Tuesday 19 March 2024

Jetstar flight to Bali forced to turn back due to unruly passenger.

JETSTAR BOEING 787-8 VH-VKK (MSN 36237)

A Jetstar flight travelling from Melbourne (MEL/YMML) to Denpasar (DPS/WADD) yesterday had been forced to make a U-turn back to Melbourne after an unruly woman onboard launched an expletive-laden rant at passengers.

It is understood the drama began three hours into the flight, with several passengers forced to intervene and the woman in question eventually being smacked in the face. Jetstar flight JQ43 took off from runway 34 at 10.52am on Monday and got as far as Alice Springs before being forced to turn around, landing back in Melbourne at 2.45pm.




Footage filmed by passengers shows the woman stood up and started screaming in one man’s face, as worried cabin crew stood behind her.

“A woman went loopy and banged on the cockpit door because she thought someone stole her phone,” one passenger said.

“You don’t understand what the f*** is going, you do not understand any of this...” she screamed.

Another woman then approaches and tries to pull her away, by grabbing her by the face.

“Do not come at me, keep your f****** mouth shut”, the woman continues.

One passenger said the woman began screaming and eventually had to be restrained.

“I think some kids onboard were a bit scared,”.
Another passenger described the woman as the “passenger from hell”.
She was verbally abusing everyone in her path! Even shoving a fellow passenger holding a baby, the person wrote on social media.

The captain decided to return to Melbourne to get assistance from the Australian Federal Police after a passenger became disruptive just under two hours into the flight, the airline said in a statement.

Passengers spent last night back in Melbourne and Jetstar will add an additional flight today.


Aircraft Information:
Airline: Jetstar
Code: JQ/JST
Aircraft: Boeing 787-8
Registration: VH-VKJ
Serial Number: 36236
Engines: 2 x GEnx-1B
First Flew: 30th April 2015
Age: 8.9 Years

Monday 18 March 2024

Man dies after falling from hot-air balloon

A man has died after falling from a hot-air balloon in Melbourne’s north-east.
Emergency services were called to Albert Street in Preston where a man’s body was located about 7.30am this morning.

Police were speaking to other occupants in the balloon and witnesses to determine the circumstances surrounding the death. The road was closed in both directions between Wood Street and Murray Road, and motorists were urged to avoid the area where possible.

The balloon landed safely at Yarra Bend Park, police said. According to media reports, counselling was being offered to the other passengers.

Australia's Today show reporter Izabella Staskowski told local radio it was a “really confronting, shocking scene in Preston this morning”, as Albert Street was a very suburban area with lots of homes.

The National Commercial Hot Air Ballooning Industry and the Australian Ballooning Federation issued a statement after the company BalloonMan was asked for comment.

In a statement, the groups gave condolences to the man’s loved ones.

“Hot air balloon baskets are designed with safety in mind, specifically to prevent passengers from falling out accidentally or from any accidental exit,” the statement read.

“Passengers and the pilot are understandably traumatised by this tragedy and the operator is arranging psychological support and counselling for all affected.”

The hot air balloon took off from CT Barling Reserve, Reservoir, at 7am and the man fell soon after.

The matter is also being investigated by WorkSafe Victoria, the Air Transport Safety Bureau and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.

The death was not being treated as suspicious and police will prepare a report for the coroner.

THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS GO OUT TO THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Brisbane refueller noticed aircraft ready for pushback with pitot covers still fitted



Investigators have revealed that a Singapore Airlines Airbus A350-900 at Brisbane was only prevented from departing with its pitot covers still fitted because an alert refueller on the adjacent parking bay alerted ground personnel.

The aircraft operating flight SQ256 from Brisbane (BNE/YBBN) to Singapore (SIN/WSSS) on the 27th of May 2022, had undergone a 2h turnaround and was preparing for pushback.

Two aircraft engineers from Heston MRO were carrying out maintenance and dispatch duties. One of the two was supervising the work on SQ256 – the other engineer was a new hire – while also assisting with turnaround of another aircraft.

Covers were fitted to all four pitot probes at Brisbane in line with company procedures. The supervising engineer entered the cockpit to record this cover-fitting in the technical log and place a warning placard on the engine controls. When the aircraft’s first officer conducted a pre-flight walk-round, about 1h later, he probably saw that the pitot covers were in place, as required, says the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

After attending to another aircraft, the supervising engineer returned to SQ256 to discuss fuel figures with the colleague and the crew, before re-entering the cockpit, removing the placard and clearing the log entry for the pitot-cover fitting.

According to the inquiry, this was done “without visual or verbal confirmation” that the pitot covers had actually been removed. The supervisor and the colleague then spoke on the ground, near the A350’s nose, about attending to another aircraft. The colleague then remained with SQ256 to conduct pushback headset duties. But around this time, says the inquiry, an aircraft refueller working on an adjacent bay noticed that SQ256 appeared ready for pushback but that its pitot covers were still fitted.

The refueller immediately pointed to the A350, informing the supervisor that the covers remained attached. SQ256’s crew had requested pushback from air traffic control, and turned on the aircraft’s beacons, around the same time as the supervisor returned to the aircraft to alert the colleague. The airbridge was being withdrawn from the A350 when its crew was told to standby because the pitot covers were being removed.




The inquiry highlights a similar occurrence at Brisbane in July 2018 during which a Malaysia Airlines A330-300 – which had also been attended by Heston MRO, known then as AMSA – took off with pitot covers still in place.

As a result of that investigation, Heston MRO implemented procedures to improve the consistency of pitot-cover use and better control measures over tools and equipment used during turnaround.

These measures, ironically, included introducing the cockpit placard to be put in place each time pitot covers were fitted. Investigators examining the SQ256 incident found that Heston MRO, despite the earlier A330 incident, had “not yet implemented an acceptable method” to account for tools and equipment prior to pushback.

The inquiry also draws attention to the possible risks of fatigue, noting that Heston MRO did not track work hours of personnel with dual roles. It states that the supervising engineer had also been serving as Brisbane regional manager, and the demands of these posts had become more demanding in 2022 as aircraft were removed from storage post-pandemic and airline turnarounds increased.

Heston MRO no longer requires the Brisbane regional manager to hold dual responsibilities and has started tracking employees’ work hours for fatigue management. Singapore Airlines has provided Heston MRO with pitot covers featuring longer streamers, to make them more visible. The carrier has also underlined the importance of pre-flight checks to cockpit crews, after the inquiry found that the “majority” of pre-flight inspections observed around the time of the incident – including that for SQ256 – were “truncated”.

Investigators credit the response of the refueller who drew attention to the presence of the pitot covers.

“This serves as a reminder that all line personnel have a safety role and should always speak up if they see or feel that something is not right,” the inquiry states.



Sunday 17 March 2024

Jetstar flight forced to abort take-off after a latch on the plane left open

JETSTAR AIRBUS A321-251NX VH-OFQ (MSN 11189)


A Jetstar plane was forced to make an emergency stop on the runway just before takeoff after a latch on the aircraft was left open. The airline's JQ739 flight from Melbourne (MEL/YMML) to Launceston (LST/YMLT) on Saturday was reportedly 'barreling down the runway' when the pilot aborted the takeoff and brought the plane to an abrupt halt.

It's understood the door on a small communications panel on the underside of the plane near the wheels had been left open. Ground crew use the communication panel to connect their headsets.

'We were just barreling down the runway in Melbourne for takeoff and then the pilot literally slammed on the brakes because apparently air traffic control told them a door was open on the plane when they were trying to take off,' one passenger told reporters.

Another passenger said the pilot was warned about the latch by air traffic control seconds before they were about to takeoff.  'We were going for it on the runway, but we had to make an emergency stop. They slammed the brakes on. 
The aircraft originally started its take off roll at 2.46 pm local time but had to abort.  The aircraft taxied back to the gate and was on the ground for forty minutes.  It began its second taxi at 3.27 pm and departed at 3.41 pm, it landed in Launceston 46 minutes later 4.27 pm.



Aircraft Information:
Airline: Jetstar
Code: JQ/JST
Aircraft: Airbus A320-232
Registration: VH-VQJ
Serial Number: 2703
Engines: 2 x IAE V2527-A5
First Flew: 15th February 2006
Age: 18.1 Years

United Airlines plane loses external panel in flight

It hasn't been a good time for Boeing and some American airlines in the 2 months, and unfortunately the issues still continue.

UNITED BOEING 787-9 N24973 (MSN 40941)

The US Federal Aviation Administration is investigating how a United Airlines Boeing 737-800 travelling from San Francisco (SFO/KSFO) to Medford (MFR/KMFR) lost an external panel before landing safely in Oregon.

United flight 433 landed at Medford airport at about 1.45pm on Friday carrying 139 passengers and 6 crew after departing from San Francisco, the FAA and airline said.

The FAA said a post-landing airline inspection of the 25-year-old plane revealed a missing panel. It said no emergency had been declared because there was no indication of the damage during flight.
United said it would also start its own investigation. 

We’ll conduct a thorough examination of the plane and perform all the needed repairs before it returns to service,” the airline said.

Boeing did not comment, directing questions to United Airlines.

US flight incidents are getting more attention after a door plug blew off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 in mid-air. Boeing has been under heavy regulatory scrutiny since the 5th of January incident, with investigations under way into the company’s safety and quality standards in its production process.

Last week a United Airlines-operated Boeing 737 MAX rolled off the runway in Houston, prompting investigations; and a United-operated Boeing 777-200 bound for Japan lost a tyre after takeoff from San Francisco and was diverted to Los Angeles where it landed safely.

A United Boeing 737 bound for Florida from Houston on the 4th of March returned to the airport shortly after takeoff because the engine had taken in plastic bubble wrap that was on the airfield before departure. Social media posts showed flames coming out of the engine.


Aircraft Information:
Airline: United Airlines
Code: UA/UAL
Aircraft: Boeing 737-824
Registration: N26226
Serial Number: 28935
Engine: 2 x CFMI CFM56-7B26
First Flew: 4th December 1998
Age: 25.3 Years. 

Saturday 16 March 2024

Teenage passenger tries to storm cockpit three times


ALASKA DASH 8 Q402 N427QX (MSN 4156)  


A teenage passenger has allegedly tried to storm the cockpit on a cross country Alaska Airlines flight earlier this month. According to an affidavit filed by a Federal Air Marshal, 19-year-old Nathan Jones got out of his seat, 6A, and tried to open the cockpit door three separate times during a flight on the 3rd of March, which was travelling from San Diego (SAN/KSAN) to Dulles International Airport (IAD/KIAD) in Virginia.

On the third attempt, flight attendants “requested the assistance of off-duty law enforcement officers, who restrained Jones in flex cuffs and sat on either side of him for the remainder of the flight,” Pattinson reported.

The cockpit door was blocked by a beverage cart and a flight attendant stood guard until they safely landed. Jones, a student pilot, told flight attendants he was “testing them” when asked to explain his dangerous actions, according to the affidavit.

He was arrested and has since been charged with alleged interference with a flight crew, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years behind bars. After the plane landed, investigators found “multiple notebooks with writings describing how to operate an aircraft, including take-off, in-air and landing techniques,” Pattinson wrote in the affidavit.

The incident remains under investigation, the Federal Aviation Administration said.




Friday 15 March 2024

Russian Air Force crash kills 15

A Russian Air Force Ilyushin Il-76MD transport aircraft travelling from Ivanovo Severny Air Base (UUDI) to Plesetsk Air Base has crashed near Ivanovo Severny Air Base killing all on board. Video footage of the aircraft taking off from Ivanovo Severny Air Base shows a fire in the No. 4 engine.

The main version is a technical malfunction. The crew reported a fire in the fourth engine, the blades of which came out, damaging the systems. While attempting to return to the air base, the engine completely separated from the aircraft. The aircraft subsequently crashed in a wooded area near a cemetery.

A spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defence stated that there were eight crew members and seven passengers on board. Five of the crew members were attached to the 117th Orenburg Military Transport Aviation Regiment.

The aircraft was equipped with legacy Soloviev D-30 engines from the Soviet era, as opposed to the newer Aviadvigatel PS-90 engine used on new-build aircraft (Il-76MD-90A).

The circumstances of this crash are similar to the accident of another Il-76 back on the 24th of June 2022:

A Russian Air Force Ilyushin Il-76MD cargo plane crashed near Ryazan and was destroyed by fire. Five crew members died in that crash while four were injured. Shortly after takeoff the air traffic controller reportedly observed a fire in engine no.4. The Il-76 touched down in a field and rolled until it struck trees. The aircraft broke up and burst into flames. Local media report that one engine was found in a field about 1 km before the accident site.

THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS GO OUT TO THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND THOSE AT THE RUSSIAN AIR FORCE