None of us really know exactly what was happening with the fuel on that Phuket Air plane in SHJ, because the whole incident has been reported differently in various publications.
However, fundamentally I think that there are far too many armchair pilots out there who, when travelling on an airplane, see or hear something they don’t understand and panic por think they know better. I believe that it is incumbent on us all to accept that aircrew are professional, trained, and know far more about what they’re doing and the workings of the equipment they operate than do any general passengers (including ourselves – 99% of us here don’t really understand the detailed workings of a 747). On that basis, passengers should leave well alone with operational matters and accept that no matter how unusual a situation seems, the crew do not have some form of death wish.
I have, for example, seen passengers panic about smoke coming into the cabin through overhead vents when in fact all it was was an over-enthusiastic air conditioning system restling with very humid tropical atmosphere. Where does one draw the line, when do we regard passenger reaction as unnecessary over-reaction bordering on dangerous interference, and accept that the crew would be right to tell them to sit down and STFU? Ironically of course, there have been worse things gone on in the industry from time to time – I saw one or two of them in during my past time in the airlines – but the passengers don’t panic because they can’t see what’s happening and therefore aren’t aware. Ignorance is bliss, maybe?
I suspect that some of the passengers involved in the Phuket Air incident are just the sort of people who would be prepared to drive a car in questionable or unroadworthy condition, or drive too close behind the vehicle in front on a motorway, but that those same people would resent any judgemental comments being made about their motoring habits.
Anyway, bottom line – leave it to the crew who are acting in a professional capacity and in the best interests of themselves, the passengers and the airline.
Andy
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