Lightning hits Croatia Airlines Bombardier
A Croatia Airlines Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 (registration 9A-CQF) was damaged on Wednesday when it was struck by lightning midflight. The aircraft, operating as flight OU330 from Zagreb to Podgorica, made an emergency landing in Dubrovnik. The incident occurred over the Adriatic Sea near Herceg Novi in Montenegro when the lightning struck, making a hole in the fuselage. Window seat passengers reported they observed a flash hitting one of the wings and engines followed by bang after which the aircraft jolted. The cabin crew acted professionally, trying to calm down frightened passengers, some of which were screaming. Following the emergency landing in Dubrovnik the aircraft was deemed unfit for flight.
Strong turbulence was reported throughout the service. Weather conditions were poor especially over the Dubrovnik region and Montenegro itself. The flight experienced rain, lightning and strong winds. All 39 passengers were later ferried to Podgorica by bus. The aircraft was returned to Zagreb the next day but has still not returned to regular service. Croatia Airlines introduced its first Dash 8 aircraft in May 2008. The airline operates a total of six jets from the Canadian manufacturer, which has a capacity to seat 76 passengers.
Thankfully EX-YU national carriers rarely experience mid air emergencies. However, there have been several bizarre incidents in recent times. Earlier in the year, a Croatia Airlines pilot was forced to use butter in order to close the forward door on the carrier’s Dash 8 Q400 on a flight to Istanbul. Passengers observed as the pilot and cabin crew smeared butter over the latch which wouldn’t close properly. In 2011, a Montenegro Airlines Fokker F100 sustained damage after an eagle flew into its nose cone upon landing, causing a big dent.
Comon "Emergency" !!!!, I do appreciate your blog news and I read it daily. However, there is no need for sensationalism here. You might be able to characterize this as an incident, and even that is pushing it. No Emergency was declared at any time by the crew, there was no danger to pax and crew. Aircraft lightning strikes are very common and honestly, you should know better.
ReplyDeleteExcuse me but I consider it an emergency when there is a hole in the wing. Also, if it wasn't an emergency then they could have proceeded to Podgorica, especially since they were over Herceg Novi.
DeleteOn top of it all, the plane was so damaged that it could not continue its flight.
Lightning strikes are common, but this one caused substantial damage, more than usual.
After EACH lightning strike the plane is grounded until it can be inspected by LICENSED technician. There is no mechanic for DHC 8 in Podgorica and that is why they landed in DBV. No danger to pax and crew, no Emergency declared by the crew. THIS WAS NOT EMERGENCY. Look up the definition of emer in google.
DeleteRight because it is no emergency when there is a hole in the fuselage ... airlines love flying around planes that look like Swiss cheese.
DeleteOk now it is clear. The crew did not declare an emergency, authorities did not classify it as such, but It looks like an emergency to you so it must be one. That's what I call good journalism.
DeleteWell, the wings hold part of the hydraulic system which is used to control the flaps and if there was a breach in its flow, then the plane would have crashed right away. The fact there was a hole in this area indicates that there was a good change of it happening. We d o not have any proof that the crew did not declare emergency, however they should have.
DeleteYour an absolute idiot are you in aviation? "Barely a incident" If you divert from your planned destination to another airport due to mechanical failure, airframe damage, it is declared an emergency whether they made a mayday call or a pan pan call is a seperate thing however both are treated the same as highest priority only a mayday is when the plane is crippled from normal flying however they would have had to make either one call.....
DeleteAnd what are you if you can't write a sentence in English? Try to understand this: they did not land in Podgorica because there is no mechanic for Dash 8 there. There was no mayday or pan call. Aircraft was fully controllable. It is not uncommon to see a flash when the lightning strikes the aircraft. This does not mean that there is danger to anyone. On aviation herald this was also classified as an incident.
DeleteIf they landed at Podgorica it would take days for the mechanics to get to the aircraft. In Dubrovnik there is a Crostia maintenance station and they can get to work right away. So the crew took the option with the least possible damage. The plane would have been grounded once it lands anyway. It is just better that it stays grounded in DBV.
DeleteHole in the freaking wing = emergency.
DeleteThere is nothing more to add.
The post 2 above ... Are you still trying justify that it is not classsified as an emergency cause if you are then I'm not gonna bother posting again .... My typing is not worth it when a bunch of bricks are reading it
DeleteIts absolutly irrelevent where they chose to land at dubrovnik, podgorica, or zurich. Structual damage would have meant they had called the freq to declare aircraft trouble whether they made the choice due to mechanics is a seperate issue they still had to make the call of structual damage which I garanatee would have been a pan call( your lucky dubrovnik is not on atc.net otherwise I'd pull the convo up). Then they would have be made a priority aircraft unfortunetly in aviation unlike you think airport towers make planes wit damage a emergency priority and don't let it circle around a airport waiting for traffic so you could come on here and tell me that it was just a incident. Kapish
DeleteThis blog is just tabloid trash, which is normally followed by 19th Century jingoism by nationalist idiots. Had the plane taken off from the mighty Belgrade im sure it would not have been struck by lightning.
ReplyDeleteNot true, I remember back in the day when there was a problem with Jat and the screws this blog reported on it in the same manner as it does for this Croatia Airlines flight.
DeleteI guess you are one of those 19th century jingoist nationalistic idiot who get offended the moment something bad is published about Croatia.
Wasn't there also a case when a Montenegro Airlines was landing in Podgorica around the New Year and was shot? I remember there was even a picture of it here on the blog.
ReplyDeleteIt was on Orthodox Christmas, January 7th 2008.
DeleteWhat about the JAT Atr that had a wheel fall off?
ReplyDeleteYou mean this Austrian Fokker with the wheel that dropped off?
Deletehttp://avherald.com/h?article=438c2049
Also there was a case when Austrian Airlines' Dash-8 had landing gear issues in Skopje. I know OS is not an ex-Yu airline but it took place in our region.
DeleteYou mean this? http://exyuaviation.blogspot.com/2009/02/two-emergencies-at-skopje-airport.html
DeleteYupp, thanks.
DeleteLOL love it how people get offended when there is some bad press about their airlines (although I don’t see how this is bad since the article says the crew were professional and what not). I think this blog regularly posts about these emergencies and safety problems so I don’t see what all the fuss is about. More interesting to me is the relatively poor load factor.
ReplyDeleteI wonder why the load was that light and if the passengers were O&D or transit? Wasn't Podgorica one of the routes that was recommended to be axed?
DeleteCroatia Airlines decided to keep all the routes, Loadfactores are rising and they are excepting up to 2,2 million passengers this year. But why are people making so big deal out of this? This cud happend to any aircompany in the world.
DeleteDubrovacki Tjednik said that there were 50 passengers on board
DeletePassengers actually saw flames when the plane was descending. I wouldn’t exactly say this wasn’t an emergency.
ReplyDeleteThey fly with one wing, both engine fell down, 4 passengers were sucked out of plane and just catch for tail... My god... plane fly to ZAG next day.
ReplyDeleteYou are not funny and your comment is kind of lame. I would have loved to have seen you on that flight. You would be most likely the first one to scream.
DeleteI don't get it though how can this happen????how old r the dash8s??? They can't be more then 25yrs old!! People on this blog taught me only jat planes were unsafe cuz there old!!! Wouldn't the lightening choose the jat plane cuz its older???? Someone explain this is also confusing. :D
ReplyDeleteLightning doesn't hit Jat planes because they are made with plastic.
DeleteAirplanes are made of Aluminium alloids which should normally prevent similar events.
DeleteHowever the Dash-8 aircraft is a regional jet and its structure is not as strong as some bigger aircraft, especially the wings which are thinner than let's say those on bigger jets such as A320 or B737.
That is why there is a hole. There is nothing wrong with the aircraft.
Best from Belgrade.
Titanium ally!!!
DeleteVery old plastic
ReplyDeleteThanks guys I never fail to learn here.... So not jus any old plane, only very old plastic planes are unsafe(preferably wit jat written or the logo), I get it now.... I feel sorry for boeing and the new dreamliner a lot of carban fibre plastic on that rig
DeleteIgnore these people. I think there are a lot of frustrated people on here who need to move on.
Delete