…We have a small problem

The now famous words uttered by Captain Eric Moody.

On 24 June 1982, G-BDXH was operating BA9 LHR-AUK. The flight had scheduled stops at BOM, KUL, PER and MEL en route to New Zealand. The crew would operate KUL-PER sector, with many passengers having started their journey at LHR.

Above the Indian Ocean, south of Java, the crew first noticed an unusual effect on the windscreen similar to St Elmo’s fire. Despite the weather radar showing clear skies, the crew switched on engine anti-ice and the passenger seat belt signs as a precaution.

As the flight progressed, smoke began to accumulate in the passenger cabin. It was first assumed to be cigarette smoke. Soon it became thicker with an odour of sulphur. Passengers who had a view of the aircraft's engines through the window noted that they were unusually bright blue, with light shining forward through the fan blades and producing a stroboscopic effect.

The number four Rolls Royce RB-211 engine began surging and soon flamed out. The flight crew immediately performed the engine shutdown drill, quickly cutting off fuel supply and arming the fire extinguishers. Less than a minute later, engine two surged and flamed out. Within seconds, and almost simultaneously, engines one and three flamed out, prompting the flight engineer to exclaim, "I don't believe it - all four engines have failed!"

Without engine thrust, a 747-200 has a glide ratio of roughly 15:1, meaning it can glide forward 15 kilometres for every kilometre it drops. The flight crew quickly determined that the aircraft was capable of gliding for 23 minutes and covering 91 nautical miles (169 km) from its flight level of 37,000 feet (11,000 m).

The aircraft had flown into a volcanic ash cloud thrown up by the eruption of Mount Galunggung around 110 miles (180 km) south-east of Jakarta, resulting in the failure of all four engines. Partly because the event occurred at night, obscuring the cloud, the reason for the failure was not immediately apparent to the crew or air traffic control. The aircraft diverted to Jakarta in the hope that enough engines could be restarted to allow it to land there. The aircraft glided out of the ash cloud, and all engines were restarted (although one failed again soon after), allowing the aircraft to land safely at the Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta. 

Why did the ash cloud not appear on weather radar? It was dry and the radar system could only detect moisture. The dust deprived the engines of sufficient oxygen from the atmosphere to maintain combustion, sandblasted the windscreen and landing-light covers, and clogged the engines. As the ash entered the engines, it melted in the combustion chambers and adhered to the inside. When the engine cooled from inactivity and as the aircraft descended out of the ash cloud, the molten ash solidified and enough broke off for air to again flow smoothly through the engine. This allowed a successful restart. The engines had enough electrical power to crank, ignite, and restart because one generator and the on-board batteries were still operating. Engines one, two and three replaced at Jakarta, as was the windscreen. Fuel tanks were cleared of the ash that had entered through the pressurization ducts, badly contaminating the fuel. After the aircraft was ferried back to London, engine number four was replaced and major work was undertaken to return the 747 to service.

The final words go to Captain Moody, who passed away last week –

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We have a small problem. All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them under control. I trust you are not in too much distress.”

More news…

Air Baltic – the Latvian carrier continues to expand. Latest new routes stating later this year are RIX-FNC, VNO-OSL, TLL-KTT. This airline is certainly proving the A220’s success.

Ryanair – a meeting recently took place between Michael O’Leary and senior Boeing executives. On the table a number of issues including MAX10 certification. The budget airline boss also welcomed the increased regulation imposed by Congress. There’s also speculation in aviation media that talks are ongoing with Airbus. Let’s not forget that with the acquisition of Lauda, Ryanair already operates A320s…

Finally…

Emirates – congratulations to James Ward who has just completed flights to all UK airports served by the A380 since becoming Captain in December 2023. All ticked off with his trip to BHX last Friday.

Information courtesy of Airline Ratings, Wikipedia

Images courtesy of Wikipedia

©TPSC and Poshgirl