Regional Express Delays/Cancellations

[Melburnian1]

Friday 23 August 2019 finds ZL3574, the scheduled 1620 hours BWT up to MEL airborne at 1657. VH-ZRC should arrive at 1825, 50 minutes late.

The MGB across to MEL ZL3772, VH-RXN, is the late afternoon 1635 hours in the sky at 1733. As at 1854 it was still in a hold above Meredith so expected arrival has blown out from 1908 hours. It looks to be approximately an hour late (timetabled arrival is 1815.)

 

[Melburnian1]

ZL117, the 0905 hours Saturday 24 August 2019 SYD down to MIM took off at 1100. SAAB 340B VH-KRX should arrive just before 'high noon' at 1158 hours, 103 minutes tardy.

 

[Melburnian1]

ZL984 (1845 hours SYD - ARM, up up and away at 1933 hours on Monday 26 August) should arrive at 2030, half an hour tardy with VH-TRX.

 

[Melburnian1]

ZL456 (Thursday 29 August, the 0705 hours NRA up to SYD not airborne until 0747 should arrive at 0859, 34 late with VH-EKH.

 

[Melburnian1]

With (as predicted by BOM) heavy rain in parts of Sydney and winds gusting at up to 52kmh, ZL333, the 1650 hours GFN - SYD airborne at 1726 on Thursday 29 August was holding above Pokolbin as at 1830 hours. Arrival has been suggested as 1852, 32 late but this may be an underestimate of the delay.

 

[Melburnian1]

Later on 29 August 2019, ZL869, the 1830 hours DBO - SYD took off at 1901, about 20 minutes late, but the weather is problematical with the aircraft having to hold north of the famous Wombeyan Caves. VH-EKH should arrive at 2040, an hour late.

ZL782 (1830 hours ABX up to SYD, VH-VNA) was airborne at 2038 with arrival at 2150, two hours late.

 

[Melburnian1]

On Thursday night 29 August, ZL139 arrived MYA at 1940, ten minutes late and then departed for MIM, taking off at 1956. It arrived MIM at 2051, 36 late as one of the two engines had caught fire and after adopting a holding pattern offshore, it had to make an emergency landing.

There were 19 passengers and three crew on board:

Plane with 22 people on board makes emergency landing on South Coast

A Regional Express plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Merimbula Airport on Thursday night after...

www.illawarramercury.com.au

The aircraft was SAAB 340B VH-RXX. This aircraft entered service on 12 December 1991 for some USA entity called Business Express (now defunct) and then from 30 September 2003 has been owned by Rex, so it is 28 years old.

This was the second consecutive night that VH-RXX operated ZL139.

Yesterday, the MYA - MIM second sector of ZL139 was the aircraft's eighth for the day.

It's a given that ATSB will launch an investigation.

One wonders if the union(s) will make hay of this given that CASA recently undertook some investigations at the WGA engineering base and decalred that Regional Express did not have any safety problems.

ZL114 from MIM to MYA and on to SYD has presumably been cancelled on Friday 30 August.

 

[Melburnian1]

Updating the previous post, apparently the Civil Aviation Safety Authority is not taking any action.

Earlier claims of a fire have been debunked:

'A loud bang': Regional airline forced to make emergency landing

A Regional Express passenger plane carrying 22 people has made an emergency landing on the New South Wales south coast after a mechanical fault in one of its engines.

www.abc.net.au

 

[eastwest101]

Updating the previous post, apparently the Civil Aviation Safety Authority is not taking any action.

Earlier claims of a fire have been debunked:

'A loud bang': Regional airline forced to make emergency landing

A Regional Express passenger plane carrying 22 people has made an emergency landing on the New South Wales south coast after a mechanical fault in one of its engines.

www.abc.net.au

Sounds much more plausiible - no way they would have been doing laps out over the ocean if they did have an engine fire, as depicted by some media outlets. Sounds more like an engine failure and shutdown, so not nearly as dangerous as a fire.

 

[Melburnian1]

..Sounds more like an engine failure and shutdown, so not nearly as dangerous as a fire.

I hope this isn't a 'length of string' question, but if what you say, how many days will this aircraft be out of service?

Typically, will a new engine (or other parts) have to be brought in by road (or if not too heavy, by air) and repairs plus maintenance performed at MIM airfield?

 

[eastwest101]

I hope this isn't a 'length of string' question, but if what you say, how many days will this aircraft be out of service?

Typically, will a new engine (or other parts) have to be brought in by road (or if not too heavy, by air) and repairs plus maintenance performed at MIM airfield?

Not my area of expertise, but I don't think they can legally single engine ferry a twin anywhere? So would have to be truck a replacement engine to Merimbula and do it there type of situation I think.

 

[Melburnian1]

Friday 30 August 2019 also sees ZL464, the 105 hours NRA up to SYD not airborne until 1328 hours so arrival for VH-RXS should be 1434, 129 minutes late.

 

[Melburnian1]

Later on 30 August, ZL477 (VH-ZXF, the 1855 hours SYd down to GFF airborne at 2015) has an estimated arrival at 2130, 65 behind the timetable. This forms the 0650 hours from GFF that was three hours late today arriving in Sydney, so passengers tomorrow would hope that is not repeated.

 

[Quickstatus]

Sounds like an engine failure. It happens. Procedures appeared to have been followed. Investigation to follow as to cause. Calling it a fire was premature - I think Journalist wanted a headline.

New engines fail. Old engines fail.

A small aircraft like the Saab has many landing options unlike the A380.

The engines for the Saab340 are propellor variants of the same turbine engines that drive military applications like the Apache and Black Hawks

The difference between turboprops and turbojets (that power the jets like the 737/380) is that turboprop exhausts do not have significant thrust unlike the turbojets. Other than that they are all variants of the turbine engine. There are no pistons despite what a commentator said on radio tonight.

And... the age of the airframe does not necessarily equate to the age of the engine.

What is Sandilands going to say this time. Last time he said the missing propellor Saab should have landed earlier in places including without emergency services rather than SYD.

 

[Melburnian1]

ZL773, Saturday 31 August 2019's scheduled 1145 hours SYD down to ABX airborne at 1234 (VH-EKH) should arrive at 1345 hours, 35 minutes late.

 

[Melburnian1]

ZL3662, the 1125 hours late morning MEL - MQL on Sunday 1 September should depart at 1200 'high noon.'

 

[Melburnian1]

Fog had been predicted for the morning of Monday 2 September so that probably explains why ZL3151 (ZL-ORX, the 0640 hours ABX down to MEL) did not take off until 0816 with arrival at a suggested 0912, 92 minutes late.

While sometimes there's not many days' advance warning of likely fog, in such circumstances if one is bound for the suburbs (not connecting to another flight), it can be quicker and more reliable to catch the NSW TrainLink XPT or V/Line standard gauge local train to Southern Cross, and far easier on the wallet or purse.

Similarly, northbound ZL762 (VH-VNA), the 0630 hours ABX - SYD took off at 0812 with estimated arrival at 0913.

 

[Melburnian1]

On Tuesday 3 September, ADL had morning fog, so ZL4127, the 0900 hours CED - ADL took off at 0940. VH-RXQ should arrive at 1056 hours, 31 late.

 

[Melburnian1]

Sounds like an engine failure. It happens. Procedures appeared to have been followed. Investigation to follow as to cause. Calling it a fire was premature - I think Journalist wanted a headline.

New engines fail. Old engines fail...

What is Sandilands going to say this time. Last time he said the missing propellor Saab should have landed earlier in places including without emergency services rather than SYD.

One doubts Ben Sandilands will say anything as IIRC he is deceased.

When I checked soon after the Merimbula incident, ATSB had yet to place anything on its site but it has subsequently launched an investigatiobn:

Engine failure involving Saab 340B, VH-RXX, near Merimbula, New South Wales, on 29 August 2019 | ATSB

www.atsb.gov.au

And it is concurrently examining another Regional Express event:

Landing gear wheel failure involving Saab 340, VH-ZLX, Adelaide Airport, South Australia, on 20 August 2019 | ATSB

www.atsb.gov.au

This won't be pleasing to John Sharp and the rest of Rex's directors, and it may not be all that 'comfortable' for CASA that recently examined Wagga Wagga base maintenance and gave Regional Express the 'air clear.' Of course causality may be lacking, a subject that one would hope these investigations touch on.

 

[Quickstatus]

@Melburnian1 , didnt know Sandilands has passed. RIP.
That the ATSB investigates most incidents is not necessarily an indication of anything awry. These will take some time to get through the system. Though most fizzle out.

BTW Im waiting impatiently to hear back about the root cause of the JQ 787 General Electric double engine issue at KIX - for me thats a much more serious issue. The ATSB is giving it an occurrence category of a "serious incident". By comparison, the ATSB investigations into the ZL incidents are categorised less seriously as an "indicent"