130 hamsters' grounds TAP Air Portugal aircraft

TAP EMBRAER E195AR CS-TTZ (MSN 19000628)

Recently, a TAP Air Portugal flight was grounded due to over 130 hamsters escaping from their cages in the cargo hold. This incident took place last week during a scheduled journey from Lisbon (LIS/LPPT) to the Azores.

The aircraft, an Airbus A320, had left Lisbon on the 13th of November heading for Ponta Delgada (PDL/LPPD) on São Miguel Island, Azores. Portuguese news outlet Correio da Manha reported that the flight was transporting a variety of animals to a local pet shop, including ferrets, several birds, and 132 hamsters.

Upon arrival in Ponta Delgada, as baggage handlers began to unload the plane, they noticed hamsters scurrying around the cargo hold. It was revealed that all 132 hamsters had escaped from their transport boxes. These hamsters, en route to a local pet shop, had broken out of their cages mid-flight. Correio da Manha noted that an earlier flight had rejected the animal consignment because the transport boxes did not meet the required standards.

The unexpected incident caused disruption to flight schedules. Given the difficulty of tracking all the loose hamsters down, the aircraft was subsequently grounded for five days. As a result, only one scheduled TAP Air Portugal flight was cancelled. 

Whilst mass breakouts of animals from cargo holds remains something of an unusual event, rodents discovered loose on flights does occur occasionally.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: TAP Air Portugal

Code: TP/TAP

Aircraft: Airbus A321-251NX

Registration: CS-TJR

Serial Number: 10105

Engines: 2 x CFMI LEAP-1A32

First Flew: 7th October 2020

Age: 4 Years Old

Looking back on Korean Air Lines Flight 15

Korean Air Lines Flight 15 was a Boeing 747-200 on a scheduled passenger journey from Los Angeles (LAX/KLAX) to Seoul-Gimpo (Kimpo) International Airport (SEL/RKSS) with a stopover in Anchorage International Airport, AK (ANC/PANC). On the 19th of November 1980, it crashed during an attempted landing in Gimpo. Out of the 226 passengers and crew, 15 perished in the accident, and the aircraft was irreparably damaged.

As the Korean Air Lines 747 approached runway 14 at Gimpo International Airport, the conditions were calm with a visibility of 1,000 meters in fog. The aircraft touched down 90 meters before the runway threshold, striking a 45-degree embankment. This impact forced the main landing gear backwards and upwards, tearing open the plane's underside into the cargo area and breaking the struts. The aircraft then skidded along the runway on its nose gear and underbelly. The wings remained intact, and no fuel tanks were breached. 

A fire broke out in the cargo section due to sparks and leaking hydraulic fluid from the damaged struts, but there was no fuel fire. Smoke quickly filled the aircraft. Flames spread through the floor grills, engulfing the seats and rapidly consuming the fuselage.

The evacuation was relatively organized, but some passengers sustained injuries while disembarking. The smoke intensified quickly, leading to smoke inhalation among some survivors. Out of the 18 crew members and 208 passengers, 6 crew members and 9 passengers succumbed to fatal injuries caused by the fire, and four passengers sustained serious injuries.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Korean Air

Code: KE/KAL

Aircraft: Boeing 747-2B5B

Registration: HL7445

Serial Number: 21773

Engines: 4 x PW JT9D-7A

First Flew: 23/03/1979

Age: 1.8 Years

Monday morning spotting at Brisbane airport

It has been some time since I last went plane spotting at Brisbane Airport. Since I don't work on Mondays, I thought I'd head out there for a few hours.

Last night, severe storms in Sydney resulted in Brisbane receiving two additional Airbus A380s: one from Emirates and one from Qatar. The Emirates aircraft returned to Sydney, arriving just before midnight. Special permission was granted for its post-curfew arrival of 11pm.

The Qatar aircraft was reportedly struck by lightning and will remain in Brisbane for a few days. Typically, Brisbane welcomes two Emirates A380s daily: one arrives at 6:30 am and stays grounded until its 9 pm departure, while another lands at 10:30 pm and departs at 2:00 am.

It's an exceptionally rare occurrence for Brisbane to have three Airbus A380s on the ground simultaneously. Even having two at once is an infrequent yet thrilling event.

EMIRATES AIRBUS A380-861 A6-EEU (MSN 147) 11 YRS OLD

QATAR AIRBUS A380-861 A7-APC (MSN 145) 10 YRS OLD

CHINA SOUTHERN AIRBUS A350-941 B-324R (MSN 462)
CZ381 ARRIVING FROM GUANGZHOU (CAN) 3 YRS OLD

ALLIANCE FOKKER F100 VH-UQN (MSN 11361)
VA600 ARRIVING FROM MACKAY (MKY) 33 YRS OLD

VIRGIN FOKKER F100 VH-FNC (MSN 11334)
VA1101 ARRIVING FROM NEWCASTLE (NTL) 33 YRS OLD
NOW OWNED BY ALLIANCE 

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737 MAX 8 VH-8IE (MSN 66644)
VA913 ARRIVING FROM SYDNEY (SYD) 5 MONTHS OLD

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-202 VH-EBP (MSN 1174)
QF611 OFF TO MELBOURNE (MEL) 13 YRS OLD

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-202 VH-EBK (MSN 0945)
QF54 ARRIVING FROM SINGAPORE (SIN) 16 YRS OLD

ALLIANCE EMBRAER E 190AR VH-UYN (MSN 19000095)
QF1875 ARRIVING FROM EMERALD (EMD) 17 YRS OLD
FLYING FOR QANTAS

ALLIANCE FOKKER 100 VH-UQG (MSN 11520)
QQ7240 OFF TO WEIPA (WEI) 30 YRS OLD

CHINA EASTERN AIRBUS A330-243 B-5975 (MSN 1639)
MU715 ARRIVING FROM SHANGHAI (PVG) 9 YRS OLD

AIR CANADA BOEING 787-9 C-FNOI (MSN 35268)
AC35 ARRIVING FROM VANCOUVER (YVR) 8 YRS OLD

QANTAS EMBRAER E190AR VH-UZH (MSN 19000183)
QF1928 OFF TO ADELAIDE (ADL) 16 YRS OLD

SOUTHERN AIRLINES BEECH 1900C VH-VSO (MSN UC-39) 36 YRS OLD

JETSTAR AIRBUS A320-232 VH-VFF (MSN 5039)
JQ7823 OFF TO SYDNEY (SYD) 12 YRS OLD

REX SAAB 340B VH-ZRB (MSN 340B-389)
ZL5718 OFF TO ROMA (RMA) 28 YRS OLD

SINGAPORE AIRBUS A350-941 9V-SHR (MSN 445)
SQ256 OFF TO SINGAPORE (SIN) 4 YRS OLD

AIR NIUGINI BOEING 767-341 P2-PXV (MSN 30341)
PX3 ARRIVING FROM PORT MORESBY (POM) 25 YRS OLD

LIFE FLIGHT LEONARDO AW139 VH-XIL (MSN 41411) 8 YRS OLD

JETSTAR AIRBUS A321-321 VH-VWW (MSN 3916)
JQ565 OFF TO MELBOURNE (MEL) 15 YRS OLD

SOLOMONS AIRBUS A320-232 H4-SIB (MSN 2445)
IE701 OFF TO HONIARA (HIR) 19 YRS OLD

CATHAY PACIFIC BOEING 777-367 B-KQU (MSN 42145)
CX153 ARRIVING FROM HONG KONG (HKG) 9 YRS OLD

QANTALINK DASH 8 Q400 VH-QOC (MSN 4117)
QLK255 OFF TO ORANGE (OAG) 18 YRS OLD

AMERICAN BOEING 787-9 N836AA (MSN 40654)
AA8 OFF TO DALLAS (DFW) 6 YRS OLD

PHILIPPINES AIRBUS A321-271 RP-C9935 (MSN 8568)
PR221 ARRIVING FROM MANILA (MNL) 5 YRS OLD

ALLIANCE FOKKER 70 VH-QQR (MSN 11564)
VA1258 ARRIVING FROM EMERLAD (EMD) 28 YRS OLD
FLYING FOR VIRGIN AUSTRALIA

NATIONAL JET EXPRESS DASH 8 Q400 VH-8QA (MSN 4582)
NC343 ARRIVING FROM MORANBAH (MOV) 6 YRS OLD

SINGAPORE AIRBUS A350-941 9V-SHP (MSN 436)
SQ255 ARRIVING FROM SINGAPRE (SIN) 4 YRS OLD

AVCAIR LEARJET 60 VH-AVL (MSN 60-286) 19 YRS OLD

ALLIANCE FOKKER 70 VH-QQW (MSN 11569)
QQ8602 OFF TO MOOMBA (MOO) 28 YRS OLD

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-7K2 VH-NBP (MSN 38128)
VA931 ARRIVING FROM SYDNEY (SYD) 13 YRS OLD

PIONAIR AUSTRALIA BAe 146-300 VH-SQR (MSN E3151) 35 YRS OLD

JETSTAR BOEING 787-8 VH-VKJ (MSN 36236) 
JQ9 OFF TO TOKYO (NRT) 9 YRS OLD

ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE AIRBUS KC-30A A39-002 (MSN 0951)

FIJI AIRBUS A350-941 DQ-FAM (MSN 251)
FJ921 ARRIVING FROM NADI (NAN) 6 YRS OLD

Spotting at Seoul's Incheon Airport

Three weeks ago, my wife and I were returning from a wonderful holiday in Seoul. Our Korean Air flight was scheduled for 8:30 pm, but we arrived at the airport at 11:00 am, intending to spend the afternoon plane spotting from the airport's dedicated indoor viewing deck/cafe. Upon arrival, we stored our luggage and proceeded to the 4th-floor viewing area. The elevated position and expansive windows offered an excellent view of the taxiways, aprons, and two of the four runways. It was a plane spotter's dream. 

As soon as I began taking photos, security approached me. They informed me that photography was prohibited and indicated a sign warning of prosecution for unauthorized photos. I inquired about obtaining permission, but my question was ignored.

The subsequent photos were taken while our plane was taxiing when we arrived and as we walked from the plane to the baggage claim area, and later in the afternoon near the boarding gates as we were leaving.

Incheon International Airport (ICN/RKSI) is the main international airport serving Seoul, the capital of South Korea. It is also one of the largest and busiest airports in the world.

This airport opened for business on the 29th of March 2001, to replace the older Gimpo International Airport, which now serves mostly domestic destinations and shuttle flights to several East Asian metropolitan areas.

It is 7m (23 feet) AMSL and has 4 Asphalt runways. 

15R/33L 3,750 mts 12,303 feet   15L/33R 3,750 mts 12,303 feet 
16L/34R 4,000 mts 13,123 feet   16R/34L 3,750 mts 12,303 feet 

It is a hub for the following airlines

Air Incheon, Air Premia, Air Seoul, Asiana Airlines, FedEx Express, Jin Air, Korean Air, Polar Air Cargo, T'way Air

Focus city for Jeju Air

KOREAN AIR AIRBUS A380-861 HL-7621 (MSN 126)

KOREAN AIR BOEING 737-MAX 8 HL-8352 (MSN 63440)

KOREAN AIR BOEING 747-8B5 HS-7637 (MSN 40909)

T'WAY BOEING 737-8Q8 HL-8294 (MSN 32798)

JEJU AIR BOEING 737-8JP HL-8336 (MSN 39016)
SPORTING THE ANDONG, KOREA LIVERY

JEJU AIR BOEING 737-8AS HL-8539 (MSN 36570)

AIR JAPAN BOEING 787-8 JA801A (MSN 34488)

ASIANA AIRLINES AIRBUS A321-251NX HL-8510 (MSN 11075)

CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES AIRBUS A320-214 B-8990 (MSN 7728)

H K EXPRESS AIRBUS A321-231 B-LEG (MSN 7872)

ASIANA AIRLINES AIRBUS A330-323 HL-8286 (MSN 1464)

AIR SEOUL AIRBUS A321-231 HL-7790 (MSN 4142)

CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES AIRBUS A320-251N (MSN 9133)

XIAMEN AIR BOEING 737-86N B-5595 (MSN 38017)

JIN AIR BOEING 737-8SH HL-8014 (MSN 42051)

KOREAN AIR CARGO BOEING 747-8B5F HL-7639 (MSN 37653) 

KOREAN AIR BOEING 787-9 HL-8084 (MSN 34813)

KOREAN AIR AIRBUS A321-272NX HL-8528 (MSN 11290)

KOREAN AIR AIRBUS A330-323 HL-7584 (MSN 0338)

XIAMEN AIR BOEING 737-85C B-5658 (MSN 38395)

ASIANA CARGO BOEING 747-48EF HL-7420 (MSN 25783)

JIN AIR BOEING 737-8SH HL-8246 (MSN 41299)

KOREAN AIR BOEING 737 MAX 8 HL-8351 (MSN 63439)

KOREAN AIR BOEING 747-8B5 HL-7631 (MSN 40906)