Denny Yen 0 Report post Posted June 19, 2011 Delta 747 w/ cracked windshields just landed Departure before dawn to avoid birstrike Stranded 744 Midair drama as cockpit window cracks HONOLULU, Associated Press June 18, 2011, 9:53 am A Delta Air Lines 747 with nearly 380 passengers and crew made an emergency stop at the Midway Atoll wildlife refuge, part of the way between Hawaii and Japan, after the plane developed a crack in the cockpit windshield. The plane was flying from Honolulu to Osaka on Thursday when pilots noticed the crack and landed at the former military base about 2100km north-west of Oahu at about 5.40pm local time. Midway is home to about one million Laysan albatross seabirds. The US Fish and Wildlife Service, which runs the refuge, said on Friday that Delta kept the passengers on board until a second 747 arrived from Japan to fly the passengers to Osaka. The replacement plane left about 5am on Friday, just before light and before the seabirds began to fly. A Delta Airlines Boeing 747-400, registration N669US performing flight DL-277 from Honolulu,HI (USA) to Osaka Kansai (Japan) with 359 passengers and 19 crew, was enroute at FL360 about 300nm southeast of Sand Island/Midway Atoll (USA), when the captain's windshield cracked prompting the crew to divert to Sand Island's Henderson Field - runway length 2410 meters/7900 feet. The aircraft hit two birds while on approach to Henderson Airfield causing damage to a flap, the airplane continued for a safe landing about one hour after the windshield cracked. A replacement Boeing 747-400 registration N663US, scheduled to fly the rotation from Tokyo Narita (Japan) to Minneapolis,MN (USA), was positioned from Tokyo to Sand Island as flight DL-9935, picked up the passengers and reached Osaka as flight DL-9873 with a total delay of 16 hours. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) said the 747 suffered two bird strikes upon arrival, one of which damaged the flaps, but continued for a safe landing. The passengers were kept aboard until the second 747 arrived, however were provided with maps and were able to walk off the aircraft. The replacement 747 left at 5am just before daybreak and before sea birds including the albatross began to fly. The airline said the aircraft suffered a "major crack" in the windshield. Given the condition of the windshield the crew had to land still in daylight and could not accept a delay in landing until after dark. The FAA said, there was no loss of cabin pressure but the damage was sufficient to divert to Midway Atoll's runway that serves as an emergency strip for the Pacific. The airport manager said that they didn't have sufficiently long stairs to serve the airplane. Carpentry workers on the island therefore built another set of stairs to go on top of the existing stairs to reach the doorway. A passenger reported that the airplane was flying in serious turbulence when the windshield cracked. The crew descended the aircraft to 14,000 feet and diverted to Midway where the airplane struck some albatrosses on approach. They were told that flights usually only land and depart in the dark due to the high number of albatrosses around the island. The passengers stayed on board of the aircraft most of the time as there was nowhere to go to. The incident aircraft is estimated to be repaired and able to depart about 24 hours after landing. http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL277/history/20110616/2325Z/PHNL/RJBB Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
