Aviation

Woman Sues Airline for $850,000, Claims Flight Attendant Dumped ‘Scalding’ Coffee on Her

A Virginia woman has sued Qatar Airways, claiming a flight attendant slopped “scalding hot” coffee on her lap, causing serious burns, according to the suit.

Zahra Azizkhani, 72, is seeking $850,000 in damages.

She said she was flying from Virginia to Iran last year to visit the country for the first time in years.

Her alleged ordeal began mid-flight, when she said a steward serving coffee dropped the hot liquid on the passenger’s stomach, causing serious and painful burns, according to the suit.

The attendant, the woman claims, did nothing to help her. The burns were so severe that she was unable to wear fabric over them, restricting her travels in Iran because of the country’s strict laws about women’s clothing.

In court filings, the airline denied the incident took place.

The spill also damaged the woman’s passport, causing it to discolor, the suit contends.

That resulted in Azizkhani being detained for more than two hours at Tehran’s international airport while immigration officials interrogated her, the lawsuit claims.

She said she was eventually allowed to leave after authorities determined her identification was legitimate.

courtesy : Inside edition

Aviation

Lost Tool Found in Qantas A380 After 34 Flights

An Australian Transportation Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation recently revealed that a Qantas A380 operated 34 flights with a 1.25-meter nylon tool lodged in one of its engines.

This turning tool, used during borescope inspections to rotate the intermediate-pressure compressor, was left behind during scheduled maintenance at Los Angeles on December 6, 2023. It remained inside the engine until it was discovered by maintenance staff during a subsequent check at Los Angeles on January 1, 2024.

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The ATSB report highlights two critical lapses. First, maintenance engineers failed to notice the tool during final checks for foreign objects after the borescope inspection. Second, the lost tool procedure was not activated when the tool was identified as missing.

The certifying engineer ultimately cleared the aircraft for service without accounting for the misplaced tool. During the time qantas films the tool was inside, the A380 completed 34 flight cycles, accumulating nearly 294 hours without any noticeable effect on engine performance.

Although the tool was deformed by high-energy airflow within the engine, there was no reported damage to the engine itself. ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell commented.

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“This incident underscores the importance of following established maintenance protocols. Engineers missed the tool during foreign object checks, and the required lost tool procedure wasn’t started after realizing the tool was missing.”

Following the investigation, the airline issued a safety directive, urging all engineering and tool storage teams to adhere strictly to these protocols to prevent similar incidents in the future.

A qantas spokesperson stated, “While the tool didn’t impact engine performance, we take this incident very seriously. It is critical to follow the correct lost tool procedures.”