An exploding oxygen canister has been suspected of blowing the big hole in the fuselage of the Qantas 747 en-route to Melbourne. The airline has been ordered to check all the oxygen bottles on its 30 fleet of 747s.
After the pilot had to make an emergency landing in Manila one of the oxygen bottles usually stored in the area where the explosion occurred was found to be missing.
Reports have also come to light that some of the oxygen masks onboard the aircraft were in poor condition and some didn't even deploy nearly causing some passengers to pass out.
An hour after departing Honk Kong a loud bang was heard and the aircraft descended from 29,000 feet to 10,000. All crew and passengers embarked unharmed.
Investigators have said no evidence of an explosive material has been found onboard the plane or in any luggage.
Showing posts with label Boeing 747. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boeing 747. Show all posts
Sunday, 27 July 2008
Saturday, 26 July 2008
2 Metre hole blown in fuselage of Qantas Boeing 747 Jumbo.
Qantas have always maintained a 100% safety record but concerns have now been raised when a 747 on its way to Melbourne had to make an emergency landing in the Phillipines.
A loud bang was heard onboard the aircraft which blew a 2 metre hole in the fuselage and a forum for the Airline Industry said the plane had 'serious corrosion issues'.
One entry was reported saying "serious issues have been detected on VH-OJK while undergoing maintenance at Avalon [Melbourne Airport]."
VH-OJK is the specific registration code for the plane.
The entry, written by someone describing himself as an 'in-flight operations employee' continued: "This is the first aircraft to undergo cabin reconfiguration with the all new Premium Y/C cabin.
"Sources tell me the launch date has further slipped once to 5th of March operating the QF001 SYD-BKK-LHR route. Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope OJK recovers from her plastic surgery!"
Qantas have confirmed the plane had undergone maintenance and Chief Executive Officer Geoff Dixon has said that preliminary checks didn't indicate corrosion near the hole.
The plane which had departed from London Heathrow and had stopped over at Hong Kong with 346 passengers was built in 1991. Whilst they were flying over the South China Sea people heard a loud bang which led to cabin decompression and oxygen masks releasing.
In order to stabilise the cabin pressure the Captain lowered the plane to 10,000ft and then went on to complete a safe emergency landing. Nobody was hurt and engineers are now conducting a full investigation into what happened.
Qantas haven't suffered a serious air accident since 1951 and have a fantastic safety record.
Sunday, 25 May 2008
Jumbo 747 splits in two during take off
A Jumbo 747 has crashed and split in two at the end of the runway in Brussels Airport.
The aircraft was a cargo plane due to fly to Bahrain and was attempting to take off when it crashed.
The five crew members onboard the plane have all been slightly injured and are in hospital. A spokesman at the airport said:
"The plane is very seriously damaged. The aircraft cracked in two after it crashed at the end of runway 220, which lies very close to a rail line and houses. Rail services to and from the airport were suspended as a safety precaution, however the crash did not affect other flights at the airport."
Firefighters at the scene sprayed the wings of the jet with special fire retardant foam as a precaution.
It's not known at present what cargo was onboard the aircraft or what was the cause of the accident.
The pilot has told authorities that a big noise sounded as he tried to take off.
The aircraft was a cargo plane due to fly to Bahrain and was attempting to take off when it crashed.
The five crew members onboard the plane have all been slightly injured and are in hospital. A spokesman at the airport said:
"The plane is very seriously damaged. The aircraft cracked in two after it crashed at the end of runway 220, which lies very close to a rail line and houses. Rail services to and from the airport were suspended as a safety precaution, however the crash did not affect other flights at the airport."
Firefighters at the scene sprayed the wings of the jet with special fire retardant foam as a precaution.
It's not known at present what cargo was onboard the aircraft or what was the cause of the accident.
The pilot has told authorities that a big noise sounded as he tried to take off.
Wednesday, 12 March 2008
Tuesday, 4 March 2008
Leaving a rainy Heathrow, destination Kuala Lumpur!
Leaving a rainy Heathrow, destination Kuala Lumpur!
Tuesday, 5 February 2008
Sunday, 13 January 2008
A380 grounded after rolling off runway
The newly flying Singapore Airlines A380 has been grounded after a tow truck towing it came away and the aircraft rolled onto grass next to the runway.
The jet was bound for Sydney and passengers had to be asked to leave the plane so that it could be inspected for damage.
The passengers boarded a 747-400 to depart for Sydney.
A spokesman said that the tow truck being used developed some sort of failure which resulted in it becoming detatched from the aircraft.
'As a consequence of the failure on the truck, the aircraft ... came into contact with the grass verge off the airport tarmac. The aircraft was not under its own power at the time. It is too early at this time to know the cause of the incident but Singapore Airlines will investigate this quickly, and is filing reports with the appropriate Singapore authorities,' the spokesman said.
The jet was bound for Sydney and passengers had to be asked to leave the plane so that it could be inspected for damage.
The passengers boarded a 747-400 to depart for Sydney.
A spokesman said that the tow truck being used developed some sort of failure which resulted in it becoming detatched from the aircraft.
'As a consequence of the failure on the truck, the aircraft ... came into contact with the grass verge off the airport tarmac. The aircraft was not under its own power at the time. It is too early at this time to know the cause of the incident but Singapore Airlines will investigate this quickly, and is filing reports with the appropriate Singapore authorities,' the spokesman said.
Sunday, 11 November 2007
New Airline Purchases
It seems airlines are having a spending spree at the moment. Emirates are said to be buying 90 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing while Gulf Airlines are also thought to be placing big orders with the two companies.
Meanwhile Qatar Airways have ordered 82 Boeing aircraft during the Dubai Airshow.
Airbus will also profit from an order by Saudi carriers and Cathay Pacific have ordered 10 Boeing 747-8 freighters.
Meanwhile Qatar Airways have ordered 82 Boeing aircraft during the Dubai Airshow.
Airbus will also profit from an order by Saudi carriers and Cathay Pacific have ordered 10 Boeing 747-8 freighters.
Tuesday, 27 February 2007
Wednesday, 7 February 2007
Stop Press!
In light of bad media publicity, the Airbus A380 has embarked on a two hour flight with journalists on board.
It is hoped the flight will boost confidence from commercial airlines that the A380 will soon be a viable proposition as an alternative to the Boeing 747 for long haulage flights.
Airbus have said that they are already hoping to further sales with the purchase of at least 20 'superjumbos' in 2007.
Meanwhile, Boeing will exploit the two year delay with an upgrade of the alrady popular 747.
It is hoped the flight will boost confidence from commercial airlines that the A380 will soon be a viable proposition as an alternative to the Boeing 747 for long haulage flights.
Airbus have said that they are already hoping to further sales with the purchase of at least 20 'superjumbos' in 2007.
Meanwhile, Boeing will exploit the two year delay with an upgrade of the alrady popular 747.
Saturday, 27 January 2007
747 Mania!
My passion for aircraft began when I went on my first holiday in 1984. My very first plane experience was on a Malaysia Airlines Jumbo 747. Since then I never saw air travel in the same way again, I was well and truly hooked.
Twenty-three years on I still get excited when travelling on an airplane, that feeling you experience when you feel the pilot put on the full throttle is unbeatable. The power in the engines must be phenomenal, how does something the size of a 747 with 500 people on board manage to stay in the air let alone get into the air? All that luggage not to mention extra cargo and food etc. It's amazing.
Of course with the new Airbus A380 technology has yet again gone one step beyond but it doesn't match the aesthetic appearance of a Jumbo 747. The majestic 'hump' of the Boeing gives it an unmistakable shape and look that you can't help but gaze when it passes by. I think I'll wait until the Airbus has been flying in the skies a while before I climb the steps and enter it!.
So long as the 747 stays around I will always travel on it when the opportunity arises and it will always remain number one in my eyes.
Thursday, 25 January 2007
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