JQ A330 Diverted due to FIRE

[Matt Coughran]

From http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25619199-12377,00.html.
A JETSTAR flight from Japan to the Gold Coast has made an emergency landing in Guam after fire broke out in the cockpit.

All passengers and crew are safe and no one has been injured.

The A330-200 aircraft - flight JQ 20 - left Kansai International Airport just before 11pm (AEST) yesterday Australian time carrying 186 adult passengers, four infants and 13 crew including 9 cabin crew and 4 pilots.

Jetstar said a small number of Australians were on board the flight, which was carrying mainly Japanese nationals.

The number of Australians on board still has to be confirmed.

The airline said almost four hours into the flight, smoke was seen in the cockpit and moments later the right hand cockpit window caught fire.

Jetstar said technical crew extinguished the fire which was contained to the cockpit only.

The aircraft landed without incident at Guam International Airport at 2.20am (AEST) Australian time today.

Passengers are now being put up in local hotels in Guam - they'll be flown to Australia on a Jetstar A330-200 aircraft departing this morning from Sydney to Guam and returning to Brisbane International Airport.

Aircraft Engineers in Guam are currently inspecting the aircraft and Jetstar said enquiries from family and friends can be made on 131 538 (Australia) and updates will be put online at www.Jetstar.com.

[Michael Atkin]

Any idea of the rego

[Jason H]

Vh-ebf

[Matt Coughran]

Vh-ebf

[Daniel M]

From initial reports, sounds like a window heat issue

[Stuart Trevena]

Hi All

Jetstar are sending a replacement aircraft to Guam today 11/6.
JQ7994 is due to leave Sydney between 11am and 1pm according the SACL website.

Stuart

[Peter Agatsiotis]

Channel 7 news showed a B717 landing after saying an Airbus like this one!!!

You would think that after all the reports of the Air France A330 lost last week they would know what an A330 looks like!

[Gerard M]

From initial reports, sounds like a window heat issue

Sorry if it seems like a simple question, but how does a window catch fire?:confused:

[Daniel M]

Gerard,

all modern airliners run window heat, much like the demister function on the rear window of many cars. It is turned on to prevent ice forming over the windshields. Obviously this system can malfunction, as seen on a number of Virgin Blue and Qantas 737's over the years, resulting in cracked windows. This is simply a malfunction whereby it has overheated and most likely started to smulder...flames were mentioned in the article, I'd assume flammable outer parts of the window may have caught fire?

If I remember correctly, this isn't the first time this has happened to an Australian aircraft...I think it may have been a QF or JQ aircraft that had a similar incident not too long ago?

[Sarah C]

According to Alan Joyce the "cause of the incident was an electrical connector that is part of a cockpit window heater".

On a lighter note, Guam would be a nice place to divert too!

[Mike W]

On a lighter note, Guam would be a nice place to divert too!Especially when it's 4 degrees here in Sydney this morning Brrrrr

[Dave Powell]

You would think that after all the reports of the Air France A330 lost last week they would know what an A330 looks like!


Well - considering some of the TV coverage of the Air France disaster showed footage of an A320, and a backdrop of an artists impression of the A380 on one news bulletin, I am not in the least surpised at this latest screw up:confused:

[Adam.S]

Hi All

Jetstar are sending a replacement aircraft to Guam today 11/6.
JQ7994 is due to leave Sydney between 11am and 1pm according the SACL website.

Stuart

There was a JQ19D today, which departed Syd at 12pm.
Could this be the replacement aircraft?
Rego VH-EBB

[Sam L]

This appears to be a similiar occurance to an incident on VH-EBY last year:

http://atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2008/AAIR/aair200801100.aspx

[Stuart Trevena]

Hi All,

I don't think so, as it is a ferry flight first, so a 7*** series flight number is used, hence JQ7994, which was on the SACL website going to Guam

They only use JQ19D when it is a revenue flight, and the D is used when two flights are due on the same day when the original flight has been delayed.

Stuart

[Gerard M]

Thanks for the explanation Daniel, thought it must have been something like that was just unsure of how it would occur.

[Mick F]

Whilst definitely not an ideal situation (fire onboard an aircraft is a pilots worst nightmare), these malfunctions of window heating elements aren't uncommon. However flames appearing would have to be one of the more extreme malfunctions that occurr. Windscreen's cracking, burning out of the elements (no fire though), shorting of elements (again, with no fire) are reasonably common, and I know quite a few people who have been faced with these situations.

However, the crew of this aircraft still should be commended on a very professionally handled situation. Should it have been me in the same situation, no doubt I would have done the same thing.

Mick

[Luke Chittock]

G'day Floppy

....However, the crew of this aircraft still should be commended on a very professionally handled situation. Should it have been me in the same situation, no doubt I would have done the same thing.
Mick

I thought you fly with goggles and a scarf? :D

Adam S - Yes, EBB operated SYD-GUM and it's already on it's way back to BNE as JQ7020.

Regards

Luke/PER

[Gerard M]

Hi,

It didn't take long for the papers (http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/cockpit-fire-union-anger-at-jetstar-20090611-c4bp.html) to turn it against Jetstar and Qantas. Now they are saying its their fault for using cheaper maintainence overseas instead of onshore.

Australian aircraft engineers have blasted Jetstar and Qantas for using cheap maintenance facilities overseas after a Jetstar plane's cockpit caught fire and forced an emergency landing in Guam early this morning.
The engineers union has disputed claims by Jetstar management that the aircraft had been maintained in Australia, saying its last major maintenance check occurred in the Philippines.
With these sort of occurrences, is there much damage to the cockpit, especially when there are flames involved? Or is it mostly just replacing the window and electrics in it?

[Andrew P]

better not fly Virgin also, as note a Virgin Atlantic A340 is in Manila today for a check-up

Banjo

[Andrew P]

? why did not a circuit breaker pop, when the problem started

[Gerard M]

What i forgot to say, which is nearly all the news stations favourite line at the moment, "..and it is the same type of aircraft that was in the recent Air France disaster which killed over 200 people..." or something catchy along those lines...:rolleyes:

[Rhys Xanthis]

But you see, that's only filler until the unions come out and say that the fault was due to having maintenance check ups in Manila...

[damien b]

? why did not a circuit breaker pop, when the problem started

They will only 'pop' if excess current is being drawn through the circuit. Just because there is an electrical fault, doesn't mean excess current is flowing through the circuit.

[Sarah C]

Whatever happened, it is a very rare occurance and just unfortunate timing. Well done to the crew for their professinalism in handling the situation.

[Montague S]

If his facts are facts then how can they be wrong?

Next year is 7 months away, that's plenty of time for something to go wrong...

[Philip Argy]

What is the procedure for oxygen use when there are naked flames? Obviously with smoke you need oxy masks but is there an issue with the use of oxygen near naked flames?

And what kind of fire extinguisher is carried - on the assumption that any fire will most likely be electrical, is it CO2 or powder?

[Owen H]

Aviation has an exemption to use Halon fire extinguishers which are extremely effective in the aviation environment.

Oxygen masks would be used after it has been discharged in the flight deck.

You would try to keep oxy away from a naked flame obviously, but if the masks need to be used, then you'd use them.

For a fire in the cabin, you would remove any nearby oxy bottles to ensure you don't flame the fire.

[Philip Argy]

The JQ captain has [reportedly] stated that he could not tell passengers what was happening because he was wearing an oxy mask.

Does that mean that flight crew can't communicate at all whilst wearing an oxy mask? It doesn't sound right to me.

[Owen H]

Philip,

Yes you can make radio calls/announcements while wearing a mask.

Whether you would want to make a PA while wearing it would depend on the urgency of the situation, as the "Darth Vader" tone do your voice may cause undue stress to the passengers when there is no reason for them to be overly concerned.

Really depends on the situation.

[Dave Parer]

Tracking VH-EBF now on my SBS. Currently just north of Townsville, 41,000 feet and looks to be heading to Sydney as JQ7993.

[Gerard M]

Just as you posted that Dave i saw these flights on the Syd airport site.
So it is just one plane or several? i'm guessing just the one?

http://www.sydneyairport.com.au/SACL/images/flight-logos/JQ.gif JQ7993A Guam 14/6/2009
7:20pm 14/6/2009
7:20pm B
http://www.sydneyairport.com.au/SACL/images/flight-logos/JQ.gif JQ7993 Guam 14/6/2009
7:20pm 14/6/2009
7:15pm -na-
http://www.sydneyairport.com.au/SACL/images/flight-logos/JQ.gif JQ7993D Guam 14/6/2009
7:20pm 14/6/2009
7:20pm -na-

JQ7993 Inbound, north of Tamworth, FL410.