What’s with Qantas mechanical malfunctions

3days in s row Qantas has had 4 737s make emergency landings due to mechanical issues, one aurcraft had an ending issue and the engine was shut down.

All aircraft successfully landed.

Though it’s a pretty concerning issue, it calls into question the maintenance of aircraft.

Particularly when one aircraft had flight control surface issues.

Allan Joyce needs to really bring back maintenance to Australia.

At least the planes this time landed safely, though with the amount of issues in a short time, it’s only a matter of time before this becomes serious.

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a reply to: robsmith



It makes you wonder just how long a complicated thing like an airliner can be mothballed for . Before it becomes unsafe, especially all the hydraulic seals just stuck in one position for months on end.

a reply to: anonentity

Agreed, brake fluid is hydroscopic, as well as other fluids. Moisture causes rust, and the rust scores cylinder liners. Plus as you say seals dry out from non use.

I doubt when they reinstate a plane that all hydraulics are taken apart and reconditioned.

They decided to outsource. It's been downhill since then.

a reply to: DaRAGE

It’s what you get when alien Joyce is a greedy bugger, the highest paid crim oops I meant ceo.

Annual base salary is approx 25 million.

Airbus is taking over as top dog, Boeing has taken a back seat ever since buying out MD.

a reply to: robsmith

Rob these craft sat on runways around Australia for almost 2 years more or less, I believe the engines were run
Frequently. Leaves me wondering about the electronic systems because they aged 2 years or more. We have engineers
And pilots here on ats Hopefully Zaph or someone with knowledge in regards to to aging stock.

Regards: Robbo.

a reply to: 38181

Md made some cool aircraft, love a dc9. I flew on a couple of 717s great planes.

Found boring a bit cramped.

a reply to: Robbo2006

Hey Robbo, agreed about the avionics, considering the planes sat out in the Aussie winters, summers.

When you think about a car on a 30 degree day I did the car could hit 45 degrees inside.

A plane doesn’t have windows or vents to exhaust heat.

Just thinking bout the heating and cooling cycles would wreak havoc on solder joints, and components.

I would say there would be alit of dry solder joints on the avionics, wonder if the airline re complied all the avionics!

a reply to: anonentity

Properly stored aircraft can sit for years and be brought back to service with few if any issues. Two B-52s were brought back from storage after seven and twelve years respectively. They’re both flying with no issues.

The problem with Qantas isn’t the length of time the aircraft were stored, it’s that they’re trying to save money, and they did it by cutting maintenance costs. They have fewer engineers, doing two or three times the work between regenerating aircraft and keeping their current aircraft flying. It’s catching up to them.

a reply to: 38181

This has nothing to do with the Boeing-Airbus competition though. This is purely Qantas trying to do things on the cheap and cutting staff in their maintenance department.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: anonentity

Properly stored aircraft can sit for years and be brought back to service with few if any issues. Two B-52s were brought back from storage after seven and twelve years respectively. They’re both flying with no issues.

The problem with Qantas isn’t the length of time the aircraft were stored, it’s that they’re trying to save money, and they did it by cutting maintenance costs. They have fewer engineers, doing two or three times the work between regenerating aircraft and keeping their current aircraft flying. It’s catching up to them.

Thanks, I was basically jkust waiting for your reply to know what's really going on.

a reply to: robsmith

You are right on that. I used to be a Navy helicopter mechanic. If we were going to have hydraulic problems it would be on an aircraft just coming out long term maintaince. (Corrosion inspection, Phase inspection) The ones that we flew the hell out of just kept flying. Sitting for a period doesn't dry out the seals, it causes them to shrink a little. That's what causes the failure.

a reply to: TonyS

Qantas is taking the same route that the Pentagon did with Sequestration. Maintenance are some of the biggest costs for aircraft. The Pentagon bet that Congress would blink first when talking about Sequestration, so didn't make any plans for budget cuts. Then when Congress didn't blink, they looked at their biggest cost area, which was maintenance, and gutted it to take a big chunk of spending out all at once.

Qantas wants their safety record, and their maintenance, but they want both cheap. In 2012, they cut 500 jobs from their heavy maintenance division. They cut their 737 heavy maintenance from Melbourne, and cut an additional 113 jobs from Avalon as they reduced 747 operations. That was expected to save them as much as $98M a year. In 2014, they cut another 167 jobs from the engineering side. Then the pandemic redundancy cuts hit, and another 35% were laid off. Meanwhile, Alan Joyce, the CEO, received a $287,000 raise. The average age of Australian licensed aerospace engineers is currently 54.

a reply to: Zaphod58

In the mid 80's the US Navy wanted to save money. They came up with the idea of changing the weight standard to a body fat standard. The idea was that they would get rid of people close to retirement. They did it and it had the desired effect except for one thing. They lost a lot of institutional knowledge. This wreaked havoc on their readiness and safety.

a reply to: JIMC5499

That's exactly what happened to the Air Force after they gutted their maintenance. Their seven levels were gutted, and all they were left with were a bunch of inexperienced guys trying to learn as fast as they could and handle everything thrown at them.

I asked for a redundancy in the late 80,s virtually straight out of my Apprenticeship as I could see what Management where doing.All aircraft have minor mechanical issues that dont make the newspapers.Most are found on the ground and fixed before each flight or soon as they land.
QANTAS Jetbase at Mascot itself is getting stripped with buildings getting demolished as roads are being moved onto the site.
There are few aged engineers left at QANTAS and the young guys either been given the flick or have moved overseas where the money is..All the money QANTAS has built has gone into management pockets.Not into maintaining the company.
Honestly its too late now as there is NO new people to train up and take over.

a reply to: Blackfinger

It’s a really sad state of affairs, we once had the commonwealth aircraft corporation and manufactured aircraft at Avalon, we had world class engineers.

Though now as with everything it’s on the cheap.

I think that the attitude of airlines is airbus and boring are built like Toyotas and they can take the Piss out of skimping on maintenance.

It’s clear Joycey is s knieving lil evil leprechaun.

He has no interest in safety only his 25 million pay check each year.

It won’t be long until Qantas have a total loss of an aircraft an 300 lives. I give it 2 months.

The way joycey is running the company reminds me of trading on past laurels.

A song for that is:

m.youtube.com...

a reply to: Zaphod58

Thank you, I couldn’t have said this any better.

It’s all about pocket lining Joyce’s pocket. He is an evil lil leprechaun.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: 38181

This has nothing to do with the Boeing-Airbus competition though. This is purely Qantas trying to do things on the cheap and cutting staff in their maintenance department.

Thanks, didn’t mean to derail the thread. But that L-1011 though!!

The management forgets that the mechanics and maintenance is the backbone to any successful aviation program. Tribal knowledge not written in any maintenance book is what keeps things fixed. The old farts have that knowledge.