QANTAS FLIGHT QF32: LESSONS FROM AN INFLIGHT EMERGENCY

Abstract

This paper summarizes the address by Captain David Evans to the 2011 Air Transport Research Society annual conference in Sydney, Australia. The paper draws on the responses of the crew of Qantas flight QF32 to an inflight emergency to identify areas of weakness in simulator training. Two significant issues that emerge are the lack of simulated training for actions to be taken after the aircraft is successfully landed by the crew and the impact of a high workload on the crew’s ability to hear audible signals.