SAS B737 suffers bumble-bee strike

[NM]

As reported at The Aviation Herald:

A SAS Norway Boeing 737-700, flight BU-4683/SK-4683 from Oslo Gardermoen (Norway) to Malaga,SP (Spain) with 134 passengers, had to return to Gardermoen Airport after the airspeed indicators started to disagree shortly after takeoff. The airplane landed safely about 35 minutes after departure.

Mechanics found a bumble-bee had struck and embedded itsself into one of the pitot tubes of the airplane after takeoff, effectively blocking that dynamic port of the pitot system.

Hmm, perhaps we will see the use of bumble-bee guns to test aircraft's ability to withstand bumble-bee strikes!

I was so tempted to title this one "Boeing 737 downed by Bumble-Bee" and lead-in like "An aircraft similar to that operated by Qantas was ...".

 

[samh004]

Wow, the odds of this happening have got to be extremely low. I wonder how the hardware could be changed so it doesn't happen again though?

 

[oz_mark]

I was so tempted to title this one "Boeing 737 downed by Bumble-Bee" and lead-in like "An aircraft similar to that operated by Qantas was ...".

IIRC Qantas did have a wasp problem with a pitot tube a few years back. Does that help build a linkage back for you? :mrgreen:

 

[NYCguy]

How long until we hear about a passenger taking legal action because the bee wasn't detected by the weather-radar? :mrgreen:

 

[Ikara]

IIRC Qantas did have a wasp problem with a pitot tube a few years back. Does that help build a linkage back for you? :mrgreen:

Actually it was a bogong moth taken in on landing which the caused my flight to Adelaide (on that plane) to be cancelled. Had to stay the night in Sydney. Only time I ever had a flight cancelled in nearly 35 years of regular flying. Got a voucher though.

JB

 

[mannej]

Wow, the odds of this happening have got to be extremely low. I wonder how the hardware could be changed so it doesn't happen again though?

From memory although the odds are low, the consequences can be fatal. Birgenair flight 301 pops up as a crash that could have been caused due to blocked pitot tubes

 

[Mal]

From memory although the odds are low, the consequences can be fatal. Birgenair flight 301 pops up as a crash that could have been caused due to blocked pitot tubes

Some have mentioned that the Air France flight that recently crashed may have had frozen pitot tubes... so yeah, it can have very bad consequences.

Of course these can be damaged in other ways. It's well known in mid 2008 that some TSA inspectors in the U.S used pitot tubes as a stepping block/ladder to climb into parked planes in an airport...

 

[odysseus]

[removed: beaten while posting!]

 

[medhead]

Wow, the odds of this happening have got to be extremely low. I wonder how the hardware could be changed so it doesn't happen again though?

To function as required a pitot tube requires air flow into it. If you redesigned it to avoid this hazard it would no longer be a pitot tube.

 

[samh004]

To function as required a pitot tube requires air flow into it. If you redesigned it to avoid this hazard it would no longer be a pitot tube.

Yeah I was thinking there probably wouldn't be a way to remedy the situation.

 

[oz_mark]

Yeah I was thinking there probably wouldn't be a way to remedy the situation.

All you can really do is have more than one, and hope that they don't all get blocked up

 

[oz_mark]

Some have mentioned that the Air France flight that recently crashed may have had frozen pitot tubes... so yeah, it can have very bad consequences.

I have read reports that have suggested it went too fast into the storm. Others have suggested they slowed down too much and stalled. Do seem to be narrowing into speed though.

 

[samh004]

I have read reports that have suggested it went too fast into the storm. Others have suggested they slowed down too much and stalled. Do seem to be narrowing into speed though.

And then there's the Spanish report that says it was hit by a meteorite, though that's a bit OT here.