QANTAS 3 engine 747
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QANTAS 3 engine 747
QANTAS had an "engine surge" and returned to Sydney....served ice cream while dumping fuel.
I am sure someone will post the full story...might make an interesting comparison/contrast with another 3 engine 747 story...also imagine BA and the big Q use the same kind of engines?
I am sure someone will post the full story...might make an interesting comparison/contrast with another 3 engine 747 story...also imagine BA and the big Q use the same kind of engines?
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might make an interesting comparison/contrast with another 3 engine 747 story...also imagine BA and the big Q use the same kind of engines?
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I'm with unablereqnavperf, even though Untied does fly 744s to SYD. However it would still be Untied, and I'd rather be on Qantas than Untied any day of the week...which I know may shock, yes SHOCK some Aussies. 
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Taken from Sydney Morning Herald Online today
Here's how they see the story....
MORE than 270 Qantas passengers endured a traumatic 90 minutes in the skies over Sydney yesterday after a jumbo jet's engine failed.
Passenger Pedram Danae deduced something was wrong when he heard a loud noise as flames trailed from one of the Boeing 747's engines, forcing flight QF 149 back to Sydney.
Mr Danae, 37, of Greenfield Park in western Sydney, said the plane was shaken by a large bang from the No. 3 engine on the Los Angeles-bound plane carrying 274 passengers.
The aircraft had left Sydney at 11.35am. About 15 minutes into the flight, the aeroplane developed problems.
"We heard a clunk and it didn't feel right," Mr Danae said. "The plane swerved to the left and then to the right.
"The pilot took a few left turns and no right turns and a few minutes later he explained one of the engines on the right-hand side was not working."
Passengers were told that while the aircraft could fly with three of four engines functioning, the pilot was going to make an early landing.
Mr Danae said the mood in the cabin was surprisingly relaxed as the crew handed out snacks and ice-cream to help passengers stay calm.
Peter Morris, a Sydney Morning Herald photographer, was playing at Wakehurst Golf Club on Sydney's northern beaches when he noticed the plane was in trouble.
"I just looked up when the plane flew overhead," he said. "There was a puff of smoke trailing from the starboard engine. Then I heard an explosion, followed by the engine catching alight. The flames were trailing from the engine."
A Qantas spokesman described the problem as an engine surge, similar to a car backfiring. "It's not an explosion. There is an excess amount of air that comes into the engine, which creates a number of loud bangs and a bit of noise," he said. "It's not uncommon to see flames exiting the engine. However, there is no major safety issue."
The spokesman said the pilot shut down the faulty engine and dumped the plane's fuel load so it could land.
The plane landed at 1.20pm and it was expected that the passengers would be kept at the airport until a replacement aircraft was ready about 9pm.
Beau Chenery, from Brisbane, a planespotter who was in Sydney for a meeting of enthusiasts, watched the drama unfold.
"We heard it over the scanner. It was pretty scratchy. When it came in, you could see all the other engines had on their reverse thrusters and I saw the engine cowling moving back. The No. 3 was shut down," he said.
BOEING 747-400
- First flown commercially in 1970, it has held the passenger capacity record for more than 35 years. - It accommodates between 416 and 524 passengers, depending on its layout.
- It has 6 million parts, half of which are fasteners, 274 kilometres of wiring, eight kilometres of tubing and 66,150 kilograms of high-strength aluminium.
MORE than 270 Qantas passengers endured a traumatic 90 minutes in the skies over Sydney yesterday after a jumbo jet's engine failed.
Passenger Pedram Danae deduced something was wrong when he heard a loud noise as flames trailed from one of the Boeing 747's engines, forcing flight QF 149 back to Sydney.
Mr Danae, 37, of Greenfield Park in western Sydney, said the plane was shaken by a large bang from the No. 3 engine on the Los Angeles-bound plane carrying 274 passengers.
The aircraft had left Sydney at 11.35am. About 15 minutes into the flight, the aeroplane developed problems.
"We heard a clunk and it didn't feel right," Mr Danae said. "The plane swerved to the left and then to the right.
"The pilot took a few left turns and no right turns and a few minutes later he explained one of the engines on the right-hand side was not working."
Passengers were told that while the aircraft could fly with three of four engines functioning, the pilot was going to make an early landing.
Mr Danae said the mood in the cabin was surprisingly relaxed as the crew handed out snacks and ice-cream to help passengers stay calm.
Peter Morris, a Sydney Morning Herald photographer, was playing at Wakehurst Golf Club on Sydney's northern beaches when he noticed the plane was in trouble.
"I just looked up when the plane flew overhead," he said. "There was a puff of smoke trailing from the starboard engine. Then I heard an explosion, followed by the engine catching alight. The flames were trailing from the engine."
A Qantas spokesman described the problem as an engine surge, similar to a car backfiring. "It's not an explosion. There is an excess amount of air that comes into the engine, which creates a number of loud bangs and a bit of noise," he said. "It's not uncommon to see flames exiting the engine. However, there is no major safety issue."
The spokesman said the pilot shut down the faulty engine and dumped the plane's fuel load so it could land.
The plane landed at 1.20pm and it was expected that the passengers would be kept at the airport until a replacement aircraft was ready about 9pm.
Beau Chenery, from Brisbane, a planespotter who was in Sydney for a meeting of enthusiasts, watched the drama unfold.
"We heard it over the scanner. It was pretty scratchy. When it came in, you could see all the other engines had on their reverse thrusters and I saw the engine cowling moving back. The No. 3 was shut down," he said.
BOEING 747-400
- First flown commercially in 1970, it has held the passenger capacity record for more than 35 years. - It accommodates between 416 and 524 passengers, depending on its layout.
- It has 6 million parts, half of which are fasteners, 274 kilometres of wiring, eight kilometres of tubing and 66,150 kilograms of high-strength aluminium.
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"... passengers endured a traumatic 90 minutes in the skies ..."
and
"... the mood in the cabin was surprisingly relaxed as the crew handed out snacks and ice-cream ..."
and
"... the mood in the cabin was surprisingly relaxed as the crew handed out snacks and ice-cream ..."
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Midland63,
The first line is there to grab attention and sell newspapers, the (optional) factual stuff comes further down the article where most people won't notice it.
Having been on the inside of a (non aviation) news story last month, what is written usually bears little resemblance to reality and is usually based on what little the journo understood of the subject. If you give him 95% of relevant stuff that he doesn't understand and 5% of side-issues that he does understand then that 5% is what will end up as his main report.
The first line is there to grab attention and sell newspapers, the (optional) factual stuff comes further down the article where most people won't notice it.
Having been on the inside of a (non aviation) news story last month, what is written usually bears little resemblance to reality and is usually based on what little the journo understood of the subject. If you give him 95% of relevant stuff that he doesn't understand and 5% of side-issues that he does understand then that 5% is what will end up as his main report.
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Engine surge near home base where there's lots of engo support, hotels and punters' homes for them to go back to if necessary. And a nice, 13,000'-long strip. Plus the possibility of being able to get another airframe ready reasonably quickly.
Shut down as a precaution rather than suffer a nasty case of press-on-itis.
Dump juice to get under weight, can fly happily on three for as long as you like and no screaming need for an immediate overweight return.
Decent weather.
Keep the punters happy and any nerves to a minimum. Smiles on dials.
Put her down, walk away and put the punters on another aircraft.
Sounds like the planning and training worked well, a good job done by all involved and a non-event in the end.
QED.
Shut down as a precaution rather than suffer a nasty case of press-on-itis.
Dump juice to get under weight, can fly happily on three for as long as you like and no screaming need for an immediate overweight return.
Decent weather.
Keep the punters happy and any nerves to a minimum. Smiles on dials.
Put her down, walk away and put the punters on another aircraft.
Sounds like the planning and training worked well, a good job done by all involved and a non-event in the end.
QED.
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also imagine BA and the big Q use the same kind of engines?
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Qantas' old ladies had Pratts. Both BA and Qantas use RR power for their newer jumbos.
However it was a Roller that failed.
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Sorry to join late:
I too am with unablereqnavperf, my local ID90 service provider have got some idea about crossing the pacific/north pole in something called 'a twin', does that have 8 engines, 2 on each of the 4 pylons like a B52, by any chance?
As for the Sydney Morning Herald, they remember all the best bit's about the 744. Wasn't it Qantas that flew the record non-stop service to Sydney with an english cricketer and a cricket ball onboard as pax? Coals to Newcastle if you ask me.
Seriously - the RR model is suffering from a 'weak chest' these days. The compressors are not as good as they used to. Wouldn't be surprised if one of the HPC1 blades has parted company, they produce a lovely titanium compressor fire, temps over 1,100 degC on a good day. But, who am I to prospect, let's wait and see huh?
I too am with unablereqnavperf, my local ID90 service provider have got some idea about crossing the pacific/north pole in something called 'a twin', does that have 8 engines, 2 on each of the 4 pylons like a B52, by any chance?
As for the Sydney Morning Herald, they remember all the best bit's about the 744. Wasn't it Qantas that flew the record non-stop service to Sydney with an english cricketer and a cricket ball onboard as pax? Coals to Newcastle if you ask me.
Seriously - the RR model is suffering from a 'weak chest' these days. The compressors are not as good as they used to. Wouldn't be surprised if one of the HPC1 blades has parted company, they produce a lovely titanium compressor fire, temps over 1,100 degC on a good day. But, who am I to prospect, let's wait and see huh?
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Carnage Matey
I believe QF Policy, is engine failure/problem on departure, all factors considered, policy is to return to departure airport.
This was re-enforced recently with crew memo. (Even applies on Melb/Canberra leg)
Not really. Qantas had their engine failure out of their main base, a return to base was almost inevitable, just as BA would return to base with an engine failure ex-LHR. A more interesting comparison would be if they had an engine surge downroute then we would have seen what their continuation policy was.
This was re-enforced recently with crew memo. (Even applies on Melb/Canberra leg)
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Not really. Qantas had their engine failure out of their main base, a return to base was almost inevitable, just as BA would return to base with an engine failure ex-LHR. A more interesting comparison would be if they had an engine surge downroute then we would have seen what their continuation policy was.