Monarch Depressurisation near Malaga
I know of two cases on A300s where the Air Cond. Packs weren't turned on after take off and the A/C was through FL200 before the crew realised they weren't pressurising.
One returned to point of departure. Red faces after landing.
The other descended to FL80 to sort the problem and then continued to destination.
On neither A/C did the cabin go above 8000ft.
In each case all they had to do was turn on the packs.
For the crews sake, I hope this was a system failure, and not finger trouble.
Happy flying.
One returned to point of departure. Red faces after landing.
The other descended to FL80 to sort the problem and then continued to destination.
On neither A/C did the cabin go above 8000ft.
In each case all they had to do was turn on the packs.
For the crews sake, I hope this was a system failure, and not finger trouble.
Happy flying.
I can well remember departing LGW for LAX in one of Fred's DC-10s and getting a "Cabin Hi Alt" warning as we went through 10,000 ft.
I looked over at the F/E's panel and noticed that he had forgotten to put the packs on.
With a "gentle nudge" from me, he managed to get them on before the cabin reached 14,000 ft and so avoided an embarrassing rubber jungle, a fuel dump and a return to LGW to have a friendly chat with Fred in his office.
Now this F/E was a pretty sharp cookie but he missed something quite basic that day. I am quite sure that he never did it again.
Ever since that day I have stressed to every pilot that I have ever trained to look at the cabin pressure gauge before they get to 5,000 ft after take-off. It only takes a microsecond to check that the cabin rate of climb does not equal the aircraft rate of climb and that gives a bit of warning that you might have a problem.
I looked over at the F/E's panel and noticed that he had forgotten to put the packs on.
With a "gentle nudge" from me, he managed to get them on before the cabin reached 14,000 ft and so avoided an embarrassing rubber jungle, a fuel dump and a return to LGW to have a friendly chat with Fred in his office.
Now this F/E was a pretty sharp cookie but he missed something quite basic that day. I am quite sure that he never did it again.
Ever since that day I have stressed to every pilot that I have ever trained to look at the cabin pressure gauge before they get to 5,000 ft after take-off. It only takes a microsecond to check that the cabin rate of climb does not equal the aircraft rate of climb and that gives a bit of warning that you might have a problem.
I have no doubt that in this case absolutely nothing was missed.
However, can you imagine that from here on in and on every single occasion that the rubber jungle descends for whatever reason, we are going to be regaled with at least 20 pages of total cr*p on what used to be a simple procedure posted on a professional pilots forum?
However, can you imagine that from here on in and on every single occasion that the rubber jungle descends for whatever reason, we are going to be regaled with at least 20 pages of total cr*p on what used to be a simple procedure posted on a professional pilots forum?
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: EU
Posts: 644
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
fmgc and jw411 
Exactly, stopping the climb and asking for a descent isn't really worthy of so much praise as posted here on pprune.
The reason for getting in the situation and how to manage it afterwards are the interesting (and as mentioned by dixi and JW often embarressing) parts. So I will hold my praise untill we know how they coped with that.
And BTW in my book an inflight return isn't a non-event.
Exactly, stopping the climb and asking for a descent isn't really worthy of so much praise as posted here on pprune.
The reason for getting in the situation and how to manage it afterwards are the interesting (and as mentioned by dixi and JW often embarressing) parts. So I will hold my praise untill we know how they coped with that.
And BTW in my book an inflight return isn't a non-event.
Last edited by golfyankeesierra; 6th Oct 2008 at 18:23.
Nice to see that the media completely passed this one by, no doubt helped by the repeated use of the phrase 'non-event' in this very thread.
No 'death plunge' bullsh!t on BBC News, and no further damage done to the industry. This I believe was WGW's original intention when the thread was started.
Mission accomplished.
No 'death plunge' bullsh!t on BBC News, and no further damage done to the industry. This I believe was WGW's original intention when the thread was started.
Mission accomplished.
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: uk
Posts: 857
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Nice to see that the media completely passed this one by, no doubt helped by the repeated use of the phrase 'non-event' in this very thread.
No 'death plunge' bullsh!t on BBC News, and no further damage done to the industry. This I believe was WGW's original intention when the thread was started.
Mission accomplished.
No 'death plunge' bullsh!t on BBC News, and no further damage done to the industry. This I believe was WGW's original intention when the thread was started.
Mission accomplished.
I'd also be slightly suspicious that most of the media headline writers are concentrating on plunging banks/stocks/economies right now...
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: London
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Not sure if this is related but I was SF on a flight LGW-AGP-LGW on the 3rd nd 6th October the a/c was a substituted A300. The pilot on the northbound flight told us that a catering truck had damaged the A321 that was supposed to operate.
Does anyone know if this was a seperate incident or were the crew being economical with the truth.
Does anyone know if this was a seperate incident or were the crew being economical with the truth.
Plumbum Pendular
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Avionics Bay
Age: 55
Posts: 1,117
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Why would he be "economical with the truth"?
It happens far too often with catering trucks, steps etc!!
Might not be related to the subject incident at all.
It happens far too often with catering trucks, steps etc!!
Might not be related to the subject incident at all.
I know I have told the story before, but I will never forget going out to our DC-10 in the crew transport when I was with Laker at LGW and seeing the centre engine of a Dan Air 727 sitting on the ramp!
Believe it or not, it was knocked out by a catering truck. I would not have thought it possible but it just shows the ingenuity of catering truck captains!
Believe it or not, it was knocked out by a catering truck. I would not have thought it possible but it just shows the ingenuity of catering truck captains!
fgmc, please see conclusion in my original mail;
CONCLUSION :-Top marks crew, a great job professionally performed, end of story, there is no more.
(I do agree, it's a pretty standard procedure for all to 'enjoy')
Rules are great aren't they, without rules where would we be - Brussels ?
A glass of white wine for the lady & a pint for the fellla, I thankyou)
