“…[T]he flight and cabin crew managed the event as a competent team in accordance with standard operating procedures and practices.”
Taken out of context, the rather colorless statement above probably would not generate much interest from a reader not steeped in aviation safety culture. Even some aviation professionals might skim over it looking for more interesting material. Basically, the statement in question just says that the crew followed procedures in doing its job.
But if you add in the context, this simple, declarative sentence takes on much greater meaning. The passage is from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau’s long-awaited final report on the uncontained engine failure that nearly brought down Qantas Flight 32, an Airbus A380 bound from Singapore to Sydney, Australia, in early November 2010. In short, the sentence summarizes how the flight and cabin crews expertly handled an in-flight emergency that had the potential to end disastrously.
Thous…
