[Peetwo]

Qantas - A loop that definitely needs closing?

I note today this from AJ?? 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-22/q.../100313718

..Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has warned staff to brace for the potential of renewed stand downs, as closed borders and lockdowns smash domestic travel... 

Hmm...QON: Are we perhaps seeing the resultant impact of sustained unprofitability within the Red Rat?

ATSB to investigate if Qantas crew forgot to raise landing gear on take off



An investigation has begun into the second Qantas flight in less than a month to have a landing gear oversight.

On July 12, a QantasLink Dash-8 took off from Sydney to fly to Albury, but it was not until the aircraft was well into the climb that the crew realised they had not retracted the landing gear.

The wheels were brought up without incident but because the chain of events was outside standard operating procedure, the crew returned to Sydney, landing an hour after take off.

As well as the Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation, a Qantas spokeswoman said an internal review was underway to understand why the landing gear wasn’t retracted.

“We will work with the ATSB on its investigation,” said the spokeswoman.

It’s believed there were no maintenance concerns with the aircraft and human error was considered the most likely reason for the issue.

The ATSB investigation summary said the flight crew would be interviewed and operator procedures and flight crew records reviewed, along with recorded data.

The incident came just three weeks after another landing gear issue, involving a Qantas 787-9, flying from Sydney to Perth.

On that occasion the crew was unable to retract the wheels after take off and returned to Sydney Airport for an engineering inspection.

It was then discovered that the locking pins had not been removed from the main landing gear prior to the flight.

Ref: https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/inv...-2021-028/

The ATSB is investigating an incorrect configuration involving Bombardier DHC-8-400, registered VH-QOY, near Sydney Airport, New South Wales, on 12 July 2021.

After take-off, the flight crew did not retract the landing gear. This was not identified during the after take-off checks but discovered later during the climb. After confirming it was safe to do so, the flight crew retracted the landing gear and returned the aircraft to Sydney.

The evidence collection phase of the investigation will include interviewing the flight crew and reviewing operator procedures, flight crew records and recorded data.

A final report will be released at the conclusion of the investigation. Should a critical safety issue be identified during the course of the investigation, the ATSB will immediately notify relevant parties, so that appropriate safety action can be taken.

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Qantas ‘wheels down’ flight under investigation



An investigation is underway into why a Qantas 787 took off with the locking pins still in the main landing gear, which meant the pilots were unable to retract the wheels.

The incident happened on June 21 at Sydney Airport, as the aeroplane took off for a five-hour flight to Perth.

According to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, the aircrew realised there was a problem when they could not retract the main landing gear and received a “gear disagree” message.

Within 45-minutes of takeoff, the crew returned to Sydney for an uneventful landing and engineers inspected the Boeing 787-9.

“The engineering inspection revealed that the forward gear pins on the left and right main landing gear were not removed prior to the flight,” said the ATSB investigation summary.

Normally pre-flight inspections by engineers and the captain would ensure the gear pins were removed.

The pins are inserted when an aircraft is on the ground at airports to prevent any inadvertent collapse of the landing gear.

Although Qantas denied there was ever any threat to safety, a spokesman said the incident was

being taken seriously.

“There are checks to in place to ensure these locking pins are removed before each flight and we’re looking into why this did not occur on this occasion,” said the spokesman.

Ref: https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/inv...-2021-028/

The ATSB has commenced a transport safety investigation into a landing gear indication involving a Boeing 787, VH-ZNH, near Sydney Airport, NSW, on 21 June 2021.

During climb, the main landing gear did not retract and the crew received a gear disagree EICAS message. The crew returned the aircraft to Sydney for an uneventful landing. The engineering inspection revealed that the forward gear pins on the left and right main landing gear were not removed prior to the flight.

The evidence collection phase of the investigation will include a review and examination of maintenance records and the gathering of any other relevant evidence. 

A report will be published at the conclusion of the investigation. Should a critical safety issue be identified during the course of the investigation, the ATSB will immediately notify relevant parties, so that appropriate safety action can be taken.

MTF...P2