Flybe grounds several aircraft amid safety scare

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/09/22/216952/lufthansa-crew-lands-q400-with-nose-gear-up.html

Bombardier Press Release, Click Here

It’s a bit of a serious concern for Bombardier and Goodrich. 🙁

It is a serious concern and Bomardier are correct in addressing it promptly and hopefully successfully, unlike the DC-10 shambles.

Welcome to the Forum and happy reading!:)

The Dash 8’s seem to be gradually returning to service. Today at LBA, we got Dash 8’s on five of our eight BE services, with the other 3 been operated by ERJ’s and a 146.

There’s about 11 FlyBe Dash Q400s still down at the moment, mainly in Exeter.

Our Captain last night on a rather delayed GLA-MAN sounded very jaded, and was clearly very tired of the whole saga. Lots and lots of scared pax gripping the armrests around me, not helped by rather a bumpy flight!

The NCL-BHD hand to make a return to NCL on Monday evening. After take off the gear wouldnt go op, turned around over North Sea and returned to NCL safely. A/C was tech in Newcastle overnight.

James, Air SouthWest don’t operate the Q400, assume it’s just the Q400 involved?

Oh so its only the Q400 involved and not the Q300.

James

Yep there getting various aircraft into BHX to cover the Dash 8s, a titan 737 and a md80 from hello i think the livery said? in today

According to FlyBE it is only 6 of their aircraft that require checks (aircraft with over 10,000 hours). Only the 400 series are involved.

The groundings are for aircraft with over 10,000 cycles per landing gear not flying hours.;)

WOW cancelled their DUB flight yesterday. Not sure if it was for these reasons!

Apparently up to six Q-400’s have been withdrawn with immediate effect for landing gear checks ? More as I hear it.

Just heard on the news today that Qantas has grounded their entire fleet for checks also

According to FlyBE it is only 6 of their aircraft that require checks (aircraft with over 10,000 hours). Only the 400 series are involved.

This might help explain the problem…a news release from a regional airline:

SEATTLE — Responding to Bombardier Aerospace’s recommendations following two Q400 landing gear failure incidents in Europe, Horizon Air is canceling a number of flights beginning today in order to allow for prompt inspections to take place.

Once inspection specifications for Q400 operators are received, Horizon will initiate its checks of certain Q400s. The inspections are purely precautionary, and limited to those Q400s with higher flight hours. Horizon, which has operated the Canadian-manufactured aircraft since 2001, has not experienced any Q400 issues like those the SAS-affiliated aircraft recently encountered.

It is said to effect those aircraft with more than 10,000 cycles.

James, Air SouthWest don’t operate the Q400, assume it’s just the Q400 involved?

Maybe it’s something SAS are doing an not the aircraft at all

Is it only the first Dash-8 400’s that where delivered to Flybe or will it be the whole fleet with just 6 at a time for checks? Have Air Southwest been effected at all?

James

Just a short comment; SAS has had two landing gear failures (or crashes) with the dash:es. On 9/9 one landing gear collapsed during landing in Aalborg, Denmark, and this morning one landing gear collapsed on another airplane of the same type operated by SAS in Vilnius, Lithuania.

After the first incident Bombardier claimed it to be an isolated failure. When SAS plane number two went down SAS grounded it’s whole fleet.

Horizon Air, a subsidary of Alaska Airlines that serves the Pacific Northwest and California, has cancelled more than 100 flghts today for the same reason

Watched a Q400 leaving Jersey this evening (7.30 ish) and flying away with its under cart down. Wondered why until I saw the news.

Sister is flying BHD-MAN on Friday and myself on Saturday. Flybe said all flights are being operated on both days but surely a loss of 6 aircraft (3 of which I am told where BHD based) could cause cancellations?

explains the really really bad delays at LBA. All Fly Be Flights are delayed and only with and estimate time of depature