QF768 - 13NOV, Another Qantas engine problem

[Mick F]

From news.com.au

QANTAS has been plagued with more engine problems, with one of its planes carrying 234 passengers to Melbourne forced to turn back to Perth.

The flight crew noticed the problem between five to 10 minutes after QF768 took off from Perth at 2.50pm (WST).

"Soon after take-off, the flight crew detected some vibration in the left-hand engine of the Boeing 767 aircraft," Qantas spokesman Simon Rushton told AAP.

The crew did some in-flight checks and decided to turn back.

The plane, which has GE engines, landed about 3.15pm.

About 50 passengers onboard had been placed on other Qantas flights to Melbourne by 7.45pm, with the remainder expected to board flights shortly, Mr Rushton said.

"They will all fly tonight," he said.

He denied the incident involving a mid-air explosion of a Qantas A380 Rolls Royce engine over Indonesia last week may have influenced the crew's decision to return to Perth.

"Not at all. Our flight crews are absolutely trained to respond in a very conservative way to any in-flight issues and that's exactly what they did in this case," Mr Ruston said.

"They responded quickly, appropriately and in line with their training."

No one was hurt in the incident.

Qantas and Singapore Airlines have grounded their A380 planes while the mid-air blast over Indonesia is investigated

[Ash W]

This is the kinda incident that wouldn't normally make the papers... Anything to tie things together and uncover a bigger 'story'.

[Dave Dale]

He denied the incident involving a mid-air explosion of a Qantas A380 Rolls Royce engine over Indonesia last week may have influenced the crew's decision to return to Perth.



I find this sentence most annoying as it is an indication of desperate journalism, trying to make a story when there just isn't one!

[Mick F]

Word is it wasn't just a "vibration", but rather more metal out the back of it and an engine change now required.

Mick

[NickN]

Same as the last spate of QF incidents, the minute a plane has a common or minor issue it's a near death experience. Rubbish!

[Ash W]

Who was the 'word' from Mick? Someone close to the union by any chance?

[Mick F]

I wouldn't know anyone even associated with a union Ash. I'm just passing on what I've read on other industry boards.

One of the passengers did say that the pilot told them they had shut the engine down. I wouldn't call that "normal", so as much as I dislike the media as well, maybe it was justified them reporting it.

Mick

[Fabian Lee]

Word is it wasn't just a "vibration", but rather more metal out the back of it and an engine change now required.

Mick


G'day mates. Any idea what the rego of the afflicted 763 is?

Do domestic QF 763s have a different config from the international ones? If so, were domestic 763s ever used for international services before the A380 prob?

Thank you.

[Gareth U]

There is international and domestic configured GE 763s. The domestic configuration has two primary variations.

All were previously operated in a two or three class international configuration. Yes, until the mid nineties the 763s had a six seat first class cabin.

[Sarah C]

Rego was VH-OGO

[Fabian Lee]

Thanks Gareth and Sarah. Is there any way I can get a listing of the regos of the domestic 763s? While I would expect the domestic 763s to ply domestic routes exclusively, I am just wondering if they are nowadays never deployed on international routes. Thanks

[Jason H]

VH-OGB/C/M/R/S/T/U are the only international config 763s as far as i'm aware

[Jack B]

Correct

[Sarah C]

Thanks Gareth and Sarah. Is there any way I can get a listing of the regos of the domestic 763s? While I would expect the domestic 763s to ply domestic routes exclusively, I am just wondering if they are nowadays never deployed on international routes. Thanks

Try this:

http://www.theqantassource.com/qijettracker.html

It isn't real time but still handy :)

[Adam W]

VH-OGB/C/M/R/S/T/U are the only international config 763s as far as i'm aware

Correct

Not quite, OGC left the fleet earlier this year.

[Adam W]

There is international and domestic configured GE 763s. The domestic configuration has two primary variations.

All were previously operated in a two or three class international configuration. Yes, until the mid nineties the 763s had a six seat first class cabin.

OGV was delivered in a domestic configuration.

[Jack B]

I think -OGV may have even been in an all-Y configuration, or maybe that was just before delivery to AO.


I recall the 767s as having an odd F/J layout, with the F seats being on one side of the cabin and J on the other, with a divide between the two.

[Gareth U]

My recollection that the first GE 763 to feature a dedicated domestic configuration was OGG. That was after OGD-F had the Tasman configuration (with international Dreamtime seats in J).

OGV was reconfigured from its delivery configuration (whatever it may have been) to 271Y post AN collapse. The aircraft was dedicated to CNS-SYD-OOL-SYD-OOL-SYD-CNS before going to AO. AO's other 763s had a 272Y config with different galley and lav layout to that of OGV.

The reason I thought that OGV was delivered in international configuration was an educated guess. Why would Qantas go to the expense of removing a domestic interior on a newly delivered aircraft while in the process of converting others from international to domestic?

Did OGV feature the mid galley on delivery? Was it slated to become another Tasman aircraft prior to the all Y modification?