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BA263 (LHR-RUH) Rejected take off today (did anyone experience a RTO?)

BA263 (LHR-RUH) Rejected take off today (did anyone experience a RTO?)

Old Aug 26, 2019, 8:18 am
  #1  
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BA263 (LHR-RUH) Rejected take off today (did anyone experience a RTO?)

Hi All

Was at LHR today and given the nice weather did a bit of spotting - I can spend only 5hr max at a Galleries lounge, or until the guys at the kitchen giving me Champagne start to laugh at me - next to the smoking area outside T5.

A 744 made her take off run but they rejected after say 15% of runway use their t/o. Obviously they have departed now 30min later so was no big issue.

I am wondering if anyone would know the reason? And has anyone of you already experienced a RTO - I have done 10 go arounds but never an RTO.

(I know given the current situation at BA not the most important topic but I try my luck to get some of your feedback/ experiences).

Cheers
D
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Old Aug 26, 2019, 9:03 am
  #2  
 
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Can't comment on today but one evening our 320 from lhr to gla taxied out onto the runway, started its roll and did not really get very fast. We taxied off the runway, pilot explained there was some warning on the computer. 10 mins later we taxied back out onto the runway and same thing happened.

Probably waited a bit longer this time as they reset various systems. 3rd time we got away
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Old Aug 26, 2019, 10:00 am
  #3  
jmd
 
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I have only ever had one RTO - about 20 years ago at LHR on a British Midland A320 bound for BFS. We cant have been far short of V1 when he slammed on the brakes - heavy deceleration and then the aircraft rocking up and down on the nose wheel oleo strut. The Captain said that they had had an engine fire warning in the cockpit.

On the other hand, I have had plenty of go-arounds - living in JER they are a regular occurrence here in poor visibility or strong crosswinds...
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Last edited by jmd; Aug 26, 2019 at 10:02 am Reason: Typo
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Old Aug 26, 2019, 12:11 pm
  #4  
 
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The RUH sector is always given the most dodgy 744's. Captive market for expats doing the LHR run to and from Saudi...as I used to...

A few years ago a 744 had its wing flaps get stuck when being retracted into cruise configuration after take off from RUH. The result was a high speed landing back into RUH. So the local maintenance crew (no doubt a bunch of eager beaver Filipinos) attempted a fix.

After a few hours everyone trooped on board again and were then treated to an identical emergency landing for the same fault. There was, as you might imagine, a near riot on the ground as angry passengers felt their life's had been put at risk.

Still at the least the flight crew had a decent amount of practice on how to land a fully laden 744 with the flaps only semi-deployed...

Chris
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Old Aug 26, 2019, 12:32 pm
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Same as others, I have never experienced a RTO, but a number of go-arounds for a number of different reasons.
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Old Aug 26, 2019, 12:34 pm
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Never had a RTO, but have experienced three go arounds (including a touch and go). I imagine that RTO's are comparatively rare, but I'm sure one of the tech/ops experts on here will be able to offer a more valuable contribution than mine!
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Old Aug 26, 2019, 1:18 pm
  #7  
BOH
 
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Yes, about 30 years ago at LGW on an Air Europe 737 and I reckon we were about 80% through the take-off roll. It made me realise just how powerful those brakes are as the deceleration was pretty impressive and this would also have been with a reasonably full fuel load as the flight was around 3 hours.

Also had a rejected take-off in the back seat of an F4 Phantom out of Boscombe Down in the early 80s when a fire warning went off. That also came to a stop pretty quickly and the test pilot asked for immediate ground support because of the need to vacate the plane quickly due to brake overheat causing a further fire risk
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Old Aug 26, 2019, 2:18 pm
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Last rejected takeoff - Nairobi in 1990 on a BA 747-200. Got close to take off but not quite. Two hours on the ground and then finally off to LHR.

Last go-around: Jersey in January. Sitting towards the back in an aisle seat. The person in the window seat looked white as a ghost. I was fine. They asked me to talk to them about anything but what had happened until we landed to take their mind off it.
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Old Aug 26, 2019, 2:23 pm
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Oh yes. 757-200 BA Prague -LHR probably 2002 began the take off roll, after about 15 seconds fairly moderate braking, first exit and back to terminal. Skipper said a warning light had come on... Delayed around an hour....
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Old Aug 26, 2019, 2:25 pm
  #10  
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Originally Posted by Chris_G
The RUH sector is always given the most dodgy 744's.
Oh one will beg to differ...

You need to start flying to Ghana more often... That route is the preserve of the crappiest old heaps of flying rubbish in the 747 fleet that can be mustered together... Absolute crates they send down there. I don't think in the almost 3 years I have been commuting to work down there, we have ever left either LHR or ACC on time, or even remotely near time...
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Old Aug 26, 2019, 2:31 pm
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I've never experienced a RTO myself, but dear God it must be scary if it happens just before V1.

Two take-off rolls that stick in the mind as I thought we were a fireball at the end of the runway for sure:
  1. Late 1980's and I'm on board an Air Zambia DC10 out of Lusaka to London. Still in my twenties and was going to live for ever...God alone how much runway was left before we left the ground. I thought we were going to drive across Africa back to London.
  2. Only a month ago I was treated to what seemed like a ridiculously long take-off roll at BKK on the way back to FRA in an old Lufthansa A340. Cheapo flight (Euro 370 SXB to BKK return) so rammed full of passengers & cargo; we were heavy for sure. The aircraft really started to shudder & thump with each paving-joint on the runway; it didn't seem to be accelerating at all towards the end of the roll. Thought the pilot would never call rotate and I simply can't imagine there was any room left to do an RTO. The flight made worse since this was just after the Iranians had shot down the American Global Hawk drone and Trump was talking about having a go. The run up the south coast of the Gulf past Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi was no fun at all...and I was glad to see we were past it on the map.
Only had one go around and that was about a year ago on a BSL to LHR with BA. Mr Mark Carney himself was onboard and since we departed late I assumed the flight crew wanted to make up time and got a bit ahead of themselves on the approach to LHR with aircraft separation. Once we landed the Captain stood outside the cockpit to see everyone (and Mr Carney) off the aircraft...

Oh, all the old war stories...Chris

Last edited by Chris_G; Aug 26, 2019 at 6:07 pm
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Old Aug 26, 2019, 2:40 pm
  #12  
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Originally Posted by Chris_G
The RUH sector is always given the most dodgy 744's
Perhaps, for the benefit of those who may be concerned that BA has a special subfleet of 744s with lower of standards of maintenance than the rest, could you define what ‘dodgy’ means ?
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Old Aug 26, 2019, 2:40 pm
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June 27 2014....747 RTO just before we were at rotation as the brakes and spoilers were applied and we were subjected to significant de acceleration forces....told one engine warning came on that led to rejected take off. Pulled to taxi way and spent at least an hour there with doors open to allow air onto the aircraft...returned to terminal and eventually put onto another 747....further delayed because some passengers did not show and their bags had to be removed...when we were all eventually on and ready to go...walk around indicated an oil leak, crew at that point was off hours so we were sent off into the night to take care of ourselves on Wimbledon week in London ..meaning...no hotel rooms or rooms a long way out...wife and I and 3 small kids spent the night in sleeping bags on the Sofitel ballroom floor...fed but not watered as we did not have showers but very nice bathrooms...pleasant walk to T5 to take our flight to YVR the next morning after breakfast buffet...kids enjoyed the camping experience as did around 100 others ... the other 250? likely endured a long slog to a hotel outside London and then had to return early the next morning and then of course seek reimbursement for their costs....I met a local sports celebrity who toughed it out on the Sofitel floor as well...I fondly refer to the experience as the "Night I slept with "x" ". Memories.
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Old Aug 26, 2019, 2:46 pm
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Originally Posted by Oxon Flyer
Perhaps, for the benefit of those who may be concerned that BA has a special subfleet of 744s with lower of standards of maintenance than the rest, could you define what dodgy means ?
Happy to do so . Courtesy of Collins then:

"Adjective
If you say that something is dodgy, you mean that it seems rather risky, dangerous, or unreliable."
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Old Aug 26, 2019, 2:50 pm
  #15  
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Originally Posted by Chris_G
Happy to do so . Courtesy of Collins then:

"Adjective
If you say that something is dodgy, you mean that it seems rather risky, dangerous, or unreliable."
Flyertalk Courtesy :
If you say that a BA plane or subfleet seems risky, dangerous or unreliable, then you’re really expected to cite some evidence to back it up.
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