Recent Plane crashes

[KW4MW]

8/16 # - Venzuela - 158 dead - reported engine trouble
8/14 # - Greece # #- 121 dead - technical failure, voice recorder still missing
8/6 # # - Sicily # # # - 13 dead # - lost engine power
8/2 # # - Toronto # 309 lucky souls escape death

21 major crashes this year alone worldwide with almost 1000 fatalities.
#http://www.planecrashinfo.com/ #and the 2005 data base #http://www.planecrashinfo.com/2005/2005.htm

What's the deal lately? #The airline industry used to be so safety concious. #Are the maintenance crews to blame? #How about the bean counters that factor costs against risk? #Aging aircraft? #Sabotage? #

Do you have a fear of flying now?

[KD6NIG]

I'd say aging equipment and maintance.

And with fuel prices going up, I can see them going more and more to "keep it flying a few more years" versus paying for new airframes.

[K8ERV]

What I don't understand is why the Greek plane crashed when it was at 35K and on AUTOPILOT. Not very many mountains that high last time I looked. Was on course, so should not have run out of gas.

The article did say there may have been some staff trying to run the plane, maybe they got it out of autopilot, but then the recorder would have shown that.

Any opinions?

TOM K8ERV Montrose Colo

[W9AFB]

When the flight crew gets incapacitated at altitude and the autopilot is on, there's nothing to shut off the autopilot. The plane keeps flying until it runs outta gas. Remember the Payne Stewart crash a few years ago? Same thing there.

[KI6ADA]

Wanna find a non-accident humorous airplane story. Go to any of the SF Bay Area News web sites and read what happened to United Airlines last night at SFO. I used to work on C-130 in the military, I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw this news report on local television..............:laugh: http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

[al2i]

I fly in a 737 that is very similar to the Greek plane every week. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

[K8ERV]

How about NEXT week?

TOM K8ERV Montrose Colo

[KB9ZLB]

al2i, you'll be fine...

as for the crash...i guess they are looking into what happened. as for all of the plane crashes, flying is probably one of the safer ways of transportation. now that will probably come back and bite me in the butt, but ya know. car crashes are constantly happening. plane crashes? no...

http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif

[K5RCD]

What causes plane crashes ?

GRAVITY !

[K8ERV]

Wrong, it is when the pilot's cooling fan quits!!---

[ai4ep]

it is the aliens...

[n0jaa]

Quote[/b] (ai4ep @ Aug. 16 2005,14:23)]it is the aliens...
In the black helicopters?

[n2nh]

Quote[/b] (al2i @ Aug. 16 2005,13:22)]I fly in a 737 that is very similar to the Greek plane every week. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif
Hopefully yours has both a pilot and a co-pilot. They still haven't found any sign of the pilot.

Heck even after all this, I'm still not afraid of flying. I'm not even afraid if the engines stop. Not even if the wings fell off. It's that sudden stop at the end that scares me.

[al2i]

Quote[/b] (n2nh @ Aug. 16 2005,13:24)]Quote[/b] (al2i @ Aug. 16 2005,13:22)]I fly in a 737 that is very similar to the Greek plane every week. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif
Hopefully yours has both a pilot and a co-pilot. They still haven't found any sign of the pilot.

Heck even after all this, I'm still not afraid of flying. I'm not even afraid if the engines stop. Not even if the wings fell off. It's that sudden stop at the end that scares me.
It is freezing solid that freaks me out. Nice Avatar BTW!

[K8ERV]

If you were a neutrino you would not have to stop. But then, you would not have much fun on the way thru.

TOM K8ERV #Montrose Colo

[al2i]

Thankfully, I haven't been neutered. Yet.


http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[K8ERV]

A commerical pilot commenting on his high salary once said, it was not for the routine flying, it was for that 15 seconds of terror.

TOM K8ERV Montrose Colo

[kj5t]

I have never been on a plane, but it would not bother me go board a plane right now.

[KF0RT]

Q: "If we lose one of these engines, how far will the other one take us?"

A: "All the way to the scene of the crash."

Kudos to Ron White...

73, Rob

[al2i]

I've been on a 737 when the left engine exploded in flaming chunks of metal (blew a turbine blade). I've been on a 737 when the triply-redundant hydraulic system failed with a spectacular spray of fluid off of the right wing and we had to land without flaps or steering. And I've been in a 737 when the indication was that we didn't have landing gear lock and landed under full emergency proceedures (but we did have "lock", thankfully).

NOW I have to worry about freezing? Great! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

[n2nh]

Quote[/b] (KD5OWO @ Aug. 16 2005,16:43)]I have never been on a plane, but it would not bother me go board a plane right now.
If you gotta have a first flight, may I suggest not using National or LaGuardia. Especially at night. They're very busy old airports with very short runways and most landings are over water. Probably the closest thing to a carrier landing that you can get on a commercial jet. Sarasota was almost as bad. The airport looked to be the size of a basketball court.

[KI6ADA]

I remember flying into Baton Rouge. There is a street with a fence at the dead end near the end of the runway. As you look out the window on the RH side you will see water than a fence than you land. In that order.
The next crazy landing was Chicago O'Hare. It was Christmas Eve and I had a connecting flight to SFO. I looked out the window and everything was White and all I could see whas miles of Railroad parked and no where to go. When we landed I could here the ice hitting the bottom of the plane. The crazy part after that was there was a 20 minute delay between take off and landings so they can de-ice the runways. I was happy to see cold but sunny SFO on Christmas Eve.
The best flight I have had was flying in a C-130. It was loud if you took off your headphones but toook off and landed on a dime. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[w5ljm]

I'm usually too busy eating and watching the flight attendants. If we were to crash, I'd die happy.

[al2n]

Get used to the crashes, there will be more if things continue they way they are and you will see more in the USA as well.

Airlines are cutting costs everywhere these days. Where they once had in house mechanics doing all the maintenance, many airlines, both foreign and domestic have outsourced the heavy maintenance to countries like Mexico, Thailand, Brazil, etc.

Safety is not regulated as much in those areas as it is in the USA. Plus an in house mechanic has a more personal connection to their work than some guy who will never have his family on board the aircraft they are servicing.

Same holds true for baggage handling. More of it is done by outside vendors now more than ever. Contract companies pay little with no benefits and most of those that they hire are from countries that have produced many a terrorist. How much would it take for one of those guys making 7 bucks an hour to sneak a bomb in a bag on board? What is stopping them from going through your bag looking for valuables? Say nothing of getting your flight out on time.

Take it from an airline employee. Things are going to get much worse in the next couple years.

[WS2L]

Being an aeronautical buff I see the YYZ (Toronto) crash nothing short of a miracle. What most of us air travelers don't realize is that some of the planes we fly in are over 20-25 years old, think about a 25 year old car. Sure these planes go through rigorous inspections but the people performing them are HUMAN, apt to error. Planes of today are all computer controlled, to be honest I would feel safer flying in an old B-52 with half the anaolg gauges missing then one of these new fangled computer jobs.

[K8ERV]

Quote[/b] (al2i @ Aug. 16 2005,16:33)]NOW I have to worry about freezing? #Great! #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif
I thot all AK's worried about freezing.

TOM K8ERV Montrose Colo

[K8ERV]

Quote[/b] (w5ljm @ Aug. 16 2005,23:46)]I'm usually too busy eating and watching the flight attendants. #If we were to crash, I'd die happy.
You must have had different flight attendants that I had!!

TOM K8ERV Montrose Colo

[KW4MW]

al2n Posted on Aug. 17 2005,01:02Quote[/b] ]
Get used to the crashes, there will be more if things continue they way they are and you will see more in the USA as well.

Airlines are cutting costs everywhere these days. #Where they once had in house mechanics doing all the maintenance, many airlines, both foreign and domestic have outsourced the heavy maintenance to countries like Mexico, Thailand, Brazil, etc.

Safety is not regulated as much in those areas as it is in the USA. #Plus an in house mechanic has a more personal connection to their work than some guy who will never have his family on board the aircraft they are servicing.

Same holds true for baggage handling. More of it is done by outside vendors now more than ever. #Contract companies pay little with no benefits and most of those that they hire are from countries that have produced many a terrorist. #How much would it take for one of those guys making 7 bucks an hour to sneak a bomb in a bag on board? #What is stopping them from going through your bag looking for valuables? #Say nothing of getting your flight out on time.

Take it from an airline employee. #Things are going to get much worse in the next couple years.
That is pretty much my take on the airline industry. #Thanks (I guess) for confirming my worst fears.

I worked for United at SFO for awhile and recall one of the shop technicians really getting reamed because he didn't install a safety wire on a multiwire connector for the radar scanner. #I suppose that today it would be no big deal.

Anyway, if I have to go back home because of an emergency I'll drive. #I prefer 16 hours of drive time to 6-8 #hours of flying time, 2 stops and three different carriers. #

BTW I believe that there is a Federal law that says if you are flying anywhere out of the south you MUST be directed through Atlanta. # http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[w5ljm]

Quote[/b] (w5ljm @ Aug. 16 2005,17:46)]I'm usually too busy eating and watching the flight attendants. #If we were to crash, I'd die happy.
Well I'm not actually EATING and watching the flight attendants. I'm actually eating FOOD and watching FEMALE...

ha ha http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[N0KLT]

Quote[/b] (n2nh @ Aug. 16 2005,22:28)]Quote[/b] (KD5OWO @ Aug. 16 2005,16:43)]I have never been on a plane, but it would not bother me go board a plane right now.
If you gotta have a first flight, may I suggest not using National or LaGuardia. Especially at night. They're very busy old airports with very short runways and most landings are over water. Probably the closest thing to a carrier landing that you can get on a commercial jet. Sarasota was almost as bad. The airport looked to be the size of a basketball court.
Having his first flight terminate(what a choice of phrases) at Chicago's Midway airport in the daytime is a must also. Nothing like looking up at the top of buildings or over at some guys desk out your side windows as you land. I have not landed there in years but lord have mercy that was a thrill in a small 2 engine company plane. I suppose someone considered that airport's location a good idea at the time it was built, but I sure can't understand the appeal of the place.

[KW4MW]

Ever fly into (literally) San Diego?

[W9AFB]

Quote[/b] (N0KLT @ Aug. 17 2005,16:31)]Having his first flight terminate(what a choice of phrases) at Chicago's Midway airport in the daytime is a must also. Nothing like looking up at the top of buildings or over at some guys desk out your side windows as you land. I have not landed there in years but lord have mercy that was a thrill in a small 2 engine company plane. I suppose someone considered that airport's location a good idea at the time it was built, but I sure can't understand the appeal of the place.
Midway used to be one of the busiest airports in the country back in the 50's. #At that time, there was plenty of room. #Then O'Hare came along and took all the big planes and became the monstrosity it is today.
Landing and taking off at Midway is fun! #Sometimes I wonder if the landing gear is going to hit the TV antennas on the houses! #I'm not kidding about that either http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[KF0RT]

I once knew a ham who had a 70' tower just east of the main E-W runways at Stapleton Airport in Denver (now closed). His tower was within FAA spec.

One day, someone crashed a single-engine private plane into the garage of the house across the street from him on takeoff, no survivors. As I recall, the wings were sheared off as the plane entered the garage. Never could figure out how the pilot missed the tower.

73, Rob

[K8ERV]

Quote[/b] (KF0RT @ Aug. 17 2005,16:32)]#Never could figure out how the pilot missed the tower.
Slow learner?

TOM K8ERV Montrose Colo