http://www.boeing.com/assets/pdf/commercial/aviationservices/brochures/IS_AHM_CustAlert.pdf

(Written on 03/14/2014)(Permalink)

It looks like the only communication system that was NOT disabled after the A/C lost contact was the Boeing Airplane Health Management System. My understanding is that this system is independent of ACARS, and it uploads data to Boeing and engine/avionics manufacturers for maintenance/analytic purposes. My understanding is also that this data" is uploaded once every hour. Looks like these 3 or 4 "pings" is what all the new conjecture is based on.

(Written on 03/14/2014)(Permalink)

Looks more like a Cessna 170 to me.

(Written on 03/14/2014)(Permalink)

"Ya have it or ya don't" - I think you are referring to the natural-born physical talent some people have, a necessary prerequisite to be a world-standard pilot, but not necessarily enough. In any activity requiring complex coordination of external devices, one of the most important factors is starting young. I myself started flying in my late 30s, and would give my eye-teeth to have the natural physical ability of some of my friends. But some of these same friends, who have amazing flying skills are not necessarily safe aviators, lacking good decision-making ability, and general aviation knowledge. I heard Chuck Yeager tell a great story about a buddy of his during the war, who was a great stick-n-rudder guy, but a terrible navigator. He got a crop-dusting job in the mid-west after the war, and one day had to dead-stick it after running out of gas. He picked his spot, and put it down safely onto a gas-station ramp stopping at the pump. He laconically said to the attendant "I'm sure y

(Written on 09/03/2013)(Permalink)

Yes and No. The accident was caused directly because he was wearing skydiving gear. The premature deployment resulting in his ejection would not have taken place had he not been wearing a jump rig. Yes, technically he was probably not wearing "skydiving" gear, but an emergency parachute. Also, emergency rigs are not required for passengers in skydiving aircraft unless the aircraft is doing "aerobatics". Observers on skydiving runs wear parachutes because pilots crank the planes down for the next load, typically exceeding the bank and pitch angles for non-aerobatic flight as defined by the FAA. The PIC is totally to blame for not making him wear a seat belt, and letting a non-trained jumper to sit near an open door with a rig.. He was damn lucky the parachute did not snag on the tail or stabilizer. Premature deployments often result in loss of control of the aircraft.

(Written on 08/18/2013)(Permalink)

If anything, Boeing should be highly commended for manufacturing an aircraft so sturdy, that despite being flown and landed in a manner clearly outside its design operating specifications, it stayed intact enough to have so many survivors. Regarding the auto-throttles malfunctioning, even if the NTSB is indeed able to determine for sure that they were engaged, it still does not relieve the crew of its responsibility to monitor airspeed, a most basic safety requirement in this critical phase of flight. As far as the slides malfunctioning, are not all bets off on systems functioning as designed when the aircraft is damaged beyond a certain point? Is there a g-limit minimum load that is required by law for the proper functioning of slides (similar to that required for seat restraints)? I am sick of lawyers appearing on TV saying that it is unconscionable for Boeing not to have had an aural warning for drop in airspeed etc. etc. How dumbed down can we make these aircraft? Commerci

(Written on 07/17/2013)(Permalink)

Pileits, this is not just idle armchair speculation and wasted energy. Discussions like these give us the opportunity to share ideas, and reflect on critical issues related to flight. Think about the pilot who is set up perfectly on final approach while carrying no power, and he is unexpectedly hit with a downdraft 200' off the deck. A discussion like this could make him rethink the physics of pulling up at the last minute, which could result in averting an accident. I consider myself a fairly seasoned pilot, but I am always learning, questioning other viewpoints, and sometimes revising my thinking. For a pilot starting out, who wants a thorough grasp of the mechanics of flight, a book that was a real eye-opener to me in my early flying days was "Emergency Maneuver Training" by Rich Stowell. I also ended up taking his EMT course. Too much knowledge can never be a bad thing in aviation. Never stop analyzing and thinking.

(Written on 07/15/2013)(Permalink)

from the LA Times this morning: "Asiana Airlines will sue Bay Area television station KTVU-TV for using fake, racially insensitive names of pilots flying the ill-fated Asiana Airlines Flight 214, the Associated Press reported Monday. A spokeswoman for the South Korean airline, Lee Hyomin, said the broadcast seriously damaged Asiana’s reputation" Really?? Compared to the way your reputation has only been slightly damaged by the actions (or inaction) of a couple of incompetent "paid professionals" behind the wheel who were entrusted with the safety of 300 passengers? Seriously, dragging this out will result in every news outlet in the world continuing to replay this video again and again. Asiana can thus ensure a quick recovery of passenger confidence by making this accident live on in the blogosphere, instead of relegating it to a distant memory. Get over it guys.

(Written on 07/15/2013)(Permalink)

One question I have that the NTSB briefings have not answered yet. I know there were two separate crew call outs for a go-around very late in the botched approach (1.5 and 3 sec before impact), but was the go-around sequence actually initiated, and if so, at what point after impact were the throttles retarded and engines shut down? From passenger accounts we do know that there was rapid advancement of the throttles right before impact, and video shows a very high nose-up attitude on short final. One has to wonder if the gear would have cleared the seawall if PF had kept the nose down in those last few seconds instead of pulling up. When that slow, he must have been in the "area of reverse command", where pulling up actually increases your angle of descent. It takes some stick and rudder skills learned in emergency training to fight that human instinct to pull.

(Written on 07/12/2013)(Permalink)

Good points. Just one clarification - LOC Z approach plate for 28L shows 5.5 nm from DUYET to touchdown.

(Written on 07/07/2013)(Permalink)