BA263 (LHR-RUH) Rejected take off today (did anyone experience a RTO?)
Aug 27, 2019, 2:27 am
#31
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: London
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 243
On the same LGW-ANU-SKB we had an RTO on departure from Antigua, apparently to do with a warning light in the cockpit.
We then had two go around at St Kitts due to heavy rain, after the second the captain warned us that if we couldn’t make it on the third attempt we would have to divert to Guadalupe. All was well in the end but the water spray when we did land was incredible!
We then had two go around at St Kitts due to heavy rain, after the second the captain warned us that if we couldn’t make it on the third attempt we would have to divert to Guadalupe. All was well in the end but the water spray when we did land was incredible!
Aug 27, 2019, 2:36 am
#32
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Programs: Flying: VA; Buying: AA, AS, AV, BA, UA!
Posts: 2,349
One RTO on a QF 767 at SYD in 2009. Fairly travelling down the runway when the anchor was deployed! My recollection is that the captain said some of their instrumentation momentarily went blank.
More recently and most definitely not an RTO, but a weird incident on Virgin Australia when we were sitting at the end of the runway, engines spooled up and as we started to move there was a loud bang, engines spool down a bit...a few moments of contemplation and chatter among the pax, then we took off for real without any word from the crew (no doubt they knew what had happened and saw no reason not to continue the take off). It was as if the brakes were stuck on and suddenly unstuck themselves...BANG!
More recently and most definitely not an RTO, but a weird incident on Virgin Australia when we were sitting at the end of the runway, engines spooled up and as we started to move there was a loud bang, engines spool down a bit...a few moments of contemplation and chatter among the pax, then we took off for real without any word from the crew (no doubt they knew what had happened and saw no reason not to continue the take off). It was as if the brakes were stuck on and suddenly unstuck themselves...BANG!
Aug 27, 2019, 2:42 am
#33
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,238
True story, it happened in August 2013 and was carried by the media. Fake conclusion maybe; it might be my prejudice...what's the story on the Ghana sector reliability then...?? 
Good thing I don't run an airline, as some aircraft are always likely to be more scruffy and less reliable than others...and the fleet managers will know which. So I'd always bung them on the less important routes.
Anyway we digress, as this thread is about bowel clearing moments due to RTO's
...Chris
Good thing I don't run an airline, as some aircraft are always likely to be more scruffy and less reliable than others...and the fleet managers will know which. So I'd always bung them on the less important routes.
Anyway we digress, as this thread is about bowel clearing moments due to RTO's
...Chris1) T3. It’s not the easiest terminal to depart planes on time out of; some of the reasons are HAL-dictated or (the layout of the place, equipment availability) but many are BA-related. For instance the fact that BA crews report in T5 and then are bussed across: this generates a lot of complexity and delays entirely of BA’s making.
2) the route. Accra is the most spectacular route for long boardings and excess baggage. Whilst people taking their time to saunter to the gate is nothing new, especially when you have to drag ‘em out of the lounge or duty free, luggage is by far the biggest problem. It’s not unheard of for the 81 to depart with 800 bags onboard. For 300 passengers. Also, hand baggage is a massive problem. Because of how T3 is set up, there’s no BA presence at security like in 5: this means that passengers check in, drop their bags, then go upstairs and get their friends or family to pass on more bags to bring onboard. Happens EVERY time. I’ve seen photos of big duffel bags, enormous suitcases and boxes. HAL security doesn’t check dimensions - not their job - and then it hits the gate. ACC, when I left, had 2 bins planned for gate bags (so estimates of 60/70 bags taken at gate) and was being considered to be a trial route to get people to pay for excess bags at gate because of how widespread this behaviour was becoming.
Aug 27, 2019, 2:49 am
#34
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS MVP100K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Gold
Posts: 3,215
My last RTO was about 15 years ago CO SEA-EWR 757-200 we were down the runway and pulled off. It was the first RTO I ever experienced and wondered what was going on. Apparently the autopilot through out our entire flight plan and the pilots had to re-Enter it. Never understood why that warranted a RTO...
Aug 27, 2019, 3:30 am
#35
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Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
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I thought that it was common knowledge that this subfleet lives in the same hangar as that "special" 777 that only ever flies to BKK, and was chosen to do so because it's worse than all the other 777s that BA has?
Aug 27, 2019, 3:53 am
#37
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 1,281
The Ghana on time departure is more due to other factors than Tech aircrafts. Don’t get me wrong, Mid-Js can be more demanding than newer planes but the real problems are others, namely:
1) T3. It’s not the easiest terminal to depart planes on time out of; some of the reasons are HAL-dictated or (the layout of the place, equipment availability) but many are BA-related. For instance the fact that BA crews report in T5 and then are bussed across: this generates a lot of complexity and delays entirely of BA’s making.
2) the route. Accra is the most spectacular route for long boardings and excess baggage. Whilst people taking their time to saunter to the gate is nothing new, especially when you have to drag ‘em out of the lounge or duty free, luggage is by far the biggest problem. It’s not unheard of for the 81 to depart with 800 bags onboard. For 300 passengers. Also, hand baggage is a massive problem. Because of how T3 is set up, there’s no BA presence at security like in 5: this means that passengers check in, drop their bags, then go upstairs and get their friends or family to pass on more bags to bring onboard. Happens EVERY time. I’ve seen photos of big duffel bags, enormous suitcases and boxes. HAL security doesn’t check dimensions - not their job - and then it hits the gate. ACC, when I left, had 2 bins planned for gate bags (so estimates of 60/70 bags taken at gate) and was being considered to be a trial route to get people to pay for excess bags at gate because of how widespread this behaviour was becoming.
Aug 27, 2019, 4:27 am
#38
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,238
The BA bit is definitely easy to do. The bag one... trickier. I speak for experience.
Aug 27, 2019, 5:44 am
#40
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Bloomsbury
Programs: BA Silver, AF Ivory
Posts: 2,203
I had quite a fruity RTO leaving Brazil coming home in a full 747 - must have been very close to V1, full brakes and fire engines arrived very quickly ... fire warning light had activated. Plane was carefully inspected, we took off a couple of hours late with no drama.
It is quite an adrenaline rush for sure
It is quite an adrenaline rush for sure
Aug 27, 2019, 10:41 am
#41
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 29
I had a RTO two years ago on a GVA to LCY flight (on Swiss operated by Helvetic, not BA). Similar to the other stories, we were close to V1 and then the pilot slammed on the breaks. It felt quite strange to suddenly stop after accelerating, but there was no panic from the passengers. I suppose this is because the route attracts a lot of business and/or frequent travellers.
I noticed some fire engines in the distance, and figured that perhaps there had been an issue with another plane which caused us to abort our take-off. Then the pilot announced that he was going to taxi us back to the gate as he was not happy with the smell of fumes (if I recall correctly), and so it became clear that the fire engines were for us!
After a bit of waiting around, we were disembarked and eventually put on the next flight to LCY.
I noticed some fire engines in the distance, and figured that perhaps there had been an issue with another plane which caused us to abort our take-off. Then the pilot announced that he was going to taxi us back to the gate as he was not happy with the smell of fumes (if I recall correctly), and so it became clear that the fire engines were for us!
After a bit of waiting around, we were disembarked and eventually put on the next flight to LCY.
Aug 27, 2019, 1:33 pm
#42
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Aberdeen
Programs: BA Gold, Flying Blue Plat, UA Silver, Bonvoy Titanium Lifetime, Hilton Diamond, IHG Gold Ambassador
Posts: 537
RTO for me in ABZ on way to LHR, passenger near the front apparently had an epileptic fit which resulted in him collapsing into the aisle, despite being belted in. We had just started to roll and I presume cabin crew alerted the cockpit. Chap was taken off, and was OK fortunately. Had couple of go arounds at LGW and CDG when runway had not been vacated early enough and a really cross-windy weather one into ABZ with AF where sick bags were in order ahead of the second attempt
Aug 27, 2019, 8:52 pm
#43
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Brighton UK
Programs: BAEC-Silver, AMEX-BA Prem' Plus & Standard, Accor Gold, HH-Silver, IHG,IBIS On Business
Posts: 955
Czech Airlines a good 20 years ago, nose gear just coming up, and the captain decided he'd try and rip the engines off the wings. One heavy bounce and people losing their minds slightly & the Captain cooly advised one of the over wing doors was showing as not locked just as they were about to take off so they decided to keep us on terra firma and have it looked at. As we were sat in an overwing we let him off although nowadays I think they'd chance the take off, stay low and return asap as we really were a hairs breadth from taking off.
New plane found as he'd dinked the original too much ( needed a hard landing check for the gear if I recall rightly) and onwards to FRA some hours later although we never did find out if it was our door that was scheduled to open itself at 10k feet.
New plane found as he'd dinked the original too much ( needed a hard landing check for the gear if I recall rightly) and onwards to FRA some hours later although we never did find out if it was our door that was scheduled to open itself at 10k feet.
Aug 28, 2019, 12:02 am
#45
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Programs: Flying: VA; Buying: AA, AS, AV, BA, UA!
Posts: 2,349
I noticed some fire engines in the distance, and figured that perhaps there had been an issue with another plane which caused us to abort our take-off. Then the pilot announced that he was going to taxi us back to the gate as he was not happy with the smell of fumes (if I recall correctly), and so it became clear that the fire engines were for us!
There's a fairly infamous Airbus test that shows what can happen!