Qantas 747- 400 Flight 30 Blowout Hole!

[Magenta]

Yesterday's media release from the ATSB is here (there's also audio which includes the Q&A session). Some of the major points:

• They haven't yet determined the nature and dynamics of the failure i.e. whether the cylinder exploded or the valve failed or whether it was a secondary event after something struck the cylinder.
• The cylinder was in the cargo hold and was part of a bank of cylinders supplying emergency O2 to the passengers.
• They're not aware of any similar failure having occurred previously.

The ATSB expect to have a preliminary report ready in about a month.

 

[Big Les]

You probably knew this already but Rainman wasn't accurate - Qantas has had fatal accidents, but has not had fatalities or a hull loss with their jet aircraft.

Ah, but the actual line is "Qantas never crashed". So Raymond wins! Definitely. He's also an excellent driver.

 

[Magenta]

One side effect of this accident is increased scrutiny of anything that happens with Qantas flights. The headline writers have been having a field day with hyperbole and are labelling relatively minor incidents as an "emergency" or "scare". I think this one takes the cake, though:

Qantas passengers in toilet turmoil

He's also an excellent driver.

But only in the driveway.

 

[cyclonic]

"Qantas passengers in toilet turmoil" thats a bit below the belt, the captain should be made to urinate in a sickbag in the cockpit on his next flight. a pee for a pee i say! lol.

 

[Magenta]

Just updating this old thread as the ATSB have now released their final report. Short version from executive summary:

The ATSB has completed its investigation into the in-flight rupture of a pressurised oxygen cylinder and the resultant aircraft damage and depressurisation. The investigation was prolonged and made significantly more difficult by the evident loss of the failed cylinder from the aircraft during the depressurisation event.

Despite this significant obstacle, the ATSB's investigation has proven successful in highlighting the improbability of the failure event, and has confirmed the safety of current systems and procedures relating to the provision of emergency supplemental oxygen for passengers and crew of pressurised aircraft.

The investigation found no record of any other related instances of aviation oxygen cylinder rupture (civil or military). Given the widespread and long-term use of this type of cylinder in aerospace applications, it was clear that this occurrence was a very rare event.

A comprehensive program of testing and evaluation of cylinders of the same type, and from the same production batch as the failed item, did not identify any aspect of the cylinder design or manufacture that could represent a threat to the operational integrity of the cylinders. Published maintenance procedures were found to be valid and thorough, and inspection regimes appropriate.

In light of these findings, it is the ATSB's view that passengers, crew and operators of aircraft fitted with DOT3HT-1850 oxygen cylinders, can be confident that the ongoing risk of cylinder failure and consequent aircraft damage remains very low.

Link

Full report available at link.

 

[mhaze]

I guess lessons were not learned from Value Jet flight 592 .


http://www.cnn.com/US/9611/15/valujet/index.html

Unrelated. Valujet was caused by chemical oxygen generators, which actually get red hot when activated (eg when releasing oxygen).

The prior discussed case is oxygen cylinders which would be aluminum bottles, or much more likely these days, kevlar wound on top of an aluminum liner. These would hold O2 at some 1800 psi.