RAT & Engines influences on ditching effects ?
Hi all,
I remember the 767 from Ethiopian as a good start of a ditching... until the engines touched the water and created a huge drag wich then made the aircraft roll over and get destroyed.
So i'm REALLY curious about 3 things :
1°) Since the RAT deploys automatically above 100kts when you loose AC 1 + 2, losing both engines here probably got the RAT out. What was the influence of the RAT being the first thing to touch the water ? Did it create a pitch down moment ?
2°) Are the engines still attached to the aircraft or not ? How come it didn't have the same bad effect on the ditching as the Ethiopian B767 ? Might it be because the rate created a pitch down moment making both engines touching the water and the same time ?? (and then no yaw moment created, thus no roll over!)
3°)Landing gear : a witness said Landing gear was down! Being opposite to any ditching procedure i know. Might it be because it was planning to land at the smaller airport and then reconsider the situation ? I doubt they went through the Manual gear extension procedure and i doubt gear down could have such a good effect on ditching...
Can't wait to know the answers to those 3 questions.
Anyway, good job !!