Jet 2 Captain's window cracks!

[ClintonBaptiste]

A Jet2 737 had to return to Leeds-Bradford Airport this morning.

G-CELS departed LBA at 0700 for Milan Bergamo. 10 minutes into the flight a large crack appeared in the Captain's windscreen, it is not thought that anything struck the a/c. The flight returned safely to LBA where it is now being repaired in the Multiflight hangar. The passengers were moved onto a spare a/c and were on their way again at around 0815.

[A and C]

Big deal ! another non-event about to be hyped into a "shock horror" on a slow news day.

[Rainboe]

We can do without the exclamation marks!!!! It's hardly a big event. A windscreen is a complex structure made up usually of about 2 or 3 layers of reinforced glass with several plastic laminate sheets for bonding and shock absorption, and gold mesh inserts for electrical heating. Most aeroplanes have some sort of delamination going on around the edges, with air appearing in the layers. A glass section shattering/cracking is not unusual, even to the extent of being opaque. The rest of the screen is more than strong enough to absorb full pressure differential. Not a problem at all, though in cases like this, a return to main base would be the most useful outcome.

[Fart Master]

Jeez.... give the guy a break, CB posted it on the rumours and NEWS forum, it was news, simple as that.

If he wants to use an ! so what, get a life

[silverhawk]

!

So 75 mins after first scheduled departure, the second aircraft was en-route.
Sounds like a pretty slick operation.


Plus an extra sector pay!
Permission slip for exclamation mark use applied for!!

[Rainboe]

Well F master, are we going to have every little Tech Log entry for inconsequential events pasted up here? A cracked windscreen is really no more serious than a broken windscreen on a car. It returned not out of danger, but to get the screen changed. Taken across all aviation, if every such incident gets its own line, nobody would read R&N anymore.

[Tarq57]

One fine day: "###764, had a birdstrike at rotate, seagull, 140kts"
"###764, roger, any damage?"
"Won't know until we get to ## and check the seatcovers. It hit right on the centre of the FO's windscreen."

[fox niner]

O come on.....Are we going to report everything that happens here on Pprune? In hope not. Happened to me some years ago on the 737. It is hair-raising to watch happening, but a non-event.

BTW, I had my car windshield cracked a few months ago.

[Loose rivets]

You forgot the exclamation mark!

[JohnnyRocket]

I would like to know... had this window cracking occured at a higher altitude rather than just after takeoff, would it have been more serious?

On board the plane, would the passengers have noticed anything they way things happened presently?

A family member of mine who was on the flight said they "knew something was wrong when the aircraft stopped climbing after takeoff".

[Rainboe]

No- even cracking at altitude will not damage the integrity of the windscreen. I have never heard of an incident of screen failure causing pressurisation loss endangering the aircraft. I exclude my friend Tim's attempt to fly out through the front window of a 1-11, but that was a maintenance error causing total loss of the screen.
No passenger would have noticed the Jet2 incident. It may have startled the pilots, but bangs happen all the time on aeroplanes- doors slamming, things dropped in the galley.
Last sentence is nonsense. Aeroplanes stop climbing all the time with ATC clearances. It is not that often you get clearance all the way up in one go without stopping at some stage.
Many pilots experience screen failure like this. I have myself. The consequences are minor- usually a speed restriction of 250kts below 10,000'. It's actually less endangering than losing a car screen. These things are usually about 2" thick made up of many layers, with at least 2 load bearing on their own. One breaking will not take out another layer. That is why spectacularising this is a little annoying!

[Dave Gittins]

The cracked screen isn't much of an event (had one on my Hilux last week) but replacing the screen with the correct length, correct diameter bolts is the important thing that might make this a real event with a subsequent departure of the screen (does a 737 screen push in or out ?) unless you want to join the same club as Tim Lancaster.



Maybe good for the pax that a spare 737 was sitting about with nothing to do ... but doesn't sound too good for JET2's bottom line.

[Rainboe]

The Boeing screens are fitted internally so they blow against the frame. The BAC1-11 screens were bolted on from the outside, so tend to blow against the bolts only- not in my mind a satisfactory design, but probably far easier to maintain. The gent in question said he was aware of the screen in front of him appearing to recede away in slow motion forward of the aircraft, and that was all he could remember, because he then followed it out of the front window so that only his lower body was still inside, and his upper body was bent back outside. I drove past the plane at Southampton afterwards, and there was still blood some way from the window, which wasn't there anymore. A real Aircrash documentary that one! But not relevant here.

Damage to the bottom line very minor. A bit of downtime and maintenance. Spare A/C used, pax delivered a little late. Cost- small amount of fuel, new window, few hours labour. Getting BMW aircon repaired- have you seen how much that is?

[Park Brake Released]

Yep had one go a couple of weeks ago - 35,000ft very slight sound and a crazy paving job.
MEL states that if it's the outer pane, and has been inspected by an engineer then you can go (outer pane quite thin approx 4mm - inner about 30mm).
Slight delay to get engineer and paperwork sorted, and home for tea.

PS used to work for Jet2, they're a CRACKING company!

[crew the screw]

Oooo Good One!

"PS used to work for Jet2, they're a CRACKING company!"

'Smashing' Pun Park Brake