Abnormalities at BRU / ANR / LGG / CRL / OST 2011

[sdbelgium]

Which aircraft (reg) was the JAF from GPA and SKG ?

OO-JAN.

[Passenger]

The incoming SN354 Kinshasa-Yaounde-Brussels is cancelled (ETA was 07h25).

(source : BrusselsAirport.be)

- - -

The outgoing CityJet AF5240 Antwerp-Manchester from 07h20 this morning returned to ANR soon after take off: fire indication in the cargo hold - false alert.

(source : Flemish radio)

[Shanti]

registration of the cityjet? many thanks

[Passenger]

registration of the cityjet? many thanks

A Cityjet Fokker 50 on behalf of Air France, registration OO-VLS performing flight WX-5240/AF-5240 from Antwerp (Belgium) to Manchester,EN (UK), was in the initial climb out of Antwerp when the crew received a cargo fire indication and returned to Antwerp for a safe landing. Attending emergency services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke. The flight was cancelled.

Source: Avherald.com
http://avherald.com/h?article=43ffa633

[Shanti]

thanks for the registration!

[Passenger]

Aer Lingus EI630 seems to have made a stopover at OST this morning, en route from DUB to BRU.

BrusselsAirport mentions arrival 10h47 (ETA was 09h35), coming from Dublin/Ostend.

[cnc]

Aer Lingus EI630 seems to have made a stopover at OST this morning, en route from DUB to BRU.

BrusselsAirport mentions arrival 10h47 (ETA was 09h35), coming from Dublin/Ostend.

yes
EI630/21.EIDVK.BRU
AA0842/0847
no idea why though

[luchtzak]

Aer Lingus EI630 seems to have made a stopover at OST this morning, en route from DUB to BRU.

BrusselsAirport mentions arrival 10h47 (ETA was 09h35), coming from Dublin/Ostend.

yes
EI630/21.EIDVK.BRU
AA0842/0847
no idea why though

This morning weather @ BRU airport was very foggy, visibility was very low. I guess the aircraft had to divert because of low fuel ?

[cathay belgium]

LOW FUEL ?? On a A320 from DUB to BRU,seems kerosine prices put also airliners to fill -just enough- !
Didn't expect such problems on so near routes ..

CX-B

[cnc]

doesn't seem like a fuel stop
DUB-BRU
TAKE OFF FUEL 7873
TRIP FUEL 1219

[jan_olieslagers]

This morning I was woken by a jet flying very low - flightradar24 showed it as a B737 from Morocco, who had flown all his approach over Mechelen and Aarschot at 2000 feet or only slightly higher. I think this is GPS info so it must mean AMSL, his height over the ground was even less. And that in uncontrolled airspace - luckily there wasn't any VFR traffic to be expected. Still it seemed dangerous to me: didn't they risk a collision with, for one example, an IFR trainer at EBAW? Something makes me doubt a B737 would be listening to Brussels info, far less talk to them...

Another RAM B737 came in just a couple of minutes later and was much higher over Mechelen, but at Aarschot he too was showing 2000 feet (or 2100 or 2200, frightfully low anyway).

[EBAW_flyer]

Just for info: of you take more fuel than you need, the aircraft gets heavier and also consumes more!
So it would be very unwise to fill up the tanks every time.

[RCMike]

doesn't seem like a fuel stop
DUB-BRU
TAKE OFF FUEL 7873
TRIP FUEL 1219

A trip fuel of 1219 ?kg? DUB - BRU is not too much... where did you get the numbers?

[Nevihta]

This morning I was woken by a jet flying very low - flightradar24 showed it as a B737 from Morocco, who had flown all his approach over Mechelen and Aarschot at 2000 feet or only slightly higher. I think this is GPS info so it must mean AMSL, his height over the ground was even less. And that in uncontrolled airspace - luckily there wasn't any VFR traffic to be expected. Still it seemed dangerous to me: didn't they risk a collision with, for one example, an IFR trainer at EBAW? Something makes me doubt a B737 would be listening to Brussels info, far less talk to them...

Another RAM B737 came in just a couple of minutes later and was much higher over Mechelen, but at Aarschot he too was showing 2000 feet (or 2100 or 2200, frightfully low anyway).

Flightradar24 works with ADS-B, meaning the altitude reading is the one transmitted by the aircraft.
I don't exactly know where you are, but that could have been in controlled airspace. EBBR TMA and CTR can't be far. Even for an sharp eye, it is really hard to evaluate an altitude.

[cnc]

doesn't seem like a fuel stop
DUB-BRU
TAKE OFF FUEL 7873
TRIP FUEL 1219

A trip fuel of 1219 ?kg? DUB - BRU is not too much... where did you get the numbers?

the loadsheet of that flight

[jan_olieslagers]

@Nevitha: where I am you could have found out ; though I must admit the info is a bit outdated, I am closer to LONDI now. But I was assuming the planes were unacceptably low around Aarschot. Alas, I had better checked the map first: Aarschot is still under the lowest part of EBBR TMA (sector 1) which comes down to 1500' AMSL. So the planes were in controlled airspace all the while and there was nothing to worry about.

My apologies to ATC staff, for having doubted them!

PS I do know that flightradar24 and its cousins base upon ADS-B info, but am less sure where ADS-B gets altitude info from. Must be GPS, I suppose, it needs that for position info anyway. Should be glad to have it confirmed, though.

PPSS do not tell me that it is difficult to estimate a plane's height from the ground, every pilot experiences this soon enough!

[Nevihta]

Hello Jan, didn't know you're a pilot.
Regarding ADS-B,I think it gets the altitude info direct from the altimeter of the aircraft.

[jan_olieslagers]

In that case it would depend on the QNH setting, no? Or perhaps it transmits the same altitude as reported on the mode C and S transponders? That would mean pressure altitude, which is not much use* before correction for actual local weather.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADS-B seems to confirm my idea:

The system relies on two avionics components—a high-integrity GPS navigation source and a datalink (ADS-B unit).

making GPS the only source of dynamic information, both postition and altitude. Then again, we all know that anyone can write anything on wikipedia. I should still be glad for a more dependable confirmation.

*except to aviators, of course!

[sn26567]

Incident: Cityjet F50 near Antwerp on Jul 20th 2011, cargo fire indication

A Cityjet Fokker 50 on behalf of Air France, registration OO-VLS performing flight WX-5240/AF-5240 from Antwerp (Belgium) to Manchester,EN (UK), was in the initial climb out of Antwerp when the crew received a cargo fire indication and returned to Antwerp for a safe landing. Attending emergency services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke.

The flight was cancelled.

Source: The Aviation Herald

No trace of fire, heat or smoke. And still the flight was cancelled? VLM has changed after becoming an Air France subsidiary...

[sn26567]

Emergency landing of a Cargo Airlines B747 at Liège

This morning at 03h55 a Boeing 747 chartered by Cargo Airlines made an emergency landing at Liège-Bierset airport, after the pilot realised one of the engines was on fire. The aircraft had taken off at 03h15 from Liege Airport.

The pilot activated an automatic flushing device which stopped the fire. The aeroplane, with destination JFK airport in New York, returned to Liège where it landed safely.