Malaysia Airlines investigating a Christmas Day off-course flight

[webfact]

Malaysia Airlines investigating a Christmas Day off-course flight
BY LARRY BANKS



KUALA LUMPUR: -- Malaysia Airlines is reportedly investigating a mix-up that occurred on Christmas Day that resulted in a plane flying in the wrong direction after it left New Zealand, according to a report in the Bangkok Post.

Media reports say that 8 minutes into the flight, the pilot of the Airbus A380 asked the Auckland air traffic control staff why the flight had been instructed to fly south instead of north to its destination of Kuala Lumpur.

The country’s Sun newspaper said the pilot continued south across the Tasman Sea before heading northeast to Malaysia’s capital city. A spokeswoman for Malaysia Airlines told AFP that both flight plans came from the airline and it was now investigating why they differed.

“Our flight MH132 from Auckland to Kuala Lumpur was given the latest flight plan by the airline’s Operations Dispatch Centre whilst Auckland’s Air Traffic Control was inadvertently given an earlier flight plan”, it said in a statement on the weekend.

Full story: http://ethailand.com/business-news/malaysia-airlines-investigating-off-course-flight/1090/

-- eThailand 2015-12-29

[Richard W]

Isn't the headline illegal? It spreads undue alarm. The aeroplane took an unexpected but valid course, just as a car may have several different routes to get from A to B.

[wirat69]

Isn't the headline illegal? It spreads undue alarm. The aeroplane took an unexpected but valid course, just as a car may have several different routes to get from A to B.

Maybe there is one too many "f"'s in there??

Of course!

[Dustdevil]

Isn't the headline illegal? It spreads undue alarm. The aeroplane took an unexpected but valid course, just as a car may have several different routes to get from A to B.

An "illegal" headline?? What, are you from Malaysia?

[Seastallion]

Isn't the headline illegal? It spreads undue alarm. The aeroplane took an unexpected but valid course, just as a car may have several different routes to get from A to B.

Fly south from Auckland and the first landfall out of NZ you will come across is Antarctica......I doubt if there was enough fuel on board to carry on to Kuala Lumpur in that direction from A to B.

[trogers]

Blame the incident on the call of sirens rising from the ocean...

[car720]

Well, at least it wasn't heading for Diego Garcia.

[sanukjim]

Isn't the headline illegal? It spreads undue alarm. The aeroplane took an unexpected but valid course, just as a car may have several different routes to get from A to B.

You are wrong ,When the pilot files a flight plan there are designated routs that aircraft may go.Any deviation of the route (storms,air traffic ,etc) must be requested from the pilot to the air controllers for that area.There are no legal deveations any other time except through PILOT ERROR. Do not for get this is Malaysia Airlines.Remember flt 370 and other idiot errors they have made costing many lives.?

[Srikcir]

Isn't the headline illegal? It spreads undue alarm. The aeroplane took an unexpected but valid course, just as a car may have several different routes to get from A to B.

You are wrong ,When the pilot files a flight plan there are designated routs that aircraft may go.Any deviation of the route (storms,air traffic ,etc) must be requested from the pilot to the air controllers for that area.There are no legal deveations any other time except through PILOT ERROR. Do not for get this is Malaysia Airlines.Remember flt 370 and other idiot errors they have made costing many lives.?

Yes.

Prior to departure the pilot enters into the Flight Management System the correct route with any way points.

In order for the aircraft to head in the wrong direction (by 180^o!), the pilot would have to deliberately change the flight path. Unless of course the pilot originally entered into the FMS the wrong direction and is blaming ground traffic control for the wrong direction.

[tubby johnson]

So the Malaysian pilot flies towards Antarctica, then blames Auckland air traffic control for his cock-up.

I don't care, as I've already decided never to fly with Malaysia Airlines again.

[Richard W]

Isn't the headline illegal? It spreads undue alarm. The aeroplane took an unexpected but valid course, just as a car may have several different routes to get from A to B.

Fly south from Auckland and the first landfall out of NZ you will come across is Antarctica......I doubt if there was enough fuel on board to carry on to Kuala Lumpur in that direction from A to B.

Nor would you fly out into the Tasman Sea, which is what the plane did. The pilot was surprised because the route he had been given started out in the direction of Brisbane, which is the shorter route, whereas the flight plan filed and used by ATC had him starting out on a slightly southward* dogleg towards Melbourne. The two routes are relatively northerly and southerly, but the simple, approximate description of the 'southern' route is 'westwards'. The pilot dutifully followed ATC instructions, the safest thing to do in the very short term, but queried them.

*I may be wrong - it might not actually have been southward at all.

[Richard W]

Isn't the headline illegal? It spreads undue alarm. The aeroplane took an unexpected but valid course, just as a car may have several different routes to get from A to B.

An "illegal" headline?? What, are you from Malaysia?

My though was that this website is primarily targeted to Thailand. The owner's investment will be largely wasted if Thaivisa gets blocked in Thailand.

[Richard W]

Isn't the headline illegal? It spreads undue alarm. The aeroplane took an unexpected but valid course, just as a car may have several different routes to get from A to B.

You are wrong ,When the pilot files a flight plan there are designated routs that aircraft may go.Any deviation of the route (storms,air traffic ,etc) must be requested from the pilot to the air controllers for that area.There are no legal deveations any other time except through PILOT ERROR. Do not for get this is Malaysia Airlines.Remember flt 370 and other idiot errors they have made costing many lives.?

There can be several reasonable flight plans to get from A to B. The problem in this case is that the pilots and ATC had different flight plans. As to deviations, I understand that avoiding storms takes precedence over getting permission - the priorities are 'aviate, navigate, communicate'. It's a bad idea to deviate without permission but a worse one to plough on into a storm.

[natway09]

The headline is overly dramatic by far.

There must be 20 differing flight plans out of Auckland to KL & the Captain just confirming (as he should) the difference

between his headings & the flight commands directions.Once confirmed all OK

[ravip]

So the Malaysian pilot flies towards Antarctica, then blames Auckland air traffic control for his cock-up.

I don't care, as I've already decided never to fly with Malaysia Airlines again.

So... Malaysian Airlines employees only Malaysian nationals as pilots.

[trogers]

So the Malaysian pilot flies towards Antarctica, then blames Auckland air traffic control for his cock-up.

I don't care, as I've already decided never to fly with Malaysia Airlines again.

So... Malaysian Airlines employees only Malaysian nationals as pilots.

Probably only a bumiputra as well...

[khaosai]

Isn't the headline illegal? It spreads undue alarm. The aeroplane took an unexpected but valid course, just as a car may have several different routes to get from A to B.

You are wrong ,When the pilot files a flight plan there are designated routs that aircraft may go.Any deviation of the route (storms,air traffic ,etc) must be requested from the pilot to the air controllers for that area.There are no legal deveations any other time except through PILOT ERROR. Do not for get this is Malaysia Airlines.Remember flt 370 and other idiot errors they have made costing many lives.?

In most cases, particularly in large airlines today, the pilots do not create and then file the flight plan anymore. That role is reserved for flight dispatch. The crew will have a copy of the flight plan with the filed route. If the filed route is changed for whatever reason then the crew will have an updated flight plan sent to them.

Quite often the route will be up linked into the flight management computer automatically. The crew will have to check the uplinked route against the flight plan copy to ensure they match. Once that has been completed they can activate the uplinked route where it then becomes active in the computer and on the navigation display.

The filed route will have a waypoint and airway that generally joins up via a standard instrument departure from the airport. This along with the departure runway will be selected by the crews and confirmed via the air traffic control clearance and also briefed by the crews prior to departure.

Kudos to the crew for querying the routing once airborne. A real non event for me personally.

[Grouse]

Never read such codswallop!

Look at Pprune if you want to know

Jesus

[car720]

So the Malaysian pilot flies towards Antarctica, then blames Auckland air traffic control for his cock-up.

I don't care, as I've already decided never to fly with Malaysia Airlines again.

So... Malaysian Airlines employees only Malaysian nationals as pilots.

No they do not.

I can recall at a time when Capt. Roland Thomas (Malay) was chief pilot that they enjoyed one of the best reputations in the world.

Also the people from British Airways and others used to send their trainee pilots to KL to use the simulator that they had there which was also considered one of the best in the world.

[ravip]

So the Malaysian pilot flies towards Antarctica, then blames Auckland air traffic control for his cock-up.

I don't care, as I've already decided never to fly with Malaysia Airlines again.

So... Malaysian Airlines employees only Malaysian nationals as pilots.

No they do not.

I can recall at a time when Capt. Roland Thomas (Malay) was chief pilot that they enjoyed one of the best reputations in the world.

Also the people from British Airways and others used to send their trainee pilots to KL to use the simulator that they had there which was also considered one of the best in the world.

It is disgusting how some people tag a negative incident with a certain type of nationality and blind themselves with positives that they don't own.

[khaosai]

So the Malaysian pilot flies towards Antarctica, then blames Auckland air traffic control for his cock-up.

I don't care, as I've already decided never to fly with Malaysia Airlines again.

So... Malaysian Airlines employees only Malaysian nationals as pilots.

No they do not.

I can recall at a time when Capt. Roland Thomas (Malay) was chief pilot that they enjoyed one of the best reputations in the world.

Also the people from British Airways and others used to send their trainee pilots to KL to use the simulator that they had there which was also considered one of the best in the world.

It is disgusting how some people tag a negative incident with a certain type of nationality and blind themselves with positives that they don't own.

I have just spent some time in the simulator with an ex MAS pilot, a solid, professional operator, and one I would trust completely with my family travelling as passengers onboard his aircraft.

[khaosai]

Never read such codswallop!

Look at Pprune if you want to know

Jesus

Its important to remember the site is frequented by a percentage of people with no experience within the industry. That is very obvious based on some of the comments that are made on pilot related matters which does sometimes undermine the professional input offered by others.