A Qatar Airways Boeing 747-8F briefly blocked a runway at Doha’s Hamad International Airport (DOH) after the aircraft suffered a hydraulic leak on Monday. Temporarily, some flights were diverted, but after some time, the plane was towed off the runway, and the airport reopened.
The incident
The Aviation Herald reports that a Qatar Airways Boeing 747-8F flying from Frankfurt (FRA) to Doha (DOH) declared an emergency after the aircraft suffered a failure of the hydraulic system #1, which had been depleted of all its hydraulic fluid. The incident occurred on September 28th after the plane completed an overnight flight from Frankfurt.
The aircraft landed on runway 34R at Doha and stopped on the runway. After landing, the plane had to be towed off the runway, temporarily shutting down the runway. A post-flight inspection revealed that engine number one on the aircraft needs to be replaced, temporarily grounding the aircraft until repairs are completed.
The aircraft involved in this incident is registered as A7-BGB. According to data from Flightradar24, the jet is only three years old.
Qatar Airways posted the following statement on Twitter:
Qatar Airways can confirm a limited number of flights diverted from landing into @HIAQatar this morning. This followed a technical issue with a B747F which declared an emergency & landed safely without incident. We apologise for any inconvenience caused to our passengers.
— Qatar Airways (@qatarairways) September 28, 2020
The Boeing 747’s engines are numbered from one to four, as shown below:
Hydraulic systems
Hydraulic systems are essential on aircraft. These systems, using hydraulic fluid, allow pilots to move crucial parts of the aircraft, such as the landing gear, flaps, ailerons, the rudder, and more.
Aircraft, like the Boeing 747-8Fs, have multiple hydraulic systems as a backup in case one system fails. The Boeing 747 has four hydraulic systems, so losing one system is not catastrophic, though it can be concerning. Thankfully, the pilots were able to react accordingly and land safely in Doha.
The Boeing 747-8F
Qatar Airways does not operate passenger Boeing 747s, but it operates a fleet of two Boeing 747-8F according to data from Planespotters.net.
According to Boeing, the 747-8F has a maximum payload capacity of 137.7 metric tons (303,700 pounds). The aircraft has a maximum range of 4,120 nautical miles (7,630 kilometers).
The fun part about this aircraft, which also makes it so efficient and well-loved by freight operators and aviation enthusiasts around the world, is the aircraft’s nose door that opens up for the loading and unloading of large cargo. The aircraft can still also be loaded from a side door.
Cargo has become a lifeline for airlines, and Qatar Airways has been keeping its dedicated cargo fleet flying to get necessary and vital cargo where it needs to go. Other cargo jets in Qatar Airways’ cargo fleet are Airbus A330-200Fs and Boeing 777Fs.
What do you make of this incident? Let us know in the comments!