Fault forces CX flight to land in Kazakhstan

[Robin 0]

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

 

A Cathay Pacific flight made an emergency landing in Kazakhstan, central Asia, after a cabin pressurization fault.

The Boeing 747 aircraft - with 306 passengers and 20 crew on board - landed safely at Karaganda airport.

 

Flight CX270 was en route to Hong Kong from Amsterdam when it experienced "a fault in the cabin pressurization system" six hours into the flight on Sunday, the airline said yesterday.

 

Oxygen masks were deployed and the flight was diverted to the nearest airport, which was Karaganda.

 

The aircraft landed safely without incident some two hours after the problem was detected.

 

RTHK said reports from Kazakhstan indicated the cabin of the aircraft lost pressure. The Civil Aviation Department was informed of the incident and the airline is now investigating the cause.

 

A Cathay engineer was dispatched on a special flight to fix the technical problem. "Once done, the aircraft will be ferried back to Hong Kong," a spokesman said.

 

The special flight will also bring back the passengers and crew and is expected to arrive in Hong Kong this morning.

 

Cathay said the passengers spent four hours on the aircraft before they could deplane, due to delays in obtaining visa exemptions from the local Kazakhstan authorities.

[Pieter C. 5]

Landed at Karaganda...a substitute 744 was sent to pick-up the passengers to be flown to Amsterdam...

[BC Tam 2]

...a substitute 744 was sent to pick-up the passengers to be flown to Amsterdam...

To Amsterdam ?

Don't think the pax will be overly thrilled !

[Pieter C. 5]

To Amsterdam ?

Don't think the pax will be overly thrilled !

 

Well, better safe than sorry, even if it involves a landing in far-away Kazakhstan...

 

"A Cathay Pacific Boeing 747-400, registration B-HOP performing flight CX-270 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Hong Kong (China) with 306 passengers and 20 crew, was enroute near Karaganda (Kazakhstan) about 6 hours into the flight when the crew initiated an emergency descent due to the loss of cabin pressure and passenger oxygen masks were released. The aircraft diverted to Karaganda for a safe landing.

 

The flight is currently expected to reach Hong Kong with a delay of 23 hours.

 

Cathay Pacific confirmed the incident reporting, the crew declared emergency and released the passenger oxygen masks following a fault in the cabin pressurization system of the aircraft. Following the landing passengers were served breakfast on board until visa procedures could be completed about 5:40 hours after landing. The passengers were subsequently taken to hotels. A special flight is to depart Karaganda about 22 hours after landing.

 

The airline had already detected some aging problems with the outflow valve assembly and was in the process of replacing the outflow valve assemblies across the entire 747 fleet."

[BC Tam 2]

So, the "substitute 744" went from Karaganda to Amsterdam or Hong Kong ?

Doesn't make good sense to bring the pax all the way back to AMS no ?

 

Anyway, must have been some unique experience for those pax to tuck into their breakfasts with the oxygen masks dangling down