THAI Plane Makes Emergency Landing In India

[george]

Thai plane makes emergency landing at Kolkata

KOLKATA: -- A Munich-bound Thai aircraft with 355 passengers on board made an emergency landing at Netaji International Airport after developing a snag.

The pilot informed Kolkata Air Traffic Control that the plane, which was on its way from Bangkok to Munich, would make an emergency landing at the airport because of some pressure difficulty in the aircraft following which arrangements for emergency landing were immediately made.

Ambulance and fire engines were kept ready near the runway to meet any situation, sources said.

After landing, the aircraft was thoroughly checked and it was found that one of its windshield on the right side of the pilot's cabin was damaged.

--Agencies 2005-05-22

[Foggy Bottom]

Thai plane makes emergency landing at Kolkata

KOLKATA:  -- A Munich-bound Thai aircraft with 355 passengers on board made an emergency landing at Netaji International Airport after developing a snag.

The pilot informed Kolkata Air Traffic Control that the plane, which was on its way from Bangkok to Munich, would make an emergency landing at the airport because of some pressure difficulty in the aircraft following which arrangements for emergency landing were immediately made.

Ambulance and fire engines were kept ready near the runway to meet any situation, sources said.

After landing, the aircraft was thoroughly checked and it was found that one of its windshield on the right side of the pilot's cabin was damaged.

--Agencies 2005-05-22

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sounds like a bird strike - outside of pilot's or airline's control - and surprisingly common.

[dragonmasterzip]

After landing, the aircraft was thoroughly checked and it was found that one of its windshield on the right side of the pilot's cabin was damaged.

--Agencies 2005-05-22

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sounds like a bird strike - outside of pilot's or airline's control - and surprisingly common.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Clearly a terrorist bird. If it were on a list, it would not be allowed in the air.

Are we getting just a bit crazy here?

[timi2546]

Thai plane makes emergency landing at Kolkata

KOLKATA:  -- A Munich-bound Thai aircraft with 355 passengers on board made an emergency landing at Netaji International Airport after developing a snag.

The pilot informed Kolkata Air Traffic Control that the plane, which was on its way from Bangkok to Munich, would make an emergency landing at the airport because of some pressure difficulty in the aircraft following which arrangements for emergency landing were immediately made.

---thank god nothing else happened

[peder.klockmann]

Clearly a terrorist bird. If it were on a list, it would not be allowed in the air.

Are we getting just a bit crazy here?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Crazy about what? A cracked windshield on a cockpit window is very serious.

I am an Airport Rescue Fire Fighter and whenever something like this happens, we ALLWAYS respond to the runway at certain designated points on the airfield. Doesn't matter if it is a bird strike, hydraulic indicator lights or the runway is wet and the pilot is scared. We call it an IFE (In-flight Emergency).

They are very common. I would suspect that every large volume traffic airport recieves about 2-20 per week.

[dan10400]

--Agencies 2005-05-22

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sounds like a bird strike - outside of pilot's or airline's control - and surprisingly common.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

birds at 33,000 feet?

bird strikes are usually during or directly after take-off and landing. seems

a bit unlikely that a serious strike would occur and then travel all the way to

India before a problem occurs.

--dan

[lampard10]

]

Clearly a terrorist bird. If it were on a list, it would not be allowed in the air.

Are we getting just a bit crazy here?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What are you spouting on about. Bird strikes on take off is one of the most commonest forms of emergencies. Usually they get sucked into the engine,and if the bird is big enough,can blow the donkey. Other parts are also vunerable,ie control surfaces,antennae,radome,windscreen. That is the reason why Airport authoroties spend so much money on birdscarers,bird flares,thunderflashes etc. Bird strikes at altitude are rare,but nevertheless can still occur. Up there,your'e not going to hit a single bird,but a whole flock of them.

[Tornado]

Thai Airways?

[Totster]

and if the bird is big enough,can blow the donkey.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I saw a film about that once....

totster

[waldwolf]

Believe it or not, the altitude record for a bird is 37,900 feet. It was a species of vulture with a 10 foot wingspread, sucked into a jet engine over the Ivory Coast of West Africa. Aircraft was damage but managed to land OK.

According to observers, "the bird that flies highest most regularly is the bar-headed goose Anser indicus, which travels directly over the Himalayas en route between its nesting grounds in Tibet and winter quarters in India. They are sometimes seen flying well above the peak of Mt. Everest at 29,035 ft."

It would take a rather large bird, roughly the size of a goose, to crack or break one of the cockpit windows in a modern jetliner. Therefore the Ander goose theory appears to fit based on both size, location and past history.

Of course they could do DNA testing of the "splatter" on the window itself.

(In my younger days, almost got taken out by a duck while flying a plane at 14,000 feet. Scared the he*l out of me. Thought it was another aircraft at first.)

cheers

[aviador88]

Thai plane makes emergency landing at Kolkata

KOLKATA:  -- A Munich-bound Thai aircraft with 355 passengers on board made an emergency landing at Netaji International Airport after developing a snag.

The pilot informed Kolkata Air Traffic Control that the plane, which was on its way from Bangkok to Munich, would make an emergency landing at the airport because of some pressure difficulty in the aircraft following which arrangements for emergency landing were immediately made.

Ambulance and fire engines were kept ready near the runway to meet any situation, sources said.

After landing, the aircraft was thoroughly checked and it was found that one of its windshield on the right side of the pilot's cabin was damaged.

--Agencies 2005-05-22

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Always this "panic in the voice" emergency crap when the media gets a hold of it.

I don't know what kind of airplane it was, certainly a heavy judging by he number of pax on it.

The crew must have wrestled with the problem of not maintaining sufficient pressure in the vessel for quite a while until deciding to make a precautionary landing in India.

After landing, the aircraft was thoroughly checked and it was found that one of it's windshields etc.

Amongst the many possible reasons why they had a pressurization problem this was certainly not one of them. Obvious damage to a cockpit windshield visible to the crew and serious enough to cause a pressure problem definitely does not require a "thorough" check of the entire aircraft after landing. Even other causes, like a hole in the bulkhead, bleed air problems etc still don't constitute an inflight emergency per say. Just go below 10,000 feet, shut the pressure off and continue along merrily unpressurized. However it is customary to declare an emergency anyway, just in case something goes wrong during or after the landing. The lining up of emergency equipment at the end of the runway also does not fit well with the already anxious passengers.

I once had a fire in the #2 engine of a B72, the one in the middle, which was handled by the crew and even after shut down left a trail of smoke behind the airplane. We told the ground crew to hide their trucks and not come close enough for the folks in the cabin to see. With our apologies about the unscheduled stop they all exited the aircraft oblivious to whatever had taken place.

Greetings, the ol Capt'n happily retired.

[mikeybee]

hey these things happen i blame the window cleaners

[mpdkorat]

hey these things happen i blame the window cleaners

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I had a bird fly over my bed last night….. no collision, better luck next time

[thymode91]

Still lucky co'z there is no casualties, I had an experience with luftansa airlines from frankfurt to nuremberg flight. 5-10 mins after take off the right engine was burnt out and after few minutes the left engine goes down as well.. thats my lucky day co'z we have 4 engine or else probably its my end. but the captain manage to returned back and landed safely. so we decided to use the train instead..

[hilly]

dan10400 Posted Today, 2005-05-23 07:16:38

  --Agencies 2005-05-22

Sounds like a bird strike - outside of pilot's or airline's control - and surprisingly common.

birds at 33,000 feet?

bird strikes are usually during or directly after take-off and landing. seems

a bit unlikely that a serious strike would occur and then travel all the way to

India before a problem occurs.

--dan

Not likely Dan but not impossible either. The average 747 cruises at around on average 33000 Feet. Few birds can get that high but some can and do. Crossing the Himalayas migrating birds can reach this height also as they fly over the mountains. At 500 MPH the pilots are unlikely to even see the strike as it would happen too fast for the eye to follow and at night even more so. A high altitude strike just may have been the cause as the damage to the screen was not noticed until several hours after take off. Odds are however that the screen started to pop its seals or crack. If this was a 747 then they are starting to age but the maintenance program should be alerting them to dangers.

With a partial failure of the air frame there can be a drop in cabin pressure and no doubt the pilots could see and maybe even hear the air leak. They would have got as low as they could and assuming they were not over high ground would head for around 10,000 feet as quickly as possible (not pleasant for the passengers) before finding the nearest runway as the flight could not continue. One of the fears for any pilot is a sudden drop in cabin pressure at altitude when over high ground. There is no way if you have to fly over high ground that you would want to continue the flight but proceedures compel you to land anyway. Likelihood is that the jet had been over high ground and headed south to Calcutta ASAP. Cabin pressure drops at altitude require you to use the oxygen masks as soon as the air supply inside the aircraft is affected. At much above 11000 feet and some passengers will start to feel sick pretty quickly without oxygen.

(Copy and paste from an FAA release I think)

Bonus Myth – Bird strikes never occur at high altitudes.

Fact – It is true that most strikes occur in the airport environment.  About 41% of reported strikes with civil aircraft in USA occur while the aircraft is on the ground during take-off or landing and about 75% of strikes occur at less than 500 feet above ground level (AGL).  However, over 1,300 strikes involving civil aircraft at heights above 5,000 feet AGL were reported from 1990-2003.  The world height record for a strike is 37,000 feet.

Edited May 23, 2005 by hilly

[meadish_sweetball]

Is half of the Thaivisa membership base aircraft engineers or pilots...?

[Khaow8989]

I had just seen a UBC program in which something similar to event with the Thai airways plane had occured. On the program it had shown that a 747 that was in midflight at its crusing altitude and speed had developed problems with pressure loss. The pilots heard a "hiss" type sound coming from the window on the captain's side of the plane, before they could drop to 10K ft. the window blew out, and took the captain with it. The first officer along with the communications officer held the captain by his feet against the pressure that was trying to pull him out. The first officer was able to land the plane at which they thought the captain was dead due to the extream tempertures and pressure he had to endure while on the outside of the 747. The captain actually survived the incident to everyone's surprise.

They were able to trace back and find that the cause of the window blowing out was from the aircraft engineer who replaced the window screen had used the wrong mounting screws to hold the window screen on place. He used the wrong screw because when he went to get the new screws, he used ones that were slightly smaller in size, but in the low light condition that he was in; they appeared to be normal in size. He never measured them to make a perfect match.

I am glad this was not the case of the Thai airways plane, or else we would be reading about the Thai airliner being downed or about the same incident as happend above.

[ozzydom]

Is half of the Thaivisa membership base aircraft engineers or pilots...? 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Crushdepth]

Believe it or not, the altitude record for a bird is 37,900 feet. It was a species of vulture with a 10 foot wingspread, sucked into a jet engine over the Ivory Coast of West Africa. Aircraft was damage but managed to land OK.

But how was the vulture ? Having a 747 disappear up your clacker must be pretty painful !

[katai]

Still lucky co'z there is no casualties, I had an experience with luftansa airlines from frankfurt to nuremberg flight. 5-10  mins after take off the right engine was burnt out and after few minutes the left engine goes down as well..   thats my lucky day co'z we have 4 engine or else probably its my end.    but the captain manage to returned back and landed safely. so we decided to use the train instead..

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Last week I had to wait 5 hours at the airport of Ubon, reason ; the Thai Airways airplane had a broken window

Does Thai Airways have a problem with windows or are there too many births ??

After discussing 1 hour ( I hade time enough ) the manager of TA decided to upgrade me and my 2 friends on the next flight.

[Noodles]

Believe it or not, the altitude record for a bird is 37,900 feet. It was a species of vulture with a 10 foot wingspread, sucked into a jet engine over the Ivory Coast of West Africa. Aircraft was damage but managed to land OK.

But how was the vulture ? Having a 747 disappear up your clacker must be pretty painful !

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I later read on www.sadgit.com that the vulture, on a routine migratory flight from Mumbai to peshwar, was involved in a mid-air strike with a Thai Airways 747-400 aircraft. The vulture, somewhat dazed by the ordeal, later took the precautionary measure of landing at Bangalore bird sanctuary to unruffle its feathers. After being given the all clear, it later resumed it's scheduled flight path without further incident.

CloudCuckooLand Co., who handle Phuket Airs' Public relations, later issued this statement; Quote " Stories in the press regarding the vulture flight incident are simply not true. At no time was its wing decapitated. It did not spiral rapidly to its death, and also rumours that we reattached the wing with sticky plaster before ordering it to get back in the air are unfounded. The vulture was simply requested to land and stay on the ground indefinately because my clients believe this is a better way to run an airline. I am a tree. I am a tree. A big leafy tree. I see things........." Unquote

[The Philosopher]

BA Pilot Sucked In Cockpit

Sorry Sucked from Cockpit

I think the pilot's dead"

February 7, 2005

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An official inspects the hole in the British Airways jet where the windsreen used to be.

Photo: Supplied

The aircraft was packed and bound for Spain. Then the windscreen blew and the captain was sucked out. Nigel Ogden, who saved him by hanging on to his legs, tells his story for the first time to Julia Llewellyn Smith.

It was like something from a disaster movie and I still find it hard to believe I was at the centre of it all. An aircraft full of passengers, out of control at 17,000 feet with the captain stuck outside.

I think about what happened every day. It was Sunday, June 10, 1990. It was a beautiful morning and I was up early because I was working on the British Airways 7.30am flight from Birmingham to Malaga. I was 36, had been an air steward with BA for 12 years, and loved my job with a passion.

I expected that day to be especially enjoyable. It was a holiday flight, so the 81 passengers would be relaxed, and the crew - Captain Tim Lancaster, stewards Simon Rogers and John Heward, and stewardess Sue Prince - had worked together, on and off, for years. The only member of the crew new to us was the co-pilot, Alistair Atcheson. The aircraft was a 43-tonne BAC 1-11, which was known as the jeep of the skies, because it was a workhorse - reliable and easy to maintain.

Advertisement

AdvertisementThe flight was delayed for an hour, so I wandered up and down the plane, making sure everyone knew what was going on. Tim made an announcement - "You'll be pleased to know the weather is sunny and dry in Malaga and we should be on our way shortly" - then the dispatcher told us we could leave. We did the safety briefing and Simon and I strapped ourselves into our jump seats, chatting about which team had lost at rugby the previous day. We heard the roaring of the engines and then we were up in the air.

It was 13 minutes after take-off and we had just reached 17,300 feet, 5000 feet beneath our assigned altitude. I went onto the flight deck and asked if they'd like tea. I was just stepping out, with my hand on the door handle, when there was an enormous explosion and the door was blown out of my hands. I thought, "My God. It's a bomb." Explosive decompression made the whole cabin mist up like fog for a second - then the plane started to plummet.

I whipped round, peering through the mist, and saw the front windscreen had disappeared and Tim, the pilot, was going out through it. He had been sucked out of his seatbelt and all I could see were his legs. I jumped over the control column and grabbed him round his waist to avoid him going out completely. His shirt had been pulled off his back and his body was bent upwards, doubled over round the top of the aircraft. His legs were jammed forward, disconnecting the autopilot, and the flight door was resting on the controls, sending the plane hurtling down at nearly 643km/h through some of the most congested skies in the world.

Pilot Tim Lancaster (third from left) recovers in hospital. Nigel Ogden is standing on the right.

Photo:AP

Everything was being sucked out of the aircraft: even an oxygen bottle that had been bolted down went flying and nearly knocked my head off. I was holding on for grim death but I could feel myself being sucked out too. John rushed in behind me and saw me disappearing, so he grabbed my trouser belt to stop me slipping further, then wrapped the captain's shoulder strap around me. Luckily, Alistair, the co-pilot, was still wearing his safety harness from take-off, otherwise he would have gone, too.

The aircraft was losing height so quickly that the pressure soon equalised and the wind started rushing in - at 627km/h and -17C. Paper was blowing round all over the place and it was impossible for Alistair to hear air-traffic control. We were spiralling down at 80 feet per second with no autopilot and no radio.

I was still holding on to Tim but the pressure made him weigh the equivalent of 226 kilograms. It was a good thing I'd had so much training at rugby tackles, but my arms were getting colder and colder and I could feel them being pulled out of their sockets.

Simon came rushing through and, with John, managed to unwrap Tim's legs and the remains of the doors from the controls, and Alistair got the autopilot back on. But still he continued to increase speed, to lessen the risk of a mid-air collision and to get us down to an altitude where there was more oxygen. He dived to 11,000 feet in two-and-a-half minutes, then finally got the speed down to 300km/h.

I was still holding Tim, but my arms were getting weaker, and then he slipped. I thought I was going to lose him, but he ended up bent in a U-shape around the windows. His face was banging against the windscreen with blood coming out of his nose and the side of his head, his arms were flailing and seemed about 1.8 metre long. Most terrifyingly, although his face was hitting the side screen, his eyes were wide open. I'll never forget that sight as long as I live.

I couldn't hold on any more, so Simon strapped himself into the third pilot's seat and hooked Tim's feet over the back of the captain's seat and held on to his ankles. One of the others said: "We're going to have to let him go." I said: "I'll never do that." I knew I wouldn't be able to face his family, handing them a matchbox and saying: "This is what is left of your husband." If we'd let go of his body, it might have got jammed in a wing or the engines.

I left Simon hanging on to Tim and staggered back into the main cabin. For a moment, I just sat totally exhausted in a jump seat, my head in my hands, then Sue came up to me, very shaken. In front of all the passengers, I put my arms around her and whispered in her ear: "I think the Captain's dead." But then I said: "Come on, love, we've got a job to do."

By now, Alistair was talking to air-traffic control, who were talking him through landing at Southampton airport. All pilot training is done on the basis of two pilots, one to fly and one doing the emergency drill, but Alistair was alone, with a crew he didn't know and relying entirely on memory, because all the manuals and charts had blown away. He asked for a runway of 2500 metres because he was worried that the plane was so heavy with fuel, a tyre would burst or it would go off the runway, but they said all they could offer was 1800m.

Over the intercom he told the passengers we'd lost the windscreen. Some of them could see Tim out of the window but the cabin was silent as the grave. We walked up and down, preparing the passengers for an emergency landing. People gasped as they saw the blood on my face. The place was very shuddery, very rocky. I remember one man at the very back, with a little baby on his knee, saying to me: "We're going to die," and I said: "No, we are not," lying through my teeth.

All I could see out of the windows was a line of trees, and I thought we'd either smash into those or into the housing estate beyond. I had a partner, Jean, and a stepson, Jamie, but I was thinking most about my mum. She'd lost my brother in a car crash the year before, and I couldn't bear to think how she'd take the news. But, in spite of everything, Alistair did the most amazing landing, what we call a greaser - completely smooth and stopping the aircraft only three-quarters of the way down the runway.

There wasn't even any need to use the emergency chutes. We got all the passengers down the steps in an orderly fashion, although I did have to shout at a couple of people who were trying to get their handbags from the lockers. The whole time from the explosion to the landing had been 18 minutes, but it seemed like hours.

I got back on board to check everyone had left. The paramedics had Tim in the cockpit on a stretcher and I went in to see him. He was lying there, covered in blood, but to my amazement I heard him say: "I want to eat." I just exclaimed: "Typical bloody pilot." Luckily, he'd been in a coma throughout the ordeal, his body had just shut down. I went out onto the front steps, and shouted at the others "He's alive!" and then I cried my eyes out.

We learned that all but six of the passengers were still going to travel on to Malaga that afternoon. John and I went into the departure area to see them. I applauded them and they applauded us. I said: "I'm sorry, don't fly British Airways again."

I was left with a dislocated shoulder, a frostbitten face and some frostbite damage to my left eye that still persists. Amazingly, Tim only suffered from frostbite, fractures in his arm and wrist and a broken thumb. Within five months he was flying again and today he's a pilot for easyJet. Alistair and John are still with BA, but Sue and Simon no longer fly.

My mother and I went on a round-the-world trip and I was back at work by October, but it was never the same. I started getting spots all over my body. In February, I had to be hospitalised with psoriasis brought on by post-traumatic stress. It made it difficult for me to work with people as it was so unsightly, and then I started to have a problem with alcohol as well. I used to love going into work - now I hated it.

In 1992, a report was published about the accident. It turned out that a BA engineer, working under pressure, had fitted a new windscreen with bolts that were too small. I was absolutely livid, and withdrew into myself. It took us nine years of fighting to get some small compensation from the airline. Eventually, in 2001, I took early retirement on grounds of ill health. Now I'm a night watchman at a Salvation Army hospital.

This was the fourth time in my career that I had laid my life on the line. There had been an incident leaving Gerona in a thunderstorm, when we found ourselves flying at only 2000 feet above mountains. Another time, the engine blew out on take-off from Perth and we nearly hit a pylon; a third time a hold door fell out just as we were coming off the ground at Zurich. Some people tell me I must be jinxed to have had so many bad experiences. But I think it's amazing I've been through all this and am still alive. I'm not jinxed, I'm a survivor.

- Sunday Telegraph

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2005/02/...5&oneclick=true

Edited May 23, 2005 by The Philosopher

[freedom-belg]

Thai plane makes emergency landing at Kolkata

KOLKATA:  -- A Munich-bound Thai aircraft with 355 passengers on board made an emergency landing at Netaji International Airport after developing a snag.

The pilot informed Kolkata Air Traffic Control that the plane, which was on its way from Bangkok to Munich, would make an emergency landing at the airport because of some pressure difficulty in the aircraft following which arrangements for emergency landing were immediately made.

Ambulance and fire engines were kept ready near the runway to meet any situation, sources said.

After landing, the aircraft was thoroughly checked and it was found that one of its windshield on the right side of the pilot's cabin was damaged.

--Agencies 2005-05-22

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

hi i've worked on a airport and the things i hear and see are sometimes so bad that the world outside never knows.

The airlines are under a lot off pressure to fly cheaper and more often.

Every hour the plane is on the ground,it kost a lot off money for the airlines.

I know that these things happen often and can be redused to a minimum by checking them more often,but one check kost a lot off money and time.

In some countries they have less rules and regulations for flying,so they can offer cheap tickets.

Its wrong that some actions are not been taken to save money and put lives at stake.

[francois]

hi

birds at 33,000 feet?

does a plane taking off from Bangkok to anywhere reach 33,000feet so fast ?

it's seems to me a bit short, and just between Thailand and Bangkok?

did the pilots said at what altitude they were when this happenned?

just wonderin'

francois

[patricktan]

]

Clearly a terrorist bird. If it were on a list, it would not be allowed in the air.

Are we getting just a bit crazy here?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What are you spouting on about. Bird strikes on take off is one of the most commonest forms of emergencies. Usually they get sucked into the engine,and if the bird is big enough,can blow the donkey. Other parts are also vunerable,ie control surfaces,antennae,radome,windscreen. That is the reason why Airport authoroties spend so much money on birdscarers,bird flares,thunderflashes etc. Bird strikes at altitude are rare,but nevertheless can still occur. Up there,your'e not going to hit a single bird,but a whole flock of them.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That sound like an expert....smile.

[Popeyethesailorman]

Being an expert on the subject of airplane and bird collisions, I just have to say...oh wait, I'm a sailor, never mind. On the other hand, I guess I could just cut and paste something off the internet so I could at least like an aviation expert.

[Darkling]

hey these things happen i blame the window cleaners

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Now, that does make sense.

[Darkling]

hi

birds at 33,000 feet?

does a plane taking off from Bangkok to anywhere reach 33,000feet so fast ?

it's seems to me a bit short, and just between Thailand and Bangkok?

did the pilots said at what altitude they were when this happenned?

just wonderin'

francois

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They landed in India. Taxi`s don`t go out that far. Between Thailand and Bangkok, Wheres that then?

[Thetyim]

I am an aviation photo 'cut and paste' expert and just to prove it here is a piccy

of an aeroplane and some birds.

[lampard10]

Is half of the Thaivisa membership base aircraft engineers or pilots...? 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm an Aircraft Ground Engineer