Jet Crew: Reverse Thrusters Failed in Chicago - Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...121001562.html



--
M. Lattoni
Calgary, Canada

Skype: marc_lattoni
Phone: 403.238.3731
eMail:

Not much room for errors if you look at Midway's layout. You can see
buildings lined up in every corners. One mistake, or failure and you gonna
hurt someone on the ground. I am not saying that it is a challenging airport
to fly in or out, but I am concerned about its safety though. I was
concerned about it for a couple of years. One time, I was on the commercial
flight to Midway. On approach, everything looked good, and when we are
coming down to final, I sensed a problem when the nose dropped aggressively.
The plane then flared aggressively, and made an extremely hard landing at no
landing zone( barely missed the wind breaker). I immediately knew that the
pilot must have let the airspeed drop below the recommended approach speed.
Obviously, it was too late to go around on final because of the time delay
on jet engines. So, pushing nose down was the only option. That was my
assessment. I had the window seat and I could see buildings that were a lot
closer than on typical approaches. I could see that the plane barely missed
the wind breakers. Since I am a pilot, I easily recognized the no landing
zone. I looked around in the cabin after the landing and unfortunately, all
passengers didn't notice anything. I think I was only person on that flight
that got into a brief panic.

Toks Desalu

"Marc CYBW" wrote in message
news:cCWmf.145990$S4.8066@edtnps84...


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...121001562.html



--
M. Lattoni
Calgary, Canada

Skype: marc_lattoni
Phone: 403.238.3731
eMail:

Toks:
Not much room for errors if you look at Midway's layout.

I hear Hong Kong is the most dificult airport to land in, and the most
breathtaking scenery wise.

Jet Crew: Reverse Thrusters Failed in Chicago

Associated Press
Sunday, December 11, 2005; A12



CHICAGO, Dec. 10 -- The reverse thrusters that should have
slowed a Southwest Airlines jetliner before it slid off a
runway at Midway International Airport and into the street
did not immediately kick in when the pilots tried to deploy
them, federal investigators said Saturday after interviewing
the crew.

How much of a role that braking equipment played in
Thursday's deadly accident was not immediately clear,
though, and the investigation is continuing.

The plane's flight attendants told investigators that the
Boeing 737 did not appear to slow after it touched down at
Midway in a snowstorm Thursday, said Robert Benzon, the
National Transportation Safety Board's investigator in
charge.

"They all said it was a smooth landing, but they could sense
a lack of deceleration," Benzon said.

He said the pilots told investigators they began applying
the brakes manually as soon as they noticed that the plane
was not slowing properly. The plane, with 98 passengers
aboard, slid through a fence and into street traffic, where
it killed a 6-year-old boy in a car.

Because of the blowing snow, none of the air traffic
controllers actually saw the plane land, but more than 10
cameras could provide additional information.

© 2005 The Washington Post Company


Automatic deployment of spoilers and thrust reversers
depends on compression of the main gear struts and probably
also the nose wheel strut. The description of a "smooth
landing" indicates pilot error in the technique usewd for
the landing. If the aircraft was flown on the ILS to just
above the surface, a slight flare and a very firm landing to
compress the mains, followed by quickly lowering the nose
they might have been OK. But a smooth landing and lowering
the nose may have been to delicate to trigger the automatic
deployment of the systems.



"Marc CYBW" wrote
in message news:cCWmf.145990$S4.8066@edtnps84...
|
|
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...121001562.html
|
|
|
| --
| M. Lattoni
| Calgary, Canada
|
| Skype: marc_lattoni
| Phone: 403.238.3731
| eMail:
|
|

Flyingmonk wrote:
Toks:

Not much room for errors if you look at Midway's layout.


I hear Hong Kong is the most dificult airport to land in, and the most
breathtaking scenery wise.


Used to be.

Have they opened the new one where they blasted mountains/islands?

Flyingmonk wrote:
Have they opened the new one where they blasted mountains/islands?

The new Chep Lak Kok Airport opened July 1998, the same time the
legendary and exciting Kai Tak in the city closed. It was a sudden, not
a gradual, transfer of operations.

--
Nick

But a smooth landing and lowering
the nose may have been to delicate to trigger the automatic
deployment of the systems.


My goodness. How sensitive are those gear load sensing switches?

Marc


"Jim Macklin" wrote in message
news:lSYmf.22834$QW2.3354@dukeread08...
Jet Crew: Reverse Thrusters Failed in Chicago

Associated Press
Sunday, December 11, 2005; A12



CHICAGO, Dec. 10 -- The reverse thrusters that should have
slowed a Southwest Airlines jetliner before it slid off a
runway at Midway International Airport and into the street
did not immediately kick in when the pilots tried to deploy
them, federal investigators said Saturday after interviewing
the crew.

How much of a role that braking equipment played in
Thursday's deadly accident was not immediately clear,
though, and the investigation is continuing.

The plane's flight attendants told investigators that the
Boeing 737 did not appear to slow after it touched down at
Midway in a snowstorm Thursday, said Robert Benzon, the
National Transportation Safety Board's investigator in
charge.

"They all said it was a smooth landing, but they could sense
a lack of deceleration," Benzon said.

He said the pilots told investigators they began applying
the brakes manually as soon as they noticed that the plane
was not slowing properly. The plane, with 98 passengers
aboard, slid through a fence and into street traffic, where
it killed a 6-year-old boy in a car.

Because of the blowing snow, none of the air traffic
controllers actually saw the plane land, but more than 10
cameras could provide additional information.

© 2005 The Washington Post Company


Automatic deployment of spoilers and thrust reversers
depends on compression of the main gear struts and probably
also the nose wheel strut. The description of a "smooth
landing" indicates pilot error in the technique usewd for
the landing. If the aircraft was flown on the ILS to just
above the surface, a slight flare and a very firm landing to
compress the mains, followed by quickly lowering the nose
they might have been OK. But a smooth landing and lowering
the nose may have been to delicate to trigger the automatic
deployment of the systems.



"Marc CYBW" wrote
in message news:cCWmf.145990$S4.8066@edtnps84...
|
|
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...121001562.html
|
|
|
| --
| M. Lattoni
| Calgary, Canada
|
| Skype: marc_lattoni
| Phone: 403.238.3731
| eMail:
|
|

Have they opened the new one where they blasted mountains/islands?

I believed that they build new airport on man-made land.

On 11 Dec 2005 09:21:53 -0800, Flyingmonk wrote:

Have they opened the new one where they blasted mountains/islands?

well, yes. in 1998.

http://www.info.gov.hk/info/sar2/infrast.htm
---snip
The new Hong Kong International Airport opened to air traffic on July 6,
1998, after an overnight move from the old airport at Kai Tak in one of the
world's biggest peace-time logistical operations.
---snap

#m
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