China Airlines B737 Fire at Okinawa
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Doesn't look too good.
Right engine and left wing on fire!? How can fire in an engine ignite the oposite wing or vice versa? UEF like the AA in LAX recently, with the engine desintegrating punctured the oposite wing tank and sliced the belly fairing? But an UEF at low power setting?
Good news is, all survived.
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All reports I've seen say it was the left engine. This photo confirms it, I'd say.
From http://www.asahi.com/national/update...708200017.html (Japanese only)
From http://www.asahi.com/national/update...708200017.html (Japanese only)
The Reverend
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Right engine and left wing on fire!? How can fire in an engine ignite the oposite wing or vice versa?
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Looks like it was burning right through to the right-hand side by then. Should help the investigators though, this video. Video says all pax and crew got off OK but 2 went to hospital because they "felt unwell". A JAL maintenance staff member was slightly injured in the explosion as well.
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Sad to see another 737NG go. But the timing of the last pax getting out of the rear service door and the explosion was incredible. Does anyone know if the crew survived?
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http://www.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/index.html
at the right hand sight a link to a video showing evacuation and explosion of nbr 2 engine
at the right hand sight a link to a video showing evacuation and explosion of nbr 2 engine
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News report from Switzerland - perhaps somewhat more factual
Which roughly translated says:
8 Mins. after landing at Naha in the Okinawa Province of Japan at 10:35 local time, the fully booked China Airways B737-800 flight 120 from Taipeh from caught fire (165 people on board of which 157 were passengers(incl. 2 baby's)).
On reaching its parking position a ground technician noticed fuel leaking from the aircraft - all on board were immediately evacuated via the emergency slides. A few minutes thereafter the LEFT engine exploded and the 5 year old plane burnt out - the fire took an hour to extinguish.
A 7 year old girl and a 57 year old man who complained of feeling sick were take to hospital. Police reported that a crew member and a member of the ground staff were injured.
Hope that helps. For a change it seemed like a fairly good journo report....
8 Mins. after landing at Naha in the Okinawa Province of Japan at 10:35 local time, the fully booked China Airways B737-800 flight 120 from Taipeh from caught fire (165 people on board of which 157 were passengers(incl. 2 baby's)).
On reaching its parking position a ground technician noticed fuel leaking from the aircraft - all on board were immediately evacuated via the emergency slides. A few minutes thereafter the LEFT engine exploded and the 5 year old plane burnt out - the fire took an hour to extinguish.
A 7 year old girl and a 57 year old man who complained of feeling sick were take to hospital. Police reported that a crew member and a member of the ground staff were injured.
Hope that helps. For a change it seemed like a fairly good journo report....
None but a blockhead
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That was close. Kudos to the cabin crew and flightdeck for getting everyone off (although a few of the scattering masses were still clutching their duty-free as they scampered away along the tarmac. I suppose there isn't much time to argue).
A report here says:
"The explosion was heard some 2 kilometers away by an employee at the Employment Activation Organization, a Naha-based foundation.
Airport runways were closed until 11 a.m., causing delays of outbound flights and forcing incoming aircraft to circle the airport until they were given clearance to land.
Airport traffic controllers did not receive any communication from the aircraft's two pilots about engine trouble or a request to make an emergency landing, ministry officials said.
The fire apparently broke out in the main engine after the plane had landed and stopped at its assigned No. 41 parking spot, said an official of Naha Airport Building, operator of the airport's terminal building.
Japan branch officials of China Airlines said a ground maintenance worker noticed fuel leaking from the back of the engine after the aircraft had landed. "
Wouldn't like to be the guy who last signed off that engine.
A report here says:
"The explosion was heard some 2 kilometers away by an employee at the Employment Activation Organization, a Naha-based foundation.
Airport runways were closed until 11 a.m., causing delays of outbound flights and forcing incoming aircraft to circle the airport until they were given clearance to land.
Airport traffic controllers did not receive any communication from the aircraft's two pilots about engine trouble or a request to make an emergency landing, ministry officials said.
The fire apparently broke out in the main engine after the plane had landed and stopped at its assigned No. 41 parking spot, said an official of Naha Airport Building, operator of the airport's terminal building.
Japan branch officials of China Airlines said a ground maintenance worker noticed fuel leaking from the back of the engine after the aircraft had landed. "
Wouldn't like to be the guy who last signed off that engine.
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Pilots look to be very lucky. After the initial fire the secondary explosion seems to set alight the cabin. As this erupts looks like the pilot and co-pilot jump out of the starboard cabin window.
Hope both are okay and no passengers were hurt.
Hope both are okay and no passengers were hurt.
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Explosion
.
The explosion looked as if it was from under the belly and spreading out under the engine - center fuel tank leak? The explosion could be something in the wheel bay envigorating the existing fuel fire. Tyres, hydraulics? (Shouldn't really explode, I know.) Hot center tank, with a few dregs in it?
Fire engines only arrive when evacuation appears complete, so say after 3 or 4 minutes. A bit slow, I would say.
The explosion looked as if it was from under the belly and spreading out under the engine - center fuel tank leak? The explosion could be something in the wheel bay envigorating the existing fuel fire. Tyres, hydraulics? (Shouldn't really explode, I know.) Hot center tank, with a few dregs in it?
Fire engines only arrive when evacuation appears complete, so say after 3 or 4 minutes. A bit slow, I would say.
Last edited by kiwibird; 20th Aug 2007 at 11:42.
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Looks like the doors were possibly still "armed". How long does it take if the doors have been "dis-armed" whilst approaching the gate (as it looks like this aircraft was), and then to get them back into an "armed" state if an immediate deployment of escape slides is needed? Also, if an instruction is not forthcoming from the cockpit - for whatever reason - and the doors are "dis-armed", then what is needed on the part of FA's (or possibly pax) to get the escape slides to operate? I'm ATC and frequent pax. Anyone care to comment?
KIWIBIRD - The fire services at HK airport (CLK) are required to be able to respond to any part of the aerodrome in 2 minutes. I don't know about NAHA. With all these things, confusion sometimes allows the time to fly by....lives also!
KIWIBIRD - The fire services at HK airport (CLK) are required to be able to respond to any part of the aerodrome in 2 minutes. I don't know about NAHA. With all these things, confusion sometimes allows the time to fly by....lives also!
Paxing All Over The World
It was interesting to see, from one of the news videos, a JAL landing on during the incident. Would it be normal for operations to continue when the fire service are already engaged in a full-on emergency?
This is not meant as a criticism of the fire service at Okinawa as it may well be that they have a suitably large fleet of appliances to enable them to remain fully available, despite such an event as this.
This is not meant as a criticism of the fire service at Okinawa as it may well be that they have a suitably large fleet of appliances to enable them to remain fully available, despite such an event as this.
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slides
Looks like the doors were possibly still "armed". How long does it take if the doors have been "dis-armed" whilst approaching the gate (as it looks like this aircraft was), and then to get them back into an "armed" state if an immediate deployment of escape slides is needed? Also, if an instruction is not forthcoming from the cockpit - for whatever reason - and the doors are "dis-armed", then what is needed on the part of FA's (or possibly pax) to get the escape slides to operate? I'm ATC and frequent pax. Anyone care to comment?
Rearming is simple, a matter of 30 seconds grovelling on the floor - a particular failing of the Boeing, because if there is now a scrum of passengers behind you, you are not going to get back up to open the door.
The FAs are allowed to evacuate on initiative if the a/c is stationary and it is obvious that something catastrophic has happened.
