Excitement On Phuket Air

[Bangkok Barry]

From Monday's London Daily Telegraph......

British holidaymakers last night spoke of their frantic efforts to ground a flight after fuel was spotted pouring from a wing during take-off from the United Arab Emirates.

Passengers screamed, refused to sit in their seats and demanded that the pilot stop the flight as fuel spewed from the aircraft as it accelerated along the runway.

Three hours later, when the pilot attempted a second take-off after the leak was apparently repaired, passengers again spotted fuel spilling and the plane remained grounded at Sharjah.

The drama on the Phuket Air flight from Bangkok to Gatwick left hundreds of Britons stranded in the UAE. The aircraft had landed for routine refuelling but many of the 400 passengers said they would not go back on board today, even if the fault was fixed.

Jane Shackleton, 68, from Freshwater, Isle of Wight, who was returning from Phuket with her family said: "It was terrifying. Everyone was on their feet shouting for the plane to stop after a man next to the window started yelling that fuel was pouring down from the wing over an engine. We were all thinking about the Concorde crash a few years ago."

A Foreign Office spokesman said British Embassy staff in Dubai were arranging for passengers to continue their onward flight.

[HarryHacker]

Never have there been so many complaints about an airline in such a short period of time.

Who regulates these companies?

[britmaveric]

Prob one of the reasons Phuket Air is shutting down service from London!!!

[pedro01]

Just received an email from a friend on that flight..

"Flew out of BKK at midnight on Saturday scheduled to refuel in Sharjah (U.A.E.) and due to arrive Gatwick 8.00a.m. approx. After we had waited two hours in Sharjah the captain announced that they had overfueled the aircraft causing spillage which they would have to clean up. Another hour later he announced that we were all to disembark the aircraft as they thought it mught be a fuel leak. Three hours later we were called back onboard and taxied off. As the power went on for takeoff I heard a few shouts from the back of the plane which I assumed were from some 'happy' passengers pleased to be on our way. Seconds later the cheering increased, and increased, until eventually I could make out people shouting 'STOP', and 'STOP', and very soon the whole rear half of the plane were all out of their seats screaming 'STOP THE PLANE', 'THERE"S A FIRE'. I turned to see a paninc stricken stewardess shouting into the intercom to stop the plane. The plane then came to a grinding halt, the captain came down and went to the back of the plane. We then taxied back to the terminal and disembarked again. After about another two hours we were all herded onto buses and we are all now staying in various hotels around Sharjah cortesy of Phuket Airlines. The word going around is that we might be here until Tuesday morning. Aaaaarrrggghhh."

[tolsti]

An airliner which was forced to abort take-off twice after alarmed passengers spotted fuel spewing from a wing, is set to make a third attempt.

Britons have told of their frantic efforts to stop the Phuket Air flight taking off at Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.

The flight from Bangkok to Gatwick was forced to abort takeoff twice after refuelling, according to some passengers.

According to one witness, passengers screamed and refused to sit in their seats as they demanded the pilot abandon his attempt to get the plane in the air.

Three hours later, the pilot tried for a second take-off after the Boeing 747-300 was fixed, but passengers again spotted fuel spillage and the plane remained grounded, she claimed.

Some 400 Britons were stuck in the desert stop-off overnight.

The duty manager at Sharjah International Airport told smh.com.au that the plane has been fixed and is due for departure in a few hours,

They (Phuket Air) said departure will be between 6am and 7am (1pm AEST). Flight is ready, fixed everything,'' Sultan al-Mazem said.

Passenger Michelle Richards, 53, of England, told smh.com.au the flight had been delayed by several hours.

``Providing they can reassure us ... I think we'll get back on the plane,'' she said.

But Ms Richards, who is being put up at the Sharjah Airport Hotel, said other passengers were more fearful about reboarding the plane.

``There's quite a few who aren't prepared to get back on the flight so I don't know what's going to happen when we get to the airport this morning,'' she said.

She said the cabin had been filled with screams as the plane gathered speed for take-off.

``As the plane was going down runway we heard this shouting. We just wondered what was going on. Everybody was saying: `Stop, stop','' she said.

It wasn't until the plane taxied back to the terminal that she and her travelling companion learned that the mid-take-off drama was sparked after passengers spotted a fuel leak.

Before yesterday's flight was aborted passengers had been made more alert because the pilot had announced there was a fire danger because fuel had been spilt during refuelling.

Jane Shackleton, 68, from Freshwater, Isle of Wight, was returning from a holiday in Phuket with her family.

She told her son Richard in London: "It was terrifying. Everyone was on their feet shouting and screaming for the plane to stop after a man next to the window started yelling that fuel was pouring down from the wing over the engine pod.

"We were all thinking about the Concorde crash a few years ago."

Mrs Shackleton was travelling with her daughter, son-in-law and their three children, aged 12, 11, and four and a 16-year-old niece.

Her son-in-law Dr Peter Hill, 46, also from the Isle of Wight, said: "There is no way I will allow my wife and three children to board that plane again. They are just too frightened."

Mrs Shackleton telephoned her son in London shortly after the aborted take-offs early this morning.

Richard Shackleton told the Press Association last night: "It sounded like complete and utter ghastly panic as a man leapt up from his seat yelling there was fuel everywhere when the plane was beginning to accelerate.

"There is some confusion. The airport are saying the plane will be fixed overnight and be made available for takeoff first thing tomorrow morning but a large number of passengers are refusing to get on the plane because the children are deeply, deeply upset."

He said the British embassy in Dubai was helping to find alternative flights for the passengers.

A Foreign Office spokesman said he was aware of the incident and officials in Dubai were looking into the details of what happened.

He said: "We understand they have all been put up in a hotel at the airport and our officials are trying to investigate what happened over there."

A Foreign Office spokesman later said: "The reports we have got are that it was a routine refuelling stop.

"On takeoff after refuelling, fuel was seen to be leaking by the passengers so the flight was abandoned.

"All the passengers are to be accommodated overnight in hotels in the area and they will all be given evening meals and breakfast.

"Then arrangements will be made for them to continue their onward flight."

The Foreign Office confirmed it was a Phuket Air flight.

The Press Association was unable to contact a spokesman for the airline at its Bangkok or UK offices tonight.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[dr_Pat_Pong]

A bloody cowboy outfit. Ground 'em.

[penzman]

I ve seen this happen once on a flight from Ottawa to Winnipeg and quietly told the stewardess. Shouting about it causes panic.

[The_Moog]

I ve seen this happen once on a flight from Ottawa to Winnipeg and quietly told the stewardess. Shouting about it causes panic.

'The squeaky wheel gets the grease'

If that gets Crew to stop a flying death-trap, shouting is fine !

[HarryHacker]

A bloody cowboy outfit. Ground 'em. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

100% seconded!

[alex100]

No doubt the UK Civil Aviation Authority will hear about this - the aircrew should log it as an incident but probably will not hopefully ramp checks on their Aircraft in the UK will now inctrease - it is probably why they are ceasing flights to UK - not confident that their servicing meets the CAA standards. They will continue into Holland where checks are less rigourous. Stay clear of this outfit.

[cdnvic]

One look at Phuket's aircraft on the tarmac show's how decrepit these machines are. The are flying some aircraft that the cargo haulers, and even Garuda have tossed aside. It's only a matter of time until one of them becomes a big flaming wreck.

Don't be fooled by low prices, research your airline, or ask here.

cv

[SeaVisionBurma]

I ve seen this happen once on a flight from Ottawa to Winnipeg and quietly told the stewardess. Shouting about it causes panic.

'The squeaky wheel gets the grease'

If that gets Crew to stop a flying death-trap, shouting is fine !

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

agreed! If the aircraft has started its take-off roll, the time for quietly informing the cabin crew is past. How will you get their attention? Ring the call button?

At that late moment - the only chance to get them to abort the flight would be to shout and cause a commotion - anything done 'quietly' would not get the fast response needed - or it may not get a response at all......

better a panic on the ground, than an explosion several hundred feet up!

[The_Moog]

Story not on MCOT - as of course it makes Thai Industry look silly.

(Thai - Industry - an interesting juxtaposition)

For incidents on the taxiway - you get OFF as quick as possible - get to the exit and ....even jump out - if the fuselage is filling with black smoke - a broken ankle is a small price to pay.

A similar disaster in UK some years back saw all the calm people who stayed in their seats suffocate, whereas all the younger stronger people who made a beeline (pushing and shoving) for the escape chute survived. It was 'survival of the fittest' writ large.

[alex100]

Just been reported on the BBC with video and passenger interviews stuck in Sharja.

[cdnvic]

Unfortunately "mai pen rai", saving face, and aircraft safety do not go together well. I give Thai Airways credit though for keeping a more modern well maintained fleet.

cv

[alex100]

Phuket Air have just replied to the BBC's report saying the passengers were all drunk and causing problems the ones in the report were all over 55 one a retired doctor don't seem like lager louts to me.

[markee]

Don't wish to be wise after the event but as I posted in January after having the misfortune to fly with this company, this is an accident waiting to happen. That is not (you may be surprised to hear) just because their planes are litterally falling apart but because of their don't care about you or your safety as long as the plane is crammed full attitude.

Unfortunately air safety and the Thai culture of lies and face do not go together. I can see their response after a crash now i.e. "We have flown over 1000 flights on this route, so with only one incident that isn't bad is it?"

CAVEAT EMPTOR

[johnh101]

Unfortunately Sharjah Airport has a reputation for accepting airlines that Dubai have rejected for failing to meet their required safety standards. The terminal is full of clapped out Tupelovs and Antonov's that should have been retired with Breshnev.

Very few Major (reputable) airlines (with the exceptions of some freight lines) use Sharjah Airport for the same reasons.

[expatgaz]

Been quoted on here many times abt this airline being a death trap yet people still fly on it cos its cheap, If i was on this flight i would not even think abt getting back on, I'd pay for a flight to Dubai and get a proper airline to get me back to the u.k. Can't believe people are hanging around waiting to get on the death trap. You can't put a price on your safety.

[johnh101]

Been quoted on here many times abt this airline being a death trap yet people still fly on it cos its cheap, If i was on this flight i would not even think abt getting back on, I'd pay for a flight to Dubai and get a proper airline to get me back to the u.k. Can't believe people are hanging around waiting to get on the death trap. You can't put a price on your safety.

Dubai Airport is about 30 minutes in a taxi.

[pedro01]

Been quoted on here many times abt this airline being a death trap yet people still fly on it cos its cheap, If i was on this flight i would not even think abt getting back on, I'd pay for a flight to Dubai and get a proper airline to get me back to the u.k. Can't believe people are hanging around waiting to get on the death trap. You can't put a price on your safety.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Dubai Airport is about 30 minutes in a taxi.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Doesn't seem to have bothered my mate - seems like the plane is off again in the morning...

"I went into Dubai last night to calm the nerves, and was chatted up by a Chinese masseuse/hooker in the Churchill Sports Bar in the Sofitel Hotel. Having just spent a week in BKK I wasn't up for it so quietly declined and left. The panic of yesterday seems to have evaporated with a good night's sleep although there are still a few 'moaners'. Phuket Airlines have given everyone the choice of leaving today at 2.00pm on the same plane or tomorrow on a different plane. I have no problem using the same plane if there is a pilot and crew that has the confidence to fly it, so I should be landing in Gatwick at 5.00pm. I hear that the debacle has made the national news in the UK so I'm praying there's no press waiting at Gatwick.

Martin

PS. If I don't make it, tell my brother he can keep my chess set. Yeehahhhhh. Dah dah dah dah dah dah da da......(to the tune of the Dam Busters)."

[The_Moog]

Phuket Air have just replied to the BBC's report saying the passengers were all drunk and causing problems the ones in the report were all over 55 one a retired doctor don't seem like lager louts to me.

This is a magnificent excuse! Hurrah!

[Pattaya_Fox]

9.51a.m. ITV.com. Mon Apr 4 2005

Jet Passengers `screamed for their lives`

Terrified passengers screamed in panic as they watched "gallons" of fuel gush from the wing of their plane as it prepared to take off.

Holidaymakers on the Phuket Air flight to London Gatwick threatened to storm the cockpit unless the plane was halted.

The drama came as the plane, originally from Bangkok, Thailand, prepared to take off at Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates for the second time after an earlier fuel scare halted the planned take-off.

Arriving back at Gatwick Airport after being transferred to an Emirates flight, honeymooners Marcus and Charlotte Walsh told how the panic began on the initial take off.

Mr Walsh, 28, from Manchester, said: "The fuel was just leaking off the end of the wing and one of the passengers stood up when we were at the end of the runway shouting `Stop the plane, stop the plane`."

An engineer was called to sit beside the passenger and see the fuel for himself.

Debbie Phillips, 45, said: "You hade the feeling that if it had gone any further something definitely would have gone wrong."

Passenger Dr. Peter Hill, 46, from the Isle of Wight, told how the engineer`s face just went "white" and the plane was stopped.

Others told how they sat initially on the plane without food or water with the temperature rising as workers used sticks to clear the excess fuel.

Eventually, after the passengers were taken off and then returned to the plane, the crew prepared to set off again.

Seventeen year old Harriet Peckham, Dr. Hill`s niece, said: "When we got back on the plane everyone was just eyeing the window, everyone was just watching the window, watching for drips.

"There were a few drips at the beginning, then we turned arround the corner to go on the runway and there was just loads, gallons of fuel came out, it was just terrible."

"People were up and they were ready to storm the cabin and there are people still out there now."

Dr. Hill said that he personally spoke to the flight engineer before getting back on the plane and was reassured that everything was fine.

But describing the scene as panic broke out. he said: "Fuel was gushing out of the wing. 70 people were hysterically shouting ` Stop the plane, stop the plane`, which they did. IF they hadn`t. who knows."

Phuket Airlines was founded in January 2001 in line with the Thai Government`s open sky policy.

[johnh101]

I am currently living directly under the flight path of Sharjah Airport (scary eh !)

Last night sitting in the garden with a cold one, the wife told me she had not seen or heard a plane all day, now we know why......can't be using a runway covered in aviation fuel ! !

[johnh101]

From the Times online.....

"David Morrow, of the internet news service Air Transport Intelligence, said: "Fuel does occasionally seep out of aircraft, but from passenger accounts, this incident sounds something quite serious. Although aviation fuel is different to what you put in your car, it’s still fairly volatile stuff. However, I have never known a fuel leak bring down a plane."

No fuel will bring a plane down rather quickly

[Steve2UK]

Just love the way the Google advert machine responds to forum content sometimes. Here's what appears at the top of the first page of this thread...........

Stress Panic or Anxiety ?

Help is here, personal reply today, for all of these problems

www.hypnotherapy-online.co.uk

Edited April 4, 2005 by Steve2UK

[Ricardo]

Phuket Air have just replied to the BBC's report saying the passengers were all drunk and causing problems the ones in the report were all over 55 one a retired doctor don't seem like lager louts to me.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I saw this on the lunch-time news on Monday - and they were interviewing middle-aged holiday-makers, not lager-louts , from what we saw,as they came through at Gatwick Airport.

Naughty passengers - to make a fuss, just because the aircraft is about to crash & burn. Poor airline - to have to put up with self-loading cargo like these.

Just as well they're stopping flying to the UK - now the cheap fares won't be tempting us !

But I still see the ads, at the top of this page , 'Cheap Fares on Phuket Airways' !

Now I wonder why they're so cheap ? Definitely one to avoid in future.

[350torana]

Sharjah,...I think the basket case of all the Emirates , imagine the airport reflects this, even Ail Ain airport would better. I assume the landing fees at Dubai and Abu Dhabi convince an airline to take the cheaper option

[Steve2UK]

Just love the way the Google advert machine responds to forum content sometimes. Here's what appears at the top of the first page of this thread........... 

Stress Panic or Anxiety ?

Help is here, personal reply today, for all of these problems

www.hypnotherapy-online.co.uk

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It gets better.......... now one of the Google ads is showing as:

Find flight training

List of flight training We have flight training

[banchang]

Im not sure but isnt the mainteinance on Puket Air carried out by Thai Airways at Sattahip U-tapao.I see them test flying over my condo occasionally