Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login
Google

Qantas: 'Has Not Been Plane Crash'

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread
This topic is archived.
Home » Discuss » Latest Breaking News Donate to DU
 
Hissyspit Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Nov-03-10 10:36 PM
Original message
Qantas: 'Has Not Been Plane Crash'
Edited on Wed Nov-03-10 10:46 PM by Hissyspit
Source: Associated Press

Explosion heard as plane flies over Indonesia
Posted: Nov 03, 2010 11:20 PM
Updated: Nov 03, 2010 11:40 PM

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Police and witnesses say they heard an explosion as a commercial airliner was flying over western Indonesia and found debris from the plane scattered near a shopping mall.

Police Col Eka Yudha told TVOne the plane was a Qantas Airbus, which was flying from Singapore to Australia when it had to dump fuel.

He was quoted as telling the station it had made an emergency landing, but later told The Associated Press the jetliner was apparently still circling the sky.

The report could not be independently confirmed.

Large pieces of debris - including panels painted white and red - were found on the Indonesian island of Batam, where witnesses reported hearing the loud bang early Thursday.

Read more: http://www.skynews.com.au/topstories/article.aspx?id=534909&vId=



UPDATE from Reuters: Qantas says there has not been plane crash; Flight QF32 was forced to shut down one engine; returning to Singapore
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
AzNick Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Nov-03-10 10:37 PM
Response to Original message
1. Didn't Rain Man say Qantas never lost a plane?
That would do it I guess.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
AzNick Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Nov-03-10 11:03 PM
Response to Reply #1
9. Qantas shares dipped then rebounded
Typical.

Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
rooboy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Nov-03-10 10:39 PM
Response to Original message
2. Australian media reporting that it landed at Changi (Singapore). n/t
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Hissyspit Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Nov-03-10 10:44 PM
Response to Reply #2
5. Headline now gone from Reuters.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
XemaSab Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Nov-03-10 10:41 PM
Response to Original message
3. Indonesia's getting screwed
Tsunamis, volcanoes, now this.

(I'm following this 'cause I have a friend there. Of course Indonesia is a huge country, but it's still a lot.)
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Turborama Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Nov-03-10 11:38 PM
Response to Reply #3
12. And the regular 6+ magnitude earthquakes that have been happening over the past few months
Edited on Wed Nov-03-10 11:40 PM by Turborama
Plus the really weird weather that's brought unseasonal flooding. The wet and dry seasons have reversed over the past year.

Fortunately this was an accident and doesn't appear to be another terrorist attack, though.

Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Haole Girl Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Nov-03-10 10:41 PM
Response to Original message
4. Here is a link I found:
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Hawkeye-X Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Nov-03-10 10:45 PM
Response to Original message
6. Strange. I just got to DU from Avherald.com
Which is a repositry of daily incidents/accidents/crashes for airlines.

The editor of that paper is in Vienna, Austria, and I'm sure he'll be hearing this when he wakes up in a few hours.

Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Hawkeye-X Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Nov-03-10 10:45 PM
Response to Original message
7. Strange. I just got to DU from Avherald.com
Edited on Wed Nov-03-10 10:46 PM by Hawkeye-X
Which is a repositry of daily incidents/accidents/crashes for airlines.

The editor of that paper is in Vienna, Austria, and I'm sure he'll be hearing this when he wakes up in a few hours.

I did report the original link, so he'll probably follow up on this in the AM
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Haole Girl Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Nov-03-10 10:47 PM
Response to Original message
8. Lots of conflicting reports going on...
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
AzNick Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Nov-03-10 11:04 PM
Response to Original message
10. Would have been the first A380 lost
Can only imagine the headcount.

Glad it landed safely.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Turborama Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Nov-03-10 11:20 PM
Response to Original message
11. Qantas plane makes emergency landing after engine quits over Indonesia
A local television station says a troubled Qantas jetliner has made an emergency landing in Singapore.

Channel News Asia reported that the plane landed in Singapore Thursday but gave no other details.

Earlier, Qantas spokeswoman Emma Kearns said one of the four engines on the A380 Airbus shut down over western Indonesia but that it was able to fly safely with three. She said there were no reports of injuries and the airline had not received any reports of an explosion on board.

Witnesses on the western Indonesian island of Batam reported hearing a large blast and seeing pieces of debris — including panels painted white and red — falling onto houses and a nearby shopping mall.

Pictures of metal, some the size of a door, flashed on MetroTV, with people milling around. “I heard a big explosion at around 9:15 a.m. and saw a commercial passenger plane flying low in the distance with smoke on one of its wings,” Rusdi, a local resident, told MetroTV. “The debris started falling on my house.”

From: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/asia-pacific/qantas-plane-makes-emergency-landing-after-engine-quits-over-indonesia/article1785044/

I've seen video on TV of people holding up bits of plane.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
James48 Donating Member (517 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-04-10 12:21 AM
Response to Original message
13. The good news- nobody injured or killed.
Airbus A-380 lost a section of the left inboard engine. That's a Trent 970 - a fairly new engine design on this fairly new airframe. Things sometimes happen with new engines, you know. The good news is no reports of anyone hurt. They'll find out more about it when they are able to tear down the engine remains and see what is missing.

Air travel remains the safest form of travel. For the record, there are 37 Airbus A-380's in service at this time, and this is the first incident of it's kind.

Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Poll_Blind Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-04-10 12:22 AM
Response to Original message
14. Guess: Bird sucked into the engine blows out the turbofan blades?
Those giant engines are like bombs built to contain themselves if they suffer a critical failure but I would imagine it leave a bit of debris.

PB
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
James48 Donating Member (517 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-04-10 12:29 AM
Response to Reply #14
15. Issues
Yes, the engines should have not shed any parts. It's a certification requirement that in the event of a blade-out, the engine stays intact. One story cited possible volcanic ash, however. Too early to know for sure. Here's a link:


http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/plane-reportedly-qantas-sheds-parts-before-landing-at-singapore/story-e6frf7jo-1225947832315

There were 433 passengers and 26 crew on-board at the time. They landed safely.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Turborama Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-04-10 12:48 AM
Response to Reply #15
16. Do they have to eject any pieces of the plane when they dump fuel?
Qantas plane dumps fuel over Indonesia's Batam island

Jakarta, Nov 4 (DPA) A Qantas plane dumped fuel over Indonesia's Batam island Thursday to make an emergency landing in Singapore, an Indonesian flight safety official told local television.

=snip=

Indonesia's Metro TV reported residents in Batam found broken pieces, believed to be plane parts, after they heard an explosion in the air and saw smoke from a plane flying over the area.

Tatang Kurniadi, head of Indonesia's National Transport Safety Committee, told the channel that he received information that a Qantas plane was dumping fuel to make an emergency landing at Singapore's Changi airport.

'We heard a loud explosion and after that the plane emitted dark smoke from the left wing,' a resident, identified as Reinhard, told Metro TV. 'The plane was still flying but residents found pieces -- one of them was about 80 centimetres,' he said. Metro showed a photo from a local police station showing metal pieces painted red and white.

http://sify.com/news/qantas-plane-dumps-fuel-over-indonesia-s-batam-island-news-international-klekanccidf.html
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
James48 Donating Member (517 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-04-10 12:55 AM
Response to Reply #16
18. No.
The reason they would dump fuel is to lighten the aircraft before landing. Normally they would be burning off all that fuel and weight enroute to their destination. In an emergency, they have to dump fuel to get the weight of the aircraft down to a weight capable of landing. If they are too heavy upon landing, the rollout is longer, or the could damage the landing gear from the overweight condition. By dumping fuel they bring the weight down to below maximum landing weight condition. It's pretty common to dump fuel in the event of an emergency or unscheduled landing.

Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Turborama Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-04-10 02:25 AM
Response to Reply #18
21. Thanks for the explanation. Makes sense.
And a belated welcome to DU. :hi:
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
MilesColtrane Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-04-10 02:52 AM
Response to Reply #14
22. Volcanic ash from Mount Marapi?
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Turborama Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-04-10 03:37 AM
Response to Reply #22
23. There is a possibility they were flying over that area to get to Australia
Merapi is near Semerang: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=indonesia+map&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&oe=utf8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=Indonesia&ei=iGvSTNiyK8alcPfp1Y0M&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CCAQ8gEwAA

This is what Yogykarta, a city that's about 100 miles away, looked like yesterday (photo taken by a friend of my wife):
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Poll_Blind Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-04-10 09:31 AM
Response to Reply #22
24. Good point, volcanic ash could be a culprit because it can destroy an engine even at very low...
...concentrations. I've never heard of ash causing a jet engine to blow up in some way (only to seize) but I know jack shit about how jet engines work past the basics and certainly nothing about the Airbus which probably has some kind of newer-fangled engines.

PB
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
sgsmith Donating Member (305 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-04-10 11:49 AM
Response to Reply #22
28. Probably not
Over 800 miles away from the volcano.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Turborama Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-04-10 12:53 AM
Response to Original message
17. Photo of some of the debris that landed on Batam...
Edited on Thu Nov-04-10 12:56 AM by Turborama


Sourced from Yahoo (the link won't post here for some strange reason).
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
alp227 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-04-10 01:53 AM
Response to Original message
19. Qantas plane makes emergency landing in Singapore
Source: The Guardian

A Qantas jetliner has made an emergency landing in Singapore with 459 people aboard, after one of its four engines shut down over western Indonesia and following witness reports of a blast that sent debris hurtling to the ground.

The airliner denied there had been any explosion, and said the plane landed safely.

A Qantas statement said the double-decker A380 plane, which is capable of carrying about 500 passengers, experienced an "engine issue" soon after taking off from Singapore for Sydney. It made a safe emergency landing in Singapore with 433 passengers and 26 crew on board, the statement said.

"The aircraft landed safely at 11:45 am local time," the statement said. "Some media reports suggested the aircraft had crashed. These reports are incorrect. No Qantas aircraft has crashed," it said.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/04/qantas-plane-emergency-landing-singapore
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
alp227 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-04-10 01:54 AM
Response to Original message
20. Qantas plane makes emergency landing in Singapore
This thread has been combined with another thread.

Click here to read this message in its new location.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
BlueCollar Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-04-10 10:53 AM
Response to Original message
25. Debris appears to be from the reverser
Good pics on www.bbc.com
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
petronius Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-04-10 11:38 AM
Response to Reply #25
26. Damn - an hour and a half in the air after an engine goes boom
I think I'd freak... :(
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
sgsmith Donating Member (305 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-04-10 11:48 AM
Response to Reply #25
27. Nope
Damage appears to have started up-throat from the reverser. Indicated by puncture of wing by debris, which is most likely to have been rotating components - in other words fan blades or discs.

Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
DU AdBot (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view 
this author's profile Click to add 
this author to your buddy list Click to add 
this author to your Ignore list Thu Dec 26th 2024, 05:11 AM
Response to Original message
Advertisements [?]
 Top

Home » Discuss » Latest Breaking News Donate to DU

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators


Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.

Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy

Got a message for Democratic Underground? Click here to send us a message.

© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC