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Old 17th Jan 2008, 22:03
  #65 (permalink)  
Danny

aka Capt PPRuNe
 
Join Date: May 1995
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Multiple bird strike on short finals?

Based on the more plausible eyewitness statements that I've heard, and from the touchdown furrows and the relatively short distance that the a/c slid, it certainly looks like there was very little, if any, forward thrust whilst airspeed was maintained at or very close to stall speed. Whilst I have no experience of the B777, it certainly looks as though this a/c landed at very low speed and probably at stall speed. This, possibly due to the pilots trying to extend their glide to at least put it down within the perimeter of the airport.

The running out of fuel scenario certainly is very unlikely, whether by leakage or faulty fuel gauges. Also, for the FADEC system to remove the power uncommanded is unheard of. What could be a factor, IMHO, is a multiple bird strike whilst on short finals.

Looking at how close to the Localiser antenna the a/c touched down, any failure of thrust more than a few seconds earlier would have had much more dire consequences with regards as to where the initial ground contact would have been. A multiple bird strike that seriously reduced the available thrust, late in the approach, would have left the pilots with no options but to try and stretch the glide and get it on the ground within the airport boundary where light fittings, antennae and other sharp pointy bits are of the frangible type and emergency services are available and trained to deal with the consequences.
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