Continental Airlines Dash-8 Q400 Image: lindsaywp
I notice I seem to avoid having to write about stories in the news that aren’t so positive in the airline business. I know those of us interested or that work in this business hate to see when a plane goes down and lives are lost.
Flight 3407, a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400, crashed at about 10pm on February 12th. It crashed into some houses, killing a 61-year old man who was home at the time and all 48 people (44 passengers, 4 crew) that were aboard the plane.
It appears at this point the plane lost forward momentum and came down flat on its belly. Some indicators are pointing to icing that was reported before the crash.
Even though ice could turn out to be the main factor of this, the Dash 8 is well known to handle the ice well and ability to get through almost anything. From what is reported now, it seems this accident happened very quickly, giving very little opprotunity for the pilots to save the doomed plane.
My thoughts go out to the families of those affected by this tragic loss.
Aeroflot-Nord Boeing 737. Image: Osdu
Last September an Aeroflot-Nord Boeing 737-500 crashed and killed all 88 on board. The final report released today shows that the pilot lost “spatial orientation”, banking the plane on its left wing, causing rapid decent into the ground.
It seems the pilot had been overworked, drinking alcohol, and not trained well on the Boeing’s altitude indicator as he should. All Boeing 737 flights have been suspended until additional training can be had by the pilots.
After the crash Aeroflot severed links with Aeroflot-Nord and required they remove all the company branding — probably a very smart move considering what happened.
Captain Sullenberger
I try not to make multiple blogs about the same subject, but as more comes out about US Airways flight 1549, I can’t help but point out how awesome (yes, I am going to use the word “awesome”) the captain, Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger is with this accident.
I was first impressed with how he reacted to the media and not wanting to give statements right off the bat. Then how he wanted to put the plane down in the Hudson instead of risking crashing the plane in a heavily populated area while trying to land on an airport. And now the transcript of flight 1549 was released today showing the calmness of the pilot in a very dangerous situation.
Since I am writing about this again, I can also state it was confirmed that both engines had birds sucked into them and the engines are currently with the Smithsonian Institution to determine what kind of birds they are.
Source: MSNBC Image: Safety Reliability Methods Inc
Flight 1549 Floating in the Hudson
An amazing videos here and here showing the crash and evac (crash at 2:02). Some great pictures can be found here.
You have probably heard of the story in some detail by now, if you have an interest in the airline industry. Normally when I hear about an accident, I think I am about to have to write a blog that I do not want to write about. However, in this case things (other than some minor injuries and probably some nightmares) worked out about as well as an accident can.
Flight 1549 took off last Thursday a few minutes before 3:30pm from LaGuardia on its way to .
At about 3,000 feet, climbing after take off, it is certain that the jet his a group of birds causing both engines to go silent. Most people have the mis-conception that if a large aircraft like this loses it engines it will fall quickly to the ground. However, they still have forward momentum and lift, causing them to glide.
But with only 3,000 feet of elevation in a large metropolitan area, it doesn’t give the pilot too much time to think or maneuver.
After impact all 155 passengers were able to successfully exit the aircraft. Absolutely amazing. I have always seen those water landing images in the airline safety card and thought there would be very little chance a plane could successfully land like that and allow people to escape. I am glad I was wrong!
Continental Flight 1404
A Continental Boeing 737-500 slid off the runway at Denver International Airport this morning. No one was killed, but 38 of the 107 passengers and 5 crew were taken to the emergency room. Looking at the picture of the plane, it is lucky that the number is not higher.
Flight 1404 on its way to Houston had the gear and engine ripped off. The fuselage filled with smoke as the plane started to burn. It is currently believed to be a braking problem that caused this accident to occur.
A very shaky start to the holiday travel season. Hope everyone stays safe and we won’t have any more of these stories!
