Airbus A320 crashed in Southern France
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Bob Viking
The lower slopes of the Alps are clear of snow in many locations. It looks perfectly feasible and consistent with the topography of the area. It looks like an airliner or sorts and I can see the distinctive GWI maroon colour. I think it is fair to say it is genuine.
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RAT 5
It would seem odd if it was a controlled descent to below MSA.
Instead of explosive decompression, it may have been a failure or partial failure to pressurise on the way up to FL380. If both pilots were already starting to suffer the effects of hypoxia before the TOC it may explain the 'gut reaction' to just get down rather than point the aircraft somewhere other than a fast approaching mountain range.
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Local paper Le Dauphine is the source of the emerging photos. They suggest the wreckage is in a dry valley below the snow line.
Haute-Provence | Un A320 s'écrase près de Barcelonnette : 150 morts
Haute-Provence | Un A320 s'écrase près de Barcelonnette : 150 morts
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Decompression theory
It will be pretty quick to find out if it lost pressure due to the position of the O2 mask compartments in cabin. Most failures will still have the cabin descent with the aircraft but it can be done manually too.
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decompression?
Hmm so you think they had decompression issues and tried to get down, which would answer my initial question: If they were unconscious would the plane not continue to fly straight for hours, under autopilot (like in Greece incident some years ago?)
But if they were conscious enough to start a descent, that might be an explanation.
However, if they were conscious enough to start the descent, then they were conscious enough to
contact ATC/declare Mayday/at the very least squawk 77000 which does not even require them to speak (if too weak to do so)
thy did none of that, so i am not convinced by the pressurisation idea.
But if they were conscious enough to start a descent, that might be an explanation.
However, if they were conscious enough to start the descent, then they were conscious enough to
contact ATC/declare Mayday/at the very least squawk 77000 which does not even require them to speak (if too weak to do so)
thy did none of that, so i am not convinced by the pressurisation idea.
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Approximate crash site
According to what I have seen on the picture the crash site would be at:
N 44.280 E 6.439
This is le Vallon de Galèbre
The nearest village is Le Vernet (Département 04 Alpes-de-Haute-Provence)
N 44.280 E 6.439
This is le Vallon de Galèbre
The nearest village is Le Vernet (Département 04 Alpes-de-Haute-Provence)
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Local paper Le Dauphine is the source of the emerging photos. They suggest the wreckage is in a dry valley below the snow line.
Haute-Provence | Un A320 s'écrase près de Barcelonnette : 150 morts
Haute-Provence | Un A320 s'écrase près de Barcelonnette : 150 morts
This looks to be the Google Earth position in the photo above...
Last edited by Lost in Saigon; 24th Mar 2015 at 16:31.
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Curious about those phugoid oscillations. Shame we don't have a speed trace to compare.
As you say, seeing the IAS values might backup, or disprove, that...
Military Excercise
Just for info - no fingerpointing meant: In the Marseille Area (LFMM) there seems to be quite a lot of military activity going on. An exercise called MALAY FREEDOM 01-2015 will be active tomorrow near the projected flightpath of the doomed flight and the LF-138 Restricted Area of Camp de Canjuers goes up to FL530. The latter is a very large military camp and a place where there is rocket firing too. And then, just about where the flight crossed the coast, there's Toulon, the main French naval base, prohibited area LF-P62 up to FL195.
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Decompression and hypoxia
Decompression, hypoxia: it seems most credible scenario. Too early to say, true, but 8 minutes of descending without any radio communication would confirm some degree of incapacitation.
We have seen it before. If we then combine the hypoxia theory with the very busy military area just 25 miles before crash site, "friendly fire" is not an entirely an impossible theory. Damaged fuselage, decompression, hypoxia.
We have seen it before. If we then combine the hypoxia theory with the very busy military area just 25 miles before crash site, "friendly fire" is not an entirely an impossible theory. Damaged fuselage, decompression, hypoxia.
Last edited by ILS27LEFT; 24th Mar 2015 at 16:32. Reason: Addition
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No, they would not be trying to reach the Barcelonette Airfield runway as it is only 2,600 ft long.
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In reality, it is possible that they started the initial emergency descent with a simple spin down of the Alt selector and a pull to get it into open descent. With no other inputs the rate of descent of c3000fpm would be normal, although over high ground you'd normally select the msa.
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Keithpenny
It means if there are 200+ O2 masks laying loose then it's a good chance it was a decompression. If most of the intact PSUs still have the O2 mask door close then there's a good chance cabin pressure never exceeded 14000msl. Quite simple really.
It is highly unlikely that any primary failure would cause the masks to deploy as a secondary failure and few failures that will result in a loss of cabin pressure. What I am saying is it will be very easy to rule a loss of cabin pressure in, or out.
It is highly unlikely that any primary failure would cause the masks to deploy as a secondary failure and few failures that will result in a loss of cabin pressure. What I am saying is it will be very easy to rule a loss of cabin pressure in, or out.
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However, if they were conscious enough to start the descent, then they were conscious enough to contact ATC/declare Mayday/at the very least squawk 77000 which does not even require them to speak (if too weak to do so)
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In a 'quick spin down' of the altitude selector, what are you likely to get? 20K? 5k?
What bugs me with the hypoxia hypothesis, is that the first actions are to put your masks on and establish comms, and only then do you start the descent...