QF20 diversion to Cairns

[Mark T]

We are currently sitting on the tarmac in Cairns after diverting here due to small electrical fire in the cockpit. We had smelt something burning and captain advised that an electrical system that demists the windscreen had shorted and they had to use fire extinguishers due to sparks.
Now waiting for QF and customs staff to arrive.

Aircraft is VH-EBL

Cheers
Mark

[NeilP]

I can see the headlines now...

[Mark T]

All handled fairly well by QF given the hour of the morning. We had to wait for Customs & Immigration to arrive but then transferred onto other domestic flights from Cairns, so only a 2-3 hour delay for most. The important thing is that the captain put safety first and kept us well-informed at all times.

Cheers
M

[Brock Little]

They forgot to link the article back to the A380 disaster! :eek:

[Steve Bottom]

still here Mark... all doors open with safe guards on doors, been told its up for a windscreen change..

[Robert S]

I can see the headlines now...

Front page of smh.com.au.

Headline = "Plane fire 'truly scary'"
Synopsis = "Passengers on a Qantas flight from the Philippines to Sydney yesterday left terrified after pilots had to put out an electrical fire in the cockpit."
Full article (with less frenzied headline) = http://www.smh.com.au/travel/qantas-in-midair-emergency-as-pilots-grapple-with-two-cockpit-fires-20110323-1c6us.html
The Lazy Journalists Plane Story Generator = http://www.radans.net/jens/planestory.html

This said, a recurring fire in the cockpit is a very serious issue - I just wish the media would write it up as a very serious issue without adding hysteria on top of that.


NineMSN has footage of interviews with said terrified passengers here - http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8227854/cockpit-fire-diverts-qantas-flight-to-cairns

[Mark T]

Yes, so much for SMH's accurate reporting. I was on the flight - it was not scary and it did not take place at 3.35pm! SMH are only out by about 12 hours :-)

[Jakef]

Quite surprised the article doesn't link to the A380 incident or the other A330 incident that occurred a while ago.

[Kent Broadhead]

Quite surprised the article doesn't link to the A380 incident or the other A330 incident that occurred a while ago.
The SMH article mentions the previous A330 cockpit smoke incident....

[David Knudsen]

Does anyone know what type of fire extinguishers they carry in the cockpit?

[Fred C]

BCF Fire extinguishers.:D

Bromochlorodiflouromethane (Halon)

[Mark Grima]

Really?

I thought they were not made any more and now illegal?

And I thought this was because they put out a fire by removing all the oxygen from the area, thus being very dangerous to humans?

Although I guess if there was a fire in the cockpit the pilots would have there breathing apperatis on.

Cheers

M

[Fred C]

I knew this would be the very next question when I posted last.:rolleyes:

Yes the flight crew would have had on their oxygen masks, due fire and the use of the fire extinguisher.

BCF is still used in aviation as it is the most effective extinguishant for the situation. When they are used there is a lot of paperwork generated. Usually for the fact that there is a fire onboard the aircraft, but also due to the environmental effects.

However, when I am at 38,000 ft, many minutes from being safely on the ground, I (and probably 400 other souls on the aircraft) am happy to be unconcerned about the environmental effects of BCF and just want the fire extinguished as soon as possible. :D

[Trevor Sinclair]

I see the Telegraph is also reporting hyterically, and their timing of the incident is also incorrect - perhaps this one has been badly fed by AAP.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/travel/news/cockpit-fire-forces-qantas-plane-to-divert/story-e6frezi0-1226027161590

[David Knudsen]

Thanks Fred, I read in one of the articles that any time an extinguisher gets used in the cockpit it is very "messy", I thought surely they wouldn't be using dry-powder units - perhaps they were referring to the paperwork!

[Fred C]

Discharging a dry powder extinguisher in a cockpit would be hideous to clean up let alone corrosion issues.:eek:
A water fire extinguisher in a cockpit...............mmmmm anyone for fried pilot?;)
A carbon dioxide fire extinguisher has the same effect removing oxygen and would also probably wet a lot of things. Little bits of ice discharged.
Hence why the BCF are used.:D

[Jason H]

VH-EBL just arrived back in SYD a short time ago

[David Ramsay]

I thought they were not made any more and now illegal?

And I thought this was because they put out a fire by removing all the oxygen from the area, thus being very dangerous to humans?

The reason was that they are environmentally unfriendly toward the ozone layer.

The greenies had them banned. :mad:

They were a very good extinguisher.

[Owen H]

There was another large push a year or so ago in Europe to have them banned from commercial aircraft as well. As far as I'm aware it so far has not been successful... and lets hope it stays that way.

[Torin Wilson]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4813558/Passenger-questions-Airbus-safety-after-cockpit-fire

A Nelson man was among passengers on a Qantas flight from the Philippines to Sydney who feared for their lives as pilots had to put out an electrical fire in the cockpit.

Murray Malone is now questioning the safety of the Airbus A330-200.

.............

Malone, who is a member of the Stoke Classics rugby team which played at the Manila 10s tournament, awoke on the flight at 3.30am on Wednesday five hours into the eight-hour flight to hear a pilot saying they had a big problem

..............

Malone, who is Turners and Growers' development manager, was the only one from the Stoke team on the flight, which landed safely in Cairns.

The captain then asked the passengers if they had questions and Malone asked for the technical details. He was told there had been a short circuit in the electrical server to the windscreen heater that caused the fire. The automatic fire extinguisher had put it out at the outset then it fired up again.

Don't worry about the ATSB, Malone is on the case...