Earlier this week, a Malaysia Airlines plane was forced to return to Brisbane, Australia, having just taken off en route to Kuala Lumpur. Reports at the time indicated that pilots of MH134 decided to turn around due to technical difficulties, after being unable to read how high they were going, nor how fast they were moving.
Today, ABC News Australia is reporting that the reason for those difficulties was a failure by ground crew in pre-flight inspection.
Four plastic covers were left on flight probes after the plane was given a check, and when the plane took off, they subsequently melted, blocking airspeed and altitude readings for the pilot.
Due to a wasp issue that sees the insects build hives on the instrument in as little as 20 minutes, covers are used to protect the probes, and prevent them from entering.
Currently, the Australian Transport Bureau is now trying to understand at what point in the chain of events the materials were accidentally left on, and who is the blame for the incident.
Pilots issued a pan alert, which is one step below a mayday call, dumped fuel, and returned to base in Brisbane. The plane is still currently grounded.
Australian media is now quoting a member of the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association, who claims that there may be something far more serious wrong with the plane, and that it may be on the tarmac for far longer than anticipated.
“We see this stuff all the time from airlines. They say: There was a minor incident that caused us to turn back in-flight; the plane’s got a minor problem; it’s on the ground for like … three months. It usually means there’s something major that they can’t fix, and in the case of this Malaysian aircraft, it’s certainly something a little bit more wrong than just a few covers that have been left on the probes,” said Steve Purvinas.
ABC is reporting that other pilots and aircraft engineers are claiming that, in fact, hydraulic fluid leaked from the aircraft, either during the pre-takeoff maneuvers or after landing.
Did someone say airspeed misreading? Reminds us of one of the scariest episodes of Mayday, the one with the Air France flight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30UiJvNgW-4
If feeding fears happened in restaurants, you’d find us at the buffet.
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