PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Virgin Aircraft pod strike 737 Samoa
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Old 5th May 2016, 00:09
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Oakape
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Western Pacific
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On my last walk around I spent a few minutes on the issue. The only way I could see well enough under the pod to identify damage was to get on my hands & knees. And I had to do it on both sides of the engine to cover the area completely. Not exactly practical on dirty tarmacs & in the rain, snow & ice. I guess the only other way is to lie on your back & slide under. Like you are going to do that in uniform. Either way, I don't think there is a practical way to adequately inspect the area on a walk around.


Management don't care. They just put in the manual the requirement for the pilot doing the walk around to check the cowl latches & to check for damage under the pod & provide no instruction on how to achieve that. Then they hang you for not doing so when damage goes unnoticed.


The FCTM chart shows that the flap track fairing will hit before the nacelle at pitch attitudes above 1 degree. As there is no reported flap track fairing damage, one would have to assume that the pitch attitude at touchdown was 1 degree or less. That is an awfully flat touchdown attitude. One has to think power into the flare, downslope on runway, float, push it on. Time will tell.
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