HAJFlyer From Switzerland, joined Sep 2005, 1466 posts, RR: 10 Posted (5 months 3 weeks 2 days 13 hours ago) and read 6159 times:
Today's US 711 from ZRH to PHL diverted to MAN due to "aircraft maintenance" (source: US airways website) prior to resuming its flight to PHL where it is expected later this evening. Does anyone know what happened? Did they have to dump fuel prior to landing in MAN?
UA787DEN From United States of America, joined Dec 2012, 291 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (5 months 3 weeks 2 days 13 hours ago) and read 6106 times:
Yeah, all I can find is "aircraft maintenance." Look at the Flightaware tracker for it. http://flightaware.com/live/flight/AWE711
Pretty interesting approach into Manchester. Is this a glitch? Or did it circle 20 times? To burn off fuel?
HAJFlyer From Switzerland, joined Sep 2005, 1466 posts, RR: 10 Reply 2, posted (5 months 3 weeks 2 days 13 hours ago) and read 6002 times:
Quoting UA787DEN (Reply 1): Is this a glitch? Or did it circle 20 times? To burn off fuel?
This is what caught my eye as well. Given the current high holiday season loads, I would assume that they were still well above their max landing weight when they arrived over MAN.
UA787DEN From United States of America, joined Dec 2012, 291 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (5 months 3 weeks 2 days 12 hours ago) and read 5859 times:
They probably didn't dump fuel then.
It looks they knew where they were going pretty soon after takeoff. They could probably do a few things to burn a lot of fuel over Manchester, and probably did what they could on the way, but why Manchester and what happened? Maybe Manchester was so they could burn off some fuel in a less busy holding pattern and airport. Though by the circling, DUB or KEF could've worked.
UA787DEN From United States of America, joined Dec 2012, 291 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (5 months 3 weeks 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 5555 times:
This is quite interesting. Bad fix (or no fix) on the mechanical issue? There is a storm up in the Northeast US, but it seems to be affecting BOS more than PHL. Both are quite delayed right now.
HAJFlyer From Switzerland, joined Sep 2005, 1466 posts, RR: 10 Reply 6, posted (5 months 3 weeks 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 5438 times:
The avherald now carries an update on the incident:
"A US Airways Boeing 767-200, registration N246AY performing flight US-711 from Zurich (Switzerland) to Philadelphia,PA (USA), was enroute at FL340 about 25nm southeast of Manchester,EN (UK) when the crew decided to divert to Manchester reporting problems with the air conditioning on board. The aircraft descended normally to FL100 and entered a hold for about 2.5 hours to burn off fuel and commenced a safe landing at Manchester about 2:50 hours after leaving FL340.
The air conditioning was quickly repaired, however, a preflight inspection revealed a further fault with the gear doors delaying departure for another hour.
The aircraft was able to depart after 2 hours on the ground in Manchester and is currently enroute to Boston,MA (USA) where an additional intermediate stop is necessary due to crew duty time limitation"
It seems strange to me that they would circle for 150 minutes rather than just dump fuel. Is it possible that they did not get permission to do so?
I wonder what they will do once they get to BOS as the passengers will have to go through customs & immigration in BOS. I assume that they will rebook the pax on other flights from BOS and then ferry the 762 down to PHL.
rfields5421 From United States of America, joined Jul 2007, 6191 posts, RR: 25 Reply 7, posted (5 months 3 weeks 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 5403 times:
Quoting HAJFlyer (Reply 6): It seems strange to me that they would circle for 150 minutes rather than just dump fuel.
Some 767 aircraft do not have the capability to dump fuel.
UA787DEN From United States of America, joined Dec 2012, 291 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (5 months 3 weeks 2 days 10 hours ago) and read 5226 times:
Quoting rfields5421 (Reply 7): Some 767 aircraft do not have the capability to dump fuel.
US only operates 762s, and some older ones, so it is possible this aircraft isn't able to dump fuel. Pax in Boston will have to clear Customs and probably therefore security again. I have once seen a diverted plane get a dedicated customs lane blocked off from the normal Pax flow at the end, allowing the passengers to be shuttled back to the gate if they wanted to without security.
HAJFlyer From Switzerland, joined Sep 2005, 1466 posts, RR: 10 Reply 9, posted (5 months 3 weeks 2 days 9 hours ago) and read 5177 times:
Quoting UA787DEN (Reply 8): US only operates 762s, and some older ones
They have two batches of 762, the 767-201 which were originally delivered to Piedmont and the 767-2B7 which went to US Air. BTW, N246 AY is their second oldest ex-Piedmont 767 at 25.6. years.
lax888 From Switzerland, joined Oct 2010, 257 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (5 months 3 weeks 2 days 8 hours ago) and read 4893 times:
So if I understood it correctly the plane flew from ZRH-MAN which takes around 1h20min, then circled for 2.5h before landing and then stayed in MAN for 2h and then flew let's say 6-7h to BOS and now the passengers are stranded in BOS?
Sounds like a terrible ordeal for the passengers who have connections etc. Also the 762 has no AVOD in Y so that makes an uncomfortable flight for passengers...Anyway, safety comes first but still what an ordeal.
According to US Airways the plane is still expected in PHL at 8:23 PM, that´s 2 hours after its estimated touch down at BOS. I wonder whether they intend to bring up a fresh crew, refuel it and then head on to PHL without clearing customs and immigration at BOS (provided US law allows such a procedure).
jcarv From United States of America, joined Apr 2004, 290 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (5 months 3 weeks 2 days 6 hours ago) and read 4670 times:
You are correct. They are only stopping in BOS to add crew which are probably dutying out. Suppose to be a quick fuel & go but you know how that can go.
PHLwok From United States of America, joined May 2007, 382 posts, RR: 0 Reply 15, posted (5 months 3 weeks 2 days 2 hours ago) and read 4224 times:
Quoting FutureFO (Reply 14): The US 762's are old Piedmont airplanes. Early 1980's vintage.
Five were delivered to Piedmont in 1987-1988, the other five were delivered to US Air in 1990-93. (http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/US%20Airways-active-b767.htm) This is why they're still around, versus, say, the early 80s vintage 762s that AA and UA have retired. US will be replacing these in the next few years with new A332 deliveries, but it's not clear whether they'll retire the 762s or put them on domestic/Caribbean routes.
Quoting jcarv (Reply 13): They are only stopping in BOS to add crew which are probably dutying out. Suppose to be a quick fuel & go but you know how that can go.
They finally made it to PHL at 9:09 pm; looks like they spent an hour and 36 min on the ground in BOS. Long day for the passengers; hoe
delawareusa From United States of America, joined Aug 2006, 102 posts, RR: 0 Reply 16, posted (5 months 3 weeks 2 days 2 hours ago) and read 4181 times:
Quoting PHLwok (Reply 15): Five were delivered to Piedmont in 1987-1988, the other five were delivered to US Air in 1990-93. (http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/US%20Airways-active-b767.htm)
If memory serves, Piedmont ordered and took deliver of 6. Us Air also ordered and got 6. US later sold one (I think that was when the A330-300 started coming in. They lost one in a fire after maintenance in Philly about 2,000
HAJFlyer From Switzerland, joined Sep 2005, 1466 posts, RR: 10 Reply 17, posted (5 months 3 weeks 1 day 21 hours ago) and read 3827 times:
Quoting PHLwok (Reply 15): US will be replacing these in the next few years with new A332 deliveries
OT: I guess US will have merged with AA, left *Alliance and discontinued the flight to the LX hub in ZRH before we see modern US airbus metal on the ground here in ZRH. I do like the vintage 762 though; while everyone is complianing about their lack of IFE right now, it will be sad day when the last "short" 767s are retired from scheduled TATL service and all that is left are A330/340 and 763 plus the occsional A380. It is a pity that UA no longer flies the CO 762 to ZRH and we now get only tired old 763 and the occiasional 764 during the high season.
CaptCufflinks From UK - England, joined Dec 2012, 81 posts, RR: 0 Reply 19, posted (5 months 3 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 1484 times:
Quoting HAJFlyer (Reply 6): It seems strange to me that they would circle for 150 minutes rather than just dump fuel. Is it possible that they did not get permission to do so?
If the fuel from the centre tank had been burned, then no dumping would have been possible as fuel can only be dumped from the centre tank, not either of the two outers.
longhauler From Canada, joined Mar 2004, 4316 posts, RR: 36 Reply 20, posted (5 months 3 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 1395 times:
Quoting CaptCufflinks (Reply 19): If the fuel from the centre tank had been burned, then no dumping would have been possible as fuel can only be dumped from the centre tank, not either of the two outers.
The centre tanks hold roughly half of the entire fuel capacity. If Fuel Jettison is installed, then normally it would get the aircraft under MLW.
It has been a while since we have had -200s in our fleet, but I don't recall the -200s every having the Fuel Jettison capability. It looks like they circled to reduce weight.
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