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Singapore 777-300ER catches fire after emergency landing due to fuel leak
A Singapore Airlines plane has caught fire while making an emergency landing at Changi Airport. Flight SQ368 from Changi to Milan was two hours into its journey when the pilot reported engine problems and turned back towards Singapore. In a statement, Singapore Airlines said the plane’s right engine caught fire after it touched down at Changi Airport at around 6.50am. The blaze was put out by airport emergency services and there were no injuries to the 222 passengers and 19 crew on board.… (www.theguardian.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
That would have been a passenger evacuation on the left side if I had been Captain on that aircraft. With that much fire, my first thoughts would have been structural failure of the right wing, (maybe small fuel explosion in tank,) which would have collapsed the aircraft to the right and rendered the left side slides unusable due to the angle they would have been at. The failure to evacuate is below average head work and I'm talking from 39 years of military and airline flying experience.
I have to believe that communication was either not present or incomplete on the gravity of the situation and the pilots were not aware of the gravity. Toxic gases kill far more than fire. They were lucky...very lucky and glad no loss of life. I hope this is investigated and becomes a case study for the future. Easy to arm chair quarterback but this was obvious.
Was there any fire at all on the port side? In one video it appears as if there were, but that may have just been glare from the lights.
But today, you are an armchair quarterback, not the captain and the only thing that counts here, is the outcome. Ten or twelve dozen idiot passengers scrambling all over the taxiway, just makes getting the fire fighting equipment to the fire that much harder, takes more time and is infintinely more dangerous. Although, I Would agree that to just sit there and wait for crew instructions would take tremendous patience........which most people do not possess these days.
You're right...I am quarterbacking....but I can't help but be reminded of the poor people in the World Trade Towers who were told to stay put, it's okay. Communications OBVIOUSLY wasn't present or incomplete, you're right Brian...Flight Attendants telling the cockpit the WING is on fire, other aircraft on the radio when it's obvious it's a bad fire and no one is leaving the aircraft, Fire trucks already on scene suggesting they evactuate the non burning side after all they are on the side that is burning. Lastly, the cockpit crew should be asking the ARTCC coordinator and/or tower just how bad it is. At the very least on a flight that was supposed to be that long, there had to be a 3rd relief crew mwmber on board. He could have been sent back to get a visual on how bad it was.
Good points, however since the aircraft was returning and fire/rescue was standing by...one could assume the fire chief was controlling the area around the aircraft and ATC was in contact with the aircraft. Everyone doing their job, meant the fire was extinguished in under 5 min. Protocol wins. You are right about the lack of communication from the flight deck to the back end, but I can't help wondering if the crew shut everything down immediately, leaving only the emergency lighting functioning and the emergency battery bus. I guess we can all read the safety report when it comes out
Even on the Hot Battery Bus you have VHF1 and the intercom system works....then there's always the "open the cockpit door" feature and get someone up there.
Absolutely correct, but that may have the radio in use by the flight crew to ATC. I'm not aware that cockpit door was not open allowing verbal comm with the in-charge. Makes for good discussion however.
Be interesting to compare this event and the crew decisions and the British Airways 777 plus GE90 fire at Las Vegas a few months ago.
You may have a point. The only difference I see here is that fire/rescue already had a heads up and were right there on top of it. The BA flight would have had to wait at least 5 min for the trucks to respond, set up and extinguish!