I don’t usually venture into this area as I’m not particularly interested in airliners, apart from the DH146. 🙂
However, talking to a mate in the pub tonight and he came up with a story I’d never heard. He said he read it in a newspaper a few years ago.
As told to me, apparently a ‘plane full of holidaymakers, possibly a charter flight, ran out of fuel in midair and the pilot managed to glide to an airport and land normally, apart from not having any engines, of course.
I don’t recall ever hearing this and I can’t believe that I’d forget it.
Anybody know if it’s true?
If it is; what, where, when and most importantly, HOW?
By: Old Git - 7th July 2003 at 18:22
I recall the AC B767 but does anyway remember back in the mid or late eighties an item at the end of the news once about I think it was ANG rather than USAF F-16 which had an engine flameout (again I think) near Chicago and it glided down and landed at some small airport. What was amazing about it was the pilot activated a camera which showed the landing which was perfect. I never heard anymore about it as it was an end of news item along the lines of Hammy the hamster goes water skiing. The plane was OK so it would not be listed as a crash but someone maybe able to shed light on it.
By: EGNM - 27th June 2003 at 00:23
… and a huge insurance cost! The a/c actually departed Heraklion, Crete i believe
By: Moondance - 26th June 2003 at 11:22
I believe the Hapag had a gear probem after departing Crete and they elected to continue with all/some gear extended. The plan was to get back to southern Germany (MUC?), but what they failed to realise (allegedly) was that FMC fuel predictions with gear down were invalid – hence the A310 glider into VIE.
By: wysiwyg - 26th June 2003 at 10:30
I think that in both these situations the pilots had good ability and shocking airmanship!
By: paulc - 26th June 2003 at 09:04
I also remember a HapagLloyd A310 making a very heavy landing at Vienna (i think) after a flight from Greece – I think they had a gear problem and flew part of the way at lower altitude so fuel consumption was much higher than planned.
By: steve rowell - 26th June 2003 at 06:14
One of the greatest pieces of airmanship of modern times
By: greekdude1 - 25th June 2003 at 20:37
That might have been the case. Either way, haven’t the ETOPS rating been reinstated for them at this point?
By: Saab 2000 - 25th June 2003 at 20:14
Wasn’t the loss of the ETOPs license just on the A330? I think they were allowed to continue with the A310 and 757.
By: greekdude1 - 25th June 2003 at 16:43
Air Transat also lost their ETOPS license for a while after that. I’m sure it was re-instated at some point.
By: Moondance - 22nd June 2003 at 13:19
Try this site for the Gimli Glider www.wadenelson.com/gimli.html
By: EGNM - 22nd June 2003 at 12:44
such as the BA 747 that lost all 4 engines due to ash…
By: wysiwyg - 22nd June 2003 at 12:39
We cover dual engine failure (in a twin engine aircraft!) in the sim once every 3 years. Typical scenario would be volcanic ash ingestion, for example.
By: dhfan - 22nd June 2003 at 11:31
Thanks, found it.
August 2001.
By: Saab 2000 - 22nd June 2003 at 09:30
Yes the old messages are still accessible, probably more easily than before.
By: dhfan - 22nd June 2003 at 05:36
Thanks, guys.
Discounting how they got into the situation in the first place, it was certainly a great feat of airmanship. I know sim training is supposed to cover all eventualities but I suspect no engines isn’t on the curriculum.
Rather convenient that the Azores are where they are too. “We’ve got two chances – slim and none”.
With the re-jigged forum, are the old messages still accessible?
By: EGNM - 21st June 2003 at 19:49
Originally posted by wysiwyg
I agree that they did well to get it on the ground on a runway BUT you have got to ask how they got themselves into the situation in the first place. Possible inadequate attention to conducting proper fuel checks which would have shown a leak much earlier into a long transatlantic flight? Would love to know what remedial training/’please close the door behind you’ was offered to the crew!
hence my “once he had been left in the powerless situation” Sorry – reading the other forums should that be he/she? :rolleyes:
By: wysiwyg - 21st June 2003 at 15:16
Originally posted by EGNM
a great feat of airmanship once he had been left in the powerless situation, the tyres fared a bit rough tho!
I agree that they did well to get it on the ground on a runway BUT you have got to ask how they got themselves into the situation in the first place. Possible inadequate attention to conducting proper fuel checks which would have shown a leak much earlier into a long transatlantic flight? Would love to know what remedial training/’please close the door behind you’ was offered to the crew!
By: starjet - 21st June 2003 at 12:01
Another instance happened in ’82. An AC 767 ran out of fuel and made a glider landing in Gimli, Canada.
By: EGNM - 21st June 2003 at 10:56
a great feat of airmanship once he had been left in the powerless situation, the tyres fared a bit rough tho!
By: Saab 2000 - 21st June 2003 at 10:03
Yes, this occurred two years ago. The airline was Air Transat, a Canadian airline operating an A330 from Toronto to Lisbon. The aircraft ran out of fuel after a fuel leak, however, the captain managed to divert the aircraft to Lajes in the Azores after 18 minutes gliding. There were a few serious injuries because of the nature of the landing but other than that everybody survived.
It was actually caused by a replaced fuel line that chafed when it rubbed against a pipe and cracked, allowing fuel to leak out. The crew knew they had an unknown imbalance, so they tried to pump fuel from the left tanks into the right but rather it overboard into the Atlantic.
If you search back a few years on the forum you will probably find the post I made about it.
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June 21, 2003 at 2:44 am