Decompression Event in an airliner

[bennymac]

That's an amazing story and I agree. I'll admit I find reading about airplane crashes fascinating. The aero industry has learned an incredible amount from these tragedies and the average Joe probably doesn't realize how much more safe flying is today because of this.

Agreed that is a great story of how they pulled off that landing. AD check out the link I posted earlier (should airplanes be flying themselves? Vanity Fair article)

Also this one that talks about the Concorde crash that a lot of people blamed on a piece of runway debris:

http://www.askthepilot.com/untold-concorde-story/

[huckbucket]

I've just got to say that re: the accident Summit mentioned, Al Haynes the Captain of UA232, FO Records, SO Dvorak, and Denny Fitch the Check Airman deadheading on the flight, were true fucking heros. They should get the same (or higher) recognition as Sully. That crew did something considered unpossible: fly a DC10 without the flight controls. That is unquestionably considerably more difficult than gliding an airplane to an off-field landing.

Nobody ever trained for it - because there's no point, you're dead. Capt Haynes could've lost his composure, or gone into autocratic order-barking mode - either would've ensured everyone's fatality. But instead, he collaborated with Capt Fitch, received feedback from the whole crew, considered suggestions/options, and delegated tasks. They quite literally saved 185 lives that day.

Of course, there's a youtube for it. It's really good in fact.

[Supermoon]

Yes, and currently A320. Previously B757, B737, CRJ.

So do you hear these stories and you're like,

"All of this happens to me once a month!" Or have you had some close calls on your flights?"

[Timberridge]

Airline pilot...long hours of sheer boredom punctuated by minutes of terror.

[Ted Striker]

So do you hear these stories and you're like,

"All of this happens to me once a month!" Or have you had some close calls on your flights?"

Years ago there was the cougar flight attendant that needed a ride home... that was a close call.

Stuff happens all the time, but it's mostly benign because engineers like The AD have designed so much redundancy into modern airliners. There's two of everything, and often three of the important stuff like generators, hydraulics and pneumatics.

Plus, pilots are trained and evaluated in simulators for the big ticket stuff like engine and system malfunctions, fires, etc. The slow loss of cabin pressure event that started this thread, was a non-event for the crew.

[hutash]

Link, or is this just Trump-induced-conjecture?

I have a hard time believing that the thousands of people in government and the air travel industry will not keep safety job #1. Downed planes are hard on bottom lines.

No link, just an NPR story about how the Trump and congress want to change how regulations are made and how they would have to prove they would be the lowest cost option, not the safest. The example given was for asbestos, industry fought regulating it for so long because it was cheapest way to go. Had congress listened to the science years ago, a lot less people would be dead from it.

Nope.

ICAO calls the shots.

Boeing and Airbus certify their airplanes for two pilot operation.

The rest of the world wouldn't allow entry of foreign carriers (US) that are non-compliant with international standards.

Plus, we still have unions.

I was just using it as an extreme example of what could happen with the change in vetting of regulation. If cost trumps safety, a lot of bad shit is going to happen. In fact, the reason asbestos use finally changed was because of private lawsuits, not government regulation. Had a proper reg. been written, a lot less people would be dead.

Models can be pilots...



And that one is an interesting one...

http://christinenegroni.blogspot.com...-offender.html

Salacious skies indeed.

Of course then can, look at all the hot pilots in every Bond film.

[neufox47]

Xxx

[bennymac]

Of course, there's a youtube for it. It's really good in fact.

Wow. I had a read one of the articles about it after it was mentioned on here - so I knew the details and how it would end - but still that recreation vid was intense. Thanks for posting that.

[Ted Striker]

The point about fuel stops meaning no bumped passengers/bags makes total sense but not something passengers would normally "get".

Which is why they are seldom told until onboard.

if you're bored I would love to get a commercial pilots opinion about the article I posted earlier

Yeah, I know the story well. And I've been hesitant to reply because there are so many opinions and misconceptions surrounding it. And when things like this happen, some of the analysts/commenters that come out of the woodwork have an agenda to push or personal axe to grind.

Even the sensationalist title of the article is ironic. If airplanes did fly themselves, this crash wouldn't have happened. This was 100% human error. How the error(s) happened stem from a variety of causes, and how to weight each one could be up for debate, but the bottom line is that they mishandled a relatively simple issue, and crashed an airplane that could've been flown safely.

This is going to get TL;DR fast, so I'll stop here, but I could write an essay on it.

[Ted Striker]

@hutash

the real danger this (and really any) administration poses to aviation safety is though de-funding the FAA and NTSB

[detrusor]

I saw captain Fitch talk at a conference in 2004. Incredible.

[bennymac]

This is going to get TL;DR fast, so I'll stop here, but I could write an essay on it.

Thanks (truly) for the reminder to maintain a healthy degree of skepticism when reading journalism on a topic one isn't overly familiar with. I know that when I read an article in the media related to my field I see the misconceptions, opinions presented as facts, and missing pieces of information that someone outside the field would not. Cheers

[Supermoon]

Years ago there was the cougar flight attendant that needed a ride home... that was a close call.

Stuff happens all the time, but it's mostly benign because engineers like The AD have designed so much redundancy into modern airliners. There's two of everything, and often three of the important stuff like generators, hydraulics and pneumatics.

Plus, pilots are trained and evaluated in simulators for the big ticket stuff like engine and system malfunctions, fires, etc. The slow loss of cabin pressure event that started this thread, was a non-event for the crew.

It's cool having the viewpoint of an actual expert on these things.

I imagine a thread all about cougar flight attendants would be well received on here

[Timberridge]

Every aviation enthusiast knows about the approach to St. Maarten’s famous Princess Juliana Airport and the remarkable views of aircraft landing there from Maho Beach directly in front of the runway threshold.

While this has always been a great place to celebrate aviation, it can also turn dangerous.

On March 7, Tuesday, WestJet flight 2652 from Toronto was making a descent through a low ceiling to Princess Juliana. The first attempt through rain and low cloud cover was videotaped and photographed by plane spotters who are almost always at Maho Beach to watch incoming aircraft. On that Tuesday they caught a near miss: a near Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT).

The first approach puts the Toronto flight short and low, low enough that jet wash from the Boeing can be seen creating turbulence on the surface of the water. The flight crew does an excellent job of immediately applying power and going around for a second approach. Commercial flight crews, and especially those trained and, in some cases, specially certified to fly into airports with unusual approaches, are well-drilled both in the simulator and as 2nd officers for flights into these airports before captaining a flight there.

Even with the low cloud cover the second approach in the video has a higher trajectory, is more on glide slope presumably and has no problem coming in safely over the water and clearing the famous fence at Princess Juliana.

The video is noteworthy since incidents like this at Princess Juliana, St. Maarten are actually very rare. According to at least one source, there has never been an accident recorded on the final approach to the famous runway 09/27 at Princess Juliana (even though it’s pretty obvious there have been several near-CFIT incidents and actual mishaps by civil and military aircraft crashing short of the runway at the end of a final approach in both good and bad weather in aviation history). This further speaks to the special training commercial pilots undergo to fly the route.

While there have been conversations about closing Maho Beach to the public for safety reasons it has remained open since there have really been no significant accidents for observers on the ground and it remains a sensational attraction for tourists and aviation enthusiasts alike.

[undertow2]

Of course, there's a youtube for it. It's really good in fact.

Holy shit that was incredible...! I remember watching this on the news and this vid really tells the story of what an absolute incrdredible feat it was for the crew to even keep the plane flying...

I have a load of hrs flying (in sales) and have been hit by lightning, landed during severe weather with hail hitting us on the desent as well as getting hit by severe winds with the wing touching before landing gear... However, last year on my way to my annual end of year ski trip to Bach I lost it... Flying over Wyoming the captain came on told us to strap in and tighten our belts as we were in for some ruff shit... I have been through bad stuff before, but nothing like this... The plane shook like crazy and lost altitude several times, but the final one was the one that did me in... I cant even guess how far we dropped and to boot the plane pitched right and it honestly felt like we were dropping out of the sky... Bins flew open and shit was all over the cabin... People were crying, praying and throwing up...

I have not flown since and am getting on a plane for the frist time for my same end of year ski trip to Bach... I am already having issues and am wussing out by getting a prescription...

I have absolutely no idea how those pilots did what they did and to even have the courage to get back on a plane... Way more guts and courage than I could even begin to comprehend...

[The SnowShow]

Holy shit that was incredible...! I remember watching this on the news and this vid really tells the story of what an absolute incrdredible feat it was for the crew to even keep the plane flying...

I have a load of hrs flying (in sales) and have been hit by lightning, landed during severe weather with hail hitting us on the desent as well as getting hit by severe winds with the wing touching before landing gear... However, last year on my way to my annual end of year ski trip to Bach I lost it... Flying over Wyoming the captain came on told us to strap in and tighten our belts as we were in for some ruff shit... I have been through bad stuff before, but nothing like this... The plane shook like crazy and lost altitude several times, but the final one was the one that did me in... I cant even guess how far we dropped and to boot the plane pitched right and it honestly felt like we were dropping out of the sky... Bins flew open and shit was all over the cabin... People were crying, praying and throwing up...

I have not flown since and am getting on a plane for the frist time for my same end of year ski trip to Bach... I am already having issues and am wussing out by getting a subscription...

I have absolutely no idea how those pilots did what they did and to even have the courage to get back on a plane... Way more guts and courage than I could even begin to comprehend...

That's terrifying. Maybe our resident pilot Pisteoff can chime in: When a pilot gets a report of that kind of horrible turbulence ahead, can they not change course (up, down, left or right) to get around it? What causes such huge drops in altitude?

Also, is there less turbulence when flying at night because the earth is cooler?

[BmillsSkier]

Holy shit that was incredible...! I remember watching this on the news and this vid really tells the story of what an absolute incrdredible feat it was for the crew to even keep the plane flying...

I have a load of hrs flying (in sales) and have been hit by lightning, landed during severe weather with hail hitting us on the desent as well as getting hit by severe winds with the wing touching before landing gear... However, last year on my way to my annual end of year ski trip to Bach I lost it... Flying over Wyoming the captain came on told us to strap in and tighten our belts as we were in for some ruff shit... I have been through bad stuff before, but nothing like this... The plane shook like crazy and lost altitude several times, but the final one was the one that did me in... I cant even guess how far we dropped and to boot the plane pitched right and it honestly felt like we were dropping out of the sky... Bins flew open and shit was all over the cabin... People were crying, praying and throwing up...

I have not flown since and am getting on a plane for the frist time for my same end of year ski trip to Bach... I am already having issues and am wussing out by getting a subscription...

I have absolutely no idea how those pilots did what they did and to even have the courage to get back on a plane... Way more guts and courage than I could even begin to comprehend...

I've always been told re: turbulence, "don't worry, that just means that air is passing over the wings, which is good!"

That worked until I was about 25. Now I just preemptively drain the bourbon selection in the Delta Lounge and hope to be woken up by the wheels touching down. Your experience sounds horrifying.

[summit]

I always thought them most hilarious scene in The Hunt For Red October was when Alec Baldwin explains turbulence to the flight attendant. Who wrote that crap?

[iceman]

Larry Ferguson and Donald Stewart.

[PNWbrit]

the flight attendant.

Worst turbulence I ever experienced was on a flight from BA to Bariloche.... as noted above lockers opening.... luggage falling... several people hurt.. lots of loud Spanish praying, screams, crying, flight attendants (isn't cabin crew the preferred nomenclature?) vomitting in their jump seats.

[summit]

(isn't cabin crew the preferred nomenclature?)

Probably... but Hunt for Red October was 1990 movie about a 1984 book... so I'm probably in the clear.

[PNWbrit]

Probably... but Hunt for Red October was 1990 movie about a 1984 book... so I'm probably in the clear.

Probably get away with calling them trolley dollies in that case...

[iceman]

[undertow2]

That's terrifying. Maybe our resident pilot Pisteoff can chime in: When a pilot gets a report of that kind of horrible turbulence ahead, can they not change course (up, down, left or right) to get around it? What causes such huge drops in altitude?

Also, is there less turbulence when flying at night because the earth is cooler?

When the pilot made the announcement he informed us the turbulence was reported by the flight ahead of us... To your point I was and am curious if flights are allowed to change course once a flight course is booked... I am sure with all of the flights it would be extremely difficult to manage altered flight routes plus I am sure it would play havoc on flight schedules...

Either way I use to love flying and now scared shitless and hope the drugs I am prescribed will help keep my hart in my chest... Again major props to anyone that can have a shit experience flying and jump back n the saddle again... If I was on a flight that loss cabin pressure and had to deal with a steep descent I would absolutely loose it...

BMills - you can bet your ass I will be throwing a couple back before my flight this month... I guess it will depend on whether or not my prescription will allow it... F me I don't want to fly... Guess I should have skipped this thread...

[detrusor]

Love love love the waitress in the sky!