Virgin Atlantic flight from Manchester to New York halted moments before take off after a PASSENGER spotted parts missing from the wing
- The VS127 flight from Manchester to New York was canceled at the last minute
- The tops of four fasteners were missing from one of the wing panels
- Virgin said the issue did not compromise passenger safety
A Virgin Atlantic flight from Manchester to New York was canceled shortly before departure after a passenger noticed defective bolts on the plane’s wing.
The terrifying incident comes less than two weeks after a Virgin plane had to make an emergency landing in Manchester after smoke filled the cockpit.
The VS127 flight to John F Kennedy International Airport was unable to depart at the last minute on Monday to give engineers time to perform “maintenance checks” after a passenger discovered the tops of four fasteners were missing from one of the wing panels.
The passenger informed cabin crew on board before specialist engineers investigated and the flight was canceled as a ‘precautionary measure’.
A Virgin Atlantic flight from Manchester to New York was canceled just before departure after a passenger raised concerns about the plane’s wing (Source: MEN)
The terrifying incident comes less than two weeks after a Virgin plane had to make an emergency landing in Manchester after smoke filled the cockpit (Stock Photo)
The passenger informed cabin crew on board before specialist engineers took a look and the flight was canceled as a ‘precautionary measure’ (Stock Photo)
Passengers aboard the defective plane still reached New York, but on alternate flights (Stock Photo)
On January 7, a Virgin Atlantic plane bound for Barbados was forced to return to Manchester Airport after smoke began billowing around the plane’s cockpit.
The flight was only 20 minutes into the Caribbean when pilots notified air traffic controllers of a “dense and acrid odor of smoke.”
Neil Firth, Airbus’ local Chief Wing Engineer for the A330, explained Manchester Evening News that each wing panel on an A330 has 119 fasteners.
The affected panel was a secondary structure panel used to improve the aerodynamics of the aircraft and the four missing tips ‘did not affect the structural integrity of the wing, the wing’s payload capacity or the aircraft’s ability to to operate safely’.
The eight-hour transatlantic flight was canceled as a precaution and the missing tops were later replaced.
Passengers aboard the defective plane still reached New York, but on alternate flights.
The airline said the safety of customers and crew on board was its “top priority” and was “at no time compromised.”
It added that it “always operates well above industry safety standards” and that the aircraft is now back in service.
A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: ‘The VS127 from Manchester to New York JFK on January 15, operating on an Airbus A330, was canceled to allow time for additional precautionary technical maintenance checks, giving our team maximum time to complete their inspections. complete.
‘The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority and at no time was it compromised.
‘We always operate well above industry safety standards and the aircraft is now back in service.
‘We would like to apologize to our customers for the delay in their travels.’