BA Flight 38, using a Boeing 777-200ER, had completed all but two miles of its 5,000-mile journey from Beijing to Heathrow when its engines suddenly failed to respond to the crews demand for extra thrust. The aircraft was diverted to Jakarta in the hope that enough engines could be restarted to allow it to land there. MOODY: Well, it was sheer bloody-mindedness and persistence. It was, in Moody's words, "a bit like negotiating one's way up abadger's arse.". -16 hrs ago, Why Volcanic Ash Is So Dangerous-27 hrs ago, How a volcano brought Europe to a standstill, How volcanoes occur, in graphics and text, How elephants helped to shape human history, by David Cannadine, Justin Webb on America's love affair with progress. The crew worked together to create a virtual glideslope using the localiser and distance measuring equipment. He strongly believes pilots should learn to think beyond the process of following checklists and procedures by rote. Once he got landing permission from an airport in Southampton, Atchison guided the plane down, navigating as debris flew around the cockpit and Lancaster remained on the windshield, still held by the flight attendant. Our first thoughts were it was a bomb.". MOODY: No. The captain, Eric Moody, tried to reassure passengers with the following statement: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Many passengers, fearing for their lives, wrote notes to relatives. So the story had a happy ending. Airmanship may sound old school but former British Airways captain Eric Moody argues it is just as important now as it was when he and his crew struggled to restart all 4 engines on his Boeing 747-200 in 1982. "We were about to stall and fall out of the sky," said Captain Peter Burkill in an interview two years later. We traveled 80 nautical miles forward, and 15,000 feet or so. We have a small problem. WebCaptain Moody served with British Airways for 32 years, retiring in 1996 with over 17,000 flight hours. In his calmest pilots voice Moody made an announcement: Good evening ladies and gentlemen, This is your captain speaking. The landing was hard and fast Pearson had to brake so hard he blew two tyres, while the aircrafts nose fell off, starting a small fire but all 61 on board survived unharmed. What now for Paul the eight-limbed oracle? One of the first signs of a problem came when smoke began to accumulate in the cabin. City of Edinburgh, later renamed City of Elgin, continued to fly for British Airways after the incident, before being sold to European Aviation Air Charter. This is your captain speaking. The City of Edinburgh had been cruising at 37,000 feet over the ocean on a June night w "We were now in an aircraft on the ground that was sliding uncontrollably and at that point I thought I was going to die, so I said goodbye to my wife," said Burkill. As he climbed the stairs of the Jumbo he noticed puffs of "smoke" billowing from the vents in the floor and detected an acrid smell. It was scrapped at Bournemouth Airport, Dorset, England, in 2009. Captain John Hackettwas praised in 1998 for averting disaster after his Emerald Airways jet, with the Leeds United football team on board, experienced an engine fire during take-off. The aircraft was able to glide far enough to exit the ash cloud, and all engines were restarted (although one failed again soon after), allowing the aircraft to land safely at the Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta. The only way to go faster, and avoiding stalling, was to take a steeper approach. I trust you are not in too much distress. Eric Moody THE HAMPSHIRE pilot of the infamous 1982 British Airways Flight 9 incident today said he believed the Malaysian Airlines MH370 was brought down deliberately. "Engine failure number four engine failure number two," he said. Say goodbye to worktime boredom. So a severe shock could trigger hair loss, but with only the coloured hairs falling out, leaving someone who already has some grey with a whole head of white hair. Sign up for notifications from Insider! Then he ordered the evacuation of the 157 passengers and 13 crew members. Perhaps the best known incident of recent times, involving the most brilliantly monikered pilot. The remains of the aircraft involved in the Miracle of the Hudson,anAirbus A320 (registrationN106US) was sent to theCarolinas Aviation Museumin Charlotte, NC. From November, 1981, to September, 1986, he coordinated all the FBIs Labor Racketeering investigations. British Airways, including its subsidiaries, has been involved in just three fatal accidents - and none since 1985. We have a small problem. A condition called alopecia ariata causes the hair shed suddenly, resulting in bald patches. The experience of Capt Moody, almost 30 years ago, shows the potential danger clouds of volcanic ash present to modern jet aircraft. The sky was clear and the crew were happy because they had some extra Malaysian satay that night. Within seconds, and almost simultaneously, engines one and three flamed out, prompting the flight engineer to exclaim, "I don't believe itall four engines have failed!"[3]. The windscreen had been effectively sandblasted by the ash and, while the instruments on the aircraft were working, that wasnt true of the instrument landing system (ILS) in Jakarta. We have a small problem. Chesley Sullenberger III, at the helm of US Airways Flight 1549, managed to land safely on the Hudson River after a flock of Canada geese disabled both the aircrafts engines just 2,818 feet above the ground. That pleased me more than anything. And here's Wikipedia's description of the incident: British Airways Flight 9, sometimes referred to by its callsign Speedbird 9 or Jakarta incident,[1] was a scheduled British Airways flight from London Heathrow to Auckland, with stops in Bombay, Madras, Kuala Lumpur, Perth, and Melbourne. We owe it to all who fly to act on what we have learned and not just let important recommendations gather dust on a shelf., He added: I am still very glad that we were able to save every life in such a sudden and intense crisis for which we had never been specifically trained.. Moody swiftly decided to descend at 1,800m per minute to an altitude where there was enough pressure in the outside atmosphere to breathe almost normally. The reason for the failure was not immediately apparent to the crew or ground control. A British Airlines flight 30 years ago flew through a cloud of volcanic ash off the coast of Indonesia. All four engines have stopped. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter, Paper Monitor, Your Letters, Quote of the Day, Caption Competition and more, Tourists flock to 'Jesus's tomb' in Kashmir. WebEric Moody (Captain) Continued flying for British Airways until retiring in 1996 Roger Greaves (First Officer) Unknown Barry Townley-Freeman (Flight Engineer) Has since retired from British Airways Fire Fight (Air Canada 797) Donald Cameron (Captain) The subsequent explosive decompression saw part of the floor at the rear of the cabin give way, severing a control cable and disabling one of the engines. The flight crew quickly determined that the aircraft was capable of gliding for 23 minutes and covering 91 nautical miles (169km) from its flight level of 37,000 feet (11,000m). All four engines have stopped. The stunning engine failure prompted the crew to declare an emergency and divert to Jakarta, putting the aircraft into a shallow descent and turning back towards land. It can be exacerbated by stress, which could account for the association of white hair with terrifying experiences. The minimum time in grade to be considered eligible for retirement is two years. "That's not unusual in high wispy cloud. He obtained his private pilot licence at 17 flying Hornet Moths, Tiger Moths and Chipmunks and from there it was off to the BOAC training college at Hamble. They'd stopped back up at 37,000 feet. The problem had not been spotted earlier because of an electronic fault on the aircrafts instrument panel, and the plane lost all power. In 1988, a 737, flown by Aloha Airlines with 90 people on board was en route to Honolulu, cruising at an altitude of 24,000 feet, when a small section of the roof ruptured. At 13,500 feet (4,100m), the crew was approaching the altitude at which they would have to turn over the ocean and attempt a risky ditching. Looking out the side windows of the cockpit, the crew noticed the front of the engines were glowing as if lit inside. And then another and another. Moody displaying the cool-headed nature required of a pilot made the following announcement to his passengers: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. MOODY: I mean you're the first person at the scene of an accident and you're the first person to get the blame for an accident. I trust you are not in too much distress.. To mark the 10th anniversary of the Miracle on the Hudson, we recount the tales of heroic pilots who really earned their hefty salaries. MOODY: Yeah, they were. Jan 31 Saints and Broncos are finalizing compensation in return for Super Bowl-winning HC Sean Payton, sources tell ESPN. Broncos fans: 0:11 1.6M views All four engines on a Boeing 747 failed at 37,000ft after the plane flew through volcanic ash while passing over Jakarta on 24 June 1982. And thats something thats not changed at all. We love you. New York, New York, United States. The Miracle on the Hudson was hailed as the most successful ditching in aviation history by the NTSB. As we age, the cells in hair follicles stop producing these pigments and the resulting hairs are colourless. The crew received various awards, including the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air and medals from the British Air Line Pilots Association. From November, 1981, to September, 1986, he coordinated all the FBIs Labor Racketeering investigations. "[10], British Airways continued to operate the Flight 9 route from London Heathrow to Sydney; in March 2012 the route was curtailed to Bangkok. Pa XXX"), while Moody calculated how far the plane might be able to glide before reaching sea level (91 miles he deduced, from its flight level of 37,000 feet). We could find the centreline of the runway but I had no glideslope, he said. The report went on: "He did this, but with power still applied and possibly a gust affecting the aircraft, a normal touchdown was followed by a bounce, from which the aircraft landed heavily. Moody was just 3 years old when he expressed a desire to be fighter pilot after watching World War II dogfights over the Southampton docks. There had been no hint of trouble when flight BA 009 took off from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia on the evening of 24 June, 1982. The captain, Eric Moody, tried to reassure passengers with the following statement: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I trust you are not in too much distress. Shortly after that, engines one and two successfully restarted as well. Stay up to date with what you want to know. an industry where women are still an extreme minority, part of the planes windshield came loose. After leaving the ground, however, a turbine disc failure set the right engine alight and caused panic on board. With nerves of steel, the captain, Eric Moody, miraculously landed the plane. The second engine failed 30 seconds later and the other two shortly afterwards. The airliner, flown by Captain Eric Moody, lost thrust from all four engines at 37,000ft. The City of Edinburgh had been cruising at 37,000 feet over the ocean on a June night w On 24 June 1982, the route was flown by the City of Edinburgh, a 747-236B. WebPresident, Moodys Analytics: Michael West: President, Moodys Investors Service: John J. Goggins: Executive Vice President & General Counsel: Senior Vice Presidents; Maral Kazanjian: Chief People Officer: Scott Kenney: Risk Management & Chief Audit Executive: David Platt: Chief Strategy Officer Caroline Sullivan Plane going down. Here are five other pilots who managed remarkable emergency landings. In some cases the white hairs are unaffected by the condition. We have a small problem. These are good stories, but are they scientifically possible? WebCaptain Eric Moody was later praised for a cabin announcement that was described as "a masterpiece of understatement." Effective date of retirement is no later than August 1, 2022. But that alone wasn't enough to cause alarm, Capt Moody says, recalling the events when he spoke to BBC's Good Morning Scotland on Thursday. Gliding as low as 12,000 feet, they turned back towards Indonesia. Moody used autopilot to glide the plane into a gentle descent. Born in Savannah, Ga and growing up in Hinesville, I was always close This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Its just one of those things that you gain or you learn from other people and experience.. As they performed the engine restart procedure, engine number four finally started, and at 13:56 UTC (20:56 Jakarta time), Moody used its power to reduce the rate of descent. The events around one British Airways flight in 1982 reveal the potential dangers of this sort of dust. The only training we had gotten for a water landing was reading a few paragraphs in a manual and having a brief classroom discussion, he said. The near-miss was compared to the 1977 Tenerife Airport disaster, the deadliest aviation accident of all time, in which 583 people were killed after two Boeing 747s collided on the runway. The captain considered getting the co-pilot to take control but concluded that, given the time available and the challenging conditions, his best course of action was to move his right hand from the power levers on to the yoke to regain control. She notes: "The 28th December 2006 marks the start of our 14th year of honeymoon, and on the 24th June 2007 many passengers and crew will no doubt gather to celebrate the 25th anniversary of our mid-air adventure. Life-threatening situations are not only rare, but unpredictable and no ethics committee is going to let you induce a sufficiently terrifying experience in a lab volunteer. The English lawyer Sir Thomas More, who was later canonised, was executed in the Tower of London in 1535, and again his hair was reported to have turned white before his death. Host Scott Simon talks to the retired pilot about the current cloud of volcanic ash drifting across Europe, and how airlines will have to cope. Always consult your own GP if you're in any way concerned about your health. [6] The crew subsequently requested and expedited an increase in altitude in order to clear the high mountains of Indonesia.[7]. Accuracy and availability may vary. It worked, but meant the aircraft looked certain to miss the runway. Shortly thereafter, engine three restarted, allowing him to climb slowly. Although there were guidelines for the water landing procedure, no one had ever tried it in a Boeing 747, nor has anyone since. here's Wikipedia's description of the incident: Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air, The crew's intense focus on the problem (without false assurances that they could fix it), Concern for the well-being of the passengers (without being patronizing). They calculated the giant Boeing could glide for less than 25 minutes from 37,000 feet and there was a problem with high mountains between the aircraft and Jakarta. Dec 2021 - Present1 year 2 months. A feature film starring Tom Hanks followed. Sign up for our newsletter for the latest tech news and scoops delivered daily to your inbox. Moody hadnt a clue why. Moody, first officer Roger Greaves and flight engineer Barry Townley-Freeman had no idea what had caused the unprecedented and statistically improbable multiple failure. I trust you are not in too much distress.". The plane, with first officer, the ironically named John Coward, at the controls, landed around 270 metres short of the runway, just beyond the A30. With insufficient oxygen masks for those on board, co-pilot Alastair Atchison, who was also helping hold Lancaster inside the aircraft, made a rapid emergency descent and searched for the nearest airport. A flight attendant grabbed Lancaster to keep him from flying away. Eventually, the engines came back to life after the molten ash that clogged the engines solidified and broke off. And there's no doubt if we'd gone to the bottom of the Java Trench of Indonesia, which is about, I think, six or seven thousand feet deep, I think to this day I'd have still be getting the blame. Plane going down. Captain Eric Moody gave an interview to the July 2010 edition of Flaps Podcast, where he recounted his experience. 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