News Forum - Scoot flight horror: Technical fault sparks panic among passengers on Singapore to Bangkok route

[Thaiger]

Passengers on a Scoot flight from Singapore to Bangkok feared for their lives when a technical fault caused the aircraft to catch fire yesterday afternoon. Pictures taken by a passenger on the TR605 flight showed a plume-filled cabin. The Airbus A321 departed Bangkok at 3.56pm and was due to arrive in Singapore at 7.15pm.  As …

The story Scoot flight horror: Technical fault sparks panic among passengers on Singapore to Bangkok route as seen on Thaiger News.

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[KaptainRob]

From what I know of the incident there was NO fire.

The vapour 'plume' came from the air-conditioning system.  The flight resumed later in the evening after system checks were effected in BKK.

[Skip]

Preventative maintenance could have saved this from happening.

[Grumpish]

Reminds me of flight that I took back in the mid-nineties in an old Russian commuter jet that had seen better days. It was from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap and was actually the safest way to do the trip at the time, the few remaining pockets of the Khmer Rouge often used the boats travelling along the Tonle Sap for target practice, and trucks and four wheel drives were about the only vehicles that could manage what was left of the roads.

[Marc26]

2 hours ago, Grumpish said:

Reminds me of flight that I took back in the mid-nineties in an old Russian commuter jet that had seen better days. It was from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap and was actually the safest way to do the trip at the time, the few remaining pockets of the Khmer Rouge often used the boats travelling along the Tonle Sap for target practice, and trucks and four wheel drives were about the only vehicles that could manage what was left of the roads.

I'd imagine in the mid-90's things were rough 

 

Because I was living in Thailand for a bit and went to PP in 2004 for the 1st time

 

I thought I lived in a "3rd world country" and Cambodia was an eye-opener

[gazmo16]

I used Scoot last time to the UK and there is a good reason it's was the cheapest company. Everything is very basic right down to no charging seat points for electronics (11.5 hour flight so everyone's electronics were dead long before the end).

Anyway they run on a shoestring and I guess that goes for the maintenance side of things too. Wont be using them again any time soon. 

[AussieTony]

This article doesn't make sense. The opening statement is about a flight from Singapore to Bangkok and yet the following story talks about leaving and returning to Bangkok, not Singapore. More accurate reporting needed

[RJBT]

I have experienced the vapour plume on a few flights it is similar to what I have experienced with  my previous cars reconditioners.

 Nothing to be concerned about not even a nuisance for the passengers

People panic to quickly due to the inherent fear of flying. I used to tell passenger who were afraid of flying you only die once if it is your time

So one lady said to me what about if it is the pilots time?

 

[KaptainRob]

16 minutes ago, gazmo16 said:

I used Scoot last time to the UK and there is a good reason it's was the cheapest company. Everything is very basic right down to no charging seat points for electronics (11.5 hour flight so everyone's electronics were dead long before the end).

Anyway they run on a shoestring and I guess that goes for the maintenance side of things too. Wont be using them again any time soon. 

Long haul on any LCC can be tiresome although I've found AirAsiaX far better than many full service airlines.  

Scoot is wholly owned by Singapore Airlines whose maintenance and safety record is 2nd to no-one.  Carry a power bank, pre-order food (extra meals if required), and book a good seat as per 'seatguru' recommendations.

We're getting off-topic so .... bear in mind this story has been mis-reported, there was NO FIRE.  Scoot took the initiative to return to BKK and have a minor tech issue sorted in the interest of passenger comfort and safety.

[HiuMak]

There are quite a few incidents regarding scoot lately.

Poor maintenance of flight can be a cause or over utilization of the plane.

I flew scoot many times and always without excuses there will be a delay in the flight.

The turnaround time for these flights are so quick, with arriving passengers disembarking and departing passengers embarking shortly.

There isn't any time for checks, maintenance and even do proper cleaning of cabin.

I always find the tray table dirty and once i found a used masks in the seat pocket. Disgusting.

Another time I found tape wrapped up on the seat handle to hold it in place as the plastic was giving way.

I try not to fly budget if possible unless necessary. 

[Vigo]

5 hours ago, Skip said:

Preventative maintenance could have saved this from happening.

Ok. Are you privy to the  aircraft maintenance logs? the Scoot fleet is relatively young at 6 1/2 years. It is unlikely, the aircraft was neglected.

55 minutes ago, gazmo16 said:

I used Scoot last time to the UK and there is a good reason it's was the cheapest company. Everything is very basic right down to no charging seat points for electronics (11.5 hour flight so everyone's electronics were dead long before the end).

Anyway they run on a shoestring and I guess that goes for the maintenance side of things too. Wont be using them again any time soon. 

Maybe so, but not much different than Legacy airlines. The SIAEC Group looks after Scoot, just as it does 20 other airlines. It's specialty  unit  takes care of 80 airlines. If  you think the scrimp on service you will avoid many legacy and  Gulf state airlines too since SIAEC does all or some of their maintenance.

[Skip]

25 minutes ago, Vigo said:

Ok. Are you privy to the  aircraft maintenance logs? the Scoot fleet is relatively young at 6 1/2 years. It is unlikely, the aircraft was neglected.

My conjecture is based on Thai history of preventative maintenance which is sorely lacking across the board... but since you have privy you think that it is unlikely is that it.

[Endeavour]

3 hours ago, RJBT said:

I have experienced the vapour plume on a few flights it is similar to what I have experienced with  my previous cars reconditioners.

 Nothing to be concerned about not even a nuisance for the passengers

People panic to quickly due to the inherent fear of flying. I used to tell passenger who were afraid of flying you only die once if it is your time

So one lady said to me what about if it is the pilots time?

I reject your comment. 99% of passengers have no knowledge of such subjects, fire/smoke and they react strongly and quickly and not surpriingly they are in fear of a big fire and death. In the case of the power bank I wonder if the check-in etc., regulations were being strictly followed and I wonder if the passengers were honest bout their power bank? 

[ChrisS]

"In the case of the power bank I wonder if the check-in etc., regulations were being strictly followed and I wonder if the passengers were honest bout their power bank? "

Could just be one of the thousands of cheap substandard power banks or chargers (often from China) that are available all over the internet. People tend to forget the old adage 'you get what you pay for'

[Vigo]

16 hours ago, Skip said:

My conjecture is based on Thai history of preventative maintenance which is sorely lacking across the board... but since you have privy you think that it is unlikely is that it.

As was stated several times, Scoot is owned by Singapore Airlines. It's HQ  and fleet is registered in a nation called SINGAPORE. Singapore  an independent nation, is not part of Thailand, and its aviation industry is regulated in Singapore. SIAEC is certified in 20+ nations including Canada, USA and EU. This is because SIAEC is a designated service center for airline servicing.

It is irresponsible to accuse a reputable Singapore company of negligence based upon your  personal prejudice against Thailand.  Not all Asian people are the same. I doubt very much that a company of Singapore's reputation and with as valuable a brand would be willing to put all that on the line  to save a small amount of money.  Did you know that the aircraft Scoot was using is from a company called Airbus? Airbus is a European based manufacturer of aircraft. Airbus uses components sourced from a diverse  supply chain, with much sourced from  the EU, UK, USA and Canada. These components  are certified and approved by Airbus.   Aircraft  parts malfunction or break regularly. That is why there are built in redundancies. On any given flight, a passenger  aircraft can be flying with several malfunctioning pieces of equipment. If a part malfunctioned, then surely you should be  criticizing Airbus and the Europeans, UK or US nationals who most likely made the part.

[TWS60]

Kaptain Rob.

Looking at the two photos in this article, sure does appear to be the usual top down vapor from the a/c supply.  Happens all the time in warm/humid parts of the world; although it doesn't quite make sense to me happening once the aircraft is up in the air when ambient cabin air temp has cooled down and leveled out relative to the a/c supply temp.  Usually happens on the ground when cabin is warm/humid and the a/c first comes on.  Comes with a dampness (obviously), and potential odor from the a/c system and stuff in the vents, bit like some household air cons may have a slight musty/mildew odor when you first switch them on.  Having said that, odd that Scoot terminated the flight, so there must be another wrinkle here, sure to be revealed in coming days/weeks.

Reference to portable battery/charger was a previous incident in Taiwan, but folks seem to be conflating that with this incident, and next thing you know......    

If it WAS smoke from combustion, as dense as the vapor in the 2 article photos, pax wouldn't just be sat there taking photos, and the cabin crew, especially in the first photo, wouldn't be standing in the midst of it as they are, without coughing and gagging.  Reckon the drop down O2 masks would have been deployed as well.  

Coming from a moderate climate where I grew up, first time I saw this a/c vapor was as a peach fuzz Newbie sat on a Gulf Air bird during my first Summer in the Gulf.  Still remember thinking in the moment, "Holy S**t, what the he!! is this?!?!".  None of the other pax or the cabin crew were reacting, then it dawned on me.  Oh.... 

[JohninDublin]

19 hours ago, Marc26 said:

I'd imagine in the mid-90's things were rough 

Because I was living in Thailand for a bit and went to PP in 2004 for the 1st time

I thought I lived in a "3rd world country" and Cambodia was an eye-opener

I was first there in 08. Took a cab to and fro Snooky. I knew that they had changed the sheets on my bed (Superstar Hotel PP)  because the cig burn mark was no longer visible. 

On the return from Snooky, the cab made a pit stop at one of the multiple roadside cafes en route, Nobody spoke English, so I ordered an Iced Coffee from a picture menu. Waiter brought a glass with coffee and Ice, and then poured a kettle of hot water over it. My thoughts? I was definitely in thr 3rd world now.

[Marc26]

1 hour ago, JohninDublin said:

I was first there in 08. Took a cab to and fro Snooky. I knew that they had changed the sheets on my bed (Superstar Hotel PP)  because the cig burn mark was no longer visible. 

On the return from Snooky, the cab made a pit stop at one of the multiple roadside cafes en route, Nobody spoke English, so I ordered an Iced Coffee from a picture menu. Waiter brought a glass with coffee and Ice, and then poured a kettle of hot water over it. My thoughts? I was definitely in thr 3rd world now.

When I went Phonm Phen still had a ton of dirt roads 

 

Couple others things

 

I was offered "young girl " so much and they weren't talking 18yr Olds

That was distressing 

 

And I ended up hiring a MB taxi guy

I think for $2-3usd/day

 

And he'd just sit and wait outside my hotel or anywhere else I went and drive me everywhere 

 

I think I ended up giving him 5-6usd/day

[Grumpish]

21 hours ago, Marc26 said:

I'd imagine in the mid-90's things were rough 

Because I was living in Thailand for a bit and went to PP in 2004 for the 1st time

I thought I lived in a "3rd world country" and Cambodia was an eye-opener

If Cambodia was an eye-opener for you in 2004, you should have seen Laos back then. Vientiane, Phnom Penh, and Siem Reap are completely unrecognisable now compared to 30 years ago. 

[KaptainRob]

Stay on topic or continue your discussions in the relevant sections please.

 

EDIT: thread closed as one Member did not follow the FG's.