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Passengers revolt after being told to fly on jet with its wing tip missing
The Daily Mail (U.K.) ^ | November 3, 2007 | DANIEL BOFFEY

Posted on 11/03/2007 5:48:45 PM PDT by Stoat

Passengers revolt after being told to fly on jet with its wing tip missing

By DANIEL BOFFEY - More by this author » Last updated at 21:43pm on 3rd November 2007

  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.

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2007/10_03/PrangAP_468x319.jpg

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.

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2007/10_03/HeathrowAccRUK_468x310.jpg

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."



TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: airline; airlines; ceylon; damagedwinglet; friendlyskies; passengers; plane; revolt; srilanka
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How about an airfare discount for flying on an incomplete plane? :-)

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?

1 posted on 11/03/2007 5:48:51 PM PDT by Stoat
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To: Slings and Arrows

Sri Lankan Airways Customer Service Ping


2 posted on 11/03/2007 5:50:06 PM PDT by Stoat (Rice / Coulter 2008: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
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To: All

Holy cow! Did it STILL fly????


3 posted on 11/03/2007 5:52:48 PM PDT by jackibutterfly
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To: Paleo Conservative

Ping!


4 posted on 11/03/2007 5:55:01 PM PDT by neodad (USS Vincennes (CG-49) Freedom's Fortress)
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To: Stoat
It added: "They are purely for aerodynamics"

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.

5 posted on 11/03/2007 5:56:10 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~~~Jihad Fever -- Catch It !~~~ (Backup tag: "Live Fred or Die"))
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To: Stoat

All I can say is that I would not fly my Piper with damage like that...

Incredible


6 posted on 11/03/2007 5:57:20 PM PDT by bill1952 ("all that we do is done with an eye towards something else." - Aristotle)
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To: Stoat
There is no impact on safety at all. Safety is our absolute priority."

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.

7 posted on 11/03/2007 5:57:39 PM PDT by xsrdx (Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas)
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To: Stoat; MeekOneGOP; Conspiracy Guy; DocRock; King Prout; Darksheare; OSHA; martin_fierro; ...
SriLanka Airlines: Helping YOU get a head-start on your next incarnation!


8 posted on 11/03/2007 5:57:41 PM PDT by Slings and Arrows ("Be deranged in a consistent manner. Manson was nuts, but at least he was always on message." --dead)
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To: Stoat; Aeronaut

ping


9 posted on 11/03/2007 5:59:22 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar (Who would the terrorists vote for?)
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To: jackibutterfly
Holy cow! Did it STILL fly????

Who knows? They didn't get to try.

10 posted on 11/03/2007 6:00:00 PM PDT by MARTIAL MONK
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To: All
Anyone wishing to send a courteous note to Sri Lankan Airlines complimenting them on their exemplary attention to operational safety is welcome to do so here:

SriLankan Airlines - Contact Us - Feedback Centre

(hopefully I don't need to add a "sarcasm" tag.......)

11 posted on 11/03/2007 6:00:22 PM PDT by Stoat (Rice / Coulter 2008: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
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To: Stoat

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”


12 posted on 11/03/2007 6:00:47 PM PDT by LibFreeOrDie (L'Chaim!)
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To: jackibutterfly

Rutan’s Global Explorer tore off a wing tip on takeoff from Mojave and made it all the way around the world non stop.


13 posted on 11/03/2007 6:01:58 PM PDT by dalereed
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To: bill1952

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.


14 posted on 11/03/2007 6:02:18 PM PDT by xsrdx (Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas)
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To: bill1952

What kind of Piper do you have? I soloed in a Tri Pacer.


15 posted on 11/03/2007 6:02:48 PM PDT by Scotsman will be Free (11C - Indirect fire, infantry - High angle hell - We will bring you, FIRE)
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To: Slings and Arrows
Thank you very much for pinging your list   :-)

 Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

16 posted on 11/03/2007 6:06:33 PM PDT by Stoat (Rice / Coulter 2008: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
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To: Scotsman will be Free

I have a couple of Pipers; The Warriors for training, and a Commanche for myself.

No tail draggers though.


17 posted on 11/03/2007 6:07:15 PM PDT by bill1952 ("all that we do is done with an eye towards something else." - Aristotle)
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To: dalereed

Good answer!

Drag & fuel consumption would go up, but safety should not have been compromised.


18 posted on 11/03/2007 6:09:02 PM PDT by BwanaNdege (For those who have fought for it, Life bears a savor the protected will never know.)
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To: bill1952

Sorry, that should have read “no Tri Pacers”, not no tail draggers.


19 posted on 11/03/2007 6:09:34 PM PDT by bill1952 ("all that we do is done with an eye towards something else." - Aristotle)
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To: Stoat

Before you get too excited. 747’s flew for years without those wing tips.


20 posted on 11/03/2007 6:10:51 PM PDT by DugwayDuke (Ron Paul is not specifically mentioned in the Constitution either.)
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