon that there was a fire on board the aircraft.
The airline confirmed last night that a fire had broken out in a cooling fan in the aircraft's heating system.
Passengers told how one stewardess "lost it completely" and said four times that "this isn't good".
Others told how the pilot announced that he was "taking the plane down to 10,000 feet so that he could open cockpit windows to let the smoke out".
Mrs Tracy Brennan, from Indiana in the US, spoke of how she was convinced the plane was going to have to ditch in the Atlantic.
"I had my eight-month-old daughter Grace on my knee and I was very frightened. I was very much afraid that we were going to have to make a water landing," she said.
Mrs Brennan's husband, Matt, who was coming to Ireland to attend a conference, said he was "praying to God that he would take me and not my daughter".
"I remember being woken up by the head steward and he told me there was a fire up front and that it wasn't good.
"He told us to clear everything from the floor in front of us, so I figured that they were thinking of flotation devices so we had to store everything up above real quick," Mr Brennan recalled.
The pilot asked all military personnel and all emergency services or firefighting people to come forward and to line up by the emergency exits.
One passenger, Mr Rob Rush, said he was asleep when he was awakened by cabin crew and told of the fire.
"I have firefighting and paramedic training, so I made myself known to the crew and was asked to go to the front of the plane.
The plane was about 15 to 20 minutes from Shannon when passengers at the rear of the aircraft were notified of the emergency.
However, passengers in first- class, at the front of the aircraft, knew from the start because they could see the smoke and smell it.
The original plane that the passengers had been due to travel on was taken out of service because of a mechanical fault.
Bad weather had also delayed the departure of the flight from Philadelphia.
Emergency services from two counties rushed to Shannon to assist the airport's own fire and rescue service.
Six units of the local authority fire service from Ennis and Shannon along with ambulances from Ennis and Limerick city were on standby at strategic locations on the airfield as the jet touched down at 10.59 a.m.
The aircraft came to a stop seconds later in the middle of the airport's main runway as fire crews went alongside.
Fire personnel could be seen carrying out an external inspection of the plane as passengers waited anxiously on board.
Coastguard units and vessels at sea were also on alert in an operation co-ordinated by Shannon Coastguard Radio.
Fire crews from Ennis and Shannon were stood down 25 minutes after the plane landed.
Passengers were taken to Dublin in a fleet of buses.
An Aer Rianta spokesperson said yesterday that it was the most serious incident at Shannon in almost three years.
On November 30th, 2000, eight people were injured as they were being evacuated from a Futura flight after its nose-gear collapsed on landing.
© The Irish Times
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Hope this helps....Irish Times link:
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ire...M3SHANNON.html
And this from the Irish Independent:
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independe...&issue_id=9733
Fire flight passengers feared for their lives
Monday September 1st 2003
RELIEVED passengers on a plane that made an emergency landing at Shannon yesterday said they had begun to pray for their lives on realising there was a fire on board.
The Dublin-bound Boeing 767, carrying 200 people, landed safely at 11am after an emergency diversion to Shannon following a fire in the front cargo hold.
Although ambulances and fire engines had gathered on the tarmac at Shannon, the fire was confined to the front cargo hold and extinguished by crew before the US Airways jet landed.
The relieved passengers, who had flown from the US city of Philadelphia, were taken to Dublin by bus after the plane touched down.
"I was praying for God to take me and not my child," said Matthew Brenna from Indiana, who was onthe flight with his wife Tracy and eight-month-old daughter Grace.
"I just prayed that we would get here safely.
"But I have to admit there was a time when it was really scary."
Passengers were alerted to the problem after an explosion was heard in the front cargo hold about 400 miles from Shannon.
"There was an explosion under our seats when one of the flight attendants was putting a bag up in the storage area," said Vaughn Moore from Chicago.
"The attendant was putting more stuff in the baggage area a short time later and on four different occasions I heard the attendant say, 'This is not good'.
"We got very worried, but the crew was superb and handled the entire problem brilliantly."
The flight was due to land at 7.30am but was delayed for four hours in the US due to storms and, ironically, a change of aircraft because of a mechanical problem.
Eugene Hogan
© Irish Independent
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/ & http://www.unison.ie/
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ire...M3SHANNON.html
And this from the Irish Independent:
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independe...&issue_id=9733
Fire flight passengers feared for their lives
Monday September 1st 2003
RELIEVED passengers on a plane that made an emergency landing at Shannon yesterday said they had begun to pray for their lives on realising there was a fire on board.
The Dublin-bound Boeing 767, carrying 200 people, landed safely at 11am after an emergency diversion to Shannon following a fire in the front cargo hold.
Although ambulances and fire engines had gathered on the tarmac at Shannon, the fire was confined to the front cargo hold and extinguished by crew before the US Airways jet landed.
The relieved passengers, who had flown from the US city of Philadelphia, were taken to Dublin by bus after the plane touched down.
"I was praying for God to take me and not my child," said Matthew Brenna from Indiana, who was onthe flight with his wife Tracy and eight-month-old daughter Grace.
"I just prayed that we would get here safely.
"But I have to admit there was a time when it was really scary."
Passengers were alerted to the problem after an explosion was heard in the front cargo hold about 400 miles from Shannon.
"There was an explosion under our seats when one of the flight attendants was putting a bag up in the storage area," said Vaughn Moore from Chicago.
"The attendant was putting more stuff in the baggage area a short time later and on four different occasions I heard the attendant say, 'This is not good'.
"We got very worried, but the crew was superb and handled the entire problem brilliantly."
The flight was due to land at 7.30am but was delayed for four hours in the US due to storms and, ironically, a change of aircraft because of a mechanical problem.
Eugene Hogan
© Irish Independent
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/ & http://www.unison.ie/
Before "Ze Germans" get here
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Have to say when I read one article from another source and heard that person saying "I wanted them to take me and not my daughter" and I read that the fire was out before they landed, I thought it was huge overreaction by the frightend passengers. But a fire at 400 miles and preparing for a ditching, this seems like a very scary incident?
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Interesting account of yesterday’s in-flight fire in the cargo hold of the US Airways 767-200 en route to Dublin.
It came from a reputable broadcaster and public relations consultant, Terry Prone, who happened to be on the flight. In an extended interview on Irish national radio, she went out of her way to correct some of the reports already published. Specifically, she said the cabin crew had been excellent, and that it was incorrect to conclude they were ‘losing it’ because one of them was saying ‘this is not good’.
Rather than being crazed mutterings, the stewardess said this to her, to make clear the gravity of the situation. The stewardess was asking her if she was willing to operate the 56-lb emergency exit she was sitting beside, or else allow an athletic passeger with fire-fighting experience to take her place. Naturally, she let the volunteer into the seat.
She says they were told about the fire some 400 miles away from Shannon. and that the pilot announced it had been put out about 15 minutes before landing. (There may have been confusion about this as the cabin crew did not seem to be aware of this, and subsequently contradicted it).
There seems to have very real fear among many of the passengers, with reactions ranging from tears and uncontrollable shaking, to people deciding to go back to sleep. She tried to call her husband using the seat-back satellite phone, but it wasn’t working. She understands this would have been turned off deliberately. The passengers had been prepared to exit by the emergency slides, with the cabin crew putting them through a drill. But after landing, were kept on board for about 15 minutes before leaving (without their belongings) by the steps.
She says one passenger thanked the pilot afterwards for the particularly smooth landing; she was impressed by his understated style when he replied it was the least he could do.
An interesting and credible account - which is a rare combination! All on the Tonight with Vincent Browne show on RTE Radio One, which doesn’t seem to be available for audio download.
ciao,
Shamrock
It came from a reputable broadcaster and public relations consultant, Terry Prone, who happened to be on the flight. In an extended interview on Irish national radio, she went out of her way to correct some of the reports already published. Specifically, she said the cabin crew had been excellent, and that it was incorrect to conclude they were ‘losing it’ because one of them was saying ‘this is not good’.
Rather than being crazed mutterings, the stewardess said this to her, to make clear the gravity of the situation. The stewardess was asking her if she was willing to operate the 56-lb emergency exit she was sitting beside, or else allow an athletic passeger with fire-fighting experience to take her place. Naturally, she let the volunteer into the seat.
She says they were told about the fire some 400 miles away from Shannon. and that the pilot announced it had been put out about 15 minutes before landing. (There may have been confusion about this as the cabin crew did not seem to be aware of this, and subsequently contradicted it).
There seems to have very real fear among many of the passengers, with reactions ranging from tears and uncontrollable shaking, to people deciding to go back to sleep. She tried to call her husband using the seat-back satellite phone, but it wasn’t working. She understands this would have been turned off deliberately. The passengers had been prepared to exit by the emergency slides, with the cabin crew putting them through a drill. But after landing, were kept on board for about 15 minutes before leaving (without their belongings) by the steps.
She says one passenger thanked the pilot afterwards for the particularly smooth landing; she was impressed by his understated style when he replied it was the least he could do.
An interesting and credible account - which is a rare combination! All on the Tonight with Vincent Browne show on RTE Radio One, which doesn’t seem to be available for audio download.
ciao,
Shamrock
