Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkR
I am not saying it’s minor either, just that the circumstances are very different, when Allianz went to Fokker for help there was none, and no jigs existed to do the fix, where as Boeing have in place procedures and equipment to correct the issue. Polar reactivated a 747 that was previously subject to a Mercury spill. They happen on a semi regular basis in PNG, especially on routes to Hagen, Wau and Bullolo.
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Fake news again.
No reference or verification to "Been happening for over 50 years in PNG, not unusual".
Your statement saying "not unusual" which you can't prove, downplays the whole incident to being a minor issue.
The reaction creating Aluminum amalgam will "eat" any Aluminum it can find. The mercury is reduced (in volume) but not significantly, and the reaction will continue until all the Aluminum is consumed.
As Brenden says "That isn't flying again unless it was contained to the floor boards" is true because of the difficulty in tracing which part of the aircraft structure has been weakened.
The Polar story:
The 1979-build 747-200F was being operated by Southern Air Transport when, during routine maintenance in February 1996, extensive mercury contamination was discovered below the main cargo deck. The aircraft had suffered a mercury spill about a month before the contamination was discovered, but had been returned to service when the liquid metal had been recovered from below the aft maindeck cargo door sill.
Because of the damage, the insurers deemed the aircraft to be a constructive total loss. Since then, the 747 - serial number 21827, a relatively sought-after -200F delivered new as a freighter equipped with Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7Q engines and both nose and side-cargo doors - has been repaired by Evergreen Air Center in Marana, Arizona, and sold to Wetmore Finance.
It has also been to the Matrix plant in Tijuana, Mexico, for extensive maintenance work.
The aircraft, which was remarketed by Fortis Aviation, will re-enter service with Polar in December on a 63-month operating lease.
Polar leased the aircraft after it was written-off and rebuilt
https://www.flightglobal.com/polar-r.../18447.article