PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - C130 down NE Cooma
View Single Post
Old 27th Jan 2020, 10:40
  #226 (permalink)  
fdr
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: 3rd Rock, #29B
Posts: 2,944
Received 847 Likes on 251 Posts
Originally Posted by SCPL_1988
In this case, the destruction photographed, shows a nasty rate of descent and high forward speed,
its improbable that they were setting up for a forced landing.
?

Do you have other images that support your observation? The images on this forum show a shallow impact angle at a moderate speed in a near wings level attitude. It is inferable that the body attitude was nose up relative to the terrain at impact, but that is also open to interpretation, the debris field will determine that. As the terrain along the slope has an upslope angle, the "nasty rate of descent" does not correlate with the images at low resolution. As far as speed goes, the tail staying on the aircraft, and being within the wreckage trail doesn't support a very high speed impact event. From prior C130 losses, this would not be much greater than the flap limit speed.

Not sure I agree with your assessment.

What is indicated is that the aircraft was likely in one piece and under control up to impact. There is a very low likelihood of an inflight breakup event here, or loss of a primary flight control. Whether the engines were producing thrust would be determined by the wreckage scars and the direction of bending of the propeller blades, and detail within the compressor and turbine.

Low flying over undulating terrain in poor visibility carries a high operational risk, and the guys that do that should be respected for their turning up day after day in challenging conditions to go and do the task.

fdr is offline