Posted on 05/31/2009 7:58:41 PM PDT by Steelfish
Jumbo jet packed with British tourists seconds from disaster after it fails to rise on take-off
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER 01st June 2009
Hundreds of passengers narrowly avoided disaster when their plane nearly crashed after taking off.
The British Airways plane shook violently and did not rise more than 30ft above the ground as it set off from Johannesburg to London.
The pilot has been praised for his quick actions in keeping the Boeing 747 in the air, saving the lives of the 256 passengers on board.
Miraculous escape: The British Airways Boeing 747, similar to this one, is thought to have gone into landing mode so that the flaps that make it rise did not work
Travelling at 200mph, he dumped enough fuel for the aircraft to eventually gain height, before returning it to the airport.
It is believed that a technical fault caused the plane to go into landing mode so that the flaps that normally make it rise did not work.
An investigation is under way as to how the jet came so close to crashing.
A BA spokesman said: 'As a precaution BA56 Johannesburg to Heathrow flight on Monday May 11 returned to the airport shortly after take-off due to a suspected technical problem.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Flight software hacked???
/johnny
So the media thinks there are two sets of flaps. One to take off with and the other to land with.
Yeah, I didn’t get that part.
Yeah, “failing to rise” would be a problem alright...
I wonder if you also raise the take off gear and lower the landing gear.
What is the significance of BA being privatized ? Why does it not mention the losses BA incurred before it was privatized ?
I just flew a Quicksilver GT500 from Washington, GA to San Antonio, TX and back, the entire trip was terrifying. Never got bored.
Silly me, I thought they set the flaps BEFORE takeoff. Anyway 'landing flaps' are always at a greater setting than 'takeoff flap' settings. The article doesn't make any sense.
It is a long flight out of Joberg, flights take off as heavy as possible, and the runway is at 5000ft, so there is little margin for error.
Can’t do that because as a government-run institution losses can be more easily hidden.
British Airways 747
U should have stopped in to see me. I’m in New Braunfels Texas just north of San Antonio. That’s a very small plane-like vehicle to cover such distance.
Different FMS computer configurations for specific flight regimes....
Selected/programmed inappropriately -- ruh-roh
How much is the pilot going to be fined for dumping fuel and polluting the environment?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.