Air Asia Flight Flight No: Qz7605 Almost Crashes

[thaiexp]

My colleague just emailed claiming that her Air Asia flight from KL to Jakarta "almost crashed" before landing safely in Jakarta. She says the flight was delayed for 7 hours prior to take off.

Flight No: QZ7605 - 2115 Sun 29 Apr 2007

Does anyone have any confirmation of this? Air Asia are saying nothing!

See her email below. Would be good to hear from any one else on the flight.

----

Hi Jimmy,

I'm having some issues here in Jakarta. Keep in mind when I say this that I'm not one to startle easily, having survived Maoist riots in Nepal, an earthquake in India, a Tsunami, etc. But I'll be damned if I'm going to let a budget airline take me down. After a delay of more than 7 hours, the plane almost crashed from KL to Jakarta. I'm not going to go into details as I've been reliving them enough as it is, but there is no way in hel_l I'm getting on another Air Asia flight. I don't care if you have to put me on a train, I absolutely refuse to come back on Air Asia. Near-death experience aside, Jakarta's not bad....... J

[skippybangkok]

Turbulence ?

[kash]

what is this crap not showing all posts in the thread?

[cdnvic]

what is this crap not showing all posts in the thread?

Top right hand corner of the thread "Options" /layout/standard

[cdnvic]

My colleague just emailed claiming that her Air Asia flight from KL to Jakarta "almost crashed" before landing safely in Jakarta. She says the flight was delayed for 7 hours prior to take off.

Flight No: QZ7605 - 2115 Sun 29 Apr 2007

Does anyone have any confirmation of this? Air Asia are saying nothing!

See her email below. Would be good to hear from any one else on the flight.

----

Hi Jimmy,

I'm having some issues here in Jakarta. Keep in mind when I say this that I'm not one to startle easily, having survived Maoist riots in Nepal, an earthquake in India, a Tsunami, etc. But I'll be damned if I'm going to let a budget airline take me down. After a delay of more than 7 hours, the plane almost crashed from KL to Jakarta. I'm not going to go into details as I've been reliving them enough as it is, but there is no way in hel_l I'm getting on another Air Asia flight. I don't care if you have to put me on a train, I absolutely refuse to come back on Air Asia. Near-death experience aside, Jakarta's not bad....... J

[/b]

Nothing in the Malaysian or Indonesian news about any incidents with AirAsia.

Without more details it's impossible to say what happened. It is also very irresponsible to make or pass on allegations against a company based on the panicked, and vague email of someone who I'll play the odds and say, probably doesn't know much about flying, or aircraft either, so "Almost crashed" should be taken with a grain of salt until more reliable sources are found.

Whatever happened may not even be an AirAsia specific issue. I've had some scary landings on several carriers and credit the flying skill of the pilots who overcame the difficulties and got us in safely.

Edited April 30, 2007 by cdnvic

[toptuan]

You think possibly just a "hard" landing?

Yesterday, I landed at Khon Kaen (Thai Airlines). Although the weather was clear, the turbulence approaching the airport was pretty bad. When we reached the landing strip, we seemed at an unnaturally high altitude, and then it felt like someone cut the elevator (lift) cables. Dropped like a rock.

We hit the tarmac so hard, I thought my knees were going to knock out my teeth. The aircraft actually bounced back up into the air and came down hard again. We passed the terminal building going at breakneck speed, and then the pilot then did a major braking job that made me feel like my seat belt was going to sever my body in half. A few yelps from other passengers confirmed I wasn't hallucinating that I had boarded a roller coaster.

Now, I believe I could have labeled that harrowing experience as "almost crashed." Maybe discount airlines don't have all the monopoly on "near death" experiences?

[flightcrew1]

Working for the airlines and in the same area as Air Asia I just checked with one of the managers in crew scheduling regarding this particular flight. QZ7605 was not 7 hours late but 20 minutes late and other than that showed no incidents for this flight. All data from every flight is input for FAA and for customer complaints or any incidents on board no matter how small. Data shows QZ7605 scheduled for departure from KUL(LCCT) at 2115 and arrivial at JKT at 2215. Doors closed at 2140 and the air at 2151. Time was made up during the flight due to light traffic and arrived at JKT at 2235. This is what the computer shows. Go figure???

[Wellyoudidask]

You think possibly just a "hard" landing?

Yesterday, I landed at Khon Kaen (Thai Airlines). Although the weather was clear, the turbulence approaching the airport was pretty bad. When we reached the landing strip, we seemed at an unnaturally high altitude, and then it felt like someone cut the elevator (lift) cables. Dropped like a rock.

We hit the tarmac so hard, I thought my knees were going to knock out my teeth. The aircraft actually bounced back up into the air and came down hard again. We passed the terminal building going at breakneck speed, and then the pilot then did a major braking job that made me feel like my seat belt was going to sever my body in half. A few yelps from other passengers confirmed I wasn't hallucinating that I had boarded a roller coaster.

Now, I believe I could have labeled that harrowing experience as "almost crashed." Maybe discount airlines don't have all the monopoly on "near death" experiences?

Iagree, had similar on a flight into phuket abouad a thai air 737, ( a great plane ) ,turbulance got under us as we touched down and toook us up again, came down hard, these planes can survive more than you think, pilots do a great job, and as an airline i expect air asia is no worse than the rest,..

[hotgeekus]

not here to discount either way, however.....

Everytime you get into a plane, you are doing something that is highly unnormal......

Getting in a million pound piece of metal and flammable gas, strapped around a jet engine, all made to defy a basic law of physics, gravity. A rough landing and even a crash are going to happen sometime. Remember that the next time you are stuck in an airplane somewhere. Hopefully the guy fixing it is not in any hurry because the passengers are mad because the 'idoits' can not fix it in time for you to get home for dinner.... (no, I am not an airline employee)

[Wellyoudidask]

not here to discount either way, however.....

Everytime you get into a plane, you are doing something that is highly unnormal......

Getting in a million pound piece of metal and flammable gas, strapped around a jet engine, all made to defy a basic law of physics, gravity. A rough landing and even a crash are going to happen sometime. Remember that the next time you are stuck in an airplane somewhere. Hopefully the guy fixing it is not in any hurry because the passengers are mad because the 'idoits' can not fix it in time for you to get home for dinner.... (no, I am not an airline employee)

GOOD COMMENT.i can just imagine the announcment, " Ladies and gentlemaem, we have a petrol leak near the engine but we are not fixing it now as Mr Smith in seat 34A has his girlfriend and family waiting at our destination and she gets jealous if hes not on time ",.. Also dont assume air asia use a tesco oil and remould tyres just because they are cheaper than top line airlines !

[skippybangkok]

Sounds like my sister..... Had a flight into BKK once during the rainy season with some heavy turbulence. She is not te bravest of travelers.

[cdnvic]

Sounds like my sister..... Had a flight into BKK once during the rainy season with some heavy turbulence. She is not te bravest of travelers.

It doesn't help nervous flyers when people blow a rough landing out of proportion with an "almost crashed" description either.

[tolsti]

Any landing that you can you walk away from is a good landing

[toptuan]

Any landing that you can you walk away from is a good landing

Does crawling away count?

[toptuan]

Everytime you get into a plane, you are doing something that is highly unnormal......

Getting in a million pound piece of metal and flammable gas, strapped around a jet engine, all made to defy a basic law of physics, gravity. A rough landing and even a crash are going to happen sometime...

Sheesh! I enjoyed flying until I read that...

[cdnvic]

Aircraft don't defy the laws of physics, they thrive on them. Safest way to travel by far.

Edited May 1, 2007 by cdnvic

[jackr]

Aircraft don't defy the laws of physics, they thrive on them. Safest way to travel by far.

Well said.

Nothing magical about a wing and why it generates lift when pushed/pulled through the air. Ingenious is the operative word. If one can't work it out, Goggggle it.

Never had a bad experience with AA. Nice 'n cheap, great birds, and easy to book. Buses are a pain in the a$$ at Suvarnabhumi though

[Levent]

It is a bit shortsighted in my opinion to claim that an aircraft was about to crash without substantiating that claim. What were the exact circumstances? Was there bad turbulence? Was there a severe crosswind? Was there windshear? Pilots are thoroughly trained to cope with all these situations. Sure, sometimes it does go wrong, as with any mode of transportation. Or was it sloppy, unsafe flying by the crew?? Wasn't the aircraft configured correctly for landing?

To say 'I will never fly AirAsia again' on a public forum because of a bad experience which remains unclarified (or to share the information provided by someone else) is not very productive at all. If the incident was indeed caused by neglicence from AirAsia (i.e. poor maintenance, badly trained pilots, etc.) fine, but without any further info the statement made by the OP's colleague means nothing.

[Wellyoudidask]

Sounds like my sister..... Had a flight into BKK once during the rainy season with some heavy turbulence. She is not te bravest of travelers.

It doesn't help nervous flyers when people blow a rough landing out of proportion with an "almost crashed" description either.

Bit like saying we almost had an earthquake isnt it ?.. Must have been his first rough flight,, During the war .. !!!

[misterme]

Everytime you get into a plane, you are doing something that is highly unnormal......

Getting in a million pound piece of metal and flammable gas, strapped around a jet engine, all made to defy a basic law of physics, gravity. A rough landing and even a crash are going to happen sometime. Remember that the next time you are stuck in an airplane somewhere.

I'm baffled at the public misconceptions about flying. Don't be offended if I say how INACURATE your post is.

A basic theory of flight knowledge would put most people's fear of flying to rest.

You may not be concerned about Lift. It occurs because the wings design causes air to flow faster over the top of the wing than it does under the wing. The air pressure is lower on top of the wing than it is below the wing. The High Pressure air under the wing lifts the plane into the air utilizing Bernoulli's Principal.

Basically, because of wing design and air rushing both over and under a wing, a natural vacuum occurs. Almost like a real vacuum cleaner is sucking up on each of the wings. The suction/lift has known boundries, which is why it's important not to overload the weight (and distribute it evenly).

Withing the well understood boundries, flying is one of the safest ways to travel. Quite natural. Quite fun.

Edited May 1, 2007 by misterme

[qualtrough]

Jets don't fly on 'flammable gas', its closer to kerosene. You'll still be burnt to a crisp in the event of a fire though!

[cdnvic]

Jets don't fly on 'flammable gas', its closer to kerosene. You'll still be burnt to a crisp in the event of a fire though!

The fuel is located in the wings and in most cases is dumped before an emergency landing. In most cases where the crash is survivable there is more than enough time to evacuate the cabin before the fire spreads there. The Air France crash in Toronto is a good example. Runway over-run, a crash down a ravine, fire, and zero deaths.

Notice how the fire is confined to the wing area? Jet fuel isn't explosive live gasoline, and there is an even less explosive (but more expensive) formula called JP-5 that they could be using but people would scream about the added price of tickets.

[mosquitoman]

Jets don't fly on 'flammable gas', its closer to kerosene. You'll still be burnt to a crisp in the event of a fire though!

The fuel is located in the wings and in most cases is dumped before an emergency landing. In most cases where the crash is survivable there is more than enough time to evacuate the cabin before the fire spreads there. The Air France crash in Toronto is a good example. Runway over-run, a crash down a ravine, fire, and zero deaths.

Notice how the fire is confined to the wing area? Jet fuel isn't explosive live gasoline, and there is an even less explosive (but more expensive) formula called JP-5 that they could be using but people would scream about the added price of tickets.

I also remember how the Air France Concorde burst into flames and no one escaped alive.

MM

[cdnvic]

I also remember how the Air France Concorde burst into flames and no one escaped alive.

Note "survivable" crash. Slamming into a hotel at 200 knots killed everyone instantly.

Edited May 1, 2007 by cdnvic

[Levent]

I also remember how the Air France Concorde burst into flames and no one escaped alive.

MM

You wouldn't survive a car crash at 200 miles per hour either, would you? Let alone 200 knots... airbag or no airbag

[Jamie]

I think the worse part of flying is take-off. Once you leave the runway, you are pretty much committed. If something happens during that time, there is no turning back and trying again.

[PhilHarries]

Notice how the fire is confined to the wing area? Jet fuel isn't explosive live gasoline, and there is an even less explosive (but more expensive) formula called JP-5 that they could be using but people would scream about the added price of tickets.

Back in the mid seventies I worked at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough UK (famous for the bi-annual airshow). One of the projects I as involved in was testing anti-misting kerosene (AMK). Basically there are three air crash scenarios, take off and landing where most people survive the crash but die in the fire and mid flight where everyone dies. So if you can stop the fuel burning you will save lives for two out of three scenarios and that is easy to do with the addition of a long chain polymer to prevent the formation of a vapour cloud.

Unfortunately non-flammable kerosene is not very good at powering aircraft up into the sky so you need a degrader adead of the engine to break down the polymer chains and allow the fuel to burn.

There were problems to overcome but the tests were going well, however the airlines killed it off on economic grounds plus you'd need double fuel storage facilities at every airport to cope with AMK and regular fuel buring aircraft. It appears that Mr Joe Average is more interested in saving ten quid on his flight to Benidorm than pay for a safer journey.

[lampard10]

not here to discount either way, however.....

Everytime you get into a plane, you are doing something that is highly unnormal......

Getting in a million pound piece of metal and flammable gas, strapped around a jet engine, all made to defy a basic law of physics, gravity. A rough landing and even a crash are going to happen sometime. Remember that the next time you are stuck in an airplane somewhere. Hopefully the guy fixing it is not in any hurry because the passengers are mad because the 'idoits' can not fix it in time for you to get home for dinner.... (no, I am not an airline employee)

But I was...............................................as I've said countless times before, flying is less dangerous than walking down a flight of stairs.

Now an interesting part is that this lady will not fly Air Asia again, because the aircraft DIDN'T CRASH. Oh dear, oh dear.

In fact if what she says is true, (5555555555555) then it's normally full marks to the flight crew for preventing this event. Anyway, can someone tell me how an Aircraft 'nearly' crashes.

" Ladies and Gentlemen, please fasten your seatbelts as we are going to crash"

" Ok folks, let them go, we didn't crash, but we nearly did"

Although I suppose the Japanese 747 that fell 30,000 ft on it's back, before the pilot regained control, could have announced that.

Edited May 2, 2007 by lampard10

[toptuan]

Jet fuel isn't explosive like gasoline...

Remember the TWA flight that exploded over Long Island (I think shortly after 9/11)? In addition to the theory that a terrorist might have brought down the jet with a hand-held rocket launcher, wasn't the other theory that some kind of electrical spark/ignition in the wing's electrical circuits blew up the fuel and brought down the jet? Witnesses recounted seeing a fireball in the sky. How does that theory mesh with your above statement? Help me here.

[lampard10]

Jet fuel isn't explosive like gasoline...

Remember the TWA flight that exploded over Long Island (I think shortly after 9/11)? In addition to the theory that a terrorist might have brought down the jet with a hand-held rocket launcher, wasn't the other theory that some kind of electrical spark/ignition in the wing's electrical circuits blew up the fuel and brought down the jet? Witnesses recounted seeing a fireball in the sky. How does that theory mesh with your above statement? Help me here.

Another name for Jet fuel is Parafine, or Kerosine if your a sherman. The fuel does not burn unless subject to certain conditions, and is certainly not volatile. Like a Parafine lamp, you have to have a wick, or pressure. If you spray it over clothing, then the clothing will burn, not the fuel.