1
00:00:09,093 --> 00:00:12,892
Speaker 1: You're listening to a podcast from Newstalk Z'B. Follow this

2
00:00:13,053 --> 00:00:16,133
Speaker 1: and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.

3
00:00:16,653 --> 00:00:19,413
Speaker 2: India is set to lead an investigation into a plane

4
00:00:19,413 --> 00:00:22,293
Speaker 2: crash in a marbad which has killed at least two

5
00:00:22,332 --> 00:00:25,212
Speaker 2: hundred and ninety The Air India Boeing seven eight seven

6
00:00:25,293 --> 00:00:29,173
Speaker 2: Dreamliner crashed into a doctor's hostel right after takeoff heading

7
00:00:29,173 --> 00:00:32,413
Speaker 2: for London's Gatwek Airport. To discuss this further, we're joined

8
00:00:32,412 --> 00:00:36,293
Speaker 2: by aviation expert and commentator Peter Clark. Peter, thank you

9
00:00:36,373 --> 00:00:37,173
Speaker 2: very much for your time.

10
00:00:37,973 --> 00:00:38,933
Speaker 3: Yeah, good afternoon.

11
00:00:39,253 --> 00:00:42,412
Speaker 4: Now Peter Summer suggesting a duel engine failure, how plausible

12
00:00:42,492 --> 00:00:46,092
Speaker 4: is it that both engines could fail simultaneously on takeoff?

13
00:00:47,253 --> 00:00:50,933
Speaker 3: Well, it's it's very unusual. We did see it with

14
00:00:51,092 --> 00:00:54,252
Speaker 3: the crash in the rivers of New York once that

15
00:00:54,493 --> 00:00:58,892
Speaker 3: did happen there, you know. Yeah, that double engine failure,

16
00:00:58,893 --> 00:01:03,813
Speaker 3: it's extremely rare. And to have it happen, there's got

17
00:01:03,813 --> 00:01:06,973
Speaker 3: to be either a bird strike or something else that

18
00:01:07,053 --> 00:01:07,733
Speaker 3: has failed.

19
00:01:08,653 --> 00:01:12,133
Speaker 4: Yeah, but yeah, I'm Hereabad does have a high incidence

20
00:01:12,133 --> 00:01:13,572
Speaker 4: of bird strikes, though, doesn't it.

21
00:01:14,932 --> 00:01:17,133
Speaker 3: I'm not sure about that. I haven't been able to

22
00:01:17,173 --> 00:01:20,413
Speaker 3: ascertain that. But the only reason that we know it's

23
00:01:20,533 --> 00:01:23,572
Speaker 3: possibly a double strike is that during the May day

24
00:01:23,733 --> 00:01:28,333
Speaker 3: call it is heard that he said no thrust, losing power,

25
00:01:28,373 --> 00:01:31,973
Speaker 3: unable to lift off, But none of that has been

26
00:01:32,013 --> 00:01:33,932
Speaker 3: really confirmed at this stage.

27
00:01:34,212 --> 00:01:36,732
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean it will be but speculative at this stage,

28
00:01:36,733 --> 00:01:38,853
Speaker 4: wouldn't it. But you know, when I've watched the footage

29
00:01:38,932 --> 00:01:41,893
Speaker 4: grim footage from a number of angles and it I mean,

30
00:01:42,053 --> 00:01:44,293
Speaker 4: I don't know if you would from a long way back,

31
00:01:44,333 --> 00:01:46,733
Speaker 4: but you can't see a lot of birds in the air.

32
00:01:47,533 --> 00:01:47,733
Speaker 1: Now.

33
00:01:47,893 --> 00:01:49,693
Speaker 4: There's been a bit of talk Peter about the position

34
00:01:49,773 --> 00:01:51,933
Speaker 4: of the wing flaps. Is there anything in that. I

35
00:01:52,013 --> 00:01:55,973
Speaker 4: understand it's nearly forty degrees at takeoff. Does that high

36
00:01:56,293 --> 00:02:00,013
Speaker 4: temperature impact the position of the wing flaps in a

37
00:02:00,053 --> 00:02:01,013
Speaker 4: seven eight seven.

38
00:02:01,653 --> 00:02:04,453
Speaker 3: Look, it was forty degrees temperature at that airfield, but

39
00:02:04,533 --> 00:02:08,252
Speaker 3: it seemed to have taken off normally and had risen,

40
00:02:08,413 --> 00:02:11,653
Speaker 3: so if it had an engine problem, they possibly couldn't

41
00:02:11,693 --> 00:02:15,373
Speaker 3: retract the undercarriage. We don't know this and the flaps,

42
00:02:15,413 --> 00:02:18,493
Speaker 3: that has been very speculative. Some people have said you

43
00:02:18,573 --> 00:02:22,293
Speaker 3: can see flaps, but they don't necessarily use forty degrees

44
00:02:22,333 --> 00:02:25,853
Speaker 3: forty degrees is used more of the higher flat numbers

45
00:02:25,893 --> 00:02:30,452
Speaker 3: for landing and lower numbers for takeoff. But this will

46
00:02:30,493 --> 00:02:32,973
Speaker 3: all have to come out of the flight data recorder,

47
00:02:33,173 --> 00:02:35,572
Speaker 3: which I am led to believe at the stage has

48
00:02:35,653 --> 00:02:36,493
Speaker 3: been retrieved.

49
00:02:37,093 --> 00:02:39,813
Speaker 2: The seven eight seven Dreamliner. Tell us about this aircraft,

50
00:02:39,813 --> 00:02:42,333
Speaker 2: it is being known to be one of the safest

51
00:02:43,453 --> 00:02:43,852
Speaker 2: well look.

52
00:02:44,133 --> 00:02:47,093
Speaker 3: It was launched in April two thousand and four. It

53
00:02:47,133 --> 00:02:50,293
Speaker 3: had its first flight in December two thousand and nine,

54
00:02:50,693 --> 00:02:56,293
Speaker 3: and after experiencing quite a few delays with fasteners and

55
00:02:56,373 --> 00:03:02,972
Speaker 3: other problems, it received certification in August twenty eleven and

56
00:03:03,093 --> 00:03:05,933
Speaker 3: it was first delivered A seven eight seven eight same

57
00:03:05,933 --> 00:03:08,093
Speaker 3: as this aircraft we're talking about, to A and A

58
00:03:08,613 --> 00:03:12,413
Speaker 3: on the eighth the Centptember two thousand and eleven. I

59
00:03:12,613 --> 00:03:15,293
Speaker 3: was part of all of those processes, being in Seattle

60
00:03:15,333 --> 00:03:18,053
Speaker 3: to see all of them, and I have the greatest

61
00:03:18,093 --> 00:03:20,733
Speaker 3: faith in this aircraft, so much if it has gone

62
00:03:20,733 --> 00:03:24,893
Speaker 3: into it. It's a new generation club and fiber aircraft

63
00:03:25,333 --> 00:03:29,213
Speaker 3: of the same family as we're now see being developed

64
00:03:29,213 --> 00:03:31,853
Speaker 3: by Airbus with the A three fifty, but that came

65
00:03:31,933 --> 00:03:35,893
Speaker 3: well after the development of the Boeing seven eight seven.

66
00:03:36,293 --> 00:03:39,813
Speaker 3: Initially it did have some problems with batteries, but they

67
00:03:39,813 --> 00:03:43,853
Speaker 3: were not part of the Boeing seven eight seven problems.

68
00:03:43,933 --> 00:03:50,973
Speaker 3: And we have seen engine problems recently and those engine

69
00:03:51,013 --> 00:03:53,893
Speaker 3: problems nothing to do with the seven eight seven as

70
00:03:53,933 --> 00:03:54,573
Speaker 3: an aircraft.

71
00:03:55,053 --> 00:03:58,213
Speaker 4: We was speaking to aviation expert Peter Klark speaking of

72
00:03:58,693 --> 00:04:03,013
Speaker 4: a safety records. What's the safety record like for Air India.

73
00:04:03,933 --> 00:04:07,373
Speaker 3: Air India's had a bit of a checkered past, but

74
00:04:07,933 --> 00:04:10,133
Speaker 3: I think in the last eight to ten years they've

75
00:04:10,933 --> 00:04:14,733
Speaker 3: moved forward. They've gone through quite a few management changes

76
00:04:15,013 --> 00:04:19,333
Speaker 3: within the airline. They used to operate fairly old aircraft

77
00:04:19,373 --> 00:04:22,693
Speaker 3: and then they went into the series of seven eight sevens,

78
00:04:23,213 --> 00:04:30,573
Speaker 3: so they've got twenty seven of these aircraft and they

79
00:04:30,613 --> 00:04:33,773
Speaker 3: have been operating very successfully. There is some reports this

80
00:04:33,853 --> 00:04:38,653
Speaker 3: aircraft in the day before suffered some technical issues and

81
00:04:38,733 --> 00:04:41,333
Speaker 3: that has been noted, but all of this is just

82
00:04:41,533 --> 00:04:44,813
Speaker 3: speculation and will have to come out of the data

83
00:04:45,733 --> 00:04:51,093
Speaker 3: data information. As of February twenty two, there was, sorry

84
00:04:51,733 --> 00:04:55,213
Speaker 3: twenty twenty five, there was one one hundred and eighty

85
00:04:55,293 --> 00:04:59,533
Speaker 3: nine of these aircraft flying of this type in this family,

86
00:04:59,933 --> 00:05:02,533
Speaker 3: So they are out there and they've had a very

87
00:05:02,573 --> 00:05:05,453
Speaker 3: successful operational period.

88
00:05:06,773 --> 00:05:10,493
Speaker 4: Now This is tragic story because I believe his brother

89
00:05:10,613 --> 00:05:13,013
Speaker 4: was on the plane with him. But a sole passenger

90
00:05:13,013 --> 00:05:16,213
Speaker 4: looks like this survive. What are the chances of that happening?

91
00:05:16,293 --> 00:05:18,333
Speaker 4: And if we have any idea how he managed to

92
00:05:18,373 --> 00:05:22,773
Speaker 4: survive this crash.

93
00:05:20,973 --> 00:05:23,892
Speaker 3: I think that that at the moment, we have no idea.

94
00:05:24,053 --> 00:05:26,893
Speaker 3: He walked away, I'm led to believe from the accident,

95
00:05:26,973 --> 00:05:30,853
Speaker 3: so he was next to the ball, not the bulkhead,

96
00:05:30,933 --> 00:05:35,253
Speaker 3: the cabin, fuselage, something there probably saved him. But the

97
00:05:35,293 --> 00:05:39,613
Speaker 3: plane disintegrated when it finally hit the grand ground. But

98
00:05:39,733 --> 00:05:44,733
Speaker 3: there has been single, single pilot, I'm sorry, single passenger

99
00:05:45,093 --> 00:05:50,333
Speaker 3: survivals in the past, and they have happened. But eleven A,

100
00:05:50,653 --> 00:05:53,093
Speaker 3: I think everyone will be rushing for that seat on

101
00:05:53,133 --> 00:05:56,733
Speaker 3: the seven eight seven, But there is no way we

102
00:05:56,813 --> 00:05:58,813
Speaker 3: know why he survived in that position.

103
00:05:59,173 --> 00:06:02,213
Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, And you know you've been talking about the

104
00:06:02,453 --> 00:06:06,213
Speaker 4: great record of this particular seven eight seven. But Boeing

105
00:06:06,213 --> 00:06:08,653
Speaker 4: seems to have had been in the new use a

106
00:06:08,693 --> 00:06:12,213
Speaker 4: bit of late. Are Boeing aircraft something to worry about?

107
00:06:12,653 --> 00:06:14,173
Speaker 4: Are there's systems something to look into?

108
00:06:15,493 --> 00:06:18,573
Speaker 3: Look? I think Boeing is like any other manufacturer. We

109
00:06:18,693 --> 00:06:22,373
Speaker 3: only hear of the incidents that are severe or tragic.

110
00:06:23,333 --> 00:06:28,413
Speaker 3: All aircraft have incidents and operational problems, but I think

111
00:06:28,493 --> 00:06:31,933
Speaker 3: with the way we look at aviation today, there is

112
00:06:32,013 --> 00:06:36,733
Speaker 3: so much management that goes into safety and things do happen.

113
00:06:37,213 --> 00:06:40,653
Speaker 3: We are humans and they are mechanical, so we've got

114
00:06:40,693 --> 00:06:44,173
Speaker 3: to move forward. Boeing has had some problems, but I

115
00:06:44,173 --> 00:06:47,573
Speaker 3: would still fly on Boeing aircraft. I have no hesitation

116
00:06:47,773 --> 00:06:50,452
Speaker 3: at all to go on there. And there's a classic saying,

117
00:06:50,693 --> 00:06:52,773
Speaker 3: if it ain't Boeing, I ain't.

118
00:06:52,573 --> 00:06:57,213
Speaker 2: Going Yeah, well, very good. Yeah. Peter Clark, aviation commentator

119
00:06:57,333 --> 00:06:59,933
Speaker 2: and expert, thank you very much for your time.

120
00:07:00,533 --> 00:07:03,453
Speaker 1: For more from News Talks b listen live on air

121
00:07:03,653 --> 00:07:06,373
Speaker 1: or online, and keep our shows with you wherever you

122
00:07:06,453 --> 00:07:08,853
Speaker 1: go with our podcasts on Ion on Radio