World Airways Jet Grounded In Europe, Possible Engine Damage From Ash

The Business Insider ^ | 4-21-2010 | Dan Frommer

[blam]

A World Airways cargo jet was grounded in Belgium today and its engines are currently being inspected.

Obviously, if volcanic ash is found, or any damage from ash, that could send ripples through the aviation industry.

The plane was not diverted: "It landed normally at Ostende, its intended destination," World Airways spokesman Steve Forsyth tells us by email.

[proud American in Canada]

I did not have a good feeling about this decision to open everything up. Personally, I wouldn’t want to be in a plane flying about British airspace.

[OldDeckHand]

"I did not have a good feeling about this decision to open everything up. Personally, I wouldn’t want to be in a plane flying about British airspace."

I said this on another thread, but economically speaking, the airlines could afford to lose a couple planes a week (and all the ancillary costs associated with such a loss, like passenger death settlements), and still be MILES ahead financially where there are with the total ban in place. So, I agree. I'm not entirely convinced the airlines have safety first in their minds.

[Gay State Conservative]

Whoops!

[Star Traveler]

Volcanic ash cloud: Pilots warn against 'rash' decisions to allow flights

European airline pilots warn governments about engine failures caused by ash amid pressure to get flights moving again

Pilots warn against ‘rash’ decisions to allow flights through the volcanic ash cloud amid pressure to get flights started again. Photograph: Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters

European airline pilots warned governments and safety regulators today against making "rash" decisions to allow planes to fly through volcanic ash clouds amid growing pressure from airlines across Europe to create "safe flying corridors" to get flights moving again.

The pilots' intervention came as air traffic controllers dashed hopes that flights would resume from London Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted this evening by announcing that most UK airspace would remain closed until 1am tomorrow. Airlines said the restrictions, which meant only a few flights took off from airports in Scotland and northern England, were an over-reaction.

BA announced tonight it was cancelling all flights until midday tomorrow.

The UK's air safety watchdog, the Civil Aviation Authority, is holding meetings with national air traffic controllers, airline executives and Lord Adonis, the transport secretary, to discuss flying through zones with small amounts of ash. But the European Cockpit Association, told the Guardian today that any attempts to establish "safe flying corridors" through airspace where ash was present should not be rushed.

[ ... see more at link ...]

[ridesthemiles]

I did not have a good feeling about this decision to open everything up. Personally, I wouldn’t want to be in a plane flying about British airspace”

AMEN

[Right Wing Assault]

Didn’t we fly a few military planes through this stuuf and found out the engines were trashed?

[Kartographer]

Typical Damaged to Aircraft by Volanic Ash:

http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/jma-eng/jma-center/vaac/typical%20damage.htm

[Kartographer]

Volcanic ash normally contains glassy materials, such as silicates, whose melting points are 600 degrees celsius to 800 degrees celsius. Since internal temperature of in-flight jet engine exceed 1000 degrees celsius, glassy particles in volcanic ash inhaled by the engines instantly melt. In the course of exhaust, the glassy materials are rapidly cooled down in the turbine chamber, stick on the turbine vanes, and disturb the flow of high-pressure combustion gases. This disorder of the flow may stop the entire engine in serious cases.

[Mr. Jazzy]

Sorry, but I would NEVER fly or allow any of my friends or family to fly through airspace that even had the POSSIBILITY of that type of contamination.

Damage to the engines is bad enough, but if you are flying on one of the newer Airbus aircraft with FBL (Fly By Light, fiber optic control of flight surfaces and systems) systems, those pito tubes could clog up in a heartbeat and the aircraft computers would drive the craft into the earth.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Europe screws over Iceland, but Iceland fights back with a volcano. Wonder who will win this one?

[blam]

You'll not see me on any plane for a while.

They would be wise to keep tabs on every aircraft that flies in this area...

[Jack Hydrazine]

Friends don’t let friends fly through volcano dust.

[sionnsar]

This is so funny!

Here's an AP report, translated from Dutch by Google Translate:

OOSTENDE (AP) - When inspecting an aircraft of the U.S. airline World Airways International Airport Ostend-Bruges axes found in the engines. Dat meldde de luchthaveninspectie in Oostende. Reported that the Ostend airport inspection. Het vliegtuig landde dinsdagnamiddag na een vlucht vanaf de luchthaven bij Maastricht. The plane landed Tuesday afternoon after a flight from the airport to Maastricht.

Het vliegtuig wordt aan de grond gehouden. The plane is grounded. Of er schade is, moet woensdag blijken na een grondige inspectie door een gespecialiseerd technicus. Whether there is damage, must appear Wednesday after a thorough inspection by a qualified technician.

Het vliegtuig van World Airways was het tweede toestel dat op Oostende landde. The aircraft of World Airways was the second aircraft that landed at Ostend. Bij een inspectie van het eerste toestel werd geen as aangetroffen. An inspection of the first device was found no ashes.

Een tweede vrachtvlucht van World Airways, die uit Duitsland moest komen, werd afgelast na de vondst van as op het toestel uit Maastricht. A second cargo flight from World Airways, which had come from Germany, was canceled after the discovery of ash on the device from Maastricht.

WAITTAMINUTEHERE! LoM, you know I don't know Dutch, but aren't these sentences being presented in both Dutch and English?!?

[sionnsar]

"Het vliegtuig wordt aan de grond gehouden. The plane is grounded."

"Het vliegtuig wordt aan de grond gehouden." The flight-[something] was on the ground held (beheld, is English missing a tense/case here)? Right?

[sionnsar]

Damage to the engines is bad enough, but if you are flying on one of the newer Airbus aircraft with FBL (Fly By Light, fiber optic control of flight surfaces and systems) systems, those pito tubes could clog up in a heartbeat and the aircraft computers would drive the craft into the earth.

Pitot tubes may be at risk here (I do not know but I doubt it because they don't seem to clog up from other airborne issues EXCEPT water/ice) but if so for very different reasons than jet engines. And your description of the computer response bears little relation to the supposed fate of the Air France flight.

Unlike the Egyptian pilot who deliberately drove his aircraft into the sea. Been checking on the pilots of the craft your friends & family are flying on, before they go?

BTW, the usual description of Airbus control systems is "fly-by-wire," as opposed to mechanical control. Electrical, fiber-optic and wireless signaling (yes I know they don't do this) are all very different from mechanical control.

[jiggyboy]

“a couple of planes a week” ? Each airline? Or for all the airlines there. If the payout is six figures per person in a plane crash, and a couple of million for the plane, you’re not going to make that up in a couple of days.

[Cap Huff]

The form “gehouden” is a participle. It needs a verb which is “wordt”. That is, “was held.” Or I think, more literally, “became held” but that would be horrible English. “The plane was grounded.” is accurate enough I think. I’m not a native speaker, and my Dutch ain’t much, but that is how I would translate it.

[OldDeckHand]

'“a couple of planes a week” ? Each airline? Or for all the airlines there. "

I meant for all the airlines, combined. I'm not sure each airline could afford to lose two a week. But remember, Europe is not the US with respect to tort laws. Settlements here far exceed death settlements there. From the stories I've read, it appears that the airlines were losing a combined $400 million(US) each day. That's a big number

[Atlas Sneezed]

If they’re flying the route next Monday (as they are today), I’ll be on a 777 into LHR on Monday. I’m really not worried.

Thousands of flights per day in the week ahead, and planes aren’t falling out of the sky.

Those planes are going to be better-inspected than ever, making this a safer time to fly than usual.