Posted on 01/17/2008 6:17:58 AM PST by UKTory
- Made a severe left hand turn to line up with runway.
Flying base too close to the airport?
Hey skip, you know how to land this thing. Well no, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
Report of ‘chatter amongst the flying fraternity’ as described by the Sky News reporter on scene that there ‘may’ have been a mayday call from the plane, that the plane ‘may’ have lost all power and the pilot ‘may’ have had to glide the plane in.
Random gossip basically, but the guy seems to a bit bored to be fair, he’s been standing there for hours without anything happening.
If it dropped like that, I’m guessing a microburst.
Bird strike/engine injestion videos,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji4nZ5k82uk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXrjLXI-A64&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgXkRgkHUk0&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avYE6T2FNIM&feature=related
But that contradicts other witnesses who said that the 777’s engines were running at high power just before it touched down.
My amateur speculation would be that it’s at least partially wind-related, probably windshear. That would seem to be the most straightforward explanation given what’s out there right now. Fortunately, the investigators will have a lot of information to go on as they piece together what happened.
}:-)4
Yep. Would have thought some of the passengers who have been interviewed would have mentioned it if the engines had cut out before they hit grass too.
Some kind of stall?"
Wind shear will do that.
Look for any reports of other heavy aircraft in the area shortly before this one.
Some mention of the plane “...coming in fast.”
Speaking to BBC24, Mr Jones went on: “The engine noise sounded louder than normal and it was that that first attracted my attention.
“The aircraft was banking to the left and it was coming in very low over the surrounding houses. The plane was significantly lower than it would normally be.”
Mr Jones added: “I could see the undercarriage was down and the wing flaps were down. I don’t know how many engines were working.
“You could see the pilot was desperate, trying to get the plane down. The aircraft hit the grass and there was a lot of dirt. The pilot was struggling to keep the plane straight. I think he did a great job.”
All the airport’s fire engines were present at the scene.
The northern runway later re-opened and the Prime Minister’s plane was given permission to take off.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “Police were called at 12.43pm to reports of an incident involving an aircraft on the southern runway at Heathrow Airport.
“We understand that all passengers and crew are currently being evacuated.
“There are no reports of any persons seriously injured at this time.
“There is nothing to suggest at this stage that the incident is in any way terrorist-related.”
IMHO looks like the landing gear came up through the wing on this side. Other main gear and nosewheel were found detached from the plane. Landing in dirt tends to do that...
Seems to be missing a pair of wheels from the bogie.
That is NOT a happy set of landing gear.
Probably a A380 came in before this Boeing and the air had not had time to settle.
There have been warnings about the safety of normal aircraft following that monstrosity.
Look for a coverup by the UK authorities who have a vested interest in the state run airplane company. I’m sure “mechanical” failure in this US made aircraft will be a convenient scapegoat.
I don’t believe the A380 is flying in and out of Heathrow just yet.
The winds are high in London today, windshear or a weather-related issue of some sort is a distinct possibility. Mechanical failure is down near the bottom of the list for something like this, with the reliability of modern aircraft.
}:-)4
A380s don’t start flying into Heathrow until March. Don’t let that get in the way of your elaborate conspiracy theory though!
IMH0 I still can’t believe that pilot input alone can rip the vertical stabilizer off an airplane.
Isn’t it long standing practice to -always- blame the pilot if he/she is dead?
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