Its Windy Up In Scotland

[NorthernChappie]

BBC News - Plane 'blown off' Stornoway Airport runway

[Leg]

Loganair off the runway in SYY

Sky News reporting a Loganair/Flybe Saab 340 has departed the runway
at Stornoway, looks like landing gear has also collapsed.

Plane Blown Off Runway At Stornoway Airport

[fireflybob]

Metar egpo 020820z 27022g33kt 9999 vcsh few015cb sct040 05/01
q1008=

[cavortingcheetah]

Here's a little idle devil's advocacy aimed at demonstrating that a Saab 340 take off would have been within limitations for the Metar forecast time.
Rwy 36/18 at EGPO.
Max wind forecast: 270/22g33kt.
Rwy 36/18 max crosswind element as forecast: 22-33kt.
Rwy 36/18 length = 2,199.9m, width = 48.023 m.
Saab 340 max X wind limitations: Rwy width > 23m=35kt.

[Liobian]

So, is it the case that rwy 24/06, with its reduced width, is not available for the Saab ?

[fireflybob]

cavortingcheetah, thanks for the data - any lower crosswind restrictions for wet runway?

[cavortingcheetah]

No idea what runway was in use. Only an idle juggling with figures based on worst cross wind possibilities.
The following table illustrates the correlation between runway width and X wind for the Saab 340?


Maximum Crosswind Component


>23 m Rwy width= 35kts

23 m Rwy width= 25kts

<23 m Rwy width= 17kts

edit for fireflybob: I have no idea. Not rated on the 340 and so all submissions made without benefit of particular aircraft or even airfield experience.

[mikehammer]

Is the metar a forecast???

[fireflybob]

Is the metar a forecast???

No, METAR = Meteorological Aerodrome Report

Here is TAF for period


FC 02/01/2015 04:57->
TAF EGPO 020457Z 0206/0215 25017KT 9999 FEW035
TEMPO 0206/0215 26020G30KT 7000 SHRA
PROB30 TEMPO 0206/0215 26030G43KT SHRAGS BKN014CB=

[mad_jock]

there is absolutely nothing unusual in that's wx for Stornaway.

In fact some might say its normal wx.

As you can see from



The sheep are still happily grazing. When its really windy they get blown across the field and get pinned up against the dykes.

And the wind sock is in one piece to boot.

[fireflybob]

Agree mad jock.

This report implies the event happened on take off:-

Four injured after plane blown off Stornoway runway

[mad_jock]

Apparently it did.

For reasons only the operator and crew will know just now.

Lets face its likely that the skipper has done hundreds if not thousands of departures in similar if not significantly worse conditions there BEB and SUM.

[INeedTheFull90]

Can we just get one thinks straight: it's StornOway, not Stornaway.

[mad_jock]

Sorry its always been SYY for me or Lewis.

And that's my feeling as well Artic something else in addition to the wind.

[INeedTheFull90]

Sorry for nit picking, it's just a bugbear of mine. That and Logan Air

Any further updates from today's incident? Not a Saab driver, but is there a point whereby nose wheel steering is reduced before the rudder becomes effective during the takeoff roll on the SF340? Been on them a lot and seen a lot of them land and depart and they seem VERY stable machines so I was very surprised to hear this runoff occurred during takeoff. It must be very rare.

Glad that all made it out with just a couple of minor injuries. I look forward to the tales of terror in tomorrow's Mail. Always good for a chuckle.

[mad_jock]

Extremely rare, good solid machine with years and years in those conditions and worse, no incidents.

[Cows getting bigger]

Agreed. A good capable workhorse.

[Facelookbovvered]

There have been problems in the past with the nose wheel on the SAAB 340 in windy conditions, think it was either a Business Air/bmi regional/commuter 340 that left the runway at Leeds on take off, should be in the CAA/AAIB files some where?

A very tough aircraft and a joy to handle in strong cross winds

[c53204]

Could this happen on take off?

Air Accidents Investigation: Saab-Scania SF340B, G-LGNE

[Piece of Cake]

Here is the link to the Leeds incident (from 1998)

http://www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources...pdf_501630.pdf