Episode 6: John Bartels & QF30
Qantas Flight 30 (QF30) was a Qantas Boeing 747-438 (construction number 25067 & registered in Australia as VH-OJK). QF30 was a scheduled flight from London to Melbourne with a stopover in Hong Kong on 25 July 2008. The flight was interrupted when an oxygen tank exploded causing a fuselage rupture just forward of the starboard wing root. There were no injuries and the plane made an emergency (rapid) descent and diverted into Manilla (Philippines).
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In this episode of Flight Podcast, we talk to the commander of that flight, Captain John Bartels. We talk to Neville Blyth that, at the time of the incident, was the investigator in charge of the occurrence.
We also talk to a first class passenger, Mark Strachan. Mark was travelling with his wife and daughter and shares his unique experience.
Captain John Bartels inspecting the 747 damage in Manilla
Length of the podcast
We can only apologise for the length of the podcast (a little over 2 hours). In the interests of compiling a feature that would serve as a reference for pilots and non-pilots, it was important for us to include a mix of material that addressed key issues relating to air safety.
You’ll be happy to know that our discussions with Dick Rutan has been edited to about one hour.
Extras
There is a small amount of audio we’ve included in ‘extras’ that makes information available that was removed from the release program. They’re included at the bottom of this page.
ATSB Report
You may download the ATSB final report here.
Audio Index (in brief)
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00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:40 Ken & Marty introduce the program 00:01:47 Captain John Bartels 00:02:00 John’s aviation background in the Navy & Qantas (06:40) Post discussion with John 00:54:50 Failure rate of cabin & flight crew Nev Blyth (ATSB Investigator in charge) 01:04:32 Neville Blyth Introduction Mark Strachan (First class passenger) 01:34:26 Mark Strachan Introduction Post Discussion 01:53:30 CrewResourceManagement.com |
Images of the incident
| External View | ||
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| Bank of Cylinders | ||
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| R2 Door (cabin crew station) | ||
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More images are available in the ATSB report or via our knowledge base.
Our thanks to:
- Captain John Bartels, Qantas
- Neville Blyth, ATSB
- Mark Strachan
- Qantas Media & Qantas PR
- The entire crew of QF30
Glossary
Here are just a few terms used by hosts and guests
| EICAS | Engine Indicating Crew Alerting System |
| ECAM | Electronic Centralized Aircraft Monitoring |
| ILS | Instrument Landing System |
| FMC | Flight Management Computers |
| “12345″ | VHF radio frequency of 123.45Mhz often used for pilot-to-pilot communications |
| EP’s | Emergency Procedures |
| LOFT | Line-Oriented Flight Training |
EXTRA audio
Audio excluded from the program. Download/listen to the feature below. To save, “right click and save”.
| John Bartels & QF30 [download] |
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| John Bartels (extra) [download] |
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| Nev Blyth (extra) [download] |
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| Mark Strachan (extra) [download] |
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| Sound Effects (extra) [download] |
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| More extras coming soon (3 additional passengers) | |
Next time on Flight Podcast
In the next episode of Flight Podcast we have a fascinating talk with legendary pilot Dick Rutan.
Related podcast episodes:
Category: Podcast Episodes
[...] A very interesting Podcast featuring our own jb747 and the QF30 oxygen tank explosion incident. Episode 6: John Bartels & QF30 : Flight Podcast [...]
I can’t believe I’m the first person to comment on this website given that the program has been listened to by just about every person I know. It would be really great if you could have JB back on to talk about his military history and such. It’s all very interesting. You make it easy for the public to appreciate the claim of Qantas’ pilots for job security when you broadcast the dedication and passion that these people have for both their company and craft. Joyce hasn’t done much for the company except make Virgin’s services more appealing to QF passengers and it’s a shame when we’re (I still use the team we but the truth is I’m a few years retired from the trade) crewed by such a passionate team of people.
I extend my dearest thanks to your team for sharing your obvious talents with the community. You’re doing a great job and we should all be thankful. Cheers. Brian.
Thanks for the kind words, Brian. We’ll certainly have ‘JB’ back on but you may find it’ll be on a new program that contains Australian content almost exclusively. We’re not heading the project but we’re certainly involved. Thanks again.
Just a note to say that I absolutely love your podcasts and this one is no exception. Bravo!
Truly awesome job as always. I literally can’t wait for number 7.
I was a passenger on QF30 so hearing this was kind of theroputic. I feel a lot better about what happened and i don’t care what Captain Bartels says we think he’s a hero.
Professionally produced. Intelligent presenters. Well researched. Brilliantly presented. Captivating content. Simply the best podcast in Australia. Bravo.
Essential listening for all Qantas and other airline crew. You’ve made more information available here than we have available in QF! Well done to JB and Flight Podcast. Awesome work.
[...] Bartels (of QF30 fame), and now an A380 Captain, said: The RAAF teaches power for speed, and attitude for glidepath. [...]