Passengers aboard DAL128, from Beijing (PEK/ZBAA) to Seattle (SEA/KSEA) had a wrench thrown into their Christmas Eve travel when a suspected mechanical problem forced their plane off course on Monday. The B767 made an unexpected stop on the remote island of Shemya in the Aleutian Islands on Christmas Eve. The diversion was caused by what is being reported as “potential engine issue.” (www.msn.com) さらに...
Safety first.... To hell with the passengers... I guess the complaining passengers would like to be in the Head Lines of the next "Air Disaster" episode... Pilot did what was right... Planes break, and usually not when or where we want them to.
It's not like they had a choice in the matter. But they weren't stranded. Delta sent another aircraft to pick up the passengers in Shemya and take them the rest of the way to Seattle. It arrived mid-day and headed toward Seattle around 4 p.m
Or being the mechanics that are tasked with fixing the engine in the middle of nowhere. Check out Shemya on Google Earth — they don’t have a hangar big enough to accommodate a 767, so you get to troubleshoot and fix the engine out in the open during the Alaskan winter.
Eareckson Air Station has a 10,000ft airstrip. It was originally fitted for B29's, B25's and later for large jets. Back when it was Shemya AFB, Northwest Airlines at its "layover" facility near the runway. They have five hardened buildings there. One is big enough.
Yeah.. it was either going to be PASY, or Cold Bay and its 10100ft runway, which was another 950nm. They made the right call for this one. The weather around the time of this incident was brutal:
When you have gusts coming from the east, snow on the way but getting ice pellets dropped on you at nearly 32F, and you're outside having to fix an engine, you're in for a rough day at the office!
They weren't ever going to, at least not fully. The closest airport with any hangars suitable for something like a B763, let alone any suitable lodging would be Cold Bay (PACD), but that's 950nm away.
But think about it this way. They either have already come up on, or are just starting the time where there is no sunlight at all in that part of the state. So to do this work, completely at night, with those winds, that cold, and ice pellets dropping on you.. That crew sure as hell deserves a week or two in the Cayman Islands or St. Maarten!
My brother was an ATC at Adak where he wrapped up his career in the Navy..I have asked him about the conditions there in winter......spring and fall.....And summer. Essentially, the weather never changes. It rains a lot. Snows a bit, is foggy, is windy and is perpetually damp...
That will be one of the Coolest Job's they will ever have to do... I have had to change engines out side... No Fun... In that kind of weather... NO THANK YOU!
I’ll bet they cocoon the area surrounding the engine and light up the propane heaters that probably were loaded on the inbound replacement aircraft. Likely the mechanics were working in shortsleeves!
Back during WW2, aircraft would leave out on a Mission & never return; probably weather related. A KC-135 had crashed there attempting to land 13 Jan, 69: Rivet Ball, a Strategic Air Command Boeing RC-135S, 59-1491, arriving at Shemya AFB, AK after a reconnaissance operational sortie, is unable to stop due to poor weather and extremely slippery runway conditions. The aircraft slid off the ice-covered runway, plunged into a 40-foot ravine and broke apart. All eighteen occupants of the aircraft egressed successfully. Although the aircraft was written off as damaged beyond repair, some key components were salvaged for subsequent use.
And backstory on a disappearance later that year: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_RC-135#RC-135E_Lisa_Ann_/_Rivet_Amber ; https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-boeing-rc-135e-bering-sea-19-killed
When I was stationed there in 1978-1979, we had two RC-135S aircraft there. Although hangars were not large enough for a wide-body, Shemya was designated as an emergency field when 767 and 777 airliners started flying that route. We could accept aircraft as large as a C-5 Galaxy, albeit a tight fit on taxiways. As a matter of fact, we had one land with a load of service members, and their families while I was there. The base C.O. had the dining hall open for lunch for all of them. We had a great time with all of them, and the whole base turned out to wish them farewell. Many of them told us they had not had as good a treatment since leaving Kadena AFB. A great memory for sure.
I find it very interesting that we have become a nation of second guessers on everything. Does this mean NO ONE really knows what they are doing. The pilot was CORRECT!
Spent a year on "the Rock" 1966-7. About 1000 personnel on the island, all male. It was considered a hardship tour. Most of the island was covered with abandoned buildings and piles of rusting 55 gallon drums from the time during WWII when about 20000 people including families lived there.
Seeing that one of the B777's maiden flights was YMML-RJAA-EGLL and took it over 3 oceans on two engines, it's safe to say that you don't have a clue of what you're talking about.
“Though remote, this isn’t the first time aircraft have unexpectedly landed at Shemya during an emergency. In 1993, China Eastern flight 538 diverted to the island. The MD-11 made an emergency landing after a crew member accidentally deployed the plane’s slats while cruising at altitude. The resulting oscillations of the aircraft caused serious injuries to some passengers and crew, resulting in two deaths.”
I wonder if this was the genesis for the book by Michael Crichton titled “Airframe”?
flight 538 is what the article says, but I think it was Flight 583. And, you're right, at least according to wikipedia, as to that flight's being the genesis for Airframe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Eastern_Airlines_Flight_583