Comments

You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name

Your e-mail (optional)

Website (optional)

	My Original Nic Pic-a-Nic Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Foto

Submit your comments on this article

Europe

Terror as Pilot Tells Passengers: 'This Plane's a Deathtrap'

2006-09-22

A jet carrying 180 British tourists was grounded when its pilot announced: "Do not fly with this plane, it is not safe."

The holidaymakers were about to take off back to Bristol Airport from Antalya, Turkey, when a strange sound came from the Airbus A321's engines.

Then the captain announced: "I am resigning from my job. Do not fly with this plane. It is not safe. Do not fly with Onur Air."

The unnamed pilot walked off the aircraft, leaving the passengers in 38C heat without air conditioning.

They were eventually told to leave the aircraft, retrieve their luggage and go back to the terminal, where an alternative flight was arranged. Passenger Jade Barrett, said: "The pilot made his announcement and then walked off the plane. Some people started laughing nervously but others were crying and almost screaming.

"Everyone was terrified and we did not know what was happening but in the end they told us to get off the plane."

Up to 20 of the passengers were so scared they refused to board the replacement and tried to find other flights home.

A spokesman for Goldtrail, the company which chartered last week's flight, said: "The employee in question was serving his notice. There was a problem between him and the airline and he turned it into a bigger problem."

Posted by:mcsegeek1

#8 Gosh, an airline froma Muslim majority country has safety issues. Could it be their mechanics spend too much time praying? Or, maybe, they're trained in Iran? Or did someone swap the Koran for their training manual?

It took a few minutes of scrounging on the net, but this is not the first time Onur Air (AKA Goldtrail) has had their pitot tube caught in the wringer (scroll down at link for article):

29 MAY 2005 EU to consider harmonised air safety measures
The European Union said that it would propose an emergency coordination procedure for airline safety so that European governments would not take unilateral action against airlines. The proposal came after the Netherlands imposed a ban on the Onur Air because of safety concerns, prompting similar bans at Swiss, French and German airports. The European Commission also wants EU members to give it the power to impose flight suspensions and bans throughout the Union. The member states have rejected such a move in the past.

They also appear to have had a runway overrun incident:

Status: Preliminary
Date: 17 JUN 2003
Time: 09:20
Type: McDonnell Douglas MD-88
Operator: Onur Air
Registration: TC-ONP
C/n / msn: 53549/2185
First flight: 1997
Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219
Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 8
Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 142
Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 150
Airplane damage: Minor
Location: Groningen-Eelde Airport (GRQ) (Netherlands)
Phase: Takeoff
Nature: Domestic Non Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport: Groningen-Eelde Airport (GRQ/EHGG), Netherlands
Destination airport: Maastricht/Aachen Airport (MST/EHBK), Netherlands
Flightnumber: 2264

Narrative:

Operating on flight 2264 to Maastricht and Dalaman, the MD-88 overran the runway at Groningen Airport, the Netherlands by 50m after rejecting the takeoff.

Events:

Result - Came to rest off rwy

Sources: Groningen Airport

Posted by: Zenster 2006-09-22 22:13

#7 Thinemp Whimble2412, I'm astonished that your company didn't press charges or file a civil suit against that shithead.

Posted by: Zenster 2006-09-22 21:44

#6 We should arm pilots like this one

Posted by: Captain America 2006-09-22 20:10

#5 Or it could be the dramatic "sabotage" exit play.

I recall a disgrutled inside sales rep in my office who apparently spent his last day huddled in his cubicell calling all his clients to advise them of our company's sudden demise and referring them to a competitor. At 4pm, calls complete, he slapped a Post It on his terminal with a markered "I quit" and we never saw him again.

The following Monday is when we learned of his calls as confused clients snowed the call centre. Took months to get some of the clients back. Funny boy.

Outisde chance of a similar approach here.

Posted by: Thinemp Whimble2412 2006-09-22 19:47

#4 I think so, too.

These things rarely come up all of a sudden. He'd probably dealt with all kinds of 'cutting corners' and safety problems before, and the company failed to address them.

There was a problem between him and the airline

Yeah, they wanted him to risk his life and his passengers. That is a problem.

Posted by: mcsegeek1 2006-09-22 18:34

#3 As someone who has hired and fired employees, this incident is what I would call a "testimonial". One can only imagine how many Russian aircraft have been lost with all on board because the pilot and crew could not or refused to recognize easily interpreted signs of impending equipment failure.

Posted by: Zenster 2006-09-22 16:00

#2 Sounds like a good pilot who did the right thing.

He didn't feel the plane was safe, and refused to pilot it.

Good for him. A better airline should give him a job.

Posted by: Bright Pebbles in Blairistan 2006-09-22 13:49

#1 A jet carrying 180 British tourists was grounded when its pilot announced: "Do not fly with this plane, it is not safe."

jeez that's a mighty strange trip..

Posted by: RD 2006-09-22 13:31

00:00