Flying (coach) today... some fluid on the wing.

[avbug]

What makes me the know it all, is the 15 years of riding around in the back of that airplane and looking at that wing, it's the 10 years of flying that airplane and walking under that wing! That's what makes me a know it all, just as every other person who flys these types had better know what grease running of of a flap attachment point looks like...

I said in my first responce that the pax did great reporting, and the crew should listen. The crew should not discount information, but if something you have heard a hundred times; then no I'm not going to shut down a flight. There's being conserative, and there's overkill.

Interesting. I am a mechanic, who's not only ridden in the back for many years, but flown from the front seat for many years, and worked on the aircraft for many years...and I wouldn't discount it at all. Heard it a hundred times? Is the flight attendant a mechanic? I am, and I wouldn't discount it, even if I'd heard it a hundred times (and I have); until I could visually verify the source of the leak in real time, I'd take it very seriously.

If you think taking it seriously, no matter how many times you've seen it before, is overkill, then you haven't seen much yet. I've seen little one inch cracks destroy airplanes and kill crews when the wings separated. I've seen an intermittant gear light be the only indicator that the landing gear trunion and spar box was destroyed and about to fail. I've seen a slight flap hesitation be the only indication that the spar was cracked in three places. And so on. Even after crews had reported it many, many times, and nobody took it seriously...because they'd heard it many times and nothing had ever happened.

It only takes once.

Take it seriously.

 

[Jungle_Jet]

One wonders what might have happened on Comair [SIZE=-1]5191 if someone had spoken up?

Or perhaps someone did, and the FA laughed them off, or one of the crew was an arrogant prick like [/SIZE]COpilot.

 

[DrewBlows]

In my (admittedly uneducated) opinion it's a leaky hydraulic actuator seal. The first picture clearly shows bubbling that couldn't have been caused by a slipstream unless the captain was taxiing very fast and we know he wasn't flying Southwest because it's a 757.

If I'm correct the worst that could happen is a total failure and the resultant drainage and loss of a hydraulic system. I suspect the Boeing has three, so it wouldn't be fun but no big deal.

The second picture was clearly during sterile cockpit and significantly after the flight attendant told you to turn off all electronic devices. You put the whole airplane in danger by using your camera in flight. Of course I have never forgotten to turn off my phone and never taken a picture with it on short final to runway 4R into MDW yesterday.

In conclusion, "Don't Fear the Reaper" clearly needs more cowbell.

 

[Say Again Over]

My opinion falls into the category of, If I was the pilot operating that flight, I would have appreciated the information, better to error on the conservative. Now, how to get by the FA, I think I may have written down on paper that there is some type of fluid leaking from the left wing, "please give this to the captain". No offense to FA's but if you try to explain it, they won't have a clue.

 

[Guitar rocker]

One wonders what might have happened on Comair [SIZE=-1]5191 if someone had spoken up?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=-1]Or perhaps someone did, and the FA laughed them off, or one of the crew was an arrogant prick like [/SIZE]COpilot.

I really dont think that COpilot is being an arrogant prick. He is right in that perhaps he would be expected to at least have an idea what the issue was in the picture. And based on his experience in this type of plane....Id say he's qualified. And if yah gotta do the "carpet dance," he is also right about having a little insurance to go with that as in some representation. Nothing wrong with that.

I think yah did the right thing by pointing it out to the FA. If she didnt, she should have called up front there and mentioned your concern to the pilots. FA's shouldnt blow off passengers when a legitimate concern is raised.

 

[Amish RakeFight]

Something I came across on YouTube regarding a British Midland 737 crash from 89'. The link below is a reenactment of what transpired. The quote below is taken from the synopsis of the video.


http://youtube.com/watch?v=NGBeDSvrFZc&mode=related&search=

Shutting down the wrong engine
The Captain (Kevin Hunt) believed the right engine was malfunctioning due to the smell of smoke, because in previous Boeing 737 variants, bleed air for the air conditioning system was taken from the right engine. However, starting with the Boeing 737-400 variant, Boeing redesigned the system to use bleed air from both engines. Several cabin staff and passengers also noticed that the left engine had a stream of unburnt fuel igniting in the jet exhaust, but this information was not passed-on to the flight crew, because they thought that the pilots knew what they were doing.

 

[Mr Wu]

I was a mechanic on 757s for 7 years. That's definitely a hydraulic leak. The yellow color is from the Skydrol mixing with the primer and streaking back. Old leaks get sticky and all kinds of dirt stick to them, that's the black color. The leak you see here looks like it is within limits and apart from putting a wrench on a few B nuts, not much else would have been done right at departure time. You should have brought your concerns to the FA before pushback, she would have probably told the captain about it then but was not inclined to have a gate return on the word of a passanger. It also could have been that it was checked out on the previous flight when another pax reported it to her...