Flex Tape. It even comes in white to match the wing.
Posted on 01/22/2024 9:05:58 AM PST by lowbridge
A New York-bound Virgin Atlantic flight was canceled just moments before takeoff last week when an alarmed passenger said he spotted several screws missing from the plane’s wing.
British traveler Phil Hardy, 41, was onboard Flight VS127 at Manchester Airport in the UK on Jan. 15 when he noticed the four missing fasteners during a safety briefing for passengers and decided to alert the cabin crew.
“I’m a good flyer, but my partner was not loving the information I was telling her and starting to panic, and I was trying to put her mind at rest as much as I could,” Hardy told the Kennedy News agency of the moment he spotted the missing fixings.
“I thought it was best to mention it to a flight attendant to be on the safe side.”
Engineers were promptly called out to carry out maintenance checks on the Airbus A330 aircraft before its scheduled takeoff to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, a Virgin Atlantic rep said.
Footage shot by Hardy showed one of the engineers climbing onto the plane’s wing before using a screwdriver to tinker with some of the fasteners.
Hardy said airline staff repeatedly reassured him there was no safety issue with the wing, but his fear was heightened given the recent ordeal in which an Alaska Airlines plane lost its door plug and a chunk of its fuselage flew off mid-flight.
Both Virgin and Airbus stressed there was no impact to the safety of last week’s aircraft despite the missing fixings.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Sounds like DEI has moved into the Maintenance Bays now.
The price of DEI.
DEI (read: affirmative action) in aviation and medicine, two high risk fields in which incompetence causes death. Thanks, Marxists.
Well, that's comforting. Bolts are missing but the stewardess says its OK.
(when an alarmed passenger said he spotted several screws missing from the plane’s wing.)
Good thing they’re pushing 50+ year old white men out of the work force.
How’d that work out for Richard Stockton Rush III?
SNL actually had a pretty funny “ad” by Alaska Airlines in which a happy spokesman said, “You know those loose bolts on our wings? We’re going to tighten some of them!”
Another reason why I am glad I don’t have to fly commercial.
Sounds like dzus fasteners. They are often used to secure access panels and fairings. They may have been no safety issue, but someone didn’t finish the job.
Returning to the gate for maintenance is the right move.
EC
Hah......that is funny.
The holes make it lighter. The ejected window too.
Go sit down.
Just wondering.
Should I report this to the FAA?
I was riding by the WH and I saw drJill with a wrench walking towards Joe’s helicopter.
(Hardy said airline staff repeatedly reassured him there was no safety issue with the wing,)
Low-I.Q. and/or terrified of telling the truth for fear of losing their jobs by embarrassing the company.
EVEN at the risk of their OWN LIVES.
I am reminded of United Airlines Flight 173 in 1978.
Were those bolts important?
“ Well, that’s comforting. Bolts are missing but the stewardess says it’s OK.”
The air head said they without bolts all the time
Nah. Nothing that a little duct tape couldn’t fix.
one of the engineers climbing onto the plane’s wing before using a screwdriver to tinker with some of the fasteners.
= = =
I thought that work was for Union Members only.
That engineer is in BIG trouble!
(but someone didn’t finish the job.)
Ain’t nobody got time for that!!
There’s a new rap / Taylor Swift video / song!!!
Ooh, funny cat video!!
Better than getting to 20,000 feet and then seeing a creature out there on the wing messing with the fasteners.
Flex Tape. It even comes in white to match the wing.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.