Wreckage: Part of one of the wing tips lies on the runway
Posted on 11/03/2007 5:48:45 PM PDT by Stoat
An airline crew faced a rebellion when they told passengers they were going to fly on a jet that had lost its wing tip in a runway crash.
The SriLankan Airlines customers had been on the Airbus A340 a day earlier when it sliced through a wing of a stationary British Airways 747 at Heathrow, delaying departure by 24 hours.
So they were amazed to be boarding the same plane next day for the ten-hour flight to Colombo.
Scroll down for more...
Wreckage: Part of one of the wing tips lies on the runway
When cabin crew then admitted there was still a 5ft wing tip missing, there was "a minor revolt" as seven passengers demanded to be let off the aircraft.
A further two-hour delay followed as their baggage was removed before the aircraft could take off.
Club-class passenger Ian McKie, 54, from Loughton, Essex, said: "We were put up in hotels the night of the crash and next morning we were told we would be on a different plane that day.
"We only realised that we were actually going on the same aircraft when we got to the Club lounge and saw the plane but without its wing tip."
The former policeman, who was jetting off for a two-week holiday with his partner Gill Stone, 52, added: "On board, the cabin crew admitted that it was the same one as last time and that the tip had been ripped off.
Scroll down for more...
A closer view shows the broken wing on the BA 747
"They assured us it didn't matter but a number of the passengers insisted that they would rather get on the next flight."
The collision happened shortly after 10pm two weeks ago when the BA011 flight to Singapore was waiting on a runway, followed by the SriLankan Airbus.
The SriLankan aircraft wing ripped through the BA flight's wing, tearing off a huge chunk and resulting in the BA jumbo being grounded.
SriLankan Airlines insisted there was no danger in flying without a wing tip.
It added: "They are purely for aerodynamics and to keep fuel costs to a minimum. There is no impact on safety at all. Safety is our absolute priority."
How about if you remove the lousy, hatchet-edited inflight movies and the lousy food as well? And you really don't need ALL of those engines, do you?
Sri Lankan Airways Customer Service Ping
Holy cow! Did it STILL fly????
Ping!
Yeah, see, that's how a plane flies. No wingies, no fly. Good to see they have single-digit IQ folks working for the airlines. Very reassuring.
All I can say is that I would not fly my Piper with damage like that...
Incredible
Er.. not sure how you would know that without checking the remainder of the wing and wing spars for structural damage?
What the hell kind of airline flies passengers on a damaged airplane?
Maybe they checked overnight and determined the wing was otherwise sound, and yes the winglets are not necessary to flight, but still.
ping
Who knows? They didn't get to try.
SriLankan Airlines - Contact Us - Feedback Centre
(hopefully I don't need to add a "sarcasm" tag.......)
They ought to rename it Bumblebee Airlines:
“We’re Not Supposed to Be Able to Fly, But We Do!”
“Breaking the Laws of Aerodynamics Since 2007”
Or how about:
“On a Wing(tip) and a Prayer”
Rutan’s Global Explorer tore off a wing tip on takeoff from Mojave and made it all the way around the world non stop.
The article is misleading, the shredded winglet on the ground is from the 747. The SLA A340s wing doesn’t look damaged, so not sure where the reference to “wing tip” came from.
What kind of Piper do you have? I soloed in a Tri Pacer.
I have a couple of Pipers; The Warriors for training, and a Commanche for myself.
No tail draggers though.
Good answer!
Drag & fuel consumption would go up, but safety should not have been compromised.
Sorry, that should have read “no Tri Pacers”, not no tail draggers.
Before you get too excited. 747’s flew for years without those wing tips.
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.