RAAFController From Australia, joined May 2001, 125 posts, RR: 0 Posted (11 years 11 months 3 weeks 5 days 17 hours ago) and read 5864 times:
A while back there was a 747...I think it was a BA flight which had all 4 engines fail due to volcanic ash. The pilots eventually started 1 anbd with that were able to use bleed air to start the others. Does anyone know the specifics of the incident? Its just curiosity, but I can't find much info on it. Was it BA?
YOERI1970 From Netherlands, joined Feb 2001, 138 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (11 years 11 months 3 weeks 5 days 17 hours ago) and read 5742 times:
I can remember a brand new KLM 747-400 losing all of her engines as a result of volcanic ash.
It was somewhere above Alaska in 1989 or something like that.
LMML 14/32 From Malta, joined Jan 2001, 2559 posts, RR: 7 Reply 2, posted (11 years 11 months 3 weeks 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 5721 times:
Yes, it was BA B747-236B, G-BDXH which flew into a cloud of volcanic dust off Jakarta June 24 1982. All 4 engines flamed out and as they were preparing to ditch the Jumbo, they managed to re-light them and barely managed to make an emergency landing at Jakarta. Full story on McArthur Job's Air Disaster Vol 2.
A40-TY From United Arab Emirates, joined Apr 2000, 143 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (11 years 11 months 3 weeks 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 5707 times:
Yes it was a British Airways 747-236B, registration G-BDXH, the 'City of Edinburgh' (as it was called at the time), was on it's way to Perth (I think, not sure) and was flying over Indonesia when ash from a nearby volcano caused all 4 engines to cut out.
The volcanic ash was so bad that the flight deck window was completely covered, and the flight crew therefore had terrible visibility problems.
I remember reading a book on the subject, and one page showed a photograph of one of the strobe light covers, it was completely covered with ash, as though someone had sprayed it.
The aircraft in question is still in operation with British Airways (now called 'City of Elgin'), almost 20 years after the incident.
L-188 From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 29350 posts, RR: 62 Reply 4, posted (11 years 11 months 3 weeks 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 5682 times:
The KLM flight encountered an Ash Cloud from MT. Spur. I believe that it was the 92 eruption. I was out of the country at that time.
I heard that a lot of guys made of lot of overtime micro-meshing the cabin windows because of the crazing.
OBAMA-WORST PRESIDENT EVER....Even SKOORB would be better.
Cathay Pacific From Australia, joined May 2000, 1864 posts, RR: 1 Reply 5, posted (11 years 11 months 3 weeks 5 days 15 hours ago) and read 5663 times:
yeh....a full story was told in AIr Disaster vol 2.....it was a really good (series of) book...you should get a copy.....and i am waiting for vol 4........can't wait....it's coming soon (i think is the next 2 months) in sydney!!!!!!!!!!hooray!!!!!!!!! (but this vol is going to be on propeller planes .......)
JETPILOT From United States of America, joined May 1999, 3130 posts, RR: 32 Reply 6, posted (11 years 11 months 3 weeks 5 days 15 hours ago) and read 5636 times:
Its happened on numerous occasions. I think it happened to a NW 747 also. All the paint was stripped clean off the plane by the abrasion.
The engines weren't started with a cross bleed start procedure. Airstarts dont require the starter since sufficient airflow is provided for restart if you are in the restart airspeed envelope.
GDB From United Kingdom, joined May 2001, 12705 posts, RR: 80 Reply 7, posted (11 years 11 months 3 weeks 5 days 11 hours ago) and read 5584 times:
A slim paperback was written about the BA incident, by one of the passengers. It was called 'All 4 Engines Have Failed', no other info, and I've not seen any around for many years.
The title came from Capt. Moody's announcement to the pax, 'Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the Captain speaking, we seem to have a problem, all 4 engines have failed.'
The book was illustrated, including pics taken by pax of each other during the descent, and last notes to loved ones.
I know that at least up until the late 1980's the pax and crew had a annual reunion, they referred to themselves as the gliding club!
Capt. Moody retired from BA in the mid/late 1980's.
PhilB From Ireland, joined May 1999, 2915 posts, RR: 14 Reply 9, posted (11 years 11 months 3 weeks 5 days 11 hours ago) and read 5560 times:
The only error re the BA incident in the posts above is that the windscreen and strobe covers were covered in ash. Thay weren't, it was far worse than that.
All forward facing glass and some of the side windows were almost totally abraided by the highly abrasive volcanic ash.
The landing was made by peering through tiny gaps in the abrasions.
The aircraft was known, thereafter in BA's fleet as the Flying Ashtray and the crew and pax have held reunions from time to time.
RAAFController From Australia, joined May 2001, 125 posts, RR: 0 Reply 10, posted (11 years 11 months 3 weeks 5 days 5 hours ago) and read 5503 times:
Thanks heaps for that info. It was the BA flight that i was talking about. Cheers. I have alredy gone and bought the air disasters books and they are excellent.
Mas777 From United Kingdom, joined Jul 1999, 2916 posts, RR: 7 Reply 11, posted (11 years 11 months 3 weeks 5 days 4 hours ago) and read 5483 times:
It was indeed BA9 which at that time operated LHR-BOM-KUL-PER-MEL. The flight had left Kuala Lumpur - Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah International (then only known as Subang Airport) in the evening on its way to Perth.
That bit about SQ - don't think SQ suffered any similar problems but SQ was in fact involved in that incident as Jakarta ATC had problems understanding Capt. Moody and a nearby SQ service translated some cockpit messages to Jakarta.
Delta717 From United States of America, joined Mar 2000, 455 posts, RR: 1 Reply 12, posted (11 years 11 months 3 weeks 5 days 3 hours ago) and read 5467 times:
TAA_Airbus From Australia, joined Nov 1999, 726 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (11 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 5434 times:
Ok, Im not really going to say anything different.
But I have read most of the book "All 4 Engines have failed: The Story of Speedbird 9"
He lost all 4 engines and was preparing to ditch into the ocean, but then they thought theyd fire again. So now Cpt Moody was able to turn around to fly back to Jakarta, however, the windscreen was basically all covered with ash and visability was very limited. So he asked Jakarta to turn the lights on highest intensity, of which they already were, so then he requested a Cat 1 ILS, only to find out that the ILS system at Jakarta was down, so he was left to manually fly and land the a/c. The only decent vision he could get thru the window was on the left so he flew the whole approach with his head right to one side. Very much like Ace Ventura in his Car.
Landed safely and the passengers were then ferried onto Perth on BA011.
Good book, try get your hands on it!
RAAFController, what RAAF base are you situated at?
RAAFController From Australia, joined May 2001, 125 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (11 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 5412 times:
Cfalk From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 15, posted (11 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 15 hours ago) and read 5402 times:
I didn't know about the "flying ashtray" moniker. LOL!
I read the story in Air Disaster vol 2. One thing that is striking is the amount of time the 747 was gliding on no engines. I don't have the book with me (I'm in the office, supposedly working), but I seem to remember 15 20 minutes before they managed to light up the engines again.
It is nice to know that they don't just fall out of the sky from engine failure, like they tend to portray in the media and in the movies...
Bombayhog From United States of America, joined May 2001, 554 posts, RR: 0 Reply 16, posted (11 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 5391 times:
My parents flew LHR-BOS yesterday on "City of Elgin", which I was surprised to find out about, having just read through this thread before they got in. They said it looked like it was falling apart inside, just as a side note.
Joewhi From Australia, joined Nov 2000, 140 posts, RR: 0 Reply 17, posted (11 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 5392 times:
The book "All Four Engines have Failed" by Betty Tootell, a passenger, is avbl thru http://www.abe.com. $14us, bookshop is in Melbourne, Aus. Read it years ago and is not a bad read.
Flybulldog From United States of America, joined Aug 2000, 364 posts, RR: 0 Reply 18, posted (11 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 5371 times:
Did they modify engine design because of this or do they avoid flying in volcanos?
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