DHL/EAT Crew Lands A300 With No Hydraulics After Being Hit By Missile

Aviation Week & Space Technology ^ | 12/7/2003 | David Hughes and Michael A. Dornheim

[UNGN]

This was almost a Disaster. Imagine if it was a commercial plane full of troops coming home on leave.

[r9etb]

Primary flight controls become inoperative on the A300B4 with total loss of hydraulic pressure, because there is no manual reversion.

Oops. What kind of French dough-head designs a zero-fault tolerant control system?

IIRC, after the Iowa landing, engines-only landings of that sort became a standard training scenario for American airline pilots. I'm wondering if the DHL guys had had some training, too -- the article isn't quite clear on it.

[TheRightResponse]

IMAGINE if it was Hillary's plane back to the states after her "mission".

[The_Victor]

According to one aviation source familiar with the incident in Baghdad, the incredible feat of airmanship is explained partly by a safety seminar the DHL/European Air Transport (EAT) captain attended in Brussels earlier this year. In a stroke of luck, one of the speakers was retired Capt. Al Haynes. In 1989, Haynes commanded a United Airlines DC-10 in which all the hydraulics had been lost due to a center engine rotor burst in cruise. Using engine thrust alone, the United crew was able to crash-land the crippled aircraft at the Sioux City, Iowa, airport, and the majority of the passengers survived.

The sign of a serious hero. Capt. Al Haynes' actions are saving lives long after the actual heroic event.

[UNGN]

Oops. What kind of French dough-head designs a zero-fault tolerant control system?

The same kind of Frenchman that designs a Tail not to withstand pilot rudder inputs.

The same kind of Frenchman that stands there filming when Missiles are being launched against a Commercial Airliner.

Is there any other kind of Frenchman?

[Thud]

ping

[Yossarian]

A Paris Match magazine freelance photographer was with the attackers and shot pictures of the missile launch and strike, which are in the Nov. 27 issue.

F the French.

[eyespysomething]

The same French who designed the Chauchat machine gun in WWI.

[brewcrew]

It's my understanding (being a non-aviator) that the pilot's input into the control systems of an Airbus are equally matched with 4 redundant computers. In essence, the pilot has one of 5 "votes" when deciding what to do to the aircraft to change its course.

Rumor has it that it is the subject of books written by Airbus pilots, and they constantly discuss these things amongst themselves: how to perform specific tricks to outsmart the other 4 computer systems that will be "voting" against them.

[T.Smith]

A Paris Match magazine freelance photographer was with the attackers and shot pictures of the missile launch and strike, which are in the Nov. 27 issue.

Have they set a date for this guy's execution yet?

[r9etb]

It's my understanding (being a non-aviator) that the pilot's input into the control systems of an Airbus are equally matched with 4 redundant computers. In essence, the pilot has one of 5 "votes" when deciding what to do to the aircraft to change its course.

Probably true. However, no amount of computer voting will control an aircraft that requires hyrdaulic fluid, and has none.

[Michael Barnes]

It is generally regarded as one of the great engineering failures in the history of firearms.

LOL

[ArrogantBustard]

Chauchat machine gun

May the frogs never be forgiven for that abhominable design.

[eyespysomething]

Yep, not much brain power put into that huh?

[Ben Hecks]

I'm not making light of the incident but it is interesting that a German-owned aircraft built by the French was brought down by a Russian missile.

[Ronaldus Magnus]

retired Capt. Al Haynes. In 1989, Haynes commanded a United Airlines DC-10 in which all the hydraulics had been lost due to a center engine rotor burst in cruise.

I believe the report I read at the time said that it was not Haynes but an instructor who had been in first class who came up to the cockpit and flew with the throttles while sitting on the floor between the seats.

[The_Victor]

I believe the report I read at the time said that it was not Haynes but an instructor who had been in first class who came up to the cockpit and flew with the throttles while sitting on the floor between the seats.

I've never heard that one before. All the reports I saw credited Haynes "learning" how to fly the crippled DC-10.

[The_Victor]

A quick search turned up this from http://eudoxus.usc.edu/PCA/pca.html

Contrary to the realistically motivated consensus at that time that this flight should have ended in disaster, Captain Al Haynes, with the help of United Captain and DC-10 Flight Instructor Dennis Fitch, quickly improvised a way to keep control of the aircraft by maneuvering the throttles of the remaining wing engines.

You are correct. Learn something new everyday. :)

[bert]

A tight pucker article......