BA fire in Las Vegas

bronn

:eek: Yikes! Amazing that they got this thing under control so quickly.

smurfjed

I still don't think that the fire got to the fuel tanks.

This is another case where interesting lessons will be learnt, for one, engine fires are detected by loops within the engine, the crew therefore had no way of knowing just how bad that fire actually was. What would they have done without a 3rd pilot who apparently went to check the damage.

People talk about how great it was to evacuate the aircraft within 3 minutes, I believe that the certification limits are 90 seconds using only half the exits, so the evacuation was actually slow, this could be for a number of reasons, I sincerely hope that grabbing baggage wasn't one of them.

Growler!!!

This has been doing the rounds on Facebook:

____________________________________

Stupid Press: It's not about split-second skills:

You never know when it will happen.
It could be your first solo.
It could be after 42 years of flying.
It's as Captain Gann titled a book: "Fate is the Hunter."
Best be ready.
BA Captain Chris Henkey was.

The press has praised his 'split-second' skills in aborting the takeoff on the runway. But I think the more praiseworthy airmanship is measured in long seconds not fractional millisomethings. All airline pilots practice rejecting takeoffs, and there is little decision making 'process' when an engine quits. Good stick and (lots of) rudder skills to decelerate straight ahead. But what was telling was the 15 seconds after they radioed,

"Speedbird 2276 heavy stopping.”

There was silence on the radio. Nothing seemed to be happening while the flames and smoke really started to build. I guess they were running a checklist. Engine fire or failure on ground or somesuch. Methodically doing the right thing. Then,

"Speedbird Mayday Mayday. Speedbird 2276 request fire services.”

And then another 30 seconds goes by. T H I R T Y S E C O N D S. I'm guessing now they are on the evacuation checklist.

“Speedbird 2276 heavy, we are evacuating on the runway. We have a fire, repeat, we are evacuating.”

It's easy to go too fast, to rush, to hurry, to expedite, to panic. That's very bad. Seen it in the simulator. The right way is slowly and carefully. And then, engines shut down, flight attendants prepared, give the evacuation signal.

The display of master airmanship wasn't a split-second decision. It was the opposite. It was taking the time not to rush while under intense pressure. It was running the checklists, talking to the crew, assessing the situation, and methodically calling for the evacuation.

That cleared up, now we can go back to making fun of the passengers jumping down slides with their bags …

smurfjed

http://www.look-up.org.uk/ba-la-fire/

There are some very strange people in this world!

smurfjed

http://www.dauntless-soft.com/products/freebies/aaengine/

Very interesting pictures showing the failure of the High Pressure Turbine in a B767.

mickdw

smurfjed wrote: »

http://www.look-up.org.uk/ba-la-fire/

There are some very strange people in this world!

What's this climate engineering lark?

IRLConor

smurfjed wrote: »

http://www.look-up.org.uk/ba-la-fire/

There are some very strange people in this world!

I think that's another example of the rule that if a headline asks a question the answer is almost always "No".

mickdw wrote: »

What's this climate engineering lark?

That site is all about one variant of the "chemtrails" conspiracy theory.

smurfjed

What's this climate engineering lark?

Kind of going off topic, but climate engineering does happen, we used to routinely see Beechcraft with dispersal systems seeding clouds to create rain. In the UAE they have a ground based system to create rain, so I'm not going to argue about that.

But to say that the BA fire was because of this system, or that the suicide A320 wasn't actually a suicide but once again it was caused by a malfunction in this system, and using immense logic such as why are so many cargo containers carried by aircraft, is just stupid.

eatmyshorts

smurfjed wrote: »

Kind of going off topic, but climate engineering does happen, we used to routinely see Beechcraft with dispersal systems seeding clouds to create rain. In the UAE they have a ground based system to create rain, so I'm not going to argue about that.

But to say that the BA fire was because of this system, or that the suicide A320 wasn't actually a suicide but once again it was caused by a malfunction in this system, and using immense logic such as why are so many cargo containers carried by aircraft, is just stupid.

They're onto us!!!

Growler!!!

Oh! You have a timer on yours? Ours are automatic:D

tricky D

Worst PhotoShop ever.

Tenger

eatmyshorts wrote: »

........
They're onto us!!!

That's very bold, those poor tinhats will be saying that "a commercial pilot has confirmed it"

smurfjed

And provided pictures as proof

weisses

tricky D wrote: »

Worst PhotoShop ever.

Convincing enough for some

pfurey101

Found this on Google - Chemtrails can be left on if the Cabin crew second-in-command activates the following precedure:

Pull the Chemtrail System CB
Bypass the Water Waste System
Bleed air from engine 2 AND #1
Switch Anti Ice to OFF
Maintain a steady FL345
Reduce Port Air Conditioning Pack to 50%
Turn APU on INFLIGHT
Switch CVR to OFF
Switch Central Maintenance Computer to DELETE Chemtrail System Messages mode
Turn Timer to TIMER.

smurfjed

Pull the Chemtrail System CB

Our system is slightly different, you have to push in the CB to get the system working :)

Bussywussy

Ours activates as soon as the WiFi switches on at FL200.I put a new chemtrail exhaust sensor in the last c check 😂😂😂

fr336

Chemtrails talk seems a tad off topic.

Tenger

While amusing, it is indeed off topic. Lets get back to the actual cause of the fire and the subsequent engine and hull damage

AGC

Pilot criticises passengers

http://news.sky.com/story/1554989/ba-engine-fire-pilot-criticises-passengers

AGC

AGC wrote: »

Pilot criticises passengers

http://news.sky.com/story/1554989/ba-engine-fire-pilot-criticises-passengers

Good to hear, I'm assuming he feels free to talk about anything but the actual incident as he is due or has retired from BA.

smurfjed

Passengers who say they were left with physical injuries and psychological trauma after a British Airways plane caught fire on a runway have hired lawyers to pursue compensation.
Steve Bingham, one of the 157 passengers on board, said he has been prescribed medication to help him cope with ‘regular flashbacks’ he has suffered after everyone was forced to flee the London-bound Boeing 777-200 as it caught fire and became engulfed in smoke.
Mr Bingham, from Hillsborough, County Down, in Northern Ireland, said he also suffered an arm injury and smoke inhalation as the plane was evacuated on the runway at Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport on 8 September.

That didn't take long. So how much is "trauma" worth?

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Dardania

smurfjed wrote: »

That didn't take long. So how much is "trauma" worth?

Whatever he lost in Vegas!

smurfjed

Public Briefings from the NTSB indicate that the left engine experienced an uncontained engine failure in the area of the high pressure compressor, and the material recovered from the runway included several pieces of the high pressure compressor spool. Examination of the engine revealed that a portion of the stage 8-10 spool in the high-pressure compressor (HPC) section had failed and liberated fragments that breached the engine case and cowling. Metallurgical examination of the liberated pieces has been conducted, and a fracture was found to have initiated in the HPC stage 8 disk web. GE is performing inspections of HPC hardware from other GE90 engines to gather data to support the investigation and determine further investigative actions. Root cause of the spool web cracking is still under investigation.

Damage from the engine uncontainment resulted in a pool fire. The fire resulted in heat and fire damage to the left engine and pylon, left side of the fuselage and inboard left wing of the airplane. There is no evidence of liberated engine parts contacting the fuselage. No penetrations to the fuel tank were observed. The engine fire warning did annunciate. The fuel spar valve was found in the closed position. Boeing has been working closely with the NTSB and has had the opportunity to review the recorded data from the event and has no recommended inspections or actions for the airplane components or systems at this time.

Interesting report, the photos were certainly more dramatic than the facts.

Long Time Lurker

She lives :-)

http://www.airlive.net/2015/12/news-british-airways-jet-that-caught.html

mickdw

Long Time Lurker wrote: »

She lives :-)

http://www.airlive.net/2015/12/news-british-airways-jet-that-caught.html

I'm surprised that it is being repaired.

Atlantic Dawn

Plane repaired and going to fly again after tests...



http://news.sky.com/story/1646936/ba-jet-that-went-up-in-smoke-to-fly-again

readytosnap

Would anyone feel anxious flying on that aircraft if they knew the history?

elastico

readytosnap wrote: »

Would anyone feel anxious flying on that aircraft if they knew the history?

I doubt too many people check which actual aircraft they are flying on when booking a flight.

Irish Steve

readytosnap wrote: »

Would anyone feel anxious flying on that aircraft if they knew the history?

Knowing just how much would have gone into the inspections as the damage was assessed, then into the rework repair planning and the subsequent repair, no, I'd not be worried, and going forward, the airframe will still be checked on a regular basis for any abnormalities, and it's very possible that there will be additional repetitive non routine inspections to ensure that there's nothing untoward happening.

Noxegon

elastico wrote: »

I doubt too many people check which actual aircraft they are flying on when booking a flight.

I'd love to if I could. Not to choose which ones not to fly, but because I'm an unapologetic nerd with stuff like that

The most interesting aircraft I've had the chance to travel on was P-885. That engine noise still gives me goosebumps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C1A4vrAI3k

I'll get my coat

Pat Dunne

readytosnap wrote: »

Would anyone feel anxious flying on that aircraft if they knew the history?

Nope.

Shannon757

readytosnap wrote: »

Would anyone feel anxious flying on that aircraft if they knew the history?

I'd love to! Saying to someone "I flew on the BA jet that caught fire in Vegas" #Avgeek:D

Dardania

readytosnap wrote: »

Would anyone feel anxious flying on that aircraft if they knew the history?

I would be (as I've gotten older, I've become more worried about flying - completely irrationally) - however if I trust anyone, I trust BA to look after an aircraft. And Lufthansa...

Noxegon wrote: »

I'd love to if I could. Not to choose which ones not to fly, but because I'm an unapologetic nerd with stuff like that

The most interesting aircraft I've had the chance to travel on was P-885. That engine noise still gives me goosebumps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C1A4vrAI3k

I'll get my coat

Talk about a ground hugger! And normally when you leave the ground, it gets a bit quiet - not with those 4 Great noise all the same...

Long Time Lurker

I was on EI LBR just after it had its hydraulic mishap at JFK and if anything I was delighted that the problem had come to light and been resolved . I flew with a mate and he found it positively intriguing. It won't get in the sky less its right.

Shannon757

https://t.co/SQssOYSuLP
Back in the air again, flying to Victorville for paint. Flight tests to be conducted en route.

J.pilkington

Now in the air en route back to the uk

Foggy43

I suppose the down side of this is it means the end for B747-400 G-BNLF
The incident in Las Vegas gave G-BNLF a life extension.

pfurey101

Amongst the work done..... a large hull skin replacement - but kept the door!

Tenger

pfurey101 wrote: »

Amongst the work done..... a large hull skin replacement - but kept the door!

I think (as a non-engineer) that perhaps the majority of that silver area is cosmetic to cover the discolouration rather than actual skin replacement. he damage 'seemed' to be concentrated on the wing root. Lots of hi speed tape!

elastico

The pilot appeared on room to improve with dermot bannon a few weeks back.

January

pfurey101 wrote: »

Amongst the work done..... a large hull skin replacement - but kept the door!

It's most likely a door from another scrapped plane in Victorville. There's tonnes of them there.

afatbollix

It still has the W from airways on the door.

January

afatbollix wrote: »

It still has the W from airways on the door.

Yes I know... its from another British airways plane... so the w would still be there.

Dardania

January wrote: »

Yes I know... its from another British airways plane... so the w would still be there.

Have they any 777s int he desert already? Didn't realise they were getting rid of them, considering they have older 747s still in service...

goingnowhere

BA have no 777 in the desert

The repair is a complete replacement of a panel, the fuselage is made up of a number of large panels joined together

You can clearly see how this matches with how the aircraft was assembled

E.g.
http://static.thisdayinaviation.com/wp-content/uploads/tdia//2013/06/Boeing-777-final-assembly-line.jpg

The horizontal line just above the door and the vertical join just after the wing root and before the door match exactly.

smurfjed

Goingnownere, are you sure about that? Have a look at the 2nd last page of the photo thread of pictures taken in Victorville, there appears to be some BA 777's there. I also read that BA grounded the GE90-76 engined aircraft in the last few years.

goingnowhere

The only 777 BA retired was the one written off at LHR. The very first BA 777 G-ZZZA is still flying and Willie is on the hunt for more. Had they a 777 in the desert I imagine it would have been easier to use that than fix the Vegas bird, that said GE are probably paying the bulk of the costs.

Could it be 767 in the desert, from a distance they look really similar http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/British%20Airways.htm show plently of stored 767's