10931 Ciampino Airport Closed Currently

Another link which says the airport is closed until sometime Monday afternoon. Flights are diverted to/from Fiumicino.

[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7719716.stm]BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Emergency landing after bird hits[/url]

[quote=Sally Donaldson;102609]................... part of the under carriage collapsed.[/quote]

Thank goodness there appear top be no injuries.

However, I'm now waiting for the 'Undercarriage Check Supplement' to appear on the Ryanair booking form

I heard on the BBC lunchtime news that there were a few minor casualties.

This is a notice on Roma Ciampino website. It seems the airport will reopen shortly.

ATTENZIONE

AEROPORTO DI CIAMPINO
Aeroporti di Roma informa i passeggeri che l'aeroporto di Ciampino è momentaneamente chiuso per motivi tecnici. L'ENAC (Ente Nazionale per l'Aviazione Civile) ha comunicato che la riapertura è prevista dopo le ore 17.00.
Fonte: Sala stampa

Seems the cause of the problem was a bird strike.

[url]http://www.ryanair.com/site/notices/images/aircraftFR4102.jpg[/url]

I just wonder if I could get away with starting a thread on "the myth of plane safety"using this as absolute proof.....:laughs::laughs::laughs:

Expect fares will go up now, as probably bird strikes are considered "an act of God". Will have to get his money back somehow!!!

I once hit one pigeon with the aircraft wing when landing at Compton, Los Angeles in a little single-engined plane. The leading edge of the wing looked as though someone had hit it with a sledgehammer. (Presumably the bird looked likewise.)

It gives me a real chill to think what would happen to a jet engine...

[quote=Steve Graham;102634]I once hit one pigeon with the aircraft wing when landing at Compton, Los Angeles in a little single-engined plane. The leading edge of the wing looked as though someone had hit it with a sledgehammer. (Presumably the bird looked likewise.)

It gives me a real chill to think what would happen to a jet engine...[/quote]
You're probably aware that they used to test how well jet engines would cope with this sort of thing by firing a (dead) chicken into a running engine. According to [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_strike"]Wikipedia[/URL], that's now been changed to a block of gelatin "to ease testing". Even more boringly, computer simulation is apparently now the most common method of testing.

Some moderately interesting film clips here of[ame="http://www.metacafe.com/watch/622834/jet_engine_blade_off_event/"]jet engines being tested[/ame] by deliberately detaching one or more fan blades while running.

Al

They should use more peregrine falcons to control the situation. Very smart birds. I would love to have one as a pet....

Trouble is falcons are absolutely hopeless on airfields since you can't fly them when there are aircraft around. Additionally, they're just not great at keeping other birds away anyway - I say that as someone who has spent his working life involved with aviation (i.e. Air Traffic Control) and also falconry.

I heard that the Americans use them at JFK, only peregrine falcons. There must be a reason for that, then.

[quote=Gala Placidia;102669]They should use more peregrine falcons to control the situation. .......................[/quote]

What! - In the hunting season!! No Chance - in the pot within a couple of hours.

.

The trouble with falcons is that for an incredible amount of investment in time, skill, vets and all kinds of other stuff, you can only fly it for a very very short period of time. Essentially, once it's fed (and you have to feed it to get it back) you can't fly it again that day - or you will lose it. They only come back to you for food - unlike pets. If they catch something themselves, you have to get there quickly enough to make sure you grab it before it eats its fill and vanishes.

At an airport you're simply not allowed to fly them whenever aircraft are around. Can you imagine if your bird was the one that flew down the engine intake? Wherever they're stlll used, they're flown during the quiet periods when there's nothing going on. Regardless, it's pretty-much accepted that they're not actually that effective for this task since other birds move straight back in the minute the falcon is out of sight and they actually attract the attention of many - who mob them.

More effective solutions are long-grass policies and regular patrols by specialists with vehicles. They use a form of firework to lift the birds and recorded alarm calls to move them on.

As for the bird-strike - it's incredibly serious stuff. Whilst these engines will shred all kinds of matter during tests, the reality is that we have lost many many aircraft over the years due to direct ingestion of birds into engine intakes. I've controlled many a stricken aircraft with these emergencies - not all made it back to a runway.

What's a 'long-grass' policy?

[quote=Skichi;102696]
As for the bird-strike - it's incredibly serious stuff. Whilst these engines will shred all kinds of matter during tests, the reality is that we have lost many many aircraft over the years due to direct ingestion of birds into engine intakes. I've controlled many a stricked aircraft with these emergencies - not all made it back to a runway.[/quote]

Which is why it seems a shame that so little credit has been given to the pilots who managed to land the plane safely with only very minor injuries to a handfull of passengers. Isn't the approach to land one of the most vulnerable times during any flight, even without hitting a flock of starlings. Without the pilots skill, it could easily have been so much worse.

Long Grass policy - hmm. Ok, essentially, most birds don't like long grass. They can't see predators and therefore they avoid sitting in long grass. Exceptions are those species of bird that breed there. Generally these aren't considered so much of a problem for aircraft as they spend the majority of their time on the ground; even then they can be moved on. So, you let the grass grow to a predetermined length and then maintain it at that length.

With regards to the crew of this aircraft, it's extremely common in the aviation world not to jump to heroic or otherwise conclusions. It's quite probable that the crew did an amazing job, but it's never certain until the enquiry into the incident is over. To play devil's advocate, they could have made things worse and endagered lives through incorrect decision-making; therefore, it's always a wait & see process. The B777 incident at Heathrow a while ago, was a typical example once more where the crew had to wait quite some time for the industry to acknowledge what they'd achieved that day.

08:30 11/11 - Update 5- Incident FR4102

The aircraft operating Ryanair flight FR4102 which suffered multiple bird strikes on landing at Rome Ciampino Airport on the 10th November, remains on the runway .

The left hand main landing gear was damaged on landing, and has delayed the removal of the aircraft from the runway. The airport will remain closed until 16:00 GMT and all flights operating from the airport until that time have been cancelled. However Ryanair hopes to operate some flights from Rome Ciampino this evening (see the ryanair.com homepage notice for details).

The 4 passengers and 2 cabin crew who received medical attention have been discharged from hospital,

All passenger bags have now been removed from the aircraft and Flightcare Italia have contacted customers regarding delivery.

Please note that some alternative flight arrangements have been made for Ryanair flights to operate to Rome Fiumicino and these are detailed on our ryanair.com homepage notice.

A further update regarding the re-opening of the runway at Rome Ciampino Airport will be issued at 15:00 GMT 11 November

[IMG]http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z294/sallydonaldson/aircraftFR4102.jpg[/IMG]

Ryanair sincerely apologises to all passengers affected by this incident and consequent disruption.

Aeroporto di Ciampino

Aeroporti di Roma informa i passeggeri che l'aeroporto di Ciampino è momentaneamente chiuso per motivi tecnici. L'ENAC (Ente Nazionale per l'Aviazione Civile) rende noto che la riapertura dello scalo alle operazioni di volo è stimata intorno alle ore 18:00 di martedì 11 novembre. Sono state attivate due linee telefoniche per le informazioni sull'operatività dell'aeroporto di Roma Ciampino. I numeri sono: 066595 9515 e 066595 9390.
Fonte: Sala stampa

[quote=Skichi;102727] The B777 incident at Heathrow a while ago, was a typical example once more where the crew had to wait quite some time for the industry to acknowledge what they'd achieved that day.[/quote]

The industry may sensibly wait but the media do not! One of the flight crew on the BA flight you mention is a neighbour of my parents and the media were camped outside his front door to welcome him home - turns out he wasn't even at the controls at the time! The results of the enquiry were released months after the event by which time the media had long since moved on!

[quote=Sally Donaldson;102737]Aeroporto di Ciampino

Aeroporti di Roma informa i passeggeri che l'aeroporto di Ciampino è momentaneamente chiuso per motivi tecnici. L'ENAC (Ente Nazionale per l'Aviazione Civile) rende noto che la riapertura dello scalo alle operazioni di volo è stimata intorno alle ore 18:00 di martedì 11 novembre. Sono state attivate due linee telefoniche per le informazioni sull'operatività dell'aeroporto di Roma Ciampino. I numeri sono: 066595 9515 e 066595 9390.
Fonte: Sala stampa[/quote]

The Aeroporti di Roma informs passengers that Ciampino airport is closed at the moment due to technical reasons. L'ENAC (Ente Nazionale per l'Aviazione Civile) reports that the reopening of the airport and flight operations is estimated to be at around about 18.00 hours on Tuesday the 11th of November. There are two active telephone numbers for further information on Ciampino airport operations. The numbers are: 066595 9515 & 066595 9390 (No Babblefish Sherlock!) :bigergrin:

[quote=juliancoll;102740]The Aeroporti di Roma informs passengers that Ciampino airport is closed at the moment due to technical reasons. L'ENAC (Ente Nazionale per l'Aviazione Civile) reports that the reopening of the airport and flight operations is estimated to be at around about 18.00 hours on Tuesday the 11th of November. There are two active telephone numbers for further information on Ciampino airport operations. The numbers are: 066595 9515 & 066595 9390 (No Babblefish Sherlock!) :bigergrin:[/quote]

View Post Airport of Ciampino Airports of Rome inform the passengers who l' airport of Ciampino momentarily is closed for technical reasons. L' ENAC (National Agency for l' Civil aviation) renders famous that the reopening of the port of call to the flight operations is estimated around the hours 18:00 of 11 tuesdays November. They have been activated two telephone lines for the information sull' operativity dell' airport of Rome Ciampino. The numbers are: 066595 9515 and 066595 9390. Source: It knows it press

The runway at Rome Ciampino is still closed and is not expected to reopen until this evening.

The handling company Flightcare-Italia at Rome Fiumicino Airport have advised us that unfortunately they do not have sufficient resources available to handle all of our flight schedule from Rome Fiumicino. As a result it is now necessary for Ryanair to cancel the majority of our fight schedule from Rome Ciampino Airport up to 18:00hrs (local Italian time). The majority of inbound flights will operate to Rome Fiumicino Airport and a limited number of flights will operate from Fiumicino.

I suggest checking

[url=http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/notices.php?notice=gops&code=081110-CIA_10_NOVEMBER-GB]Ryanair.com - Notice : 13:00hrs: Flight Disruptions Ciampino Airport-10/11 Nov[/url]