Qantas Flight Returns After Possible Malfunction of Anti-Ice Device

A Qantas Airways Ltd. Flight Bound For Fiji On Thursday Was Forced To Turn Back To Sydney Due To a Potential Problem With a Device That Prevents Airspeed Sensors From Freezing Over And Malfunctioning.

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The pilots of Flight QF101 received a fault indicator relating to the heating element in one of the three pitot tubes on the outside of the aircraft, Qantas said. The sensors work by measuring the air rushing onto them during flight. Qantas said that the pilots took the appropriate action in response to the indicator and that the aircraft landed safely.

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Planes can fly safely in clear weather without heated pitot tubes. However, sub-zero temperatures and cloud cover can cause sensors to ice up and provide inaccurate data if they aren’t warmed properly. Qantas said that the pitot probes on QF101 worked normally throughout the flight. Qantas said that the plane returned to Sydney to have the device replaced because there was poor weather forecast around Fiji at the time. The Boeing Co. 737 jet has since returned to service.

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Pitot airspeed sensors became more prominent after the crash of Air France Flight 447 in 2009. The crew of the flight, en route to Paris from Rio de Janeiro, started to receive faulty speed readings in poor weather, likely from frozen pitot tubes. The pilots stalled the aircraft, and minutes later, it hit the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 228 people on board.

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This week, Qantas has had at least four midair mechanical issues, including three turnarounds. The most recent incident was on QF101.
On Friday, two flights were forced to turn back to Melbourne due to technical issues. The first was a Canberra-bound plane with a problem with its flaps, and the second was a Sydney-bound jet with an indication of a minor engine problem.

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In the most serious development, a Qantas jet on its way to Sydney from Auckland on Wednesday issued a mayday and shut down one of its engines. The aircraft landed safely at Sydney and all 145 passengers disembarked normally. Qantas is investigating the cause of the engine shutdown. Three of the planes involved in the incidents were Boeing 737s, a popular choice for many airlines. The fourth was a Boeing 717.

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The recent string of incidents involving Qantas planes has given ammunition to critics who argue that the airline's planes are too old - some have been in service for 20 years. They claim that Qantas CEO Alan Joyce cut costs too deeply during the pandemic, and that this has led to a decline in safety standards. Qantas is renewing its domestic fleet over the next decade, but it remains to be seen whether this will be enough to improve safety and restore public confidence.

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The precautions taken by the pilots show that Qantas has a strong safety culture. This has resulted in the airline never having a fatal jet airliner accident. The carrier said that the return of the Fiji flight to Sydney showed that its safety management system was working as it should. The Qantas Group, which includes low-cost airline Jetstar, averages about 60 midair turnbacks each year. This means that it would normally have just over one a week. Qantas said that there are also 400 to 500 engine shutdowns across all narrowbody jets every year.

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"There are diversions and air turnbacks happening every day across aviation for a range of reasons," said Qantas Domestic CEO Andrew David. "They usually reflect an abundance of caution."