BA15 LHR -SIN 5th May left with empty water tanks
May 6, 2022, 11:31 am
#16
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@ J S : had always assumed that pre-flight checks (across all areas of the aircraft) to be extremely rigorous ….. so yes, the oversight does seem strange to say the least. But perhaps there is some sort of credible explanation.
May 6, 2022, 12:57 pm
#17
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Indeed … the load and trim calculations for take-off and the rest of the trip. I’m amazed the Captain made the decision to proceed, unless other factors were in play. How long would it take to fill the water tanks?
May 6, 2022, 1:22 pm
#18
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May 6, 2022, 5:17 pm
#21
Join Date: Apr 2007
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Me too. On MH KUL-SIN (or is it the other way round, can't remember) but then again still just a 50 minute flight. Crew put a bottle of mineral water in the toilet with a post-it sticker that said "for hand washing". There was no announcement, so only people who used the toilet during the short flight knew there was no water in the toilet.
May 6, 2022, 5:26 pm
#22
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I think some posters are getting a little too exercised over this.
I’ve no idea why the plane left LHR without full water tanks, but if it was an oversight then that is clearly v unsat - BA should find out the issue and rectify it.
Reference the MEL, the a/c would have returned to LHR or diverted, not continued to SIN if this was relevant.
What was the actual impact on board? (fully accepting I wasn’t on the flight). No tea and coffee, that’s poor but manageable. No water for the lavatories, more of an issue; however the toilets are primarily vacuum flushed. No water for hand washing in the lavatories: this is the most unpleasant aspect. There should be hand sanitising wipes and gels onboard which alleviate hygiene concerns, but I accept that it is v poor to be unable to wash hands.
Overall; this was a fail for BA, but not the disaster implied by some. ps this happens to other airlines.
I’ve no idea why the plane left LHR without full water tanks, but if it was an oversight then that is clearly v unsat - BA should find out the issue and rectify it.
Reference the MEL, the a/c would have returned to LHR or diverted, not continued to SIN if this was relevant.
What was the actual impact on board? (fully accepting I wasn’t on the flight). No tea and coffee, that’s poor but manageable. No water for the lavatories, more of an issue; however the toilets are primarily vacuum flushed. No water for hand washing in the lavatories: this is the most unpleasant aspect. There should be hand sanitising wipes and gels onboard which alleviate hygiene concerns, but I accept that it is v poor to be unable to wash hands.
Overall; this was a fail for BA, but not the disaster implied by some. ps this happens to other airlines.
May 6, 2022, 9:00 pm
#24
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,345
Arrived in SIN earlier tonight from a flight which had no water on board. The tanks were not filled at LHR, so there was no tea, coffee or water in the toilets. Apparently the crew discussed returning to LHR but decided to continue. I’ll put a full trip report together when I get back.
May 6, 2022, 9:40 pm
#25
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I think not necessarily that lack of water per se, but if the water was overlooked, today, is it going to be fuel tomorrow? It shows a lack of attention to detail and procedure, and sooner or later that sloppiness won't end well.
May 6, 2022, 11:08 pm
#27
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Let’s be very clear, lack of water in the tanks is not a flight safety issue.
May 7, 2022, 12:29 am
#28
Join Date: Dec 2021
Location: Sydney Australia
Posts: 28
FWIW that flight is logged as 42 mins late leaving the gate at LHR: perhaps there were other pressing issues front of mind for the operating crew which contributed to the oversight; or else the failure to load water itself created some or all of the delay, after the problem was identified (was it before or after take-off?), while a decision was made to proceed regardless. So easy to speculate (as I am doing here) without knowing all the facts.
As someone with future bookings on BA15/16 I await the fuller TR from OP with more than casual interest.
Last edited by Pegasus42; May 7, 2022 at 1:06 am Reason: Added last sentence
May 7, 2022, 12:58 am
#29
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Yes, this is a key point about the decision taken to depart without water in preference to accepting a (further) significant delay.
FWIW that flight is logged as 42 mins late leaving the gate at LHR: perhaps there were other pressing issues front of mind for the operating crew which contributed to the oversight; or else the failure to load water itself created some or all of the delay, after the problem was identified (was it before or after take-off?), while a decision was made to proceed regardless. So easy to speculate (as I am doing here) without knowing all the facts.
FWIW that flight is logged as 42 mins late leaving the gate at LHR: perhaps there were other pressing issues front of mind for the operating crew which contributed to the oversight; or else the failure to load water itself created some or all of the delay, after the problem was identified (was it before or after take-off?), while a decision was made to proceed regardless. So easy to speculate (as I am doing here) without knowing all the facts.
The delay was caused by the discovery that there were no crew duvets in board. They had to be brought to the aircraft and sitting in 2A I could see and hear the applause from the flight deck when the duvets arrived.
May 7, 2022, 1:02 am
#30
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Arrived in SIN earlier tonight from a flight which had no water on board. The tanks were not filled at LHR, so there was no tea, coffee or water in the toilets. Apparently the crew discussed returning to LHR but decided to continue. I’ll put a full trip report together when I get back.