Asiana Club - OZ 271 emergency landing at SEA

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAR271/history/20090429/2144Z/KSEA/RKSI

Local news shows the plane being attended to by emergency crews. It just landed on 16C.

News story:
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/405691_plane29.html

It has just reached one of the gates at the satellite terminal. Looks like everyone is safe.

For plane trackers, it's HL7700.

I would think that has to be one if not the most terrifying of experiences in a lifetime:confused:

I would think that has to be one if not the most terrifying of experiences in a lifetime:confused:The news reports all said that everyone was remarkably calm.

Apparently they didn't make any announcements on the plane about what was going on. So many people didn't know that there might've been good reason to freak out. :D

Kiro TV had some good footage of the passengers sitting in the terminal after the event, and had a bunch of interviews with passengers on the plane. They also had a short interview with the captain that flew that plane in earlier in the day. He said there were no problems at all on that flight.

I'm taking a 777 tonight on another airline, and I was glad to know that it can still fly on just one engine.

I'm taking a 777 tonight on another airline, and I was glad to know that it can still fly on just one engine.

Of course, twin-engine planes MUST be able to fly on a single engine. That's an important part of the FAA certification process -- particularly in extended overwater operations.

how long will this plane be on the ground for repair? does oz have an extra 777 to make up the schedule?

I just flew that route yesterday and at check-in at SEA the clerk said they had already sent a new plane. Regardless, my flight was completely full (and overbooked) in Y, so I was upgraded to C. ^ She said they were not given any information as to the nature of the problem.

Contrast that incident with an AC flight I was on earlier in the year, right after the US Hudson river incident. We had a multiple bird strike happen shortly after take-off and the pilot came on and told everyone what had happened, but did so very professionally. He told us we'd be returning and making an emergency landing and that there would be lots of emergency vehicle that would greet the plane on the tarmac, but not to worry as it was standard procedure. I'd say everyone was a bit tense due to the news of the Hudson river incident so fresh in everyone's minds, but nobody showed any signs of panic. I much preferred the way the AC captain handled the situation compared to not being informed.

In general, I prefer to fly OZ and other Asian carriers opposed to US/Canadian carriers, but the pilot professionalism and eagerness to communicate effectively with the passengers is one area where the western carriers are tops.

I found the following article suggesting a possible cause, sorry only in french:

http://www.crash-aerien.com/www/news/article.php?id=12770&check=0

in TRANSPORTS CANADA they explain the origin of the engine failure:

http://www.tc.gc.ca/AviationCivile/publications/tp185/1-06/Maintenance.htm

There must be an english version around.

and frankly, If I have an engine blowing up, I don't want the pilot chatting around the cabin, he certainly has better things to do.

I agree that if the situation is critical and requires the captain's full attention, then he shouldn't be talking to the passengers. When the situation first occurs, he will obvious be very busy to determine what is the problem and what course of action needs to be taken. After that though, provided the one engine is still functioning, they will have quite a bit of time while they dump fuel. It was during that time that the captain of my flight came on to let the passengers know what was happening and to calm any fears. The plane in my case was airborne for probably an hour, being the situation wasn't critical, it was better to take their time and do things right in returning. If the plane's engine was on fire, and thus visible to the passengers, and the plane diverted off course, I'd think a lot of passengers would get distressed. A few calming words from the captain would go a long ways. I wasn't on this flight, and even if I was, not being in the cockpit couldn't comment specifically if the captain should or shouldn't have informed the passengers. But from my experience, in general Asian pilots do not communicate with their passengers as much as Western pilots do.