While flying an Airbus A330 at FL370 over the Indian Ocean from Singapore to Perth in 2008, pilot Kevin Sullivan found himself dealing with malfunctioning primary flight control computers. The aircraft began to pitch down over the water, which injured some of the 303 passengers on board. Fortunately, Sullivan’s past experience as a Navy pilot helped him navigate to safety. In this second part of this AIN's The Human Factor episode, Sullivan continues his tale of Qantas Flight 72 and how he was able to land the aircraft at the military field at Learmonth Airport. He also speaks about how the experience affects him today.

Fly - By - Wire Failure, Part 2

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Captain John Bartels and crew were flying in a Boeing 747 in perfect conditions when a sudden explosion caught their attention, made the wings rock, and destroyed some essential wiring. In this episode of Tales from the Flight Deck, Bartels describes the event and how he and the crew of QF30 handled the sudden emergency situation.

Tales from the Flight Deck Podcast: Qantas QF30 and the Mysterious Explosion

 An Airbus A330 crew experienced something they’d never trained for: too much power to land and no way to pull the throttles back to reduce power. Cathay Pacific Flight 780 was on the final leg of a trip from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Hong Kong International Airport with 309 passengers and 13 crew on board when this dangerous incident occurred. Captain Malcolm Waters takes us step by step through how this happened, how he and his crew handled the situation and its successful outcome, and the lessons he and his crew learned from that hazardous situation.  This podcast is produced by AIN Publications, publishers of Aviation International News magazine and AIN’s online and digital products. For more information, go to www.ainonline.com or email AINedit@ainonline.com.

Tales from the Flight Deck, Episode 29: Landing Fast with Stuck Throttles in an Airbus A330

In this week’s episode, AIN London-based editor Charles Alcock gives an overview of the latest WingX data, which indicates that business aviation flight activity is awakening from its Covid-19-induced slumber. Meanwhile, Washington, D.C.-based editor Kerry Lynch highlights the results from Bombardier’s first-quarter results and, unfortunately, layoffs at NBAA. AIN news editor Chad Trautvetter discusses layoffs at Gulfstream Aerospace and a bankruptcy filing at JetSuite, and editor-in-chief Matt Thurber concludes with Daher’s delivery of the first 2020 TBM 940, which comes standard with the HomeSafe autoland system.

Week ending May 8, 2020: Bizav Flights Rising, Bombardier Q1, NBAA and Gulfstream Layoffs, JetSuite Bankrupt, Daher Intros 2020 TBM 940

A routine air cargo run from Miami to Houston meets a tragic end, and information released by investigators paints the picture of a confused flight crew fighting desperately to regain control, and may also highlight ongoing concerns about pilot training within our industry. Today, we examine the NTSB docket on the downing of Atlas Air 3591 and what lessons that all pilots may draw from it. Participants:  Phil Randolph (pseudonym), B767-300 Captain Kipp Lau, pilot, aviation journalist Rob Finfrock, pilot, aviation journalist 

The Atlas Air Flight 3591 accident; what went so wrong?

  On Oct. 7, 2008, Qantas Flight 72 was flying over the Indian Ocean from Singapore to Perth, Australia. Kevin Sullivan, pilot-in-command of the Airbus A330, was flying on autopilot at 37,000 feet when suddenly warnings started sounding throughout the cockpit; the primary flight control computers were malfunctioning. The aircraft began to pitch down, and Sullivan realized he was just another passenger, for a short time unable to control the errant Airbus. After regaining control of the A330, Sullivan then had to decide whether to make an emergency landing at the nearest airport, the military field at Learmonth, or continue another hour and a half to Perth.     In this episode, Sullivan recounts how he was able to identify the issues affecting the A330's fly-by-wire flight controls and minimize damage while planning how how to keep his 303 passengers safe. Sullivan continues his tale of Qantas Flight 72 and how he was able to land the aircraft at the military field at Learmonth Airport. He also speaks about how the experience affects him today. In this episode we will hear from:  Kevin Sullivan, pilot-in-command of the Airbus A330 Bill Palmer, author of Understanding Air France 447 and A330 pilot Gary Rower, A330 pilot, flight instructor and airshow performer Malcolm Yeo, retired pilot and passenger on Qantas Flight 72  Topics in this episode include:  Primary flight control computer  Fly-by-wire system operation Equipment malfunction Autopilot versus manual flying   

Fly - By - Wire Failure, Part 2

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