Delta 767 diverts to Shemya Island Alaska

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Originally Posted by bdcardinal
Well that is a fun way to spend Christmas Eve.



Yes indeed. Those passengers will have a story to tell. Hopefully they could stay warm on the plane.

I've been down the chain across the Dateline so I may have been close to Shemya. There was a island down that way with the old Early Warning Radar installation. That was odd to see. We would also pick one of the uninhabited islands to perform gunnery practice on.
 
I suspect one engine went to idle in flight. The crew probably chose not to land in Russia so they limped on over to the Alaskan strip.
 
Originally Posted by PimTac
Probably one of the most isolated places one can go. There is a USAF runway there. Apparent engine trouble on a flight from Beijing to Seattle.

https://komonews.com/news/local/seattle-bound-delta-flight-makes-emergency-landing-on-alaska-island


I've flown on 767s before but that's a long flight to spend on one.


The 767 is about the most comfortable way to travel in coach.
I'd assume that the Alaskan island was well within the ETOPS envelope of the aircraft so the flight crew decided it was a better bet than Vladland even though the action on loss of an engine with a twin is supposed to be landing at nearest suitable airport. Could be that the crew in its judgment considered this to be the nearest really suitable airport.
I'd hope that the cabin crew was at least passing out free drinks.
Will be interesting to learn the cause of this very rare engine failure. I'm guessing that the crew had a pretty good idea since they'd otherwise have been in a greater hurry to get the aircraft on the ground lest the second engine give up as well, although a Canadian crew did make a nice gliding landing with a 767 some years ago.
 
I was holding orders to go to Shemya when I separated from the Air Force. I told the retention officer that they were making my decision too easy. The Cobra Dane radar is still operational and, along with tracking Russian missile tests into Kamchatka, it is integral to the ballistic missile defense system primarily to warn against Korean and or Chinese ICBM's. RC135's rotate in periodically to monitor those Russian test shots. It affords the opportunity to monitor developments in things such as reentry penetration aids or maneuvering warheads for instance. There are a limited number of Ground based interceptors in the ground at Fort Greeley Alaska with final terminal defense interceptors located at Vandenberg. It's a very limited system that would not protect from a full-on attack by the Russians or even the Chinese. Shemya, along with some other North American examples like Thule in Greenland, is the very definition of "remote assignment".
 
Originally Posted by fdcg27
Originally Posted by PimTac
Probably one of the most isolated places one can go. There is a USAF runway there. Apparent engine trouble on a flight from Beijing to Seattle.

https://komonews.com/news/local/seattle-bound-delta-flight-makes-emergency-landing-on-alaska-island


I've flown on 767s before but that's a long flight to spend on one.


The 767 is about the most comfortable way to travel in coach.
I'd assume that the Alaskan island was well within the ETOPS envelope of the aircraft so the flight crew decided it was a better bet than Vladland even though the action on loss of an engine with a twin is supposed to be landing at nearest suitable airport. Could be that the crew in its judgment considered this to be the nearest really suitable airport.
I'd hope that the cabin crew was at least passing out free drinks.
Will be interesting to learn the cause of this very rare engine failure. I'm guessing that the crew had a pretty good idea since they'd otherwise have been in a greater hurry to get the aircraft on the ground lest the second engine give up as well, although a Canadian crew did make a nice gliding landing with a 767 some years ago.





I agree in the sense of flying coach. Traveling with my wife we always picked the window section since the configuration was 2-3-2 on our plane and maybe the standard as well.

If you are used to flying Dreamliners and such, the 767 is a bit of a step back.

Shemya is definitely a better choice than what else is close by. I didn't catch what time the plane arrived but if during daylight hours the passengers sure got a view of a very bleak landscape. No coffee shop, no Marriott.
 
Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson
Well I had several ASA friends that spent a year on the rock. Its always been an emergency airfield.





When I was in the USCG, the general understanding was that you must have really ticked someone off to get stationed up there. We had a LORAN station at Adak and a buoy tender there too. French Frigate Shoals was another location. Adak Attitude Adjustment was the term used then.
 
Originally Posted by PimTac


I agree in the sense of flying coach. Traveling with my wife we always picked the window section since the configuration was 2-3-2 on our plane and maybe the standard as well.

If you are used to flying Dreamliners and such, the 767 is a bit of a step back.



We like to get the seat pair at the windows in the 767 and seven abreast is the normal configuration for this baby widebody. This is also what we like about the A330 in that you can usually nab a pair of seats at the windows.
The comfort of the 777 and 787 has been ruined by the operators shoving in an extra seat in each row.
 
I haven't experienced the crowding yet in the 787 but I did fly United on a 777 with the five seat center row config. Whoever thought of that should be shot.

It depends on the airline. We fly ANA and they have kept the 3-3-3 configuration on the 787s. . The wife and I usually pick the center seats so we don't worry about anyone else having to crawl over us.

The old Airbus 340-300 had the two seat window row as well. Those were comfortable but the plane itself was awfully slow going across the Pacific.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by PimTac
I haven't experienced the crowding yet in the 787 but I did fly United on a 777 with the five seat center row config. Whoever thought of that should be shot.
The old Airbus 340-300 had the two seat window row as well. Those were comfortable but the plane itself was awfully slow going across the Pacific.


Whomever thought up the idea and then worked with the seat manufacturers to make it possible probably got a fat bonus.
And yeah, the A340 and A330 share the same fuselage section, so they also share the same seating. These days, you're far more likely to book an A330 than an A340 or a 767.
Speed in flight is more related to factors other than what the aircraft is capable of, like range and cost factor.
 
Originally Posted by fdcg27

Whomever thought up the idea and then worked with the seat manufacturers to make it possible probably got a fat bonus.


Such configurations were always on the books, as the airplanes themselves were designed and tested with appropriate emergency egress capacity. But they were intended for markets such as short-hauls in Japan or China.

Lots of "premium economy" seats going in, which more resemble previously more sane configurations, for a little more money.
 
Originally Posted by pitzel
Originally Posted by fdcg27

Whomever thought up the idea and then worked with the seat manufacturers to make it possible probably got a fat bonus.


Such configurations were always on the books, as the airplanes themselves were designed and tested with appropriate emergency egress capacity. But they were intended for markets such as short-hauls in Japan or China.

Lots of "premium economy" seats going in, which more resemble previously more sane configurations, for a little more money.


The evac test determines how many seats any aircraft can have and this is usually a number well beyond comfortable.
Not sure why anyone should have to pay a premium for a livable seat on a long flight, but I guess we've collectively voted with our wallets on that.
Domestic single aisle economy is just as bad, not in width but in pitch. Most widebodies are internationally configured aircraft and so have more livable pitch if not width. Biz class can sometimes be a fairly cheap upgrade on international flights and is often worth it. Many foreign carriers, like the Japanese one PimTac cites offer a better onboard experience for the same coin.
 
The five seat middle row on United is a pain when you have to get to the overhead bins. Unless you are taller than average you need a helper step. If you are the person in that aisle seat and someone is trying to get something out of the bin you notice that real quick., especially when a bag comes down on your head. Ask me how I know. At least it was not a big heavy bag.

Since I fly out of Seattle-Tacoma, it's a cinch to fly with ANA who I try to go with if at all possible. Even in coach the leg room is very good, the food is wonderful and I know the airline will take care of me in case of delays or rebooking. I highly recommend them.
 
This incident involved a fuel control module. It was a simple remove/replace and fly the plane out situation. It's unfortunate that passengers were disrupted on Christmas eve but thankfully it was a simple problem.
 
Would the crew have known what failed?
I'm guessing that they would have.
How long was this aircraft on the ground?
I'm guessing not very long.
 
The engine was unresponsive to throttle input. When the aircraft descended below 3000 ft. the throttle control returned. The PS4 line had a clogged drain hole which allowed moisture to condense and freeze at altitude. This in turn prevented the burner pressure sensor from reacting in the ECU and sent the engine to idle.

On the ground the engine ran fine. Inspection noted the clogged drain on the PS4 line. The ECU and related burner pressure lines were replaced and the plane was flown home with the crews and mechanics on board.
 
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