Flight Safety Foundation Publishes First-Hand Account of Qantas Flight 32, Story and Video
On 20/01/2012, in Safety is no accident, by steve
In an article appearing today in the latest issue of AeroSafety World , editor J. A. Donoghue writes about Qantas Flight 32, as told by pilot-in-command Richard de Crespigny. Capt. de Crespigny was the keynote speaker at the Foundation’s International Air Safety Seminar in Singapore last November and sat down with ASW for a lengthy interview.
QF 32 took off from Singapore’s Changi Airport on November 4, 2010 and experienced an uncontained engine failure as it climbed through 7,000 feet. With the effort of the four other pilots who were in the cockpit with him, Capt. de Crespigny successfully landed the damaged A380 back at Changi; no one was injured.
“While we’ve all read the investigative reports and the news articles about this incident, hearing about the entire experience directly from the pilot-in-command is not to be missed,” commented Mr. Donoghue.
Mr. Donoghue’s entire interview with Capt. de Crespigny is available for viewing on the Foundation’s Web site. “In addition to the gripping story from Capt. de Crespigny, we also were able to sit down with Qantas Customer Service Manager Michael Von Reth,” Mr. Donoghue said. “His story is about keeping 469 passengers and crew members informed about the situation and calm. His actions leading the cabin crew were remarkable. His interview is available for viewing as well.”
The article can be downloaded here.
The videos of the interviews can be seen here.
Airbus Wing Cracks, not as Bad is it Seemed… it is Worse
On 20/01/2012, in Safety is no accident, The aircraft we fly, by steve
Only a few weeks ago Airbus said that the cracks discovered on the wing-rib feet of some A380s were not a threat to safety and they would be repaired as part of the four-yearly maintenance regime.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) does not agree. Carriers with A380s that have accumulated more than 1,300 takeoffs and landings must make the inspections immediately, and any aircraft that have made more than 1,800 trips need to be checked within four days. This translates to the grounding of some 20 aircraft or one third of the fleet within the next six weeks.
The inspection is done visually and takes just a few hours. In practical terms this means that each affected aircraft will be on the ground for a full day.
Although Airbus keeps stressing that while the cracking is “embarrassing”, it poses no danger to the passengers flying on the 380. The EASA Airworthiness Directive paints a slightly more ominous picture: “This condition, if not detected and corrected, could potentially affect the structural integrity of the aeroplane.”
Click here to read the full article
Cracks in the Wings of the A380 – What Next?
On 08/01/2012, in Safety is no accident, by steve
Poor A380.
She had a difficult birth caused in no small measure by the rather peculiar corporate structure of Airbus and the consequent mismatch of the design software used in different parts of the company… Wire harnesses turned out to be too short, then the redesigned version did not fit either. After long delays she finally took to the air only to have an engine explode mid-flight. Now come the news that Qantas and Singapore airlines have reassured their passengers that there was no risk to safety from the cracks found on the wings of several A380s.
Well, what else did you expect them to say?
Airbus calls the cracks “minor” and confirmed that they were not a cause for concern. They also published a recommended way to repair them.
The cracking, about one centimeter long and almost invisible to the naked eye, was found while the Qantas aircraft on which the engine blew up was being repaired. The investigators say that the cracking was unrelated to the engine incident.
Singapore airlines have announced that they have also found cracks on the wings of two of their 380s.
Click here to read the full article
The Final Moments of AF 447
On 09/12/2011, in Safety is no accident, by jeff
A lot has been written about Air France 447 but nothing is more revealing than the sounds and discussion that were recorded on the aircraft’s recording equipment. Those bits and bytes reveal the incredible scene that prevailed in the cockpit during the last minutes of the flight. Here is a synopsis by Jeff Wise (reprinted with his permission) of those last minutes…
At 1h 36m, the flight enters the outer extremities of a tropical storm system. Unlike other planes’ crews flying through the region, AF447′s flight crew has not changed the route to avoid the worst of the storms. The outside temperature is much warmer than forecast, preventing the still fuel-heavy aircraft from flying higher to avoid the effects of the weather. Instead, it ploughs into a layer of clouds.
At 1h51m, the cockpit becomes illuminated by a strange electrical phenomenon. The co-pilot in the right-hand seat, an inexperienced 32-year-old named Pierre-Cédric Bonin, asks, “What’s that?” The captain, Marc Dubois, a veteran with more than 11,000 hours of flight time, tells him it is St. Elmo’s fire, a phenomenon often found with thunderstorms at these latitudes.
At approximately 2 am, the other co-pilot, David Robert, returns to the cockpit after a rest break. At 37, Robert is both older and more experienced than Bonin, with more than double his colleague’s total flight hours. The head pilot gets up and gives him the left-hand seat. Despite the gap in seniority and experience, the captain leaves Bonin in charge of the controls.
At 2:02 am, the captain leaves the flight deck to take a nap. Within 15 minutes, everyone aboard the plane will be dead.
02:03:44 (Bonin) La convergence inter tropicale… voilà, là on est dedans, entre ‘Salpu’ et ‘Tasil.’ Et puis, voilà, on est en plein dedans…
The inter-tropical convergence… look, we’re in it, between ‘Salpu’ and ‘Tasil.’ And then, look, we’re right in it…
The intertropical convergence, or ITC, is an area of consistently severe weather near the equator. As is often the case, it has spawned a string of very large thunderstorms, some of which stretch into the stratosphere. Unlike some of the other planes’s crews flying in the region this evening, the crew of AF447 has not studied the pattern of storms and requested a divergence around the area of most intense activity. (Salpu and Tasil are two air-traffic-position reporting points.)
02:05:55 (Robert) Oui, on va les appeler derrière… pour leur dire quand même parce que…
Yes, let’s call them in the back, to let them know…
Robert pushes the call button.
Click here to read the full article
If you have to crash…
On 23/08/2011, in Safety is no accident, by steve
When some 500 personnel of the Canadian Armed Forces set out on their yearly training exercise that included conducting a rescue of survivors from a simulated airliner crash site, little did they suspect that within a few hours they would be doing this very thing for real.
First Air Flight 6560, a Boeing 737-200 was flying from Yellowknife to Resolute Bay with 15 people on board, including four crew, when it hit a small hill in increment weather. 12 people, including all the crew, were killed in the accident.
Personnel of the Canadian Forces participating in the annual Arctic military exercise Operation Nanook were immediately called in to conduct rescue operations. Their nearness was key to saving the survivors. Experts in the area agreed that the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre AFB Trenton would probably not be able to send a team this far North as quickly in normal circumstances.
In any case, the crash has highlighted the need to look into how response times to remote locations can be shortened, officials said.
The Arctic aviation community is a tightly knit family and the crash has hit everyone in the business. First Air provides scheduled passenger and cargo service between 25 northern communities with connections to Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal and Ottawa. The airline began in 1946 as Bradley Air Services, offering charter, surveying, passenger and cargo flights across northern Canada.
The Arctic is a very tough environment for pilots. While they perform essential services flying supplies and personnel in and out of those remote communities, the infrastructure is anything but ideal. Things are only made worth by weather. When the air gets warm in the summer, water in the lakes remains cold and air passing over a lake cools suddenly, creating fog that rolls over the place. Resolute Bay is near such a body of water and fog is a frequent visitor as a result.
In spite of the challenging environment, flying in the High-North of Canada has been remarkably safe, a testimony to the dedication of the men and women operating there.
A Canadian soldier watches a CH-146 Griffon Helicopter return from the crash site.
EASA Annual Safety Review – 2010
On 03/08/2011, in Safety is no accident, by steve
2010 was special for air safety. For the first time ever, no fatal accident occured in Europe in aeroplane and helicopter operations. Nevertheless, the Annual Safety Review from by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), published to inform the public of the general safety level in the field of civil aviation, is interesting reading. Non-fatal accidents are also the source of important information about where improvements are still necessary and possible.
You can download a copy here.
To access the on-line version, click here.
AF447 – French investigators say it was pilot error
On 29/07/2011, in Safety is no accident, by steve
French accident investigators have concluded that the crash of AF447 was due to pilot error. Investigator Alain Bouillard said: “The pilots were in a situation they didn’t understand!”
Download the latest summary report here.
Get the 3rd Interim Report here.
A personal reflection on the AF447 accident
On 01/07/2011, in Safety is no accident, by phil
I write from the perspective of a long retired pilot who only flew on old fashioned round dial types (Britannias, VC10s, 707s and 747s). This does not mean that I decry the modern Airbus and Boeing systems – far from it, I think the Airbus philosophy has made a great contribution to air safety.
The views that follow are drawn from my own personal experience, from reading the BEA’s (Bureau d’Enquetes et d’Analyses) reports and from sifting through various aviation websites. This article is an attempt to discuss in layman’s language what may have happened on AF447 over the South Atlantic in 2009, to explain some of the complications involved, and to pose a number of questions. Those of you with long memories will remember the DH Comet accidents in the 1950s and how the lessons learned improved the structural integrity of all subsequent civil aircraft. When the full story of the AF447 is finally revealed, I hope this accident may act as a catalyst for changes to the way regulators, airlines and pilots conduct training on advanced highly automated aircraft.
The aviation industry has a very good safety record. We learn from every accident and incident. Therefore, if procedures and training are improved as an outcome of this tragic accident and safety is further improved as a result, those 228 people will not have died in vain.
At this point it is right to emphasise that speculation in the absence of facts is of little use. However, in the light of the reports below, certain conclusions can be drawn. But even more important they raise questions that it is hoped will soon be answered.
The BEA has issued three interim reports. The first, issued soon after the accident, discusses the pitot tubes and gives the information on how they function and how they are connected to the flight system.
The second, issued 30 Nov 2009, describes how pitot tubes are certified and the previous experiences of icing on pitot tubes manufactured by Thales and Goodrich.
The third (an update issued 27 May 2011) gives some information from the FDR and CVR regarding the last moments of the flight.
The crew were all qualified and experienced on type. The captain had a total of 10,988 flying hours, with 1,474 on type. The senior co-pilot had the necessary licence endorsements to act as a replacement for the captain during his rest period, and had a total of 6,547 flying hours, with 4,479 on type. The more junior co-pilot had a total of 2,936 flying hours, with 809 on type.
Weather Considerations
Click here to read the full article
The final minutes of Air France Flight 447
On 28/05/2011, in Safety is no accident, by steve
There are few things in aviation more nightmarish than an unsolved, major accident. When, on the night of 1 June 2009, an Air France Airbus A330-203 plunged into the Atlantic Ocean on its flight from Rio to Paris it was easy to feel that such a nightmare was about to unfold.
The plane went off the air with only a few cryptic ACARS messages being transmitted but not a word from the pilots. Although part of the wreckage was located relatively soon after the accident, there was no sign of the flight data recorder or the cockpit voice recorder.
The search for those vital sources of information was re-launched earlier this year and with success! Both recorders were found and both yielded their secrets to investigators in spite of having been submerged at a depth of around 3000 meters for such a long time.
Although full analysis of the data will take more time, on 27 May the French Accident Investigation Bureau (BEA) published an update to its earlier preliminary reports, based on the data recovered from the recorders.
The update describes in a factual manner the chain of events that led to the accident while also presenting newly established facts.
This is a thought provoking story of the last minutes in life of a very advanced aircraft and its masters who seem to have lost touch with each other…
Download the latest report here.
Earlier BEA reports are available on EUROCONTROL’s SKYbrary here and here.
When birds meet
On 31/01/2011, in Safety is no accident, by gabesz77
When the synthetic voice announces “Hundred above” we know that in 100 feet we will reach the altitude where we must decide whether we land or not.. Malmo Sturup airport runway 35 and the lemon-colored terminal slowly come into view from behind the low cloud layer that hid them from sight so far. “Minimum” and “Continue” are announced and we touch the concrete runway softly like a gentle kiss.
-Taxi to stand six via Alpha, Yankee and Delta – says the controller and we taxi carefully on the rain-soaked apron to airbridge number six. I scamper down from the plane for the walk-around inspection and stop alongside the push-back tug. In spite of the drizzle, our airplane, looks imposing as it stands proudly – and as yet undamaged – alongside the airbrdige. For the hundredth time the thought flashes through my mind: I have picked a great job!
Malmo airport became famous, or should I say infamous, during the Hungarian gipsy exodus. A lot of them arrived there from the area of Mohacs in Hungary in the hope of a better future. They flew Malev on the return trip, compliments of the Hungarian taxpayers… most of the migrants were expelled from Sweden. But there were a few exceptions, some of them managed to find their luck and they fly home regularly on our services. Now it looks like we will not escape without a minor scandal on this trip either. A homeless-looking, drunk passenger refuses to follow the cabin crew’s instructions, he is on his cell, blocking other passengers from reaching their seats, finally he starts to push and tug at others. The purser says that in her considered opinion flight safety would be adversely affected if this passenger was allowed to fly with us. There are few questions, we trust our colleague’s opinion fully, this is why we are an effective crew. The police arrive. At first only one officer but he is soon joined by another three. The passenger is led away and for security reasons we have to find and off-load his baggage from the hold. This means we have lost the 10 minutes we gained on arrival and will be pushing back 7 minutes late.
We taxi to the holding position and the tower issues our take-off clearance.
-Runway 35 cleared for take-off, wind 310 degrees 8 knots.
We set take-off power and the powerful engines start accelerating the aircraft. At 131 knots I announce V One, this means we must now take off no matter what. 138 knots… Rotate… the captain pulls back on the sidestick and the nose of the plane rises. It is than that I notice the seagull!
Click here to read the full article
Boeing 757 runway excursion at Jackson Hole, Wyoming
On 31/12/2010, in Safety is no accident, by steve
At 11.38 am Mountain Time on 29 December 2010, an American Airlines Boeing 757 overran the 6300 feet asphalt Runway 19 at Jackson Hole airport in Wyoming, USA. The aircraft came to rest about 350 feet beyond the runway end but there was no damage to the aircraft and no injuries among the 181 passengers and crew on board. It was snowing at the time of the incident and the runway overran area was covered by hard-packed snow, something that will have played a role in the no-damage outcome of this event.
An interesting detail… When news of the incident was first published on the Flight Safety Foundation’s Aviation Safety Network, there was also a link to a video made by one of the passengers. Later this video was removed… I wonder why?
Anyway, here is the link to the detailed incident description and the (missing) video.
By the way, Jackson Hole has special relevance to BluSky Services.
Click here to read the full article
Royal Aeronautical Society interview with Captain David Evans of Qantas
On 11/12/2010, in Safety is no accident, by phil
Captain David Evans and Captain Harry Wubben
Captain Evans was the Senior Check Captain on the Qantas A380 during the incident in Singapore. He was interviewed by the RAeS on the 6th December.
In the interview he describes how the crew reacted to the uncontained engine failure and discusses the decisions the crew had to make. In particular, he considers that the most serious part of the whole incident was the time spent on the runway after they had stopped and were unable to shut down the No 1 engine. He also says that later they tried to recreate the whole incident in the simulator but couldn’t! Which only goes to show that, however good the simulator training, it is never quite like the real thing.
Finally near the end the of the interview he says that common sense and airmanship took over, they couldn’t blindly follow the ECAM messages.
He also says about the A380; “Well I think the Airbus A380 – it’s a testament to the aircraft that we managed to get the aeroplane successfully on to the ground. The fly-by-wire system, albeit with the damage we were in an alternate law, it still was very flyable. Now comparing that to other types I have flown I am sure that Boeing types would have been equally flyable, but they would have been a lot more difficult, I’m sure.”
A fine testament to modern design standards.
Read the full interview here.
ATSB Preliminary Report on Qantas Flight 32
On 04/12/2010, in Safety is no accident, by phil
On the 3rd December the ATSB issued its preliminary report on the uncontained engine failure suffered by the Qantas A380 on the 4th November. The initial cause appears to have been a fatigue crack within a stub pipe that feeds oil to the HP/IP bearing structure. And this cracking was associated with a misaligned region of the counter boring within the stub pipe outlet.
Not having been an engineer I would be unwise to comment on the causes and nature of this failure. Also, it is always unwise to speculate on the basis of limited information. However, I can make some generic comments on the things this crew had to cope with.
In a major emergency the very first requirement is to maintain control of the aircraft and to maintain a safe flight path. The old adage; “AVIATE; NAVIGATE; COMMUNICATE” still holds good, however advanced and automated the aircraft. Then, having established that the aircraft is still flyable and is not pointing towards high ground, it is essential very carefully to assess the situation.
Click here to read the full article
Inside a jet engine
On 24/11/2010, in Safety is no accident, by phil
If, like me, you are wondering what goes on inside a jet engine the site below from Rolls Royce might help. As a pilot I merely used the thing, in my case four Rolls Royce RB211-524s on a Boeing 747-200 and very good they were too.
I also had a flight engineer who helped by ensuring that I didn’t do anything too stupid! Nowadays though, with FMS and FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control) the computers do it all. One no longer has to set the power manually, while making small adjustments to ensuring that neither the N1, N2, N3 nor EGT limits were exceeded.
Click here to read the full article
Would I fly on an Airbus A380?
On 22/11/2010, in Safety is no accident, by phil
YES, you bet I would! If there is one thing that the Qantas incident in Singapore has shown it is that this aircraft has a huge amount of redundancy built into its systems. And when the full accident investigation has been completed it will be even safer. The whole nature of civil aviation is one of continuous improvement.
To date, there has been little official information regarding all the circumstances, particularly concerning the damage sustained and the crew’s performance. This is not surprising – we should not rely on rumour, we need substantiated facts. The ATSB who are investigating this major incident have been a model of how information should be made available. Check this out here.
Both Rolls Royce and Airbus have provided some information but, for good reason, this has been limited at this stage. The ATSB has stated that they expect to be able to issue an interim report in early December.
Meanwhile Airbus has issued this AIT:
Click here to read the full article
QANTAS flight QF 32 – Media versus Reality
On 08/11/2010, in Safety is no accident, by phil
When something spectacular occurs the media tends to bring out all the hype – aircraft crashes, disaster narrowly averted, Airbus unsafe, or hero pilots save the day. Reality is not like that. Instead we should be praising the design standards that are current in civil aviation. So, what are some of the safety precautions that are hidden from the public gaze?
First, all aircraft engines are tested extensively to ensure that they can contain a fan or turbine blade if it breaks off. Next, all aircraft are designed with multiple redundancy in their various systems. Thirdly, flight crew are well trained and routinely tested on the whole gamut of emergencies. So, what do we know about the uncontained engine failure that occurred on QF 32 out of Singapore bound for Sydney?
Engines are tested to prove that they are able to contain fan and turbine blade failures but it is impossible to contain the huge energy should a turbine disk break when rotating at 12,000 rpm. If this was done the casing would be so heavy I doubt the aircraft would be able to fly! Instead the answer is to build the turbine discs so that they don’t fail. Nevertheless sometimes (very rarely) they do, and it rather looks as though this is what happened to QF 32.
The A380 comes fitted with either RR Trent engines (the Trent 970 on Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa, the Trent 972 on QANTAS) or the Engine Alliance (EA) GP 7270 on Emirates and Air France. Therefore, despite what the media has been printing it is not an aircraft problem but a specific engine problem. The Trent RR 972 is mechanically the same as the 970 but its electronic control system allows a slightly higher power, whether this has had something to do with it I don’t know. Singapore and Lufthansa have inspected all their engines and have not grounded their aircraft, but QANTAS have found some ‘anomalies’ with the Trent 972. Again, whether this is significant or not I don’t know.
Click here to read the full article
European Parliament vote endorses new rules for investigation and prevention of aviation accidents
On 05/10/2010, in Safety is no accident, by steve
Like so many things in united but still fragmented Europe, the investigation of aviation accidents has long been an area where differing State legislations rules the day and often prevented vital information from being shared to improve future safety or, conversely, the abuse of information by judiciary authorities to allocate blame rather than to learn from threatened to shut down the all important confidential reporting systems. It was high time that something got done and the European Commission has long been busy formulating new legislation that would eliminate the shortcomings. Although the new legislation voted upon by the European Parliament still leaves some issues unresolved, it is an important step in the right direction and a good basis for finally moving aviation accident investigation from the state to the European level.
It is understandable therefore that the European Commission welcomed the vote on 21 September supporting a new regulation on investigation and prevention of accidents in civil aviation which paves the way to a first reading agreement between Parliament and Council. The new legislation will strengthen the independence and effectiveness of air accident investigations in the EU, promote cooperation between the accident investigation authorities, and ensure better follow-up of safety recommendations. In addition, the new regulation significantly reinforces the rights of victims of air accidents and their relatives.
Vice-President Siim Kallas, responsible for transport, said: “While aviation is one of the safest modes of transport in the EU, accidents may happen despite the aviation regulators and the industry’s best efforts, leaving passenger victims and their relatives in distress. We have to be prepared. Efficient and independent investigations of civil aircraft accidents are crucial for aviation safety. New rules will allow us to improve investigations, but most importantly, better prevent accidents from happening. They will also establish uniform rules for assisting victims of air accidents and their relatives. The Parliament came to an agreement in less than a year after the Commission’s proposal was presented. The Commission is now looking forward to a swift adoption of this new legislation by the Council”.
Building on more than a decade of experience
Click here to read the full article
