Miloch wrote in
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http://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news...-bird-flattene
d-this-planes-nose-cone/ar-BB16ujc2?li=BBnbfcL#image=1

An airliner in New York made an emergency landing after having its
nose cone flattened.

The nose cone houses radar and is much more fragile than the rest of
the plane. People involved suggest this damage was from an even less
lucky bird caught in the hailstorm.

Dramatic photos have taken the internet by hailstorm, showing the
dented nose cone of a LaGuardia Airport-bound Delta airliner that was
forced to land at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Monday
evening because of the damage.

Airplanes aren’t fragile, but they do walk a fine line between
lightness and flexibility on the one hand and safety and durability on
the other. What does this dramatic damage tell us about planes?

Producer and casting director Brooke Goldman was one of the 43
passengers aboard Delta Air Lines flight 1076 from Palm Beach
International. First, Goldman tells Popular Mechanics, the pilot—who
knew he was flying into some weather—offered to divert to Bradley
International Airport in Connecticut. The pilot then told passengers
the plane, an Airbus A319, would definitely manage to get to its
planned destination of LaGuardia. After that, the pilot went quiet—but
the weather didn't.

“We went through the storm and there was severe turbulence like I’ve
never felt before,” says Goldman. “Definitely a bit scary, but
overall, not incredibly concerning. We landed at JFK and I honestly
didn’t know we were there at first until the pilot let us know that we
were at JFK due to an emergency landing.”

The pilot told passengers he’d had to make an emergency landing after
dealing with damage to the plane, but he couldn’t tell them in
realtime partly due to the nature of the damage, which had knocked out
autopilot and navigation. That makes sense, since the nose cone of the
plane is vulnerable in this way because of what’s inside.

The look of the jetliner with a flattened nose cone might remind some
readers of an iconic series of commercials from Rubbermaid where a
garbage can is dented by a car or bike. The dent “bounces” out with a
satisfying sound ‘90s kids can never forget.

While comparing the two scenarios might feel crass, it’s also
technically not far off. The nose cone is a radome, which is any dome
that protects and encloses radar equipment. And on many airliners,
these are plastic! They must have as much exposure and radar
“transparency” as possible in order to get the best readings, so
plastic is a better choice.

In this hailstorm, the pilot witnessed the necessary tradeoffs. Even
if hail isn’t blowing around especially hard, pilots can’t really see
it before they start to hit it. On the ground, hail doesn’t have to be
very large before it starts to pockmark car paint and body panels. In
the air, it’s colliding with airplanes going up to 600 miles per hour.

But, Goldman says, that’s not even the most interesting part. She’s
been told the damage was caused by a bird strike rather than a hail
accident. Yes, hail can do this kind of damage, but bird strikes are
much more common—remember the Miracle on the Hudson?—and have more of
the qualities that could crush a nose cone.

In 2017, Oklahoma City Thunder players were on a plane flying into
Chicago when it was struck by something that flattened the nose cone.
Since there wasn’t inclement weather otherwise, it seemed like a bird
strike.

A damaged nose cone can impair the flight’s radar, and especially in a
severe storm environment, the pilot has to do their best with
difficult circumstances. In this case, it sounds like the pilot acted
with prudence and focused on making a safe landing. Goldman says the
extent of the damage was a surprise after the crew had stayed so calm.

“We got off and I didn’t realize the severity of the damage until I
saw all of the passengers taking photos out the window of the plane,”
Goldman says. “I was happy that we were all safe and I felt like the
pilot and flight crew handled the situation really well without
ensuing panic.”




"Hey, Mildred, put eagle back on the menu"

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