UK’s Voyager fleet grounded

[ACLVC10]

And ZZ331 just doing circuits at Brize


ACLVC10

[Heidfirst]

About 8G of force in descent then, presuming I can still remember how to calculate it?!

Very much doubt that an A330 is stressed for 8G - would have thought something like +4 to -1.5?

[acw367]

Reuteurs are reporting this

http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/02/2 ... YC20140221

An AirTanker spokesman, who told Reuters that the suspension had been lifted, said an investigation was ongoing and he was unable to comment on the cause of the incident.

"We continue to give this investigation our full support and cooperation," he added.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it was inappropriate to speculate on the cause of the incident but, following critical safety advice, the RAF chain of command had been reassured that the likelihood of a repeat was negligible.

"Local training sorties have commenced, with European training sorties planned over the weekend," the MoD added.

[acw367]

The MAA interim report has been published.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... ruary-2014

Selected quotes:
the Service Inquiry Panel is now confident that the cause was not related to an aircraft technical issue but was as a result of Human Factors.

The aircraft had lost 4,400 feet in 27 seconds, registering a maximum rate-of-descent of approximately 15,000 feet per minute.

The Panel has found evidence to link the movement of the Captains seat to the movement of the side-stick, in the form of a Digital SLR camera obstruction which was in-front of the Captain’s left arm rest and behind the base of the Captain’s side-stick at the time of the event.

the Co-pilot had left his seat and was in the forward galley in the vicinity of the forward left passenger door........The Co-pilot then experienced weightlessness and struck the cabin roof but was able to re-enter the flight deck........He reached down to pull back on the side-stick control.

[sherriff]

Voyager plunge caused by unsecured camera in cockpitFile image of a RAF Voyager. (UK MoD Crown Copyright)An interim report on an incident in which a UK Royal Air Force (RAF) Voyager A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport rapidly lost altitude has concluded that “human factors” rather than technical issues were to blame. It appears that a pitch-down command inadvertently resulted when a digital camera became jammed between an armrest and the captain’s side-stick unit.The aircraft known as Voyager ZZ333 was flying at 33,000 feet when it suddenly pitched nose down and dropped 4,440 feet within 27 seconds, according to the interim report released on March 17. At that point, the aircraft’s “self-protection system” initiated recovery to controlled flight and the aircraft diverted to Incirlik Airbase in Turkey.Almost all of the unrestrained passengers and crew were thrown towards the ceiling, and a number of minor injuries were sustained.

Co-pilot.........aka self protection system ?

[colt99]

The case on this has started
http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/bo ... li=BBoPWjQ

[Sparts99]

It says in the news report "Both he and the co-pilot were pinned to the ceiling, and wrestled with the controls as aircraft plummeted towards.........." he being the pilot. Was he unstrapped?

[thorny1a]

Regarding the 'g' the report states it ranged from minus 0.58 (onset of dive) to plus 2.06 (during recovery)

Captain was restrained by his harness

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... Ex_Pub.pdf

[Covey]

The problem on the Voyager over Turkey was briefly reported on a well known news website last evening but appears to have been removed very quickly as I can't find it now. I'm guessing that the removal may be related to an ongoing military tribunal. I won't repeat anything reported therein, just in case it may be seen to be prejudicial before the conclusion of that process. However, if what was presented is in any way true, it was not a mechanical or maintenance issue.

[TonyO]

No, its still on the Telegraph's website: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02 ... ng-camera/

Nothing prejudicial in reporting court and court martial proceedings.

[roadstar1845]

Madras 31 was on top RAF Newton to day 11.30 heading 053 for a coast out north of Skegvegas.

[Richard B]

New RAF Vomit comet.

[TonyO]

Are you suggesting that the MAA investigation is wrong? There is a reason why it has reached the court-martial stage.

[ColintheCaterpillar]

Are you suggesting that the MAA investigation is wrong? There is a reason why it has reached the court-martial stage.

No (the MAA reports fact and doesn't, IIRC, apportion blame), but until a verdict is reached it is the same as any other trial. After all, we live in the world of "just culture" and "substitution tests".



Anyway, I'm off to browse #pilotsofinstagram and the hundreds of cockpit photos posted daily on twitter.

[TonyO]

Coverage from today: http://www.aol.co.uk/news/2017/02/08/ra ... -plane-no/

[colt99]

Pilot cleared on 3 charges.
http://forces.tv/18707946

[Vulcanone]

Good news for him at least.

[page_verify]

Not really......

The pilot of an RAF Voyager that plummeted thousands of feet in a matter of seconds while en route to Afghanistan has been dismissed from the RAF by a court martial and given a 4-month jail sentence suspended for 12 months.

Flight Lieutenant Andrew Townshend plead guilty to negligently performing his duty.

[Freeman Lowell]

In a case like this, who would the injured personnel have a claim against
Freeman

[page_verify]

MoD