A US Air Force officer says he had to video a fuel leak in the wing of the airliner he was on before a stewardess would believe him.
Staff Sergeant Bartek Bachleda has been hailed a hero after his keen eye and patient persistence 35,000 feet above the ground saved 300 passengers on board a flight from Chicago to Japan last week.
“I noticed the leak on the left side of the aircraft right behind the wing earlier during take-off,” said Sergeant Bachleda.
His first appeal to the flight attendant was met with ambivalence and the young sergeant didn’t want to be rude, he told Air Force investigators.
“Ma’am it’s an emergency,” he said on his second approach after videoing the leak and identifying himself as an Air Force sergeant.
“She was completely serious and was no longer handing out drinks,” Sergeant Bachleda said.
“I told her you need to inform your captain before we go oceanic.”
The aircraft’s captain came to inspect the footage, which explained why the plane was losing 2700 kilograms of fuel each hour.
The captain said the flight would be diverted back to Chicago, but then changed it to San Francisco so passengers could catch the only flight to Narita airport.
The captain told Sergeant Bachleda they would never have made it to Japan if he hadn’t raised the alarm.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
By: steve rowell - 20th May 2009 at 01:40
Doesn’t say what airline it is…I’m guessing either United or American…i’ve encountered quite arrogant and ignorant cabin crew on these two even in business class
By: PMN - 20th May 2009 at 01:35
True, but the story has surely from this person perspective – we don’t know if the stewardess communicated anything after this gentlemen’s first encounter…
Hence me saying “from what we’ve been lead to understand”. 😉
Paul
By: OneLeft - 19th May 2009 at 22:59
I’m not sure how long you’ve been flying for 1L
Before FlyMonarch gets in with a sarcastic comment, let’s just say a long time!
1L.
By: PMN - 19th May 2009 at 14:51
this particular crew members “ignorance” may have been a simple case of avoiding confirming there was a fuel problem and not scare other passengers. Who knows…
They may well have been aware of it in the flight deck but I completely disagree with the above statement. Wouldn’t you be somewhat insulting the persons’ intelligence if you said there wasn’t fuel streaming out of the window when there very clearly was? Going from what we’ve been lead to understand such a response from cabin crew demonstrates spectacular ignorance, arrogance, or stupidity; or a combination of all three. Take your pick. :rolleyes:
Paul
By: rdc1000 - 19th May 2009 at 14:27
Not sure I agree. I would never dismiss a claim like that wthout at least asking the guy to show me what he was seeing and passing what I saw back to the flight crew.
1L.
Indeed. I’m not sure how long you’ve been flying for 1L, but you may have been preached at about Kegworth in your training. The passengers, and then cabin crew knew what was happening, but didn’t inform the cockpit, assuming the pilot knew what was happening….who consequently shut down the wrong engine! Even after noticing this fact, nobody told the cockpit.
CRM, gotta love it!
By: PMN - 19th May 2009 at 13:09
I cannot help but think there is more to this story…
In what sense, Matt?
Paul
By: EGTC - 19th May 2009 at 12:53
I cannot understand her reaction at all, and in fact, it deeply worries me. If a crew member has the spectacular arrogance to not even go have a look when a passenger says there’s fuel streaming out of the wing then frankly, I don’t want them within 1000 miles of any aircraft I fly on.
Paul
Gotta say I agree with that. You might get a 1001 people say similar things to you but you’ve got to look just incase one of them people were right. Her ignorance could of cost quite a few lives and thats the most fundamental point.
By: PMN - 19th May 2009 at 10:25
I can understand the Cabin Crew’s first reaction.
I cannot understand her reaction at all, and in fact, it deeply worries me. If a crew member has the spectacular arrogance to not even go have a look when a passenger says there’s fuel streaming out of the wing then frankly, I don’t want them within 1000 miles of any aircraft I fly on.
Paul
By: OneLeft - 19th May 2009 at 09:40
They probably get a lot of panicked “This or that is happening” comments from passengers
That’s certainly true, especially from the ‘I probably fly more than you’ businessmen.
I can understand the Cabin Crew’s first reaction.
Not sure I agree. I would never dismiss a claim like that wthout at least asking the guy to show me what he was seeing and passing what I saw back to the flight crew.
As for the guy being a hero. If he hadn’t been on board I’m sure the flight crew would have worked out for themselves what was going on. The article implies that the captain knew they were losing fuel but was just going try for japan anyway!
1L.
By: KabirT - 19th May 2009 at 09:40
the right person at the right time, extra-ordinary story. 🙂
By: Bmused55 - 19th May 2009 at 06:07
I can understand the Cabin Crew’s first reaction. They probably get a lot of panicked “This or that is happening” comments from passengers who see something they think is wrong only to be told “the flaps are meant to move” or similar.
But well done to Sgt Bachleda and the flight crew for handling this well!
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May 19, 2009 at 6:02 am