PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - B-737 Cargo Plane down in Hawaii
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Old 29th Aug 2021, 16:30
  #248 (permalink)  
Stuka Child
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Montreal
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It's not a scenario, it's just that a forum member was wondering whether this was a controlled ditching or whether they bounced in at a hypothetical 250 kts, as the fuselage was pretty broken up. While the speed might be off, I agree that they probably either came in fast or got slow and developed a high rate of descent. Not easy to see the ocean at night.

I'd like it however if the legend about the engines digging in to the water and the aircraft cartwheeling and/or breaking up was laid to rest once and for all. This is not what happens. Otherwise, they would behave the same when landing in a field. And they don't.

When there's casualties in a ditching, it's because the aircraft did not touch down at the correct speed and attitude. And you would have very similar damage on dry land in those circumstances.

Unless you are landing in 10 foot swells, a ditching is just a normal forced landing with the additional risk of drowning.
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