DG CAA Orders Grounding of PIA ATR Fleet

[Pakistan-1]

PIA could lease PAF C130s and Navy ATR72s in the meantime

[Abbas Ali]

^ PAF does not operate ATRs. It's Pakistan Navy that has a number of ATR 72s in its inventory.

PAF regularly operates C-130 flights to/from Chitral and Gilgit and most likely PAF C-130s will transport PIA passengers to/from those two cities.

Pakistan Navy ATR 72s maybe can be asked to perform flights in Sindh and Balochistan for the transportation of PIA passengers.

Abbas

[Abdulrafeysiddiqui]

It's just Media Hype, & Media knows nothing about aviation yet they create an Optics where People start to Believe even do most of the Information doesn't make sense..

Agreed. There should be some kind of strict action taken by PEMRA against media channels in every matter, not only Aviation, as the media channel reporters don't have complete knowledge of any thing happened and they start to give conclusions which our so called Masoom Awaam take as a Theory.

[Pakistan-1]

^ PAF does not operate ATRs. It's Pakistan Navy that has a number of ATR 72s in its inventory.

PAF regularly operates C-130 flights to/from Chitral and Gilgit and most likely PAF C-130s will transport PIA passengers to/from those two cities.

Pakistan Navy ATR 72s maybe can be asked to perform flights in Sindh and Balochistan for the transportation of PIA passengers.

Abbas

The big question is will PIA pay for these flights or the Nave and AF will have to bear the costs ?

[Abbas Ali]

PIA ATR flights cancelled on December 13 include:

PK-153 Karachi to Zamzama.
PK-154 Zamzama to Karachi.
PK-157 Karachi to Dadu.
PK-158 Dadu to Karachi.
PK-249 Islamabad to Kabul.
PK-250 Kabul to Islamabad.
PK-503 Karachi to Gwadar.
PK-504 Gwadar to Karachi.
PK-536 Karachi to Sukkur.
PK-537 Sukkur to Karachi.
PK-582 Karachi to Rahim Yar Khan.
PK-583 Rahim Yar Khan to Karachi.
PK-584 Karachi to Dera Ghazi Khan.
PK-585 Dera Ghazi Khan to Karachi.
PK-588 Karachi to Bahawalpur.
PK-589 Bahawalpur to Karachi.
PK-590 Karachi to Islamabad via Sukkur.
PK-591 Islamabad to Karachi via Sukkur.
PK-594 Lahore to Sukkur.
PK-595 Sukkur to Lahore.
PK-605 Islamabad to Gilgit.
PK-606 Gilgit to Islamabad.
PK-607 Islamabad to Gilgit.
PK-608 Gilgit to Islamabad.
PK-651 Islamabad to Lahore.
PK-652 Rahim Yar Khan to Islamabad via Lahore.
PK-653 Islamabad to Lahore.
PK-654 Lahore to Islamabad.
PK-655 Islamabad to Lahore.
PK-656 Lahore to Islamabad.
PK-657 Islamabad to Lahore.
PK-681 Islamabad to Multan.
PK-682 Multan to Islamabad.
PK-683 Lahore to Multan.
PK-684 Multan to Lahore.

Abbas

[Amaad Lone]

ATR72s should be back in service sooner then the ATR42, being newer they should have less snags.

[yyzflyer]

What is the status of the "shakedown inspections" ?? Have they been started at all, or still waiting for someone/something ?

[Abbas Ali]

An ATR 42-500 has passed shakedown tests and will be used to resume flights to Chitral and Gilgit from Islamabad from tomorrow, according to PIA spokesperson.

Pakistan CAA monitored tests and cleared the aircraft for flight operations, according to news sources.

https://twitter.com/Danyal_Gilani/statu ... 0742580225

Abbas

[Squawk_1200]

What is a " Shakedown Test " ? I have never heard this word before. I know when an airplane is in testing stage for certification and production some structural stress flight test are conducted in the air by test pilots. Any one here from the PIA maintenance please tell us how this " shakedown test " was conducted and what were they looking for and did they check ?
......call me dumb.....

[aviator773]

AP-BHM is all set to return back today i.e 16-12-2016 and will operate multiple flights from Islamabad and two flights from Lahore which include PK-683 to Multan and PK 654 to Islamabad.

[raihans]

What is a " Shakedown Test " ? I have never heard this word before. I know when an airplane is in testing stage for certification and production some structural stress flight test are conducted in the air by test pilots. Any one here from the PIA maintenance please tell us how this " shakedown test " was conducted and what were they looking for and did they check ?
......call me dumb.....

hope this helps,,,,

Aircraft
Aircraft shakedowns check avionics, flight controls, all systems, and the general airframe's airworthiness. In aircraft there are two forms of shakedown testing: shakedown testing of the design as a whole, aka flight-tests, and shakedown testing of individual aircraft.
Shakedown testing of the design involves test flights of the prototypes, a process that actually starts months or years before first flight with simulator flights and hardware testing, often nowadays incorporating an 'iron bird' test rig in which all the flight control systems are brought together in an engineering lab, while test-articles of the physical structure will be subjected to stress and fatigue loads beyond anything the aircraft is likely to encounter in service. The aircraft systems will then be gradually commissioned on board the prototypes, first on external power, then, once engines are fitted, on internal power, progressing to taxi trials and eventually first flight. Flight-testing proceeds conservatively, demonstrating that each test condition can be safely achieved before proceeding to the next. Prototype aircraft are generally heavily instrumented in order to support these flight-test objectives by capturing large amounts of data for both live analysis (which on larger aircraft such as airliners may happen at dedicated flight-test engineer stations on board) and for analysis post-flight. The ultimate aim of testing is to demonstrate the aircraft can operate safely throughout its flight envelope and that all regulatory requirements of the relevant National Arworthiness Authorities have been met, allowing the design to receive its Certificate of Airworthiness.

Shakedown testing of production aircraft is a simplified version of prototype testing. The design has been demonstrated to be safe, the object is now to demonstrate that the components on an individual aircraft operate appropriately. Shakedown now comprises the general power-on trials, followed by one or more pre-delivery test flights carried out by the aircraft builder's personnel, and generally culminating in a final acceptance test also involving the purchaser's own flight crew and engineering personnel.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakedown_(testing)

[Abbas Ali]

PIA Islamabad to Gilgit flights PK-605 and PK-607 and Islamabad to Chitral via Peshawar flight PK-660 cancelled today, maybe due to bad weather?

PK-605 & 607.


PK-660.


Source: islamabadairport.com.pk

Abbas

[Squawk_1200]

If PIA aircraft are kept airworthy and the daily weekly and monthly and C or D checks are carried out in routine then there was no need to do this " Shakedown Test " .It is not a world wide practise with airlines.

May be it was an action by CAA to calm down the nervous passengers, this shakedown test does not have any value or significance or will it get any attention outside Pakistan.

Now PIA aircraft will have a new column in the aircraft maintenance log after C or D check column saying " Shakedown test completed successfully '

[Abbas Ali]

Pakistan CAA has not given clearance to any PIA ATR aircraft for resumption of flight operations, according to news report on following link:

http://ummat.net/latest/wp-content/uplo ... 122016.gif

Clearance from ATR engine manufacturer is required before the aircraft are allowed to resume flying, according to the report.

Abbas

[Abbas Ali]

Advice Sought by PIA from ATR Engine Manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Canada

Karachi; December 17,2016 - Responding to media queries regarding the letter written by Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), spokesman PIA has said that CAA is a regulatory body which issues instructions to all operating airlines from time to time. PIA complies with these instructions accordingly.

Regarding the shakedown tests of ATR aircraft please note that PIA has contacted Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), i.e. Pratt & Whitney, for obtaining their advice, on the directions of CAA.

This letter has been written after the December 7 crash but PIA has already been doing inspection and maintenance of its aircraft as per manuals at proper times in accordance with international standards.

Source: PIA Press Release (December 17, 2016)