19/05/2010
There are two reports of airlines flying through ash clouds and suffering severe damage.
In 1982, all four engines of British Airways Flight 9 cut out as it passed through the plume of the Galunggung volcano in Indonesia. The plane was forced to glide for 105 miles before any of the engines were able to restart, but eventually one started working and made a safe landing, with NO visibility through the windscreen!!
Seven years later, in 1989, KLM Flight 867 suffered a similar problems when flying between Amsterdam and Tokyo through Alaska. All four engines cut out when the plane passed through the ash cloud from Mount Redoubt, and glass fused onto the turbines. After descending more than 14,000 feet (4,267m), the crew was able to restart the engines and landed the plane safely, however a large amount of damage was caused to the plane and all four engines had to be replaced!!
Ash is dangerous so just think about these planes if your plane has been cancelled or delayed to go off on your holiday!!