Malaysia Airlines plane forced to abort take-off

A Malaysia Airlines plane was forced to abort a take-off after air traffic control urgently radioed pilots to tell them they were on a collision course with another jet.

Flight MH136, which had 167 passengers on board and was heading for Kuala Lumpur, applied its brakes while on Adelaide Airport runway in Australia yesterday.

An airline spokesperson told the New Straits Times: ‘MH136 was ready to depart Adelaide Airport and already on takeoff roll when it was instructed by Adelaide Air Traffic Control to discontinue its take-off as the inbound aircraft discontinued its landing and was infringing the vicinity of the take-off path.

‘Upon receiving the instruction, MH136 stopped safely.’

The scare comes after two tragedies involving Malaysia Airlines – MH370 and MH17.

On July 29, Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330-300, Registration Number 9M-MTH, operating as flight MH136 with 167 people on board aborted takeoff. The near-miss occurred as MH136 was departing down the runaway at Adelaide, SA (Australia), beginning a flight to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).

Photo Credit: Agence France-Presse AFP/Getty Images. Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER taking off from Adelaide, SA (Australia) on July 29 en route to Kuala Lumpur.

Adelaide air traffic control suddenly realized the Malaysia Airlines flight MH136, Airbus A330-300 airliner was on a collision course with another Tiger Airways flight TT449, Airbus A320-200 airliner.

According to radar data, a Tiger Airways Airbus A320-200, Registration Number VH-VNC, operating as flight TT449, from Melbourne,VI (Australia) to Adelaide,SA (Australia), was on a 6 nautical miles final approach to runway 05, descending through 2300 feet at 170 knots over ground. Then, the flight TT449 Airbus A320-200 airliner went around from below 1250 feet. The Tiger Airways Airbus A320-200 subsequently landed safely on its second approach to runway 05 about 12 minutes later, reports the Aviation Herald.

According to Malaysia's New Straits Times, The Daily Mail (U.K.), and the Aviation Herald, "the Airbus A330-300 was accelerating for takeoff from Adelaide's runway 05, when the Adelaide air traffic control cancelled the takeoff clearance."

Congratulations to the MH136 flight deck crew for rejecting the takeoff at low speed, and slamming on the brakes, halting the Airbus A330-300 aircraft on the runway.

Adelaide air traffic control apologized that a Tiger Airways flight TT449, Airbus A320-200 airliner on approach had been too high and too fast on approach and went around, according to the Aviation Herald.

The control tower wanted to make sure Malaysia Airlines flight MH136, Airbus A330-300 did not climb underneath the go-around, reports the Aviation Herald. So, air traffic controllers on the scene explained that the takeoff clearance rejection occurred, when the Tiger Airways flight TT449, Airbus A320-200 was about 5 nautical miles out, with sufficient space for the departure, while the A320-200 airliner was still maintaining about 200 knots over ground.

The crew of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH136, Airbus A330-300 decided to return to the holding point of Adelaide's runway 05, before it eventually departed about 25 minutes after rejecting its initial attempt at takeoff to Kuala Lumpur.

According to Malaysia's New Straits Times, an official said: "MH136 stopped its takeoff safely and waited the required cool-down time on its brakes before departing from Adelaide."
Malaysia Airlines flight MH136 completed its flight operation safely, reaching Kuala Lumpur with an arrival delay of only about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, this safety incident comes just two weeks after flight MH17's Boeing 777-200ER airliner was shot out of the sky over Donetsk (Ukraine) on July 17, 2014 with 298 passengers (including 80 children) and crew on aboard. Further analysis of the MH17 aviation disaster isexplained in-depth here.

In a joint press briefing today, July 31, in The Netherlands with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, it was announced that a team of 68 Malaysian police has arrived Kiev today. They will work together with the Dutch and Australian teams to help secure access to the site.

Prime Minister Najib Razak said, "Malaysia fully supports the international investigation, and we are grateful to the Netherlands for their lead role in the international team."

"Repatriating the remains of victims as fast as possible is a shared priority. Malaysian experts are already helping here in the Netherlands with the painstaking task of identification – and we stand ready to provide more assistance if required," Prime Minister Razak said.

"On behalf of Malaysia, I would like to thank Prime Minister Rutte and the Dutch people for all they have done, and continue to do, for the victims of this senseless and tragic act."

On March 8, 2014, flight MH370's Boeing 777-200ER airliner disappeared with 239 passengers and crew on board. MH370 was diverted from its intended flight plan from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, making a sharp turn heading out to the Bay of Bengal, as it disappeared from military radar. Further analysis of the MH370 aviation tragedy is explained in-depth here. A British firm, Inmarsat's satellite then mysteriously tracked the airliner to where it is now presumed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean.

Conventional theory says a catastrophic fire perhaps occurred on board MH370, causing unconsciousness of the 239 passengers and crew on board, as the airliner continued to travel randomly adrift on auto-pilot, whereupon the fuel on board was exhausted and the airliner then crashed into the southern Indian Ocean.Therein, an international search for the missing Boeing 777-200ER airliner continues in August. Additional alleged conjectures surrounding the MH370 pilot have resulted from news of only alleged possible hypotheses out of a police probe into the incident.

Malaysia Airlines has lost $1.3 billion dollars in the last three years. A name change could allegedly be coming soon for the Malaysian flagship-carrier after the loss of 537 lives in five months. Owned by the Malaysian government, officials must seek private investors to rebuild the ailing southeast Asia air carrier.

Discussed in a article about an alleged possible name change imminent for Malaysia Airlines are four strategic questions now confronting the executive leadership and board governance of the ailing Malaysian air carrier under crisis.

Malaysia Airlines is now in the fog of the greatest dual-crisis in international aviation safety and security history," I said recently on Reuters.

More: News

MH17 shootdown may have been 'mistake': US intel official

Malaysian flight MH17 may have been shot down by "mistake" by ill-trained pro-Russian separatists, US intelligence officials said Tuesday, while dismissing Moscow's accounts of the incident.

A man walks amongst the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 after it crashed, near the town of Shaktarsk, in rebel-held east Ukraine, on July 17, 2014 - by Alexander Khudoteply

Evidence gathered so far suggests separatists launched the SA-11 surface-to-air missile that blew up the Malaysian airliner, but it remains unclear "who pulled the trigger" and why, said a senior intelligence official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"The most plausible explanation... was that it was a mistake," and that the missile was fired by "an ill-trained crew" using a system that requires some skill and training, the official said.
The intelligence official cited previous incidents over the years in which both Russian and US forces have mistakenly shot down civilian airliners. A Korean airliner was downed by a Soviet fighter jet in 1983 and US naval forces mistakenly shot down an Iranian civilian passenger plane in 1988.
"We've all seen mistakes in the past," the official told reporters.
Russian operatives have been spotted on the ground in eastern Ukraine but the US intelligence community had no explicit proof that Russians were with the SA-11 unit that fired on the airliner, officials said.
US satellite and other "technical" intelligence confirmed the airliner with 298 people on board was hit by an SA-11 surface-to-air missile from an area controlled by the pro-Russian rebels.
Although the United States had observed a flow of heavy weapons, including air defense systems, into Ukraine from Russia, intelligence agencies had not seen the larger SA-11 missiles being moved into the country before the airliner was downed, officials said.
The Russian military had been training the rebels at a large base in Rostov on various weapons, including air defense systems.
But US officials said there was no explicit evidence of the Russians training the separatists on the SA-11 missile batteries.
The senior intelligence officials said they chose to brief reporters partly to counter what they called misleading propaganda from Russia and its state-controlled media over the incident.
Allegations that the Malaysian Boeing 777 took evasive action in the air, similar to how a military plane might maneuver, had no basis and the reports amounted to "a classic case of blaming the victims," the senior official said.
The claim that the Ukrainian government had shot down the plane was not realistic, as Kiev had no such missile systems in that area, which is clearly under the control of the rebels. 
That scenario would mean Ukrainian government troops would have had to fight their way into the area, fire at the passenger plane and fight their way out again, the official said.
"That is not a plausible scenario to me," the official said.

Dutch cyclist Maarten de Jonge avoids MH370 and MH17, cheats death twice

PETALING JAYA, Malaysia–Dutch cyclist Maarten de Jonge cheated death twice after he

made last-minute changes to his flight tickets for MH370 and MH17.
The 29-year-old cyclist who is a member of the Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) told Dutch television station RTV Oost that he had to change his MH17 ticket to another date because he wanted to save money by getting cheap airfare.

De Jonge, who comes from Oldenzaal, also said he was supposed to board Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 on March 8 for a competition in Taiwan but changed to another flight to avoid transit.

“It’s hard to believe. I grieve for the passengers and their families but I’m grateful that I escaped the flight,” according to his website.

He also said that he will take Malaysia Airlines to return to Malaysia via Frankfurt and has no worries about it.

De Jonge also said he was overwhelmed by the number of responses that he got after news broke out that he changed his flight.

“What happened is terrible, so many victims, that’s a horrible thing.

“I am happy for myself and my family after these two incidents. However, my story is ultimately nothing compared to the misery faced by the families in this tragic incident.

“Attention should be paid to these families. I wish everyone affected by this disaster to be strong,” he added. 

Flight MH17, carrying 298 passengers and crew, was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it went down in Ukraine.

Ukrainian authorities believe that the plane was shot down by pro-Russian separatists.

Beijing-bound Flight MH370 with 239 people on board last communicated with the Inmarsat satellite before it went missing on March 8, after taking off from the KL International Airport. 

The downing of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17

Why fly across a warzone area?

Frankly speaking the airspace MH17 was flying in when it was shot down was not restricted, but airlines had been warned about the potential dangers. 

The Geneva-based group said in a statement: ‘Based on the information currently available, it is believed that the airspace that the aircraft was traversing was not subject to restrictions.’

Ukrainian authorities had barred aircraft from ground level to 32,000 feet but the downed aircraft was cruising at 33,000 feet, still within range of ground-to-air missiles, when it was hit.

Speculation:

The doomed Flight MH17 had taken a short-cut across the disputed region of eastern Ukraine tosave fuel.

As relatives gathered at airports for news of missing loved ones, it emerged that airlines had twice been warned about the risk of flying over an area where two Ukrainian military aircraft had already been shot down this week.

In April, the International Civil Aviation Organisation advised carriers to consider alternative routes after outlining ‘the possible existence of serious risks to the safety of international civil
flights’.

On Monday, Eurocontrol – the body that coordinates all traffic across European airspace – sent out an official note to airmen,known as a Notam, repeating the warning and saying it ‘strongly
advises’ avoiding the airspace.

But many carriers continued to use the route because it was shorter and therefore cheaper.Earlier on Thursday, air accident investigators were planning to inspect the proposed flight plan lodged by pilots on board Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 to see if they flew over a warzone as a cost-cutting measure.

Malaysian Airlines MH17 LIVE FOOTAGE video film amateur news

Video By: Sukan Star TV

Malaysia Jet Brought Down in Ukraine by Missile, U.S. Officials Say

MOSCOW — A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 with 295 people aboard was shot down on

CreditDmitry Lovetsky/Associated Press

Thursday by a surface-to-air missile, American officials have confirmed. The plane was traveling at about 30,000 feet, according to tracking information from a military spy satellite. The satellite was unable to detect where exactly the missile was fired. Military and intelligence analysts are using mathematical formulas, high-speed computers and other sensors to try to pin down the missile’s point of origin. Other analysts will work with the Ukrainian authorities to recover and analyze pieces of the missile and the aircraft to help determine what kind of missile was fired, the officials said. The plane crashed and burned in an eastern Ukraine wheat field near the Russian border, in an area roiled by fighting between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces. Ukrainian officials immediately called the crash an act of terrorism.

“It’s important we get to the bottom of this sooner than later because of the possible repercussions that can flow beyond from this, beyond the tragic loss of life.”

The plane was en route to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from Amsterdam. There were no reported survivors among the 280 passengers and 15 crew members. Ukraine’s president, Petro O. Poroshenko, called for an immediate investigation. Mr. Poroshenko said he had called the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, to express his condolences and to invite Dutch experts to assist in the investigation. “I would like to note that we are calling this not an incident, not a catastrophe, but a terrorist act,” Mr. Poroshenko said. Malaysia’s prime minister, Najib Razak, said, “If it transpires that the plane was, indeed, shot down, we insist that the perpetrators must be brought to justice.” Using forensics evidence from the site, as well as the satellite data and any intercepted communications would help analysts and investigators determine who fired the lethal missile. Defense Department officials late Thursday said they were examining the possibility that Ukrainian separatists with Russian advisers may have fired a captured Ukrainian Army BUK missile system. The separatists do not otherwise have the technology to shoot down an airliner at such a high altitude, the officials said. Another possibility, a senior Pentagon official said, was that Russian troops just across the border from eastern Ukraine may have fired the missile. In both scenarios, the senior official said, the missile operator likely mistook the Malaysian airliner for a Ukrainian military transport plane. A third possibility, the official said, was that the Russians supplied the rebels with the SAM. “At this point, we just don’t know,” said the official. Reporters arriving at the scene near the town of Grabovo described dozens of lifeless bodies strewn about, mostly intact, in a field dotted with purple flowers, with remnants of the plane scattered across a road lined with fire engines and emergency vehicles. “It fell down in pieces,” said one rescue worker as tents were set up to gather the dead.

One passenger in a black sweater lay on her back, with blood streaming down her face and her left arm raised. The carcass of the plane was still smoldering, and rescue workers moved through the dark field with flashlights. Dogs barked in the distance, and the air was filled with a bitter smell. A regional airline official said the plane had been flying at about 33,000 feet when radar lost track of it. For months, eastern Ukraine has been the scene of a violent pro-Russian separatist uprising in which a number of military aircraft have been downed. But this would be the first commercial airline disaster to result from the hostilities. Despite the turmoil in eastern Ukraine, the commercial airspace over that part of the country is heavily trafficked and has remained open. Aeroflot, Russia’s national carrier, announced that it had suspended all flights to Ukraine for at least three days. Malaysia Airlines, still reeling from the mysterious loss of another Boeing 777 flight in March, said it had lost contact with Thursday’s flight, MH17, over Ukraine but offered no further details immediately. Mr. Razak said initially in a Twitter post that he was “shocked by reports that an MH plane crashed. We are launching an immediate investigation.” President Obama, who one day earlier had announced strengthened sanctions against Russia over its support for the eastern Ukraine separatists, spoke by telephone with Mr. Putin, who raised the issue of the reports of the downed plane, White House officials said. Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, said Mr. Obama had been briefed about the plane crash. Later Mr. Obama said the United States government was working to determine whether any Americans had been aboard the flight. Russia’s Interfax news agency said there had been no Russians aboard.

Jos Nijhuis, CEO of Schiphol Airport, confirmed the 15-member crew were Malaysian nationals and said the plane also carried:

• 154 Dutch passengers.
• 27 from Australia.
• 23 from Malaysia.
• 11 Indonesians.
• Six from the United Kingdom.
• Four from Germany.
• Four from Belgium.
• Three from the Philippines.