SIA 777 on fire

[fly_tornado]

amazing pic, that engine is properly on fire

 

 

 

[JEM]

The wing as well. The Guardian link is Singapore Airlines plane catches fire while making emergency landing

 

 

[facthunter]

Pretty hard to work out what is going on there. I guess we will have to wait for the report. Nev

 

 

[Blue Drifter]

So why did they delay the evacuation of the aircraft. You wouldn't be able to stop me from getting out.

 

 

[Kiwi303]

Pretty hard to work out what is going on there. I guess we will have to wait for the report. Nev

A guess, not an interlligent engineers estimate, just a wild ass guess. But from the way the rear of the engine pod looks solid yellow under the wing and the wing is alight all along the slots, A leak gushing fuel into the hot end of the engine pod seems likely.

 

It looks to me the source of the fire is from the pod, the solid yellow exhaust is coming out like an afterburner, but too much fuel to combust cleanly hence the yellow flames and black sooty smoke. the engine must have stopped, yet enough airflow through the vanes to push it out the rear not the front.

 

It's going to be a interesting report. Airliner with Reheat...

 

 

[bexrbetter]

But from the way the rear of the engine pod looks solid yellow under the wing and the wing is alight all along the slots, .

From the reports and looking at the flame, I would go along with it being an oil fire, not fuel.

 

 

[Downunder]

Looks like the smoke is being blown away from the fuse.......

 

I would not have been adverse to sliding down a chute on the other side.

 

5 to 10 minutes waiting for the fire trucks to arrive and put out the fire..... Could have easily 5 or 10 minutes and we're all roasted to a crisp.....

 

 

[AussieB1rd]

You wouldn't be able to stop me from getting out.

Possible me either, but footage from inside the cabin had everyone sitting quietly and seemingly relaxed, their inflight service is either really really good or their coffee is the best ever, but to sit quietly while that was going on outside and waiting for stairs to arrive, is a credit to the cabin staff's ability to keep things calm, overall a good outcome.

 

 

[pmccarthy]

Seconds count in a fire. I would have been out the emergency exit and gone, punching the flight attendant in the nose if necessary.

 

 

[Pearo]

So why did they delay the evacuation of the aircraft. You wouldn't be able to stop me from getting out.

I guess the pilots know less than you.

 

Everyone is an expert on the subject in this situation bar the pilot.

 

 

[bexrbetter]

I guess the pilots know less than you.Everyone is an expert on the subject in this situation bar the pilot.

What you say is spot on but I have personally been in a situation so terrifying that my brain stopped functioning logically and I went into flee mode to escape without being able to override it.

 

 

[Guest SrPilot]

What you say is spot on but I have personally been in a situation so terrifying that my brain stopped functioning logically and I went into flee mode to escape without being able to override it.

Well, there clearly are at least 3 options from which to choose: Freeze, flee, or fight. The passengers probably did not have fire extinguishers so "fight" is out. Freeze might not be the better choice of the two remaining options; that leaves flight. So why wait? News accounts say the passengers left when the firefighters thought it was safe to do so. I would have thought, as I did on an earlier occasion, that flight beats freeze like scissors beat paper.

 

 

[facthunter]

At least the on fire wing was downwind. I'm still confused about anything else. I've never seen a wing on fire to that extent and can't see how it would happen. You can't get out safely with engines running either.. Nev

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

Only have to think about a similar situation in the UK where a lot of passengers died due to leaving the evac too late.

 

A lot of professional pilots are asking why they did not evac asap.

 

 

[Kiwi303]

Possibly they wanted to wait until all fire and rescue trucks had arrived and were stationary, given the chinese girl who survived a crash but got run over.

 

Wouldn't be the first time that Shit Happening caused Cover-Your-Ass policy directives by shiny arsed desk monkeys which are not just illogical, but create a different danger while covering the original danger.

 

 

[facthunter]

This one might make for some comment eventually. There are some serious concerns about what is going on there.. Nev

 

 

[dutchroll]

Looks like the smoke is being blown away from the fuse.......I would not have been adverse to sliding down a chute on the other side.

5 to 10 minutes waiting for the fire trucks to arrive and put out the fire..... Could have easily 5 or 10 minutes and we're all roasted to a crisp.....

I'm perplexed why they didn't evacuate. The evacuation checklist calls for the engines to be shutdown before ordering the evacuation, so that is not a factor if the checklists are correctly followed.

There is (or should be) no consideration whatsoever for what the fire trucks are doing. That is their problem. The crew's problem is to get the passengers out of the aircraft before they burn to death or suffocate.

 

When an evacuation is ordered on the ground, the Captain automatically hands responsibility for safely opening the exits to door primary crew members. It is (at least in our company) drilled into them until they bleed from the ears to "check safe to open" then if it is, open their exit. If not, they keep it shut and redirect passengers to the next closest exit. This is to account for fire or smoke blocking a particular exit/evacuation area.

 

From what I've seen there is every indication that a ground evacuation was warranted. Again just speaking from our company's perspective, the pilots would be quickly getting information from a) the cabin crew, as to whether they were seeing flames or parts of the aircraft burning and b) from the tower or the fire crews as to whether they could see the aircraft on fire. That fire could've rapidly spread in seconds with disastrous consequences. The Captain's explanation as to why he didn't order an evacuation would want to be a good one!

 

 

[Downunder]

Yes, Just because no-one died or was injured, doesn't mean the decisions made were correct. Luck may have simply saved the day......

 

 

[Pearo]

From the reports and looking at the flame, I would go along with it being an oil fire, not fuel.

The aircraft was returning due to engine oil warning.

 

 

[Birdseye]

Only have to think about a similar situation in the UK where a lot of passengers died due to leaving the evac too late.A lot of professional pilots are asking why they did not evac asap.

British Airways B737 at Manchester, an earlier example was a Gulf Air L1011 in the Persian Gulf where all died. BA example was made worse by the relative wind direction changing as the aircraft taxied in. In this case a small wind change may have caused greater issues. Can't see any evidence to support the non-evacuation on safe side so far. I wait for any contrary and informed reasoning.

 

 

[Bennyboy320]

Once the a/c came to a stop it took 3 mins for the flames to disappear from view on the video I watched, the view from the cabin is even more frighnting, I also agree with everything that Dutchroll said, my airline group adopt the same procedures.

 

 

 

An evacuation is a last ditch event & people will get hurt, however the possibility of ending up a crispy critter is far worse, they were very lucky, just look at the pics of the wing after the event.

 

 

 

Listed below is whats required during certification for any airliner carrying more than 44 pax, on the A380 they had a total of 873 participants.

 

 

The main requirements for the evacuation drill are:

 

 

 

* Lights will be out in cabin

 

* Half of exits will be closed

 

* Drill must feature 40% women, 35% people over 50

 

* Passengers will not be told which exits are in use

 

* Passengers must wear their seat belts

 

 

 

Must be completed in 90 seconds.

 

 

[facthunter]

Check the last one. You mean life vests (not inflated)? Nev

 

 

[dutchroll]

I have to say that if I was in the cockpit and saw that view out the window, my next words would be "we need to get out of here now!" I'll be interested to see what communication transpired within the cockpit and from external sources to the cockpit. It'll all be on the CVR.

 

That fire may well be (and probably was) oil related, but it's not confined to the hot end of the engine. It is burning along the length of the wing. That changes the scenario completely.

 

The rapid fire service response at Changi may well have saved them here.

 

Check the last one. You mean life vests (not inflated)? Nev

I think that probably means seatbelts must be fastened prior to the evacuation test being carried out. Otherwise the timing and scenario is not realistic.

 

 

[Bennyboy320]

Check the last one. You mean life vests (not inflated)? Nev

No it means seat belts not life jackets, e.g. to simulate an emergency landing that is unprepared i.e. a gear collapse or fire smoke etc.

 

 

[facthunter]

Yes, I go along with what dutchroll says and what you meant. Nev