mclure@SRI-UNIX@sri-unix (06/25/82)
a244 1416 25 Jun 82
AM-Jumbo Scare, Bjt,410
Jetliner Felled by Volcano Ash, Plunges Five Miles
By GHAFUR FADYL
Associated Press Writer
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - A British jetliner, its engines choked off
by ash from an erupting volcano, plunged five miles in a terrifying
dive before the pilots restarted the engines and saved more than 200
lives, aviation and airline officials reported Friday.
''It seemed to go on for an eternity,'' Australian passenger gerry
Middleton said later. ''Everybody was petrified. There was no noise.
''By the time we pulled out . . . everybody was just about on their
knees praying.'' No injuries were reported.
The British Airways Boeing 747 was carrying 224 passengers and a
crew of 16 on a flight Thursday night from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to
Perth, Australia, the final leg of a flight from London.
About 100 miles south of Jakarta, flying at 37,000 feet, it ran into
a thick cloud of ash that had been spewed from the Mount Galunggung
volcano, 180 miles southeast of Jakarta, in an eruption earlier
Thursday evening, airline officials said in London.
They said the cloud did not appear on the plane's radar screen, and
the pilot had not been warned of it beforehand.
Middleton, a Perth journalist, said the first sign of trouble came
when the passenger cabin began filling with ash.
''It was hard to tell where it came from but it was coming out of
the air vents as well,'' he said.
''I looked out to see the near engine on my side apparently on fire
and the two engines on the other side seemed to be burning, too. Then
all the engines stopped and we went into a steep dive.'' The ash had
choked off the engines' air and they stalled.
He said the pilot, Capt. Eric Moody, announced they had encountered
''mild turbulence'' and there was nothing to worry about. But ''we
knew it was more serious,'' said Middleton.
''The descent seemed to take a very long time, but I suppose it took
about 12 minutes,'' said another passenger, Douglas Cross, 40.
The plane plummeted to 12,000 feet, a distance of 25,000 feet, while
the cockpit crew worked to restart first one, then finally all four
engines, and pulled out of the dive, airline officials reported.
Moody then shut down one of the engines because it was running
roughly, and he turned back to Jakarta, where he made a safe emergency
landing despite the fact that the ash had ''sandblasted'' the cockpit
window, hampering visibility.
Indonesian officials said the 9,151-foot-high Galunggung erupted for
about one hour beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday, damaging hundreds of
houses and other buildings in surrounding villages, but causing no
reported injuries.
ap-ny-06-25 1715EDT
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