Why Planes Crash......

[pharvey]

Some interesting (and.... some worrying) stats here.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/pictu ... lines.html

Vast percentage of accident caused by pilot error, which makes travel in China a little more disconcerting!!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... ilots.html

[PeteC]

Yes, China can be a worry. Once on an Air China 737 Hong Kong to Tianjin and got upgraded to FC. Once at cruising altitude both the Chinese pilots left the cockpit and sat down in FC and read the newspaper for 30 minutes. They were kind enough to leave the cockpit door open to show everyone no one was in there except the automatic pilot. All of this as we were approaching the packed airspace over Shanghai! That was the last time I've ever flown with them. Pete

[Lee1975]

Yes, China can be a worry. Once on an Air China 737 Hong Kong to Tianjin and got upgraded to FC. Once at cruising altitude both the Chinese pilots left the cockpit and sat down in FC and read the newspaper for 30 minutes. They were kind enough to leave the cockpit door open to show everyone no one was in there except the automatic pilot. All of this as we were approaching the packed airspace over Shanghai! That was the last time I've ever flown with them. Pete

I Think I would have soiled myself there & then.

[pharvey]

Domestic flights/travel in China can really be an experience.....

I've been on flights that have literally been forced into emergency landings due to fighting amongst passengers (once between cabin crew), infants left to wander and p*ss in the aisles - always seemed to be the Friday evening flight from Guangzhou for some reason...

One memorable incident when after being allowed to board the plane, we were then told there was a 2-3 hour delay and we were to remain on board... summer in Chongqing, so 35-40 degrees, so not so pleasant. One of the local Lee's then decides he's had enough and promptly departs via the emergency exit onto the wing to have a swift cigarette or 12, puffing away quite merrily above a few thousand liters of fuel. The goon squad then arriving to kick the living sh*t out of the perplexed chap before dropping him head first off the wing....... not too sure he got a refund either.

[Big Boy]

Domestic flights/travel in China can really be an experience.....

I've been on flights that have literally been forced into emergency landings due to fighting amongst passengers (once between cabin crew), infants left to wander and p*ss in the aisles

The best story I've got was on Aeroflot from Delhi to Bangkok. There was an old Indian lady who started to build her (Thai style) BBQ in an aisle ready to cook her own food.

[Spitfire]

Hmmm.....yes, the internal "Dan Dare Airways" of many countries.

[pharvey]

The best story I've got was on Aeroflot from Delhi to Bangkok. There was an old Indian lady who started to build her (Thai style) BBQ in an aisle ready to cook her own food.

Heard a very similar one with someone cooking with a stove on a Skyline NEPC (Not ''Every'' Plane Crashes) domestic (India) flight several years ago.

[Randy Cornhole]

Worst ive been on was a Pan european airways flight from Istanbul to Moscow. The plane had rust comming from all the fuselage rivets and you could see canvass showing through on both tyres as we boarded!!!!
Still I was ever hopeful and obviously survived...

[Arcadian]

A couple of years ago a Tuninter plane ran out of fuel on a Palermo to Tunis flight, the engineers had fitted the wrong fuel guage which showed full, but wasn`t. On the way to the drink instead of adopting emergency procedures the two pilots prayed to Allah! It didn`t work and they ditched.