So, we are now up to page 21.
Just in case there is anyone here interested in analysing the accident - that is, what actually happened to the airplane, or might have happened, here is my summary of the available information. The links to posts are permalinks, but the numbers displayed are current sequence numbers, which of course may change.
jbsharpe gave the link to the IAA announcement
Irish Aviation Authority - Aircraft Crashes at Cork in his post
#41.
4015 gave the link to an
article in the Daily Mail with many pictures in his post
#50.
Super VC-10 referenced the first report in Flightglobal
Manx2 Metroliner crashes in Cork: fatalities reported in his post
#64.
aterpster posted the approach charts for Cork, EICK, in
#83. Direct URL is
http://www.terps.com/charts/Cork.pdf.
sevenstrokeroll gave info on the Garrett TPE-331 engines with which the plane was equipped. Here is a summary I posted to a private group:
Originally Posted by PBL
There is a negative-torque-sensing system on the Garrett TPE331 turboprops. They are single-shaft, so it is necessary to feather the prop partially if the prop starts driving the turbine during flight, to prevent enormous and probably dangerous asymmetrical drag, and there is a mechanical system which does this. One may complete feathering manually, or there is auto-feather, depending on the installation, and
AFAIK there is no word yet on which for EC-ITP.
During normal shut-down, it is necessary to lock the props in fine pitch manually, to avoid excessive drag on start-up. During an abnormal shutdown, as obviously occurred here, lack of oil pressure leads to partial feather if it's possible.
The summary was endorsed by a colleague of almost two decades who flew Metroliners. sevenstrokeroll's original posts are
#284,
#287,
#289, and
#291 . Ron Herb contributed some more in
#290 as did Templer in
#299.
I gave the reference in
#134 to David Learmount's later article in Flightglobal/Flight International. It seems to have been discovered by others here, three days later, which goes to show just how many people are truly interested in reading what is posted here. To repeat:
PICTURE & GRAPHIC: Crashed Metroliner in Cork identified as EC-ITP.
The Blimp posted a useful picture of the wreckage lying next to the runway at
#189.
Machaca posted an enlightening photo of the wreckage at
#266. I suggested that it might be worth thinking about how the prop got bent that way in
#320. Irish Steve was the first to note that a blade from the left prop was in the feathered position, from the original picture posted by The Blimp.
wozzo posted an article from the Irish Examiner
giving some details of what investigators said at a news conference in his post
#330
Someone also posted a link to a collection of photos in thejournal.ie at
In Photos: The Cork plane crash tragedy TheJournal but right now I am missing who it was (apologies!).
I still think it is worth thinking about how the left prop got that way in Machaca's picture. I don't mean in general - I mean a plausible detailed mechanical sequence. For example, how long does it take to feather a prop in fine pitch on an TPE-331 engine producing normal power? A longer or a shorter time than it takes to slide a couple of hundred yards on landing and flipping over?
(And for all this continuing speculation about people busting minimums - does anyone here know they didn't have vis? No, no one knows it. Indeed, no one knows it but the pilots, and they are sadly no longer with us. Note that reports say that the fog was lifting, indeed was gone within a short period after the accident.)