WIthout wishing to detract from Centaurus astute posting, one cannot help feeling the makers of Air Crash Investigation must have been desperate when they finalised that program to go to the network broadcasters.
I've watched a few programs in the series and found them to be a little over-dramatised, but this program on AF358 was pure soap.
The official Canada TSB accident investigation report is still not completed. The interim update is available
right here.
What the interim report states is that:
- The runway anenometer device had been hit by lightning and final crosswind and gust information were being estimated by crews from previous landings
- Approach was high - 100ft over the threshold
- Touchdown was 4000 ft into the 9000ft runway
- The flight copped a last-minute tailwind of 5 knots due to wind shift. (Not 33kt as the program implied)
- With a -5kt wind, operative reversers and standing water they needed 6614ft to stop
- The reversers were engaged starting from 12.8 seconds after touchdown and max rev thrust achieved 17 seconds after touchdown
- When the runway excursion commenced the aircraft was still travelling at 79kt
- The aircraft was found to be in full working order and according to the FDMR had 7500kg of fuel remaining on board at the the time of the accident. 4500kg would have been needed to reach the alternate at Ottawa.
Frankly, the program was overhyped for the masses, and was hawked mercilessly by Channel Seven on the coat-tails of the Garuda GA200 overrun at Jogyakarta recently. I've found past ACI programs to be worth watching, but this one was way below standard.
It won't do much for SLF confidence in approaches during thunderstorms, that's for sure.
I could not help thinking the captain will probably be wishing for the rest of his non-flying life that he'd made some different decisions earlier in the final stages of the flight. The French term for Captain is "Commandeur", indicating the role is one of leadership, not that of a monitor or spectator.
And that goes in any language.
VHCU