Four Plane Pile-Up At Fort Lauderdale

[ORAC]

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- A four plane pile-up at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport is under investigation by the National Transportation and Safety Board.

Initial reports were that a pilot was behind the controls of the plane, but sources told Local 10 that a maintenance person was piloting the Sabreliner that went out of control and plowed into three other planes around 3 p.m. Friday.

Accident investigators will examine whether the plane's brake hydraulics system failed.

According to witnesses the propellers on the first plane, a Cessna, were spinning and clipped the left wing of the Sabre as it taxied the tarmac at the airport around 3 p.m. Two men on a tug were pulling the second plane when the Sabre approached, according to witnesses. The men then jumped off the tug leaving it to plow into the Sabre. Those two planes then collided with a third plane before coming to a stop, witnesses said.

No one was injured, according to officials.

"The only plane that was manned was the one that ran into the other planes," said Ted Lawson, spokesman with the city of Fort Lauderdale.
The incident happened on the north side of the airport in a parking area for airplanes.

The impact caused a fuel leak, which was sprayed down by the Fort Lauderdale Fire Department, officials said.

[Web-Footed Flyer]

:rolleyes::rolleyes:Raw video footage here

http://www.local10.com/news/15197632/detail.html

:ugh:

[Pugilistic Animus]

"Impact Causes Fuel Leak On Runway, Officials Say"


Why don't the press understand what a Runway is? that TOO technical?:*

[matt_hooks]

Propellors?

I see only jets there, no props, unless there's another aircraft I can't see!

Glad to see no-one was injured! Looks like an expensive bit of sorting out to do!

[sevenstrokeroll]

sabreliner...if memory serves, one must switch a switch or hold a button to get nosewheel steering...perhaps the mx guy didn't know that?

[Nov71]

PA
Maybe they meant runAway:hmm:

[Bearcat]

these biz jets were waiting for the scrappers anyway................

[Roy Bouchier]

Nosewheel steering on the Sabre was always one of its weak points. Being electro-hydraulic gave it every opportunity to screw up on you - usually in the form of a hard over when the electrics went down to earth.
And you did, of course, have to engage it manually by hitting the switch on the yoke.
Looks like Damien Webber will have some work on his hands though!

[sevenstrokeroll]

thanks roy

I also recall a wow switch that sometimes failed (wow...weight on wheels)

[Roy Bouchier]

That too! But for real fun it was the oversensitive tiller steering they put on the 80 models.
I take it you were a Sabre driver at one time?