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Browsing Tag: Airline Crash

My Day as a [Mock] Airline Accident Victim

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Full scale disaster drill at Kansas City International in full swing. Photo: JL Johnson | AirlineReporter

Full-scale disaster drill at Kansas City International, in full swing – Photo: JL Johnson | AirlineReporter

Practice makes perfect. And in the realm of aviation safety drills, it also creates incredible experiences for willing volunteers. Kansas City International Airport (MCI, or KCI as it’s referred to by the locals) recently hosted their triennial emergency exercise, and I was fortunate enough to score a role as a victim. I was told this was a full-scale drill from the beginning, but wasn’t sure exactly what to expect.

The closest I’ve ever been to anything remotely resembling an emergency was on my very first Airbus A320 flight just a few years ago from Minneapolis (MSP) to Pittsburgh (PIT). It was late, and after a typical approach the engines roared and we were on steep climb. Upon leveling off, the Delta captain came on to tell us we had briefly “lost steering.” After a missed approach and a fly-by, we landed uneventfully, were greeted by an ARFF (aircraft rescue and firefighting) escort, and towed to the gate. This experience, plus participating in some rudimentary safety training with Delta during last year’s #InsideDelta event, formed the foundation for my expectations.

I would soon learn I had no idea how disasters really play out, especially on the ground’¦

UPDATED: TransAsia ATR72, Flight GE235 Crashes Shortly After Take Off

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A TransAsia ATR crashes – Photo: @Missxoxo168

UPDATE 2/4/15 7:00AM PST: The Associated Press is reporting that the death toll from the accident has risen to 25, with 18 people still unaccounted for.  Per civil aviation authorities in Taiwan, the pilot had logged nearly 5,000 flight hours.  The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder (“Black Boxes”) have been recovered, which should assist authorities in determining the cause(s) of the crash.

ORIGINAL STORY: 

TransAsia Flight 235 (GE235), an ATR72-600, has crashed during takeoff while en route from Taipei Sung Shan (TSA) to Kinmen Shang-Yi Airport (KNH), in the Fujian Province. The aircraft, reg# B-22816, was only 10 months old at the time of the crash.

Rescuers and passengers can be seen on the bank with the TransAsia ATR72 in the background - Photo: Yung Jen

Rescuers and passengers can be seen on the bank with the TransAsia ATR72 in the background – Photo: Yung Jen

Video and photos show the aircraft at a steep angle flying over an overpass and then into the Keelung River. At the time of this update, there have been three reported passenger deaths with another few injured.