A330 problemer igjen - Mayday

Jeg tar denne med i sin helhet siden den gjelder en type som også opereres av SAS.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau stated that pilots flying a loaded Airbus A330 from Singapore to Perth Tuesday received system messages about the jet's elevator control system before the jet violently pitched over, injuring 74 passengers of 313 passengers and crew. According to the ATSB's Julian Walsh, an "irregularity" in the system affected the aircraft's elevator control. The flight's pilots say they received messages in the cockpit that something was wrong with the system. (Those messages presumably came from the aircraft's own systems but that point has not yet been made clear by investigators.) Then, while cruising at 37,000 feet, the jet pitched up, climbed 300 feet and sharply nosed over. After recovery, the aircraft dove again.

"It was horrendous, absolutely gruesome, terrible, the worst experience of my life," said one passenger who told an Australian news channel that he thought he was going to die. The crew initially issued PAN PAN, but then declared MAYDAY, advised ATC of multiple passenger injuries and elected to make an emergency landing in Learmonth, in western Australia, landing about 40 minutes after the initial event. Seriously injured passengers were airlifted to Perth. Passengers were treated for suspected spinal injuries, cuts and fractures from being thrown around the cabin by the aircraft's maneuvers. Cockpit voice and flight data recorders have been recovered from the aircraft and Qantas has initiated its own internal investigation. Airbus, conforming with its standard practices, has sent its own investigator. The route in question is susceptible to unexpected and strong turbulence, but the ATSB's comments suggest other factors may have played a role.