839 LAX-SYD emergency landing? (LAX departure 02 Oct 2018 ~ SYD arrival 04 Oct 2018)
Oct 3, 2018, 3:14 pm
#1
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Location: Sydney, NSW Australia
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839 LAX-SYD emergency landing? (LAX departure 02 Oct 2018 ~ SYD arrival 04 Oct 2018)
An incident (now reported as low fuel) on last night's LAX-SYD 839 service got some people worried.
So worried in fact, they declared a mayday.
A large scale emergency plan was put into action including closing the roads around the aerodrome for a short period as the aeroplane was coming to land.
The aeroplane landed as scheduled and taxied to the gate where the passengers disembarked normally.
The aeroplane 3958 was refuelled and has embarked on its return flight to SFO as UA 870.
Unrelated, AA72 SYD-LAX was cancelled (after AA73 backtracked and diverted to HNL due to a medical) and whilst not necessarily related, all three UAL flights to IAH/LAX & SFO went out pretty much full.
So worried in fact, they declared a mayday.
A large scale emergency plan was put into action including closing the roads around the aerodrome for a short period as the aeroplane was coming to land.
The aeroplane landed as scheduled and taxied to the gate where the passengers disembarked normally.
The aeroplane 3958 was refuelled and has embarked on its return flight to SFO as UA 870.
Unrelated, AA72 SYD-LAX was cancelled (after AA73 backtracked and diverted to HNL due to a medical) and whilst not necessarily related, all three UAL flights to IAH/LAX & SFO went out pretty much full.
Last edited by Aspen; Oct 3, 2018 at 8:45 pm
Oct 3, 2018, 3:26 pm
#2
Join Date: Aug 2011
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7 News Sydney reported the mayday was due to dry ice leaking. Who is saying it was low fuel?
ETA: I found it: https://www.9news.com.au/2018/10/04/...el-mayday-call
Yikes, I wonder how low (and why).
ETA: I found it: https://www.9news.com.au/2018/10/04/...el-mayday-call
Yikes, I wonder how low (and why).
Last edited by princeville; Oct 3, 2018 at 3:46 pm
Oct 3, 2018, 4:16 pm
#6
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I think fuel looks like a white mist when being dumped (recall a pic on a.net from sometime ago showing this). Perhaps the dry ice was creating a similar looking white mist which was venting outside and was mistaken to be a fuel leak?
That said I’ve got no clue how dry ice mist could appear / leak to the outside. It’s not like they’re storing that stuff in the wings nor can one just open the window to vent gas (hehe) in flight...put me down as confused.
That said I’ve got no clue how dry ice mist could appear / leak to the outside. It’s not like they’re storing that stuff in the wings nor can one just open the window to vent gas (hehe) in flight...put me down as confused.
Oct 3, 2018, 5:16 pm
#7
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According to this article it was low fuel. But that was sufficient fuel? Pilot did make a Mayday call. United now saying mechanical issue. Pilot makes a mayday call but does not inform pax?
https://www.news.com.au/travel/trave...5a35d9a1c947ac
https://www.news.com.au/travel/trave...5a35d9a1c947ac
Oct 3, 2018, 5:32 pm
#8
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Based on how often there are emergency declarations on a given day (the majority of which don't make the news or result in a 7700 squawk), I'd guess that it isn't super uncommon in situations where passengers wouldn't otherwise be affected or have cause for concern.
Oct 3, 2018, 5:43 pm
#9
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Mayday call? I think I would want to know if I were a pax and the pilot made a Mayday call
Oct 3, 2018, 5:48 pm
#10
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I thought that once fuel reserves reached a mandated critical level that a May Day is called so the aircraft is given priority landing. But that critical level is well above a disastrous one so why panic pax with an announcement.
Given the time that flight arrives in the Sydney area is probably when the airport is at its busiest and holding patterns are possible that’s not a bad thing.
In the past number of flights across the pacific, east to west, have been diverted eg. to Nadi (Fiji) because of fuel shortages due to adverse weather conditions (strong head winds).
Then again going the other way they can be advantageous. A friend a few weeks ago landed in IAH on UA100 an hour early.
Given the time that flight arrives in the Sydney area is probably when the airport is at its busiest and holding patterns are possible that’s not a bad thing.
In the past number of flights across the pacific, east to west, have been diverted eg. to Nadi (Fiji) because of fuel shortages due to adverse weather conditions (strong head winds).
Then again going the other way they can be advantageous. A friend a few weeks ago landed in IAH on UA100 an hour early.
Oct 3, 2018, 5:58 pm
#11
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Looks like it departed late and landed exactly on time, which is typical of these flights when the winds are in their favor. (Sydney curfew means they get delayed at departure as they can't land early).
One of the news sources is quoting some that was off-airport as saying "There was a really strong smell coming from the plane... Really strong fumes and a real burning smell of petrol" which I find very unlikely - if only because he would have been nowhere near the plane at any time...
One of the news sources is quoting some that was off-airport as saying "There was a really strong smell coming from the plane... Really strong fumes and a real burning smell of petrol" which I find very unlikely - if only because he would have been nowhere near the plane at any time...
Oct 3, 2018, 6:26 pm
#14
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Oct 3, 2018, 7:18 pm
#15
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