Scoot flight horror: Technical fault sparks panic among passengers on Singapore to Bangkok route

[snoop1130]

Smoke in the cabin of flight TR605, which had left Bangkok at 3.56pm local time. Picture courtesy of Straits Times.

 

Passengers on a Scoot flight from Singapore to Bangkok feared for their lives when a technical fault caused the aircraft to catch fire yesterday afternoon. Pictures taken by a passenger on the TR605 flight showed a plume-filled cabin. The Airbus A321 departed Bangkok at 3.56pm and was due to arrive in Singapore at 7.15pm.

 

As a result of the technical fault, the flight was forced to turn back and return to Bangkok. A Scoot spokesperson told The Straits Times…

 

“As a safety precaution, a decision was made to return to Bangkok.”

 

The aircraft had 230 passengers and eight crew members on board.

 

After landing in Bangkok at 5.09pm local time, passengers were given refreshments. According to Flightradar, the Airbus A321 made at least four loops near the island of Ko Si Chang in southern Thailand before circling back to Bangkok. The aircraft later departed Suvarnabhumi Airport at 7.27pm local time after the fault was rectified and arrived in Singapore at 10.26pm.

 

One passenger, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the pilot had announced 30 minutes into the flight that there was a ventilation issue and they needed to turn back. The passenger said…

 

“There was this damp smell, like something was leaking.”

 

Full Story: https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/expats/scoot-flight-horror-technical-fault-sparks-panic-among-passengers-on-singapore-to-bangkok-route

 

-- © Copyright Thaiger 2023-05-09

 

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[steven100]

aha ....   it's not smoke ... as in fire ,  it's cold air/mist from the aircon condenser unit ....  nothing to be alarmed about ..    haha

 

[mrmicbkktxl]

Thought Koh Si Chang is eastern Thailand near Sriracha 

[Moonlover]

52 minutes ago, steven100 said:

aha ....   it's not smoke ... as in fire ,  it's cold air/mist from the aircon condenser unit ....  nothing to be alarmed about ..    haha

 

'The aircraft later departed Suvarnabhumi Airport at 7.27pm local time after the fault was rectified and arrived in Singapore at 10.26pm'.

 

A quick turnaround and it was on its way again. Clearly not a fire!

[orchis]

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

a plume-filled cabin

as in a pillow

[Maybole]

Non story. Minor fault probably in the air con system. Probably no specialist staff in Singapore so he turned back to get it fixed. The 4 "loops" were probably getting advice from technical crew in Bangkok in an effort to fix it without landing.

[wpcoe]

8 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Passengers on a Scoot flight from Singapore to Bangkok feared for their lives when a technical fault caused the aircraft to catch fire yesterday afternoon. Pictures taken by a passenger on the TR605 flight showed a plume-filled cabin. The Airbus A321 departed Bangkok at 3.56pm and was due to arrive in Singapore at 7.15pm.

 

"..a Scoot flight from Singapore to Bangkok..."

 

"...Airbus A321 departed Bangkok at 3.56pm and was due to arrive in Singapore at 7.15pm..."

 

Great accuracy in reporting.     Causes me to wonder about the rest of the information in the article.

 

 

[bignok]

42 minutes ago, wpcoe said:

"..a Scoot flight from Singapore to Bangkok..."

 

"...Airbus A321 departed Bangkok at 3.56pm and was due to arrive in Singapore at 7.15pm..."

 

Great accuracy in reporting.     Causes me to wonder about the rest of the information in the article.

 

 

Awful reporting

[ezzra]

If an emergency was not declared that it was a minor issue, otherwise the pilot must dump fuel before commencing emergency procedures and landing.

[jacko45k]

9 hours ago, steven100 said:

aha ....   it's not smoke ... as in fire ,  it's cold air/mist from the aircon condenser unit ....  nothing to be alarmed about ..    haha

 

Not some pot head with a bong?

[jacko45k]

7 hours ago, Maybole said:

Non story. Minor fault probably in the air con system. Probably no specialist staff in Singapore so he turned back to get it fixed. The 4 "loops" were probably getting advice from technical crew in Bangkok in an effort to fix it without landing.

I don't think so..... having an aircraft full of panicked passengers does not warrant continuing on for two more hours with a plume filled cabin. Singapore Airport is well stocked with competent staff. 

[daveAustin]

Like how the comments nonchalantly dismiss it as trivial, like they wouldn’t be pooing their pants flying with this bunch, then this happens (‘it’s not normal, probably aircon condensation’ etc…) and the plane turns back!

Was looking at alternatives from Europe a while back and this Scoot popped up. Ok if you fly with absolutely no weight (and don’t breathe probably) but with all the add ons ad nauseam—which made AirAsia look good even—and all the ‘extras’ one would typically get with a standard flight with a NORMAL airline, it worked out about the same lol. Mickey Mow airline. 

Edited May 9, 2023 by daveAustin

[KhaoYai]

9 hours ago, Moonlover said:

A quick turnaround and it was on its way again. Clearly not a fire!

So you wouldn't have been worried at all then?

[hotchilli]

10 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

“There was this damp smell, like something was leaking.”

Speak up Mr Brown you're through?

[hotchilli]

8 hours ago, Maybole said:

The 4 "loops" were probably getting advice from technical crew in Bangkok in an effort to fix it without landing.

Probably taking time to establish the exact fault going through the system checks, but more likely to burn off some excess fuel so they didn't have an overweight landing.

Better than dumping it over the ocean.

[Smokey and the Bandit]

39 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

I don't think so..... having an aircraft full of panicked passengers does not warrant continuing on for two more hours with a plume filled cabin. Singapore Airport is well stocked with competent staff. 

Certainly Singapore would have more competent staff than Thailand, Scoot is part of Singapore airlines!

[VocalNeal]

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

If an emergency was not declared that it was a minor issue, otherwise the pilot must dump fuel before commencing emergency procedures and landing.

By doing four loops around Ko Si Chang

[Smokey and the Bandit]

38 minutes ago, daveAustin said:

Like how the comments nonchalantly dismiss it as trivial, like they wouldn’t be pooing their pants flying with this bunch, then this happens (‘it’s not normal, probably aircon condensation’ etc…) and the plane turns back!

Was looking at alternatives from Europe a while back and this Scoot popped up. Ok if you fly with absolutely no weight (and don’t breathe probably) but with all the add ons ad nauseam—which made AirAsia look good even—and all the ‘extras’ one would typically get with a standard flight with a NORMAL airline, it worked out about the same lol. Mickey Mow airline. 

Pre Covid, they were, price wise, pretty good for a low cost airline, but since things have got back to 'normal' their prices have gone thru the roof and really not worth it, especially if you have to check in bags, they almost cost the same as a person?

[ezzra]

8 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

By doing four loops around Ko Si Chang

The emergency procedures call for the fuel to be dumped over a body of water or an uninhibited area but it seems that this was not the case in this story, what was the reason to around 4 times is probably to isolate the cause for the alarm.

[Moonlover]

1 hour ago, KhaoYai said:

10 hours ago, Moonlover said:

A quick turnaround and it was on its way again. Clearly not a fire!

 

1 hour ago, KhaoYai said:

So you wouldn't have been worried at all then?

No, not at all. If a competent aerospace engineer says the aircraft is safe to fly and the captain agrees, then who am I to question them?

 

I'd be very happy to be on my way.

 

[KannikaP]

11 hours ago, steven100 said:

aha ....   it's not smoke ... as in fire ,  it's cold air/mist from the aircon condenser unit ....  nothing to be alarmed about ..    haha

 

And that's what caused the 'plumes' in the cabin. 555

[herfiehandbag]

12 hours ago, mrmicbkktxl said:

Thought Koh Si Chang is eastern Thailand near Sriracha 

Windscreen misted up so he couldn't see where he was going?

[wwest5829]

I did experience an air conditioning condensation issue on a domestic Chinese flight in 1997. Think it was a DC-3 because you literally walked up the aisle. We left the airfield where it was unbearably hot and humid. As we gained altitude rolls of fog began to pour into the cabin from overhead (no smell of smoke so of little concern). It was like the "Twilight Zone" as the Stewardess walked toward the front of the plane and disappeared into the fog!!!

[Moonlover]

1 hour ago, KannikaP said:

13 hours ago, steven100 said:

aha ....   it's not smoke ... as in fire ,  it's cold air/mist from the aircon condenser unit ....  nothing to be alarmed about ..    haha

 

 

1 hour ago, KannikaP said:

And that's what caused the 'plumes' in the cabin. 555

Yes I'm pretty sure @steven100 is correct. It certainly wasn't smoke, there were no reports of anyone suffering from smoke inhalation. The problem was reported to be with the ventilation system. Plumes of water vapour/condensation is entirely consistent with that kind of fault.

[Almer]

11 hours ago, Maybole said:

Non story. Minor fault probably in the air con system. Probably no specialist staff in Singapore so he turned back to get it fixed. The 4 "loops" were probably getting advice from technical crew in Bangkok in an effort to fix it without landing.

Yep that sounds spot on

[Moonlover]

12 hours ago, Maybole said:

Non story. Minor fault probably in the air con system. Probably no specialist staff in Singapore so he turned back to get it fixed. The 4 "loops" were probably getting advice from technical crew in Bangkok in an effort to fix it without landing.

I don't know why you would think that there are no specialist staff in Singapore. Changi is after all Scoot's home base!

 

But I do agree with you that this was a problem with the ventilation/air con system. More specifically it was probably a cabin pressurization issue. The captain would have no choice but to turn back because he would be unable to take the aircraft up to the normal cruising altitude to join the flight corridor. 

 

The four loops would be to burn off fuel to get down to landing weight.

Edited May 10, 2023 by Moonlover

[blackshadow]

14 hours ago, mrmicbkktxl said:

Thought Koh Si Chang is eastern Thailand near Sriracha 

not very  good at geography here in thailand....do not get it taught in thai schools !!!

[Burma Bill]

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

showed a plume-filled cabin.

One of the air hostesses??

 

[brucegoniners]

My dear departed Mom used to say, you get what you pay for.

 

Taking an airline with lousy ratings for an international flight is like playing Russian Roulette. You may survive or you might die.

[KhaoYai]

10 hours ago, Moonlover said:

 

No, not at all. If a competent aerospace engineer says the aircraft is safe to fly and the captain agrees, then who am I to question them?

 

I'd be very happy to be on my way.

 

How many competent aircraft engineers travel on the flight?  You talk as if the panic was over nothing.  It appears that the fault turned out to be a minor one but looking at the photo, I'm not at all surprised that people were very worried.