B777 catches fire in LA

[dutchroll]

In the Manchester accident, although the Captain's instantaneous thoughts (as per his post-accident interview) were that the bang was a tire failure and they might be able to return to the apron, these thoughts were never acted upon as the fire bells went off 9 seconds after the initial "bang" and halfway through his transmission to the tower telling them he was stopping the takeoff. He warned the cabin to prepare to evacuate 20 seconds before the aircraft had actually stopped (as they were going through 36 knots groundspeed). Unfortunately the right rear door was opened prematurely before the plane stopped and this was where the smoke and flames got into the cabin. No-one escaped through this door and the flight attendant there did not survive.

 

People also started getting up into the aisles before it had stopped and it was the purser who (correctly) told them to stay seated. The aircraft was turned off the runway but unfortunately this had the unintended effect of having the side with the fire facing upwind. The evacuation was ordered quickly but was problematic due to panicking passengers jamming and totally blocking any movement up the aisle, one exit failing to open initially, and rapidly spreading smoke inside due to the nature of the fire. Fire services were applying foam 25 seconds after the plane stopped, and the fire spread so quickly the First Officer didn't even have time to finish the evacuation checklist before the Captain told him to take the escape rope through the cockpit window. 45 deaths were smoke inhalation and only 9 were from the heat of the fire.

 

In our company, we make an initial standard, precisely worded PA in all these ground situations telling passengers to stay seated and wait for instructions. This has 2 purposes:

 

1) It is coded to inform the crew that we know there is a problem and we are dealing with it but we need a few more seconds to gather information and take checklist actions (like shutting down the engines), and for them to get up and start checking outside their exit windows. It is not an evacuation order though.

 

2) It is an initial attempt to nip in the bud the immediate inclination of passengers to start panicking and running around blocking evacuation routes and exits before they're even open.

 

 

[Marty_d]

Thank God ( no I don't actually own a Rolex ) but I think you already guessed that.

That post may have been a mistake Dazza, for when the insurance investigators start checking out your $50,000 hand luggage claim.

 

 

[facthunter]

When he tells them he works in the mines, they believe him about the claim. Nev

 

 

[eightyknots]

In the Manchester accident, although the Captain's instantaneous thoughts (as per his post-accident interview) were that the bang was a tire failure and they might be able to return to the apron, these thoughts were never acted upon as the fire bells went off 9 seconds after the initial "bang" and halfway through his transmission to the tower telling them he was stopping the takeoff. He warned the cabin to prepare to evacuate 20 seconds before the aircraft had actually stopped (as they were going through 36 knots groundspeed). Unfortunately the right rear door was opened prematurely before the plane stopped and this was where the smoke and flames got into the cabin. No-one escaped through this door and the flight attendant there did not survive.People also started getting up into the aisles before it had stopped and it was the purser who (correctly) told them to stay seated. The aircraft was turned off the runway but unfortunately this had the unintended effect of having the side with the fire facing upwind. The evacuation was ordered quickly but was problematic due to panicking passengers jamming and totally blocking any movement up the aisle, one exit failing to open initially, and rapidly spreading smoke inside due to the nature of the fire. Fire services were applying foam 25 seconds after the plane stopped, and the fire spread so quickly the First Officer didn't even have time to finish the evacuation checklist before the Captain told him to take the escape rope through the cockpit window. 45 deaths were smoke inhalation and only 9 were from the heat of the fire.

 

In our company, we make an initial standard, precisely worded PA in all these ground situations telling passengers to stay seated and wait for instructions. This has 2 purposes:

 

1) It is coded to inform the crew that we know there is a problem and we are dealing with it but we need a few more seconds to gather information and take checklist actions (like shutting down the engines), and for them to get up and start checking outside their exit windows. It is not an evacuation order though.

 

2) It is an initial attempt to nip in the bud the immediate inclination of passengers to start panicking and running around blocking evacuation routes and exits before they're even open.

and (3) hopefully an attempt to stop passengers looking for their baggage in the overhead lockers.

 

 

[Marty_d]

When they get to the slides, anyone holding luggage gets sent to the back of the queue.

 

Natural selection will go from there.

 

 

[facthunter]

To the Far queue, or the Bar be queue.. Nothing is too good for them. They probably carry mental baggage too. Nev

 

 

[jeffd]

with a plane load of fuel the only thing i would hav had on me was me running shoes,oh plus clothes

 

 

[Phil Perry]

with a plane load of fuel the only thing i would hav had on me was me running shoes,oh plus clothes

Ahhhh. . .it's only bloody Kerro ya Wuss. . . . . .

 

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[facthunter]

Plus toxic cabin flammable interior fumes. They might have improved that a bit but it was a killer. Nev

 

 

[pmccarthy]

I always keep my shoes on until the seat belt light goes out in case I have to run through fire and wreckage.

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

I agree with PM I also choose clothing that is appropriate. Synthetics are not a good choice in flying, whether in your bugsmasher or in an RPT.......

 

Although I remember seeing a crash investigators show about a big RPT that crashed at Guam, after flying from South Korea I think......In that case they believe that many died as a result of duty free spirits on board....If every passenger had their approx. 1Litre then they argued that there was over 400Lts of highly flammable alcohol on board.....although I remember thinking at the time if all 400 bottles were smashed and subsequently ignited then there wasn't much hope for the humans on board anyway by virtue of the G loads that would be needed for all bottles to be broken.....

 

Anyway, it was thought provoking in that I see glass bottles packed loosely side by side without any other packing then in a duty free plastic bag still today.....

 

Andy

 

 

[facthunter]

Where do you normally fly. PMc C ? Nev

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

Indonesia Im guessing........

 

 

[pmccarthy]

Where do you normally fly. PMc C ? Nev

Nev, I am a mining engineer and have flown all over the world as PAX in dodgy African and formerly Russian countries, Asia and the subcontinent. Was in the air north of Mumbai in 1996 when an Ilyushin and a 747 collided west of Delhi - that made me think a bit. Before that I flew Uzbek Airlines when they were cannibalising old Russian Ilyushins on the runway at Tashkent to keep some in the air. Have had colleagues in crashes, fatal and non-fatal. So I keep my shoes on and note the exits. These days I keep to Qantas whenever possible, still doing several international trips each year.

 

 

[facthunter]

People think it's fun. At least when you are up the front, you have a fighting chance. I don't enjoy pax ing. Nev

 

 

[mkennard]

http://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/probe-of-777-engines-explosive-failure-pinpoints-its-origin/

[fly_tornado]

how do they get 400 GE-90 engines into 167 aircraft?

 

 

[mkennard]

how do they get 400 GE-90 engines into 167 aircraft?

Could it be 2 engines per aircraft and spare engines?