The hijacking of QantasLink Flight 1737

QANTASLINK BOEING 717-2BL VH-YQT (MSN 55179)

QantasLink Flight 1737 was an Australian domestic flight from Melbourne's-Tullamarine Airport, VIC (MEL/YMML) to Launceston Airport, TAS (LST/YMLT) and was subject to an attempted hijacking on the 29th of May 2003.

The Boeing 717 left Melbourne Airport at 2.50 p.m. on the 29th of May. Around ten minutes after take-off, as the crew prepared for the onboard meal service, David Mark Robinson, a passenger seated in Row 7, became agitated, stood up and began to make his way down the aisle. Producing two sharpened wooden stakes from his pocket, Robinson stabbed flight attendant Denise Hickson and flight purser Greg Khan in the head on his way to the cabin galley. Khan tackled Robinson to unbalance him, eventually succeeding despite repeated blows to the back of the head from Robinson's stakes. Several passengers (including a Canadian paramedic, Derek Finlay) helped restrain Robinson, holding him down and tying him up with materials found on board.

The plane immediately turned back to Melbourne, where Robinson was placed under arrest by Australian Federal Police. He was also found to be carrying aerosol cans and cigarette lighters, presumably to use as a flamethrower.

Khan and Hickson were taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital for treatment, and a passenger who received minor lacerations was treated at the airport by paramedics.

Despite numerous security improvements following the September 11, attacks, Flight 1737 lacked certain security arrangements. The door to the flightdeck had not been adapted to completely block access from the outside, and there was no sky marshal on board.

Qantas undertook a full security review following the incident and promised to secure the flightdeck doors on all of their aircraft by the 1st of November. The airline dismissed the suggestion of armed sky marshals on each flight as too expensive, and a full body search of passengers to detect wooden objects as unfeasible.

Qantas also made a training video regarding the incident; the crew involved were interviewed and this is shown during security training. Khan also speaks of how a passenger complained that the aircraft was returning to Melbourne, even though two crew members had suffered serious injuries and an attempt to hijack the aircraft had just occurred. Khan and other crew also report the amount of blood stains throughout the aircraft as a result of the injuries.

Since this incident, all Boeing 717 aircraft operated by QantasLink were fitted with cameras and the flight deck door was bullet proof. 

Sadly, QantasLink no longer fly the Boeing 717.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Qantaslink

Code: QF/QFA

Aircraft: Boeing 717-231

Registration: VH-VQI

Serial Number: 55095

Engines: 2 x BMW RR BR715

First Flew: 7/11/2011

Age: 21 Yrs. 6 Mts

AirAsia suspends Melbourne & Adelaide Bali flights

AirAsia is set to suspend two Australian routes to Bali as soaring jet fuel prices put pressure on airlines worldwide. 

The budget airline announced its Melbourne (MEL/YMML) to Denpasar (DPS/WADD) and Adelaide (ADL/YPAD) to Denpasar (DPS/WADD) flights will make their final trips on the 18th of June. Indonesia AirAsia’s general manager, Achmad Sadikin Abdurachman, said the move was prompted by persistently high fuel costs tied to instability in the Middle East. 

He explained that the airline needs to focus on routes that remain financially viable under current conditions. AirAsia apologized to affected customers and thanked them for their patience, noting that passengers are being contacted directly and offered earlier flights, including options via Kuala Lumpur. Crude oil prices have stayed above US$100 a barrel, with aviation fuel costs more than doubling since the U.S. and Israel began military strikes on Iran.

Few more from Brisbane Airport

Following on from yesterday’s story about the Virgin Toy Story livery, here are a few more photos from the day.

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-8FE VH-VUT (MSN 36608)
VA447 OFF TO DARWIN (DRW) 16 YEARS

AIR CANADA BOEING 787-9 C-FGDT (MSN 37171)
AC36 OFF TO VANVOUCER (YVR) 10 YEARS

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-202 VH-EBO (MSN 1169)
QF519 OFF TO SYDNEY (SYD) 15 YEARS

UNITED AIRLINES BOEING 777-224 N77012 (MSN 29860)
UA97 OFF TO SAN FRANCISCO (SFO) 26 YEARS

CHINA EASTERN AIRBUS A330-243 B-5938 (MSN 1479)
MU716 OFF TO SHANGHAI (PVG) 12 YEARS

PHILIPPINE AIRLINES AIRBUS A321-271N RP-C9933 (MSN 8242)
PR222 OFF TO MANILA (MAN) 7 YEARS

JETSTAR BOEING 787-8 VH-VKI (MSN 36235)
JQ23 OFF TO OSAKA (KIX) 11 YEARS

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-303 VH-QPB (MSN 558)
QF51 OFF TO SINGAPORE (SIN) 22 YEARS

CHINA SOUTHERN AIRBUS A30-343 B-8361 (MSN 1814)
CZ381 OFF TO GUANGZHOU (CAN) 8 YEARS

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRBUS A350-941 B-LRL (MSN 072)
CX150 OFF TO HONG KONG (HKG) 9 YEARS

QANTASLINK EMBRAER E190AR VH-XVM (MSN 19000112)
QLK 1884 OFF TO CAIRNS (CNS) 19 YEARS

QANTASLINK DASH 8-400 VH-QOD (MSN 4123)
QLK378D OFF TO HERVEY BAY (HVB) 20 YEARS

FIJI AIRWAYS BOEING 737-808 DQ-FJN (MSN 34969)
FJ920 OFF TO NADI (NAN) 18 YEARS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A320-232 VH-XNJ (MSN 5323)
JQ819 OFF TO SYDNEY (SYD) 13 YEARS

CHINA AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 B-18901 (MSN 049)
CI53 OFF TO AUCKLAND (AKL) 9 YEARS

SOLOMON AIRLINES AIRBUS A320-232 H4-SIB (MSN 2445)
IE706 ARRIVING FROM HONIARA (HIR) 21 YEARS

Ten injured during severe turbulence on flight from Brisbane to Hong Kong

A Cathay Pacific Airways flight encountered strong turbulence during the cruise phase, resulting in minor injuries to 10 people (6 flight attendants and 4 passengers). Eight of them were sent to hospital.

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRBUS A350-941 B-LRJ (MSN 061)

Flight CX156 was traveling from Brisbane (BNE/YBBN) to Hong Kong (HKG/VHHH) on Saturday when the Airbus A350 suddenly dropped about two hours before landing. Cathay Pacific reported that 10 people were injured, including six crew members and four passengers. After landing safely in Hong Kong around 6:45 am local time, medical teams boarded the plane, and eight of the injured were taken to nearby hospitals. Cairns's businessman Nicholas Stevenson, who was on board, described the moment as the “plane just dropped,” with phones flying, coffees hitting the roof, and food scattered everywhere.

Mr. Stevenson described how the turbulence hit without warning just as the cabin crew began serving breakfast on the overnight flight. The lights had come on, passengers were waking up, and meals were being handed out, with no seatbelt sign or prior alert. The plane dropped twice in quick succession, the first plunge catching everyone off guard, and the second hitting about 15 to 20 seconds later. Those who had just gotten back into their seats or grabbed onto something were tossed around again. The force of the turbulence sent unsecured passengers and objects flying, with anyone not wearing a seatbelt hitting the ceiling hard. 

He said the cabin crew seemed to suffer the worst injuries because they were in the aisles with heavy service carts when the aircraft suddenly dropped. The staff were not only thrown but also struck by the carts as they flew into them. Mr. Stevenson recalled that passengers only grasped the seriousness of the situation when announcements went out asking if any doctors were on board. Four doctors travelling on the flight helped treat injured crew members and passengers at the back of the plane while it continued toward Hong Kong, as there was nowhere else to land. The pilot later apologised and explained they had encountered an unexpected weather system, likely a thunder or lightning cell, which wasn’t visible on radar until the last moment due to darkness. Medical teams were waiting when they landed, and passengers were asked to remain seated so the injured could disembark first. Mr. Stevenson, unharmed thanks to keeping his seatbelt fastened, said he felt there wasn’t much anyone could do in such a situation, recalling his father’s advice from his air force days to just stay strapped in and hope for the best.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Cathay Pacific

Code: CX/CPA

Aircraft: Airbus A350-941

Registration: B-LRV

Serial Number: 154

Engines: Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-84

First Flew: 10th October 2017 

Age: 8.7 Years 

"Finally," caught the Virgin Australia Toy Story livery

Last week, Virgin Australia went from having no special liveries to unveiling two within just a few days. On Sunday, the 17th of May, VH-YFY (MSN 41016) a Boeing 737-8FE arrived in Melbourne from Singapore’s Seletar Airport sporting a Toy Story livery. Then, on Friday the 22nd of May, VH-8VI (MSN 67039) a Boeing 737 Max 8 with a red retro livery landed in Brisbane from Seattle via Honolulu, so my family and I went to see it. After chasing the Toy Story livery for days, it finally made its way to Brisbane, and my wife and I headed to the airport to catch it. I have to admit; it wasn’t quite as exciting as I’d imagined.

Bomb hoax on Qantas 755

On the 26th of May 1971 two men carried out bomb hoax on Qantas 755. The bomb hoax was a daring extortion scheme carried out by Peter Macari and Raymond Poynting, posing as “Mr. Brown,”

Macari told Qantas officials he’d planted a bomb on Flight 755 from Sydney to Hong Kong that would detonate if the plane dropped below 20,000 feet, demanding $500,000 to spare the 128 passengers and crew. As negotiations dragged on, the plane circled for over six hours until fuel was running low and Qantas agreed to pay. At 5:45 p.m., outside the company’s headquarters in Chifley Square, Qantas general manager Captain R. J. Ritchie handed the ransom through the window of a Volkswagen Kombi. After 6:00 p.m., Macari called to say there was no bomb, a subsequent mid-air search failed to locate any device and the aircraft diverted to Brisbane and landed safely.

Police launched an investigation, and on the 4th of August 1971, both men were arrested after a tip-off about Poynting’s sudden lavish spending. Poynting was sentenced to seven years in prison, and Macari was sentenced to fifteen years, though he served only nine before being paroled and deported to England in 1980.

The 1986 Australian TV film *Call Me Mr. Brown* was inspired by these events.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Qantas

Code: QF/QFA

Aircraft: Boeing 707-338

Registration: VH-EBU

Serial Number: 19294

Engines: 4 x RR RB211-524D4

First Flew: 13/02/1967

Looking back on American Airlines flight 191

AMERICAN AIRLINES B787-9 N832AA (MSN 40638)

 American Airlines Flight 191 was a regular scheduled passenger flight from O'Hare International Airport (ORD/KORD) in Chicago, Illinois, to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX/KLAX) in Los Angeles, California. 

On the 25th of May 1979, the McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 operating this flight was taking off from runway 32R when it crashed into the ground. All 258 passengers and 13 crew on board were killed, along with two people on the ground. At 14:59 hours local time Flight 191 taxied from the gate at O'Hare Airport. The weather at the time of departure was clear, and the reported surface wind was 020° at 22 kts. At 15:02:38, the flight was cleared for takeoff. 

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that as the aircraft was beginning its takeoff rotation, engine number one (the left engine) separated from the left wing, flipping over the top of the wing and landing on the runway. As the engine separated from the aircraft, it severed hydraulic fluid lines that lock the wing's leading-edge slats in place and damaged a 3-foot (1 metre) section of the left wing's leading edge. Aerodynamic forces acting on the wing resulted in an uncommanded retraction of the outboard slats. 

As the aircraft began to climb, the damaged left wing – with no engine – produced far less lift than the right wing, with its slats still deployed and its engine providing full takeoff thrust. The disrupted and unbalanced aerodynamics of the aircraft caused it to roll abruptly to the left until it was partially inverted, reaching a bank angle of 112 degrees, before crashing in an open field by a trailer park near the end of the runway 50 seconds later. The engine separation was attributed to damage to the pylon structure holding the engine to the wing, caused by improper maintenance procedures used at American Airlines. (A pylon structure is a hardpoint located on an airframe designed to carry an external or internal load.) 

With 273 fatalities, it is still the deadliest aviation accident to have occurred in the United States.

Aircraft Information

Airline: American Airlines

Code: AA/AAL

Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas DC10

Registration: N110AA

Serial Number: 46510 

Engines: Three General Electric CF6-6D

First Flew: 25/02/1972

Age: 7 Years 3 months

OUR THOUGHTS ARE WITH THE FAMILES THINKING ABOUT LOVED ONES TODAY