UK: Flight canceled due to missing bolts on plane wing
A Virgin Atlantic flight to New York was canceled just before takeoff when a passenger noticed missing screws on the plane's wing, reports said on Monday. The incident happened at the United Kingdom (UK)'s Manchester Airport on January 15 after a British flier Phil Hardy (41) saw four missing fasteners during a safety briefing and informed the cabin crew. Engineers were brought in to inspect the Airbus A330 plane before its planned departure to John F Kennedy International Airport.
Passenger raised concern
After Hardy raised the alarm, he was told there was no safety issue with the wing, but he was still concerned due to a recent event where an Alaska Airlines plane lost a part mid-air. "I'm a good flier, but my partner was not loving the information...," he told the Kennedy News. "I was telling her and starting to panic, and I was trying to put her mind at rest as much as I could," he added.
Flight canceled to undergo precautionary checks: Officials
After the incident, Virgin Atlantic and Airbus stressed that the missing fixings did not affect the aircraft's safety. "Each of these panels has 119 fasteners, so there was no impact on the wing's structural integrity or load capability, and the aircraft was safe to operate," Airbus's local chief wing engineer for A330, Neil Firth, stated. A Virgin spokesperson said the flight was canceled to allow time for extra engineering maintenance checks.
Passengers rebooked, apology issued
Passengers on the canceled flight were booked on alternative flights to New York, per New York Post. The Virgin spokesperson also apologized for the delay, saying, "The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority and this was not compromised at any point." "We always work well above industry safety standards and the aircraft is now back in service," he added. Hardy and his partner, Magdalena Bobusia (46) eventually reached New York on another flight.
Recent incidents of emergency landing
On Sunday, a British Airways flight bound for Prague from London made an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport after "fumes were detected in the cockpit". The incident happened just 30 minutes after the plane took off from London at 7:25 am on Sunday (local time). Similarly, on January 19, a Boeing 747-8 cargo plane operated by Atlas Air experienced an engine malfunction, forcing it to make an emergency landing at Miami International Airport in the United States shortly after takeoff.
