An airline crew faced a rebellion when they told passengers they were going to fly on a jet that had lost its wing tip in a runway crash.
The SriLankan Airlines customers had been on the Airbus A340 a day earlier when it sliced through a wing of a stationary British Airways 747 at Heathrow, delaying departure by 24 hours.
So they were amazed to be boarding the same plane next day for the ten-hour flight to Colombo.
When cabin crew then admitted there was still a 5ft wing tip missing, there was "a minor revolt" as seven passengers demanded to be let off the aircraft.
A further two-hour delay followed as their baggage was removed before the aircraft could take off.
SriLankan Airlines insisted there was no danger in flying without a wing tip. It added: "They are purely for aerodynamics and to keep fuel costs to a minimum. There is no impact on safety at all. Safety is our absolute priority."
Source: This Is London
Tags: SriLankan Airlines | Plane | Flight | Wing Tip
The SriLankan Airlines customers had been on the Airbus A340 a day earlier when it sliced through a wing of a stationary British Airways 747 at Heathrow, delaying departure by 24 hours.
So they were amazed to be boarding the same plane next day for the ten-hour flight to Colombo.
When cabin crew then admitted there was still a 5ft wing tip missing, there was "a minor revolt" as seven passengers demanded to be let off the aircraft.
A further two-hour delay followed as their baggage was removed before the aircraft could take off.
SriLankan Airlines insisted there was no danger in flying without a wing tip. It added: "They are purely for aerodynamics and to keep fuel costs to a minimum. There is no impact on safety at all. Safety is our absolute priority."
Source: This Is London
Tags: SriLankan Airlines | Plane | Flight | Wing Tip
Comments
And the Titanic wasn't supposed to sink either.
Good site for an explanation:
http://www.aviationpartners.com/bw_technology.html
I can back up the fact that wing tips are indeed not required. That doesn't mean you can just rip one of them off and not have some effect. It might be just a little leaning to the left, and no more disturbance than a light crosswind.