Maintenance Mishap Almost Leads to Catastrophe! | The Story of WOW Air Flight 117
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- Опубликовано: 2 июн 2024
- WOW Air flight 117 was scheduled for a routine passenger flight from Keflavik Airport, Iceland to Baltimore, USA. What started as a routine flight quickly turned into a huge problem that the crew would need to recover from. The major issue here was that the aircraft left the airport with the issues already in place. During its maintenance only four days before a critical error was left dormant until this flight.
*A320 model used to simulate A321.
Final report: www.rnsa.is/media/4849/final-... 
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Close call! As travellers, we scrutinize pilots when we board, but perhaps we should visit the maintenance area first!
As a maintainer, please don't.
it's not that we have something to hide in fact the people who dont see eye to eye with safety gets weeded out pretty quickly.
that being said, as a passenger please keep to your own lane as you don't want to overstress yourself with overthinking what we are doing.
After watching so many aircraft investigations that I feel like the next time I fly that I need to interview the pilots and the maintenance crew.
@@barrymarootner504 then stay at home
I was maintenance for an airline, and currently working towards becoming a pilot. The level of studying and training we do to earn our licenses are extremely thorough. An A&P technician is required to go have at least 1500 hours before he can take his oral and practical tests to get his license, same as a pilot. I will only speak for myself here, but I assure you that almost all the technicians I was lucky to work with were similar in their thinking to myself. Any time I put my signature in a logbook signifying that the aircraft was safe to fly, I did so with the thought that my family and friends could be flying on that plane. If I didn’t feel comfortable with the repair, then the plane sat until it was fixed. When we put our name in that logbook we are confirming the work we did and no one wants to live with the fact knowing that they are the reason that an accident happened. As I told my family and friends, whenever we preformed maintenance we had to do it by the maintenance manual, referencing the chapter and page, as well as an “ops check” ensuring your fix worked. Some jobs even required the signature of another tech ensuring the job had been done correctly. Sorry for the word vomit. All I was trying to say is I trust my life daily with the work performed by my fellow technicians as well as the pilots who fly these aircraft.
What does that scrutiny involve?
Are you a check pilot? Or a maintenance inspector?
The pilots made the right call to immediately turn back- glad they landed safely! Thanks for another great video 😊
I think so too! Thanks for watching!
Spoiler alert!
Thank you dumb dumb!
They followed the checklist and it helped with decision making for sure.
It's good to see that you're covering events that don't necessarily end in disaster.. very informative.. well done.
There's likely to be far more of those in the future where if you think of the swiss cheese model of protection one last minute one saves the day. Doesn't mean the countless failures beforehand should be ignored
Pilots doing their job professionally and thus ensuring the safety of the aircraft 🙏👍👍…Very good video clear and easy to follow , thankyou…
Writing clear and understandable procedures and testing them is something that's often pushed to the back burner but is so important. I don't work anywhere near the air industry, but a lot of the lessons carry over to everybody.
I'm honestly surprised this wasn't caught sooner, though. The maintenance instructions seem really obtuse.
This is why I love watching aviation investigations. I take so many lessons from them to my job in software and project management. Nothing so complex or potentially deadly as an error in aviation, but the technical combined with human elements make any aviation investigation applicable to many industries.
@@GuyNamedSean Believe me......technicians might have submitted feedback on this but in most cases the feedback is completely ignored. I can only guess that at our airline the feedback replies are outsourced to a vendor who knows nothing about aviation maintenance. They mostly never reply......but when they do it is a non-sequitur reply. .....and nothing gets changed or improved.
More importantly however is that the mentioned instructions MUST be carried out step by step as written! All too often one will see Technicians who carry out these ‘simple’ tasks by memory since they have done so many times before.
Also, the fact that this part could not be inspected by another Technician should also have raised red flags but didn’t which tells you a lot about what’s going on in these shops!
@@rael5469 A properly functioning SMS program shouldn't let these things slip by. And should always give feedback to the person who submitted the discrepancy. If that's not happening at your airline, then I suggest you submit another discrepancy describing no feedback and no action. Give it to the Director of QA as well as submitting it to the program.
After that if nothing happens, submit it to the authorities and look for a job elsewhere. You don't really want to be associated with such careless practices. I know sometimes that's easier said than done, to find other employment.
Fascinating video. It seems incredible that this service error wasn’t spotted before this incident. I wonder how many such cases have been discovered on other aircraft.
Outstanding explanation of the reasons for the failure. The graphics and illustrations were extremely helpful for understanding the technical/mechanical issues to anyone who isn't a mechanic. This is a wonderful channel, professional without any of the "drama" found on so many channels these days. Looking forward to your upcoming vlogs.
You dont understand them. You just saw animations and think it makes sense.
Give you a spanner
Thank goodness these pilots didn’t dismiss the error as computer related like the Gimli glider Captain and continue with their journey! Having watched so many aircraft accident videos where maintenance screwed up, I would feel concern, not reassurance if I was boarding a plane I knew had undergone a recent C check. I never knew a B check existed!
Great video, this is one of the best aviation disaster channels. I’d not heard of this mishap before.
I believe he said D-Check.
@@edwardrichardson5567thank you! “Had just had a recent D check” then.
@@bitteroldman701I suppose I’m forgetting that I’ve only heard about the times maintenance screwed up. A quote from the NTSB says that almost all accidents have a degree of pilot error in them and normally it’s a series of small errors or decisions that line up with - if even one of those steps had gone differently the accident probably wouldn’t have happened. The Swiss cheese model is often used to demonstrate this.
@@edwardrichardson5567 I heard it was fresh out of C check but also mentioned D checks and various intervals.
Scary, comprehensive and beautifully narrated.
Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent video demonstrating an aircraft maintenance process! Aircraft Maintenance Manuals (AMMs) have consistently fallen short in terms of user-friendliness for technicians. These manuals are typically authored by aircraft manufacturers, each with their distinct styles. American manufacturers tend to employ outdated communication methods, while European counterparts often favor overly intricate procedures, as illustrated in this video.
Aircraft technicians perform incredibly complex roles in an industry where cost-effectiveness is paramount. One viable solution involves enhancing the use of instructional videos to elucidate maintenance tasks. With over 35 years of experience as both a pilot and technician in the aviation industry, I can attest that being a technician entails far greater complexity and demands.
Technicians never have and never will get the credit they deserve from the public. They get credit from their peers though, which to me is more valuable since the public is honestly ignorant of what complexities have to be handled during a heavy check.
Another great video! 😊 very interesting how such a "small" mishap can lead to something so life-threatening. And scary, too 😅
I found it interesting that both engines had the same issue, with what appears to be luck that kept engine no 1 from the same fate as engine no 2!
@@CuriousPilot90 Not only those, but other aircraft with different vendors. The instructions didn't seem that unclear to me. I'm surprised the airline didn't write their own workcard for it. Make it an RII task and it would not have passed QC without a second signature.
Great visuals on this video CP! Thanks for the great post as usual
Great video, i like how you go into the technical details.
Very good narrating voice with well researched and presented narration. All the best with your channel and hope that RUclips treats you fairly.
Thank you very much!
Excellent presentation. The abscess of music makes it more professional
I don’t know why they don’t help u promote your videos. They are top notch!!!! So entertaining!!!
Thank you Mark :D (Unless you are being sarcastic...😬👀)
@@CuriousPilot90 not at all , they are very well done , look forward to every video
I never knew World of Warcraft had an airline. You learn something new every day! Great video!!!
Great video, enjoyed the technical explanations. And a shout out for the visuals on this one. It's incomprehensible to me that you can depict such a lavish simulation of the aircraft and airfields. If it was left up to me, we'd all be viewing 16 x 16 sprites done on a ZX Spectrum with colour clash aplenty.
The visuals are outstanding, however as a former military and commercial pilot who has flown into Keflavik dozens of times, i assure you that no approach to any runway at KEF is done over such lavishly forested areas.
@@allanjensen1195 The forest is due to the default settings in Flight Simulator 2020. Very irritating how the devs can not correct that.
I love these matter of fact Investigation videos. A few other creators I watch put so much ‘foreshadowing’ which becomes too much. It’s mad to think that both oil filters were in the same state, meaning it was only luck that kept the left engine running! (Or unlucky that the right engine went?) great video! Thank you for this. 😀
Great video as always ! Greetings from Keflavik .
Amazing animation!! So glad one of your videos showed up for me to watch!! 😁
Great video, excellent graphics 👌🏼
I am so glad they landed safely.
Why wouldn’t you be?
I look forward to your videos, they are getting really good. Clearly spoken and very informative and I like that you cover the lesser heard of incidents.
Loved the alligator video, tragic as it was rest their souls, I had heard of that one before but it is not an accident covered very often.
“In this airport, which I will no doubt pronounce wrong - but it is in Slovenia…” actual LOL right there. 😆
Video production and writing are brilliant. keep em coming 😎
Thanks Jack.
Scary one. British Midland had an incident way back, on one of their 737s, where both engines were topped up with oil overnight but neither filler cap was replaced. (Not Kegworth. This one landed safely.)
great video!! just subscribed
lovely video. subbed.
Thank you. Be Well.
Great video
Thanks!
@@CuriousPilot90 Your welcome
Mate your content is awesome, the RUclips algorithm not so much.
Sometimes it works out! Just need to keep rolling that dice.
@@CuriousPilot90 that's true, you're doing a great job I really enjoyed the croc thumbnail 😂
I had one that I was super proud of, it was a crocodiles eye up close with the reflection of the cabin in it. No one was clicking on it (Probably because it didn't look like it related to an air crash investigation) so I had to swap it out!
@@CuriousPilot90prob cos it’s been done , it’s so depressing…I couldn’t face another iteration of that incident , and maybe I’m not alone . The vids I have not watched to the end , are the 9/11 hijacks and the German wings 9525. , Just too harrowing.
nice video!
Something I wonder about is their taxi procedures - I know that sometimes twin jets will only taxi with one engine on, so would it be possible that they were taxiing on the number two engine, and more use would accelerate the failure?
It might make the engine more prone to failure, but probably not because of the extra few hours of use during taxiing, and more because they would be more likely to damage that engine with foreign object debris getting sucked into that engine on the taxiway.
If I owned a jet I’d be asking for towing that thing everywhere and trying to only use the engines in flight lol.
Shutting down a jet engine during taxi is done after landing. If the commanders deems it safe. For example with dry taxiways and not too much up or downhill slope.
Very professional graphics and explanation . There is no facility to jettison fuel in this aircraft category (single aisle) .
Cliff Notes Time Saver: First, no crash or injuries. Improper maintenance caused engine #2 to leak all its oil shortly after takeoff. Crew shut down #2 and made a safe landing back at Iceland. Investigation showed same improper maintenance on several other aircraft. Maintenance personnel retrained. Everyone lived happily ever after.
Just a note - C and D checks, in fact all letter checks, can be changed based on reliability data from the fleet. So a C check could be at four years after the airline gathers enough data to justify it. Some C checks are broken up into C1, C2 etc., same with D checks.
Nice, thanks. 👍
Excellent pilot's... perfect decisions!
Great video. With all the different third part maintenance organizations that are around the world, sounds like ICAO needs some type of standardization team that inspects and evaluates these maintenance companies. These inspections could then be reported so airlines could make informed decisions about where maintenance should be preformed if they do not do major work in house.That way the correct procedures for maintenance according to the manufacturer could be standardized world wide. This is what we had in the USAF. In Strategic Air Command( SAC) there was a command level team called MSET, Maintenance Standardization Evaluation Team, that went from base to base an evaluated the maintenance organizations. a report was then issued and any corrections or training issues resolved. Sounds like the world's airlines should invest in something like this. Am a retired USAF maintenance officer so have seen the value of something like this.
I worked in Baltimore (KBWI) loved seeing these birds come through. The tail numbers WOW used were hilarious. Now in KTPA wondering what ever happened to the airline.
WOW went belly up!
Great video. I’m and Aircraft tech specialize in avionics. There for sure is a gap in understanding the AMM, and sometimes it’s instructions are all theory and don’t make since for actual work. For example it will say “remove isolation valve” , but to remove this you have to remove 7 other items to get to it and that isnt stated in the amm. This leaves a gap for those other systems to not be addressed.
That's why airlines need to develop their own work cards. And not a work card that says, "Follow AMM 31-12-09" but provides specific procedures to follow (generally based on the AMM but adding in the inspection requirements and fleet differences).
@@chipsawdust5816I do agree. When you have years under your belt you get it. But for new Mechanics it really leaves a lot of room for error and interpretation. I remember doing a fuel transfer and it wouldn’t work, then a fueler told me to hit this specific switch and it’ll go. And surprise, it did. But that step was not in the AMM
@@osmosisreacts Yep there's always "tribal knowledge" which I guess isn't a PC term but I'm too old to care.
I've written thousands of work cards and engineering orders and it's not a simple thing to do that's for sure. These days it would hurt my brain...
When such a major service has been carried out, would it not be good practice to make a test flight to ensure everything is behaving as normal. Just a quick take off, asscent to normal cruising height, circle and return to base. If anything catastrophic were to happen, at least you haven't got a cabin full of human guinea pigs.
I know it would cost money to do this, but if the service is already costing millions, it's really very small potatoes.
excellent video, one observation, you mentioned 'substack' but what you mean is 'subtask'.
I’ve just seen your video on how to become a pilot and was wondering if you got through training and how it’s going
Im no expert on this, but Im wondering what computer or game program you use to make your videos. The graphics are so realistic.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. Available on Xbox and Windows PC. Curious Pilot may have used the PC version as there are more user-made modification on the PC version than the console(Xbox) version(Restricted to the in-game marketplace). These user-made modifications that are only available for PC version may include but not only restrict to the FlyByWire's currently released A320 NEO and the future release of their A380, Headwind's currently released A330-900 and Sukhoi SSJ-95, Salty Simulation's B747-8, Headwind's B787-9, etc.
For PC users, it is available on the Microsoft Store and Steam. For Xbox users, it should be on the default Xbox Game Store. Hope this helps you in your decision whenever you decide to purchase the simulation software.
Whenever you think you can make it to your destination with a problem, you are right, you can make it, only make it the next day.
Wow has one of the best liveries in the industry. Bold and unique but without losing a sense of aesthetics.
Reminds me of a similar problem I had with my car. Driving on the interstate a huge cloud of smoke started coming out the back. With a car you can land anywhere. I got off at the next exit and was towed in. The problem was that at the last oil change the O-ring from the old oil filter stuck to the engine. So the filter had 2 O-rings. This didn't cause a problem for a while but eventually the extra O-ring failed allowing oil to shoot onto the exhaust pipe.
Correct installation of a spin-on (non cartridge) oil filter includes lubricating the seal, whether it be a true o-ring (round in cross section) or a lathe cut type (rectangular or square in cross section) before installation. This minimizes the possibility of the old seal adhering to the mounting surface upon filter removal as well as reducing the possibility of pinching the seal during installation of the new filter.
This is why I NEVER use oil change shops and do the job myself, however I have been in the auto repair business for a few decades and learned the proper procedure back in the 1970s.
It is even more critical to prelubricate all seals used on rotating assemblies as they will immediately build up heat from friction if installed "dry"...damaging the seal.
@@donreinke5863 Yeah it used to be "use the old oil" to lube the seal because of the varnish. Over the years, I've found I don't think it makes any difference, especially now with synthetics. But I always lube it one way or the other. Never install a seal dry (except copper or crush washers and the like).
I was a quality tester at a large main dealership and on virtually every occasion where the schedule demanded a diesel fuel filter renewal I would find that the seal hadn't been renewed (it was awkward to access); this would always lead to air ingress and idle surge. Techs need to own their responsibility and not blame negligence on manuals.
4:50 The ECAM warning of low oil quantity gave the crew a chance to correctly handle the problem. Without that warning, they might have been unable to reach an airport. 12:10 It looks like the plane's design makes it far to easily to incorrectly install that drain plug.
As the oil and oil pressure was lost to engine 2 would the engine be changed so the bearings could be examined to ensure they had not been damaged or do they have a procedure to ensure no damage has occurred?
Thanks!
That’s really appreciated, thank you @Jongoneill
You do good work. Keep it up!
Thank God they made it back alive!
Good call by the pilots!
What damage was done to the engines? Did they just top 'em up?
This is an interesting one. In a car, if your oil pressure light comes on you should pull off the road and switch off straight away, or risk destroying the engine. The risk of destroying the engine is the same for an aircraft but typically you will be required to go through a checklist. I wonder if the checklist items can be completed before the engine is destroyed?
Check out the crash of American Airlines Flight 191. Technicians across numerous airlines deviated from the recommended procedure to remove an engine because it saved over 200 working hours. The plane and all on board was lost.
Is the maintenance crew employed by the airline or independent contractors? Seems to make a huge difference
I was quite fond of the short lived Wow Air and flew between the UK and Iceland with them a number of times. On ome flight a charming Icelandic accent announcing, I kid you not, "If at any time during the flight the oxygen masks drop from the cabin ceiling, we recommend that you first stop screaming and fit your own mask first before helping other passengers with theirs".
They were allowed to joke a lot, had funniest cabin crew ever!
l just subscribed.
Thank you for so much great videos
See Eastern Airlines Flight 855 for similar mistake on all three engines, leading to triple engine failures over water.
Living and working here in Iceland I was sorry when the ultra budget WOW air went belly up, becoming effectively "MOM" air! WOW had emerged from the budget airline Iceland Express, and helped ensure that Icelandair offered more competitive pricing for passengers. Now we have PLAY airline flying A320neo's. PLAY don't have quite the same garish pink paint scheme as WOW, though PLAY's livery is best described as lipstick/Fender red. Still miss those long 757s.
*SALUTE* to the PIC and PM on this flight. They saved lives that day.
@CiriousPilot90 the airport you could not pronounce @2:04 is pronounced *_"Loo-be-ana"_*
Hope this helps.
Great videos BTW, thanks for posting.
It does! Thanks :)
1:56 airlines putting cost before safety
WOW! That is scary! 😁
I know the handbook said to shutdown the engine (#2) ... but really surely it should just be put on idle ? - at least it might still give some thrust if needed...i.e. if engine #1 had also given up on final approach then having a tiny bit of power might have been helpful 🤷♂
Even on idle with no oil the engine would have chewed itself up and overheated long before they got to final approach
Your description of C and D checks are a bit old due to MSG3.
Yikes! Good call on the pilots. Super dodgy work on the techs…. Unreal!
I am always interested in learning about any sort of flight mishaps from Iceland because every time I Google Iceland plane crashes the plane wreck (yes that one you are thinking about) shows up and nothing else
Yes, there is plentiful.
I flew Wow once, this video does t surprise me.
A panel on the overhead came down, a crew member stuck it back into place by wedging a napkin in it.
Why do you show an A320 instead of the A321?
what was the air bus add on please sir
That’s why I never get my car serviced just before a long trip. Maintenance is risky, systems are disturbed and mistakes can occur, wrong parts or procedures used, or unintended damage caused. Imagine what happens during that B Check when the entire aircraft is disassembled. I bet the first pilots who fly after that check are on their toes waiting for something to go wrong.
Wow! ......😲
The procedure for replacing the engine oil filter sounds ridiculously complex. After all, the pressures involved are VERY similar to those in automotive applications. So there you are......a darn spin on oil filter would probably be adequate......but in making it aviation complex they Rube Goldberged the darn thing and opened it up to errors in installation. Unbelievable. In reality they could probably use a spin on filter or a drop in cartridge......safetied in some manner.....and encased in an additional housing.
That's one thing I don't understand in this incident......why was the drain plug safety loose? Installing lock wire is aviation maintenance 101.
Oil change ? And it was fucked up .!!! That is criminal
negligence
Vietjet bought this defunct airlines aircraft, and has been flying them in Thailand with the same WOW logo on the body and Vietjet painted on the tail. I flew on one of them a couple of months ago.
'C check ...6000 mantenance hours over approx 3 weeks'
that's ~50 LAMEs/Techs/Trades doing 7 x 12 hour shifts for 3 weeks !
serious amount of work.
does a "D check" (dismantle, check/test, reassemble) really only take " 3 to 6 weeks" as stated, or should that be 3 to 6 months?
That sure is a pretty plane tho 😊
Does anyone know what happens to the jet fuel when it’s dumped? Does it evaporate before it ever reaches the ground/ocean? Or would that depend on the height at which it was dumped?
From what I understand they dump it at around 5000 ft. It's cold enough to evaporate most of the fuel. The vapour then disperses.
@@Jim-ku6ry Thank you!
WOW
I had to land a B757 overweight after shutting down an engine. No fuel dump capability. We had fuel for EWR-LIM, and diverted to IAD ( due to poor weather at departure, EWR ). Even "overweight", no hassles.
Still has to have the overweight landing inspection but yeah, the plane doesn't always suffer damage.
Oh, I thought it was an ad for Malt Liquor, because I thought it said “Drink of Failure”.
I didn't hear the phrase "ETOPS" used in this explanation. ETOPS: "Extended range Twin engine Operations." Since this aircraft was ETOPS certified and taking an ETOPS flight, then the question is, did the same technician install the oil filters and drain plugs on both engines? I think that is what happened to one Eastern Airlines flight that lost oil quantity on all three engines and is one of the events that brought about the ETOPS procedures.
The mechanic that did that ended up working at my station for my carrier, but retired before I got there. According to my coworkers, he was a real dumbass. Hit himself in the face with a chock trying to use it as a hammer. Real idiot and the faa should have yanked his certs
@@supacheef1 Yes, we've got the full spectrum where I work. But the labor market is tight.
This is concerning if maintenance people are cutting corners and doing things their own ways not the ways required
I’ve flown on budget airlines that have good reputations and I enjoyed the flights. I’ve done this for domestic American and International flights multiple times. While I enjoyed the flights I have also flown on Singapore Airlines. So, I don’t need to say anymore.
Reminds me of taking my truck to the dealer!
I’m always happy when I learn that everyone survived and unharmed. I work as ground crew and I remember seeing a Tui 737 max 8 with an oil leak on the no1 engine. Huge dark streaks spread from gaps in the cowling seams along the underside of the engine.
I was glad that it had just landed and the engineers had already seen it and had their manometer out to test oil pressure. Otherwise I’d have had the aircraft grounded and examined myself. Yes, in the UK at least, anyone who works airside can get an aircraft grounded if they see or even suspect something is wrong. Since engineers are always onsite 24/7 this means a grounded aircraft can be examined by an expert quickly and released back into service if the person reporting it was wrong.
I’ve never had to invoke that rule myself, and I post this more as a reassurance than anything else. Multiple sets of eyes are upon the aircraft when it’s on the ground and even lowly cleaners are taken seriously if they spot a fault with an aircraft
Passengers can do it too. If you think you see something wrong, ask a FA or even the pilots before doors are closed at least. It’ll probably be nothing but it’s better to be sure.
Only two engines to go over the Atlantic, WOW!
Airlines do it every day. Requires a special authorization though. Turbine engines have gotten to be very reliable.
Failed the same task twice...fast learner 😂
👍🏼
2:10
Don’t worry, Slovenian is a strange language.
That could have been horrible.
4 engines not 2 for crossing an ocean.
I saw a smartly dressed cabin crew exiting the crew bus one day at the Hyatt hotel by Logan Airport, Boston. They were all stupid hot. Come to find out from asking them due to hearing the accents that i"t was a crew from WOW airlines and saying "wow" doesn't describe how beautiful those women were in uniform, I saw them changed and leaving the hotel in street clothes and I was just in awe of their beauty.
As a 63 yr old corporate pilot who has thousands of hours in king airs, beech jets and hawker 800xps, I’m gonna come to the defense of this pilot. I find it hard to believe that a guy with his experience would not have reached down and firewalled the power levers which would have probably remedied the situation. I as the yawning damper on? Was auto feather on? What was the position of the power levers ? None of us are perfect and the FAA is quick to blame the crew when the scratch their head a bit. Was this a 135 flight? Did the first officer really sit there and watch the plane crash because the rules say he can’t manipulate the controls with passengers on the plane. Something don’t sound right to me here.
It should be illegal for single aisles to do transatlantic flights, if for no other reason than they too small for that many hours for that many people.
It had a valid certificate of airworthiness. Bahahaha. Comic gold
Many airlines use the cheapest MRO's in Europe. The results are unsurprisingly poor.
Kind of scary to know the maintenance crews holding your lives in their hands are a bunch of morons.
I didn't know they were still a company🤣🤣