Sndie,
Thanks for pointing the details - my bad for not reading all the links. I apologise.
Snapped arresting cables are not uncommon, which is why the USN (and the RN of old) have well trained and exercised deck crews whose job is to replace broken cables as quickly as possible. (I was told the USN aim for about one and a half minutes).
However, it also raises the question of how many arresting cables the Kuznetsov normally has rigged. If one was broken on a USN carrier, day recoveries would normally continue using the remaining cables, or so I have been told.
It's also interesting that the article mentions a 'reserve arresting cable' - anyone know what that was referring to?
There '3 to 4 minutes' landing interval is also long - that means about 9 to 12 minutes to recover a 3 ship formation - a long time if the course into wind isn't where you want to be going. (like towards the shore). I am told that the USN aim for day recoveries about 45 seconds to a minute apart, as id the RN of old.
In any case, this accident shows just how demanding cat and trap aviation is.
Best Regards as ever to all those doing it,
Engines