Its a modified A300.
Posted on 12/27/2005 6:34:42 PM PST by paulat
Hole found in Alaska plane
05:30 PM PST on Tuesday, December 27, 2005 KING5.com
Investigators: Problems spike after ramp work outsourced
SEATTLE – An Alaska Airlines plane was forced to return to Seattle Monday after a gash in the plane’s fuselage caused the aircraft to lose pressurization.
The incident began when a ramp worker hit the plane with a baggage cart or baggage belt machine, according to National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Jim Struhsaker.
The accident created a crease in the skin of the plane which opened up into a hole when the pressure on the plane changed at 26,000 feet.
The employee told the agency that although the vehicle had touched the plane, he was not aware that he had dented it.
“At that time in the driving rain it did not appear to be significant to him,” Stuhsaker said.
According to Alaska Airlines and accounts provided to KING 5 News by passengers, flight 536 took off from Sea-Tac at 3:50 p.m., bound for Burbank, Calif.
Alaska Airlines flight 536 was forced to return to Sea-Tac Monday after it lost cabin pressure. Passenger Jeremy Hermanns took this snapshot of the scene after the oxygen masks had dropped down.
About 10 or 20 minutes into the flight, there was a loud noise and the cabin lost pressure. The plane then descended rapidly before returning to Sea-Tac, said Caroline Boren, a spokeswoman for Alaska Airlines.
Passenger accounts of the incident paint a scary picture.
“I could feel that obviously my ears popping and that's not a good symbol and that didn't go away and then it got hard to breathe and then whoosh all the compression in the plane was lost. We totally decompressed,” said passenger Jeremy Hermanns.
He said everyone on board scrambled to get their masks on and then the engine noise became very loud.
“We knew that something was going on … it was definitely frightening. It wasn't something I wanted to do again,” he said.
Jeremy Hermanns shot this image of himself with his oxygen mask on after the plane he was on lost cabin pressure.
Hermann’s believes, nevertheless that the crew handled the situation well.
“I'm just very glad that the pilots and the crew and everybody handled it so well,” he said.
A 707? Yikes.
Thanks.
I promise to be careful.
I am pretty sure this clown used to drive lift trucks at my place of employment.
ROFLMAO, you have a fan club. Of your earobatic skills.
bttt
You are in my fan club - just for my wit and lovable personality!
And you are my sister.
Smooch on you, Brother Dozer!
I hope they are listening. I don't really want to change airlines.
They have suspended the baggage handler responsible for the hole in the airplane. This is a courageous move - you know how tough those unions are!
That is the saddest thing I have heard in a long time.
This "baggage handler" could have killed an entire plane load of people and they merely SUSPENDED HIM?
Unions have outgrown their usefulness if they are now protecting idiots.
Do you think he'll be back working at the airport again soon?
Aaaahhh!!
"It's part of doing business," he said. "Absolutely nothing unusual at all, I think this is an absolutely standard pattern."
I have a reasonably highly placed friend at Alaska...I am confident he will be interested in this quote from Menzies.
We had someone run a provisioning truck into the horizontal stabilizer on a brand new (less than a week in service) A319.
Airbus had to load up a new stabilizer and fly it in on the Beluga.
It was cool to see the Beluga though.
Maybe its an occupational affliction.
Is it getting late? I don't understand. Was the new A319 horiz stab made of composites? What is the Beluga (not the A380?)?
Thanks for that hattend. I feel alot more comfortable now.
Its a modified A300.
OMG, I never saw that before! That's funny! Why do they need the A380 if they have this!!! LOL!
Its mostly empty space. It is used to transport parts between the sites in England and Spain with the assembly in Toulouse.
Its pretty cool to see.
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