42 yrs ago today, still the world's worst aircraft accident

On the 27th March 1977, 42 years ago today, two Boeing 747 passenger jets, KLM Flight 4805 and Pan Am Flight 1736, collided on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport on the Spanish island of Tenerife, killing 583 people, and making it the deadliest accident in aviation history.
At 12:30pm a bomb explodes in the Las Palmas passenger terminal. Because of warnings of a possible second bomb, the airport was closed. A large number of flights were diverted to Tenerife. Like KLM Flight 4805 from Amsterdam and PanAm Flight 1736 from Los Angeles and New York.
Las Palmas Airport re-opened to traffic again at 15:00. Because the PanAm passengers remained on aboard it was possible to leave Tenerife at once. The taxiways were congested by other aircraft however. This meant the PanAm crew had to backtrack on runway 12 for take-off on runway 30. The entrance to runway 12 however, was blocked by the KLM Boeing. The PanAm flight had to wait for almost 2 hours before all KLM passengers had reboarded and refuelling had taken place.
The KLM flight was then cleared to backtrack runway 12 and make a 180deg. turn at the end. Three minutes later (at 17:02) Pan Am 1736 was cleared to follow the KLM aircraft and backtrack runway 12. The PanAm crew were told to leave the runway at the third taxiway and report leaving the runway. At 17:05:44 KLM 4805 reported ready for take-off and was given instructions for a Papa beacon departure. The KLM crew repeated the instructions and added "We are now at take-off". The brakes were released and KLM 4805 started the take-off roll. Tenerife tower, knowing that Pan Am 1736 was still taxiing down the runway replied "OK ...... Stand by for take-off, I will call you." This message coincided with the PanAm crew's transmission "No ... uh we're still taxiing down the runway, the Clipper 1736". These communications caused a shrill noise in the KLM cockpit, lasting approx. 3.74 seconds. Tenerife tower replied: "Papa Alpha 1736 report runway clear.", whereupon the PanAm crew replied: "OK, will report when we're clear". This caused some concerns with the KLM flight engineer asking the captain: "Is he not clear then?" After repeating his question the captain answers emphatically: "Oh, yes". A number of second before impact the KLM crew saw the PanAm Boeing still taxiing down the runway. The crew tried to climb away and became airborne after a 65 feet tail drag in an excessive rotation. The PanAm crew immediately turned the aircraft to the left and applied full power. The KLM aircraft was airborne, but the fuselage skidded over the PanAm's aft fuselage, destroying it and shearing off the tail. The KLM aircraft flew on and crashed out of control 150 m further on, sliding another 300 m bursting into flames.



PROBABLE CAUSE:

"The KLM aircraft had taken off without take-off clearance, in the absolute conviction that this clearance had been obtained, which was the result of a misunderstanding between the tower and the KLM aircraft.
This misunderstanding had arisen from the mutual use of usual terminology which, however, gave rise to misinterpretation. In combination with a number of other coinciding circumstances, the premature take-off of the KLM aircraft resulted in a collision with the Pan Am aircraft, because the latter was still on the runway since it had missed the correct intersection." KLM Flight 4805 was a charter flight for Holland International Travel Group and had arrived from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Netherlands. Its captain was Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten, age 50. At the time of the accident, Veldhuyzen van Zanten was KLM's chief flight instructor, with 11,700 flight hours, of which 1,545 hours were on the 747. The first officer was Klaas Meurs, age 42. At the time of the accident, Meurs had 9,200 flight hours, of which 95 hours were on the 747. Flight engineer was Willem Schreuder, age 48. At the time of the accident, Schreuder had 15,210 flight hours, of which 540 hours were on the 747. The aircraft was a Boeing 747-206B, registration PH-BUF, named Rijn (Rhine). The KLM jet was carrying 14 crew members and 235 passengers, including 52 children. Most of the KLM passengers were Dutch, while also on board were 4 Germans, 2 Austrians and 2 Americans. After the aircraft landed at Tenerife, the passengers were transported to the airport terminal. One of the inbound passengers, who lived on the island with her partner, chose not to re-board the 747, leaving 234 passengers on board.

Pan Am Flight 1736 had originated at Los Angeles International Airport, with an intermediate stop at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). The aircraft was a Boeing 747-121, registration N736PA, named Clipper Victor. Of the 380 passengers (mostly of retirement age, but including two children), 14 had boarded in New York, where the crew was also changed. The new crew consisted of captain Victor Grubbs, age 56, first officer Robert Bragg, age 39, flight engineer George Warns, age 46, and 13 flight attendants.
At the time of the accident, captain Grubbs had 21,043 hours of flight time, of which 564 hours were on the 747. First officer Bragg had 10,800 flight hours, of which 2,796 hours were on the 747. Flight engineer Warns had 15,210 flight hours, of which 559 hours were on the 747.


Aircraft 1 Information
Aircraft: Boeing 747-206B
Operator: KLM
Flight Number: 4085
Registration: PH-BUF
Serial Number: 20400
First Flew: 14/9/1971
Age: 6 yrs

Aircraft 2 Information
Aircraft: Boeing 747-121
Operator: Pan Am
Flight Number: 1736
Registration: N736PA
Serial Number: 19643
First Flew: 24/12/1969
Age: 8 yrs

British Airways flight to Germany lands in Scotland by mistake

BRITISH AIRWAYS B747-436 G-BNLD (CN 23911)           File Photo

Passengers on a British Airways flight from London's City Airport (LCY / EGLC) to Düsseldorf, (DUS / EDDL) Germany, were left bewildered on Monday when their plane landed in Scotland by mistake. A blunder with paperwork seems to have been the problem: British Airways said a German company that had chartered the plane, WDL Aviation, had submitted the wrong route to air traffic controllers.

“We are working with WDL Aviation, who operated this flight on behalf of British Airways, to establish why the incorrect flight plan was filed,” British Airways said in a statement. The flight, BA3271, which took off from London City Airport at 7.30am local time, did not seem to have been in any danger; because of the incorrect paperwork, the crew — including the pilot — and air traffic controllers had all apparently believed that Edinburgh (EDI / EGPH) was the plane’s intended destination.  That came as small comfort to the passengers when flight attendants informed them that they had landed in the Scottish capital, about 520 miles from their intended destination. After the crew realised the mistake, the plane was refueled and flown to Dusseldorf, landing in Germany with a delay of more than five and a half hours. Initially perceiving it to be a joke, travellers only realised they were actually in Edinburgh when the captain entered the cabin and asked people to put up their hands if they were expecting to go to Dusseldorf. Everyone on board raised their hands.  A passenger reported the unplanned stopover grew increasingly frustrating, on a “really stuffy” plane. “The toilets were blocked and they ran out of snacks, she said”. After two and a half hours on the tarmac at Edinburgh airport, the refuelled passenger jet – a BAe 146 aircraft – took off again for Düsseldorf.  British Airways said, “We have apologized to customers for this interruption to their journey and will be contacting them all individually.” As well as the bonus trip to Edinburgh, passengers should be receiving at least £215  ($398 Australian) in compensation under EU flight delay regulation 261, after landing five hours and 20 minutes behind schedule on what should have been an hour-long hop.

An investigation has been launched by BA and WDL.




WDL's website can be accessed here  http://wdl-aviation.de/en/home-en/


Aircraft Information
Airline: WDL Aviation
Code: WH/WDL
Aircraft: BAe 146-200
Registration: D-AMGL
Serial Number: E2055
First Flew: 12/05/1986
Age: 32 Yrs 9 Mths

Malindo Air Launching Adelaide-Bali Flights

MALINDO B737-8GP 9M-LCG (CN 38308)            File Photo

Malindo Air have announced they will be launching non-stop flights from Adelaide to Bali from the 16th April 2019. The flights, being operated by Boeing 737-800's, will continue on from Bali to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

Jetstar is the only other airline to currently fly direct between Adelaide and Denpasar. Unlike Jetstar, Malindo Air is traditionally a full-service carrier offering comfortable seats with good legroom, free in-flight entertainment and on-board meals. However, Malindo Air just last week introduced cheaper “Super Saver” fares which do not include meals or baggage. Malindo Air will provide additional choice of flight times to Adelaide residents, with the outbound flight OD174 from Adelaide to Denpasar departing at 7.40am in the morning. Jetstar’s Adelaide-Denpasar service leaves in the evening. Both airlines will offer overnight flights on the return leg. Malindo Air also offers Business class on its flights. Malindo’s Business class seats are recliners in a 2-2 configuration, but the seats are comfortable and offer generous legroom. With tickets now on sale, there are some good deals to be found from Adelaide to Bali and Kuala Lumpur – including during the school holidays! We’ve found round-trip fares from Adelaide to Indonesia for as low as $350 on some dates.
Adelaide will be Malindo Air’s fourth Australian destination after Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne. The Kuala Lumpur-based airline already offers flights from both Brisbane and Melbourne to Bali (continuing to Kuala Lumpur). Malindo Air also plans to start Sydney-Denpasar-Kuala Lumpur flights as early as June this year. The airline takes advantage of fifth-freedom traffic rights to sell tickets between Australia and Indonesia. Meanwhile, Virgin Australia will launch flights from Darwin to Denpasar next month. The seasonal Boeing 737 service will run three times per week over the winter, from 10 April until 20 October 2019. Virgin’s schedule on the Darwin-Bali route is considerably more family-friendly than Jetstar’s redeye flights. The new Malindo Air flights were originally announced last month, but tickets only went on sale this week.

Story Sourced from here
/https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/malindo-air-adelaide-bali/

Ad

ANA Cargo B767-300F hits FedEx MD-11F on the ground

An All Nippon Airways Cargo plane travelling from Tokyo/Narita International Airport (NRT/RJAA) to Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG/ZSPD), was damaged after it hit a FedEx MD-11F aircraft which was also travelling from Tokyo/Narita International Airport (NRT/RJAA) to Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG/ZSPD), China.. Around 8:30 pm on the 21st March the Federal Express MD11 had stopped at the taxiway to go to Runway Alpha when it was damaged, it was hit by an ANA Cargo B767-300F, which was in push-back bound for Shanghai. The ANA sustained substantial damage on the vertical stabilizer and the tail cone, while FedEx received damage on the No.2 engine. No personal injuries were reported.  Both aircraft were grounded for repairs.


Aircraft Details No 1
Airline: ANA (All Nippon Airways)
Code: NH/ANA
Aircraft: Boeing 767-316F(WL)
Registration: JA605F
Serial Number: 30842
First Flew: 15/01/2001
Age: 17 Yrs 3 Mths


Aircraft Details No 2Airline: FedEx (Federal Express)
Code: FX/FDX
Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas MD-11F
Registration: N623FE
Serial Number: 48794
First Flew: 25/05/1999
Age: 19 Yrs 8 Mths

Pilot Who Hitched a Ride Saved Lion Air 737 Day Before Deadly Crash

As the Lion Air crew fought to control their diving Boeing Co. 737 Max 8, they got help from an unexpected source: an off-duty pilot who happened to be riding in the cockpit.
That extra pilot, who was seated in the cockpit jumpseat, correctly diagnosed the problem and told the crew how to disable a malfunctioning flight-control system and save the plane, according to two people familiar with Indonesia’s investigation.  The next day, under command of a different crew facing what investigators said was an identical malfunction, the jetliner crashed into the Java Sea killing all 189 aboard. The previously undisclosed detail on the earlier Lion Air flight represents a new clue in the mystery of how some 737 Max pilots faced with the malfunction have been able to avert disaster while the others lost control of their planes and crashed. The presence of a third pilot in the cockpit wasn’t contained in Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee’s Nov. 28 report on the crash and hasn’t previously been reported. The so-called dead-head pilot on the earlier flight from Bali to Jakarta told the crew to cut power to the motor driving the nose down, according to the people familiar, part of a checklist that all pilots are required to memorize. “All the data and information that we have on the flight and the aircraft have been submitted to the Indonesian NTSC. We can’t provide additional comment at this stage due the ongoing investigation on the accident,” Lion Air spokesman Danang Prihantoro said by phone. The Indonesia safety committee report said the plane had had multiple failures on previous flights and hadn’t been properly repaired. Representatives for Boeing and the Indonesian safety committee declined to comment on the earlier flight. The safety system, designed to keep planes from climbing too steeply and stalling, has come under scrutiny by investigators of the crash as well as a subsequent one less than five months later in Ethiopia. A malfunctioning sensor is believed to have tricked the Lion Air plane’s computers into thinking it needed to automatically bring the nose down to avoid a stall.
Boeing’s 737 Max was grounded March 13 by U.S. regulators after similarities to the Oct. 29 Lion Air crash emerged in the investigation of the March 10 crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. In the wake of the two accidents, questions have emerged about how Boeing’s design of the new 737 model were approved. The Transportation Department’s inspector general is conducting a review of how the plane was certified to fly and a grand jury under the U.S. Justice Department is also seeking records in a possible criminal probe of the plane’s certification.
The FAA last week said it planned to mandate changes in the system to make it less likely to activate when there is no emergency. The agency and Boeing said they are also going to require additional training and references to it in flight manuals. “We will fully cooperate in the review in the Department of Transportation’s audit,” Boeing spokesman Charles Bickers said in an email. The company has declined to comment on the criminal probe. After the Lion Air crash, two U.S. pilots’ unions said the potential risks of the system, known as the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS, hadn’t been sufficiently spelled out in their manuals or training. None of the documentation for the Max aircraft included an explanation, the union leaders said.
Boeing 737 Max 8 jets at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on March 13.
“We don’t like that we weren’t notified,’’ Jon Weaks, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, said in November. “It makes us question, ‘Is that everything, guys?’ I would hope there are no more surprises out there.’’ The Allied Pilots Association union at American Airlines Group Inc. also said details about the system weren’t included in the documentation about the plane.
Following the Lion Air crash, the FAA required Boeing to notify airlines about the system and Boeing sent a bulletin to all customers flying the Max reminding them how to disable it in an emergency. Authorities have released few details about Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 other than it flew a “very similar” track as the Lion Air planes and then dove sharply into the ground. There have been no reports of maintenance issues with the Ethiopian Airlines plane before its crash.
Wreckage recovered from the crash site of Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 on Mar. 11.
If the same issue is also found to have helped bring down Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, one of the most vexing questions crash investigators and aviation safety consultants are asking is why the pilots on that flight didn’t perform the checklist that disables the system.
 “After this horrific Lion Air accident, you’d think that everyone flying this airplane would know that’s how you turn this off,” said Steve Wallace, the former director of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s accident investigation branch.
The combination of factors required to bring down a plane in these circumstances suggests other issues may also have occurred in the Ethiopia crash, said Jeffrey Guzzetti, who also directed accident investigations at FAA and is now a consultant.
“It’s simply implausible that this MCAS deficiency by itself can down a modern jetliner with a trained crew,” Guzzetti said.
MCAS is driven by a single sensor near the nose that measures the so-called angle of attack, or whether air is flowing parallel to the length of the fuselage or at an angle. On the Lion Air flights, the angle-of-attack sensor had failed and was sending erroneous readings indicating the plane’s nose was pointed dangerously upward.


Story sourced from here
http://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/pilot-who-hitched-a-ride-saved-lion-air-737-day-before-deadly-crash/ar-BBUYXWF?ocid=ientp

Virgin Australia - Profit is their no 1 priority - NOT customers

Thursday afternoon I get a text from Virgin Australia saying that a storm is forecast for Brisbane and my flight might be disrupted and they suggested I take an earlier flight, well that wasn't going to happen because of work comments. So Friday afternoon, after three busy days in Sydney, it was time to go home to my family and unwind for the weekend. I arrived at the airport at 3pm for my 4pm flight which would have got me into Brisbane at 4.30pm (we are an hour behind because of DLS).

Boarding was supposed to be at 3.40pm. Even though the plane was at the gate it wasn't until 4.25pm when we finally began boarding, at 4.40 everyone was seated and we just sat there. At 4.50 pm, instead of descending into Brisbane, we pushed back from the gate, by the time we taxied out to the holding point and lined up it was just after 5pm. The climb out of Sydney was a little rough but ok. I checked Brisbane airport on Flightradar24 to see what runway they were using and to check to see if they were still getting in and they were. An hour into the flight I noticed we had been put into a holding pattern. I got on to Flightradar24 again and noticed we were out to sea and in a holding pattern along with a few other aircraft.

The seatbelt signs had come on and we were told by cabin crew we are not allowed to get up (obviously). It was 15 mins before the pilots decided to tell us what was going on, and that we would be holding for another 10- 20 minutes. Well the holding went on for an hour.

During this time we heard nothing from cabin crew or pilots. FINALLY the captain came on and said the dreaded words no passenger wants to hear... "We are returning to Sydney".

3 hours and 3 minutes after we left, at 7.53pm we arrived at the gate back in Sydney and we were told over the intercom to go to the service desk. WELL.. we obviously weren't the only flight to come back, there would have been 100 -120 people lined up when got there, and the line got bigger behind me. The shift manager for Virgin came on the intercom saying we can do nothing for you people tonight, please leave and we will contact you tomorrow, but no one left the queue. This message was repeated 3 more times and you could hear in her voice the frustration grew with each massage.. but again people power ruled and no left the queue. At 9.20 I finally got to the counter only to be told "there is no flight tonight and we don't have a forward booking for you yet" I was told in a shitty pissed off voice "Virgin will send you a new booking overnight and you will need to come back in the morning". The staff were obviously sick of saying the same thing over and over and probably coping a bit of flack because there attitude was unacceptable and non sympathetic. Virgin refused to pay for accommodation, refused to pay for dinner or even cab fares. They completely refused to accept any responsibility or liability stating it was the weather.. we are not responsible they said. Keep in mind Virgin Australia is NOT a Low Cost Carrier. A small group of us, who were talking in line, started googling accommodation places and I and another person would ring them. I even had my wife in Brisbane looking for me..The frustration and anger grew with each phone call as we heard over and over, QANTAS has booked all our rooms sorry. 😣 😤  Do you have a QANTAS voucher???
At 10.10pm (a lady from the same flight I had befriended) and I finally got a room each at $195 for the night.. With cab fare to and from the airport plus meals I was out of pocket $260.
I woke Saturday morning to find a text from Virgin saying I am rebooked on the 5pm flight tonight.
When I got to the airport I went to the service desk to see if I could possibly get on an earlier flight so I get home to my family and I was told in a sharp stern voice "NO" ... I said if I go the gate of each flight that leaves for Brisbane and see if there is a no show, can I get on the flight.. Again, without any care in the world or compassion I was told NO!!.. We don't operate that way.
I get it that the airline and the pilots acted in the way of "safety first" Friday night, what I don't get is the pure lack of willingness to help or even sympathy. I am not a pilot by any means or work for an airline but I don't understand why they couldn't refuel the plane we came in on, get fresh pilots and get 160 passengers home to Brisbane that night. They had an hours notice we were coming back.. something could have been organised.
The sad part of all this is for 12 yrs I flew Qantas doing roughly 36 flights a year, and this year I decided to give Virgin a go. I hung around the airport all day which normally would excite the hell out of me but I didn't bring my camera this time and I was with Theresa (my new friend from last night). We got down to the gate at 4.30pm for a 4.40pm boarding only to find our plane was just pulling up at gate. We didn't board until 4.55 and pushed back at 5.25pm...Late again!! and by now I am well and truly over this shit.. We got airborne at 5.35 and finally landed in Brisbane at 6pm local time. Just to fuel the anger during the flight home I was talking to the passenger next to me and he said a friend of his flew Jetstar (a Low Cost Carrier owned by QANTAS) and his mate was also put up for the night at the airlines expense.
Sorry Virgin.. I gave you a go but I will be going back to QANTAS

The U S has now grounded the Boeing 737 Max 8

Following on from yesterdays post, the U S has now followed most the world in banning the 737 Max..

President Trump announced on Wednesday that the US would temporarily ban all Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 jets from flying, following nearly every country in the world that has ordered that the airplane be grounded since the deadly crash in Ethiopia on Sunday.

More than 40 countries have grounded the 737 Max 8 after it was involved in two deadly crashes, one in Indonesia last October and the more recent one in Ethiopia. But until now, the US Federal Aviation Administration allowed the plane to fly, and the Trump administration was criticized for putting Boeing’s well-being over the safety of American passengers. On Wednesday, Trump finally bowed to pressure from the international community and US lawmakers from both parties by announcing the temporary ban.  “Boeing is an incredible company,” Trump said in a briefing to reporters. “They are working very, very hard right now, and hopefully they’ll quickly come up with the answer. But until they do, the planes are grounded.” Last October, Lion Air Flight 610 crashed off the coast of Indonesia, and all 189 passengers on board were killed. That investigation is ongoing, but it has focused on the Max 8’s stall-prevention system, apparent maintenance lapses, and potential pilot error. The cause of the Ethiopian Airlines crash last Sunday is unknown, but investigators have recovered the flight and data recorders. The Ethiopian Airlines crash killed 157 people.

In incident reports that surfaced this week, pilots had reported that the Max 8 jetliner would tilt suddenly after takeoff, among other concerns. But Boeing has said it still has confidence in the 737 Max 8. In a new statement on Wednesday, Boeing reiterated that point, while also saying it supports the decision to ground its planes. The company’s statement appears to frame it as an internal decision made in collaboration with the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board, even though Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg has reportedly lobbied Trump personally to allow the Max 8 jets to continue to fly.

The airplane’s nose can tilt down suddenly during takeoff, pilots aren’t being adequately trained on the autopilot system, and the operations manual is “criminally insufficient.” These are the complaints of U S pilots in incident reports involving Boeing’s 737 Max 8 jetliner.

The reports, which were reported by multiple news outlets this week, cast a harsh light on the Max 8 jet that have been at the center of a global ban. More than 40 countries have grounded the airplane following two deadly crashes, one in Indonesia and the more recent one in Ethiopia.

In one incident, an airline pilot reported that immediately after engaging the Max 8’s autopilot, the co-pilot shouted “DESCENDING,” followed by an audio cockpit warning, “DON’T SINK! DON’T SINK!”

“I immediately disconnected the AP (Autopilot) (it WAS engaged as we got full horn etc.) and resumed climb,” the pilot writes in the report, which is available in a database compiled by NASA. “Now, I would generally assume it was my automation error, i.e., aircraft was trying to acquire a miss-commanded speed/no autothrottles, crossing restriction etc., but frankly neither of us could find an inappropriate setup error (not to say there wasn’t one).”