Former USN F-18 Pilot Tammie Jo Shults - Captain Southwest Flight 1830

[RAFEngO74to09]

Tammie Jo Shults - one of the first female USN F-18 pilots from an era before the USAF would allow her to test out for pilot - was the Captain of Southwest Flight 1830 which today suffered a major in-flight emergency.

At 30,000 ft, a major part of the LH engine became detached and went through a cabin window. A female passenger suffered fatal traumatic head injuries and was partially sucked out of the window but was pulled back in by others onboard. With the aircraft depressurized, the emergency oxygen mask system activated.

The aircraft was successfully recovered to Philadelphia.

Details here including ATC / Aircraft captain audio.

https://heavy.com/news/2018/04/tammie-jo-shults-pilot-southwest-flight-1380-engine-hero/

[tartare]

Much respect ma’am.
Superbly cool headed.

[Clockwork Mouse]

The window which was destroyed and which the unfortunate lady was nearly sucked out of is level with the trailing edge wing root, well back from the front of the engine. How was it damaged? A very professionally handled emergency.

[Arclite01]

Not to mention the ATCO who also sounded incredibly relaxed.............

Arc

[KenV]

The window which was destroyed and which the unfortunate lady was nearly sucked out of is level with the trailing edge wing root, well back from the front of the engine. How was it damaged?Flying engine/nacelle parts. Even if the rotating engine bits went radially straight outward, non rotating engine components and the disintegrating nacelle could very well have gone aft as well as outward.

[Wander00]

A good job by all concerned - RiP the passenger who died and condolences to her family

[RAFEngO74to09]

Similar failure on a CFM56-7B in 2016 - same engine as fitted to P-8A Poseidon.


https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Another-Southwest-Flight-Same-Engine-2016-Incident-Philadelphia-1-Dead-480069763.html

[RAFEngO74to09]

Early update from NTSB on latest failure:

Fan blade broke off at the hub - evidence of metal fatigue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxNS8H63oAc

[david01608]

Has anyone else noticed how BBC News coverage of this event consistently refers to the pilot as “Mrs Shults”, even though, in the very same reports, they compare her to “Captain Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger”? Come on, Auntie: due respect, please!

[Lonewolf_50]

Captain Shults. better than Sergeant Schultz (https://memegenerator.net/img/images/7377290/sergeant-schultz.jpg)from Hogan's Heroes.

*tips cap to Captain Shults*

[david01608]

BBC News coverage now appropriately revised: perhaps Auntie follows PPRUNE!

[ORAC]

An emergency handled well, but I can’t help feeling the adulation press coverage referencing the “hero” pilot is - in itself - somewhat patronising; as if it was amazing that a female pilot could perform so well.

[wiggy]

And of course there is the standard gripe that the media seem to not understand that it’s a two pilot operation and were two pilots on the flight deck...........

[ShotOne]

..and of course because she's performed well she's "an ex-USN F18 pilot" but if she'd done anything wrong she'd definitely be a "civvy pilot"

[charliegolf]

as if it was amazing that a female pilot could perform so well.

Or that any pilot could do operationally what she had done a thousand times already in training and simulations.

CG

[Lonewolf_50]

The media my wife had on yesterday, TV stations local and national, seems to have gotten all beside themselves over the Captain hugging some of the passengers once they got on the ground.

[Captain Radar....]

Thought the situation might have been clearer to everyone involved/in the vicinity if some sort of emergency comms procedure had been followed?
I don't think the FAA state much other than to prefix a call with MAYDAY or PAN PAN preferably repeated 3 times but I reckon it might have been worth a shout.

[goudie]

Although she would be well practised in single engine landing, I think carrying it out, knowing that a passenger had died would have added even more stress to the situation.
Can’t practise that in the simulator.

[Brat]

The fact that she got to the Hornet indicates that she was above average.

Good job well done to her and her crew.

Commiserations to family and friends of the unfortunate casualty.

[Ascend Charlie]

Footage from inside shows how little attention the SLF paid to the safety briefs, having their oxy masks only over their mouths.

And the adoration of the "hero" pilot who got them down from 30,000 feet to 10,000 feet and saved their lives....bluddy "journalists"

[megan]

The fact that she got to the Hornet indicates that she was above averageCertainly a well credentialed Lass. Her first assignment was to the Naval Air Station Chase Field where she taught others to fly the T-2 Buckeye. She then qualified to fly the A-7 Corsair II at the Naval Air Station Lemoore and then served as an instructor in the VAQ-34 squadron at the Pacific Missile Test Center under the command of Rosemary Mariner. She then qualified to fly the F/A-18 Hornet, the first woman to do so for the Navy. She flew training missions as an aggressor pilot during Operation Desert Storm training her male colleagues, while military policies at that time prevented females from flying in combat missions. She finished her tour of duty in 1993 flying the F/A-18 Hornet and EA-6B Prowler with VAQ-34.

Lass first applied to the USAF but they turned her down, my alma mater recognised quality evidently. :ok: :E

[oldmansquipper]

I'm sorry...but it matters not one jot what the gender of this person is, isn't, or might be. The emergency was handled well by the crew...which included the captain. End of.

Slightly off piste, but in my experience of teaching people to fly (as a Gliding instructor for many years) one particular grouping consistently stood out as providing the 'better end product' . IMHO - it was the ladies.

[Bob Viking]

It’s funny isn’t it? If I came on here and said that, when I compare all the students I have taught over the years, I thought the males were better than the females I’d be lambasted for it.

I don’t by the way. I view everyone as a student and really couldn’t care less what gender/colour/sexual orientation they are.

When people try too hard to be seen to hold women (insert any other minority group here and it’d be the same outcome) on a pedestal I think it looks even more desperate than if we all just shut up about it and got on with life.

I honestly believe we will not have true equality until we just accept that everyone is different but if we treat them fairly (not necessarily equally) then it is the best for everyone. Recruitment targets etc just make things worse. But then I would say that wouldn’t I? I’m a white male.

Have you seen the picture of the kids watching a football game and the fence is in the way? I think it illustrates the point perfectly.

Standing by to be accused of misogyny/homophobia/racism from the usual suspects.

BV

PS. I think the crew did a great job and I don’t have any problem with the Captain getting the recognition she deserves. Good on her.

[SASless]

I think carrying it out, knowing that a passenger had died would have added even more stress to the situation.

As much stress as having a gravely injured but living passenger and needing to get the injured person to medical care as quickly as possible?

Sad as it is...."dead" removes any urgency re the deceased.

These situations are what you get paid for....not all those boring trips where everything goes dead nuts normal.

The Crew did their job in a professional manner as expected.

Some passengers did far more than expected of them.

Lets brag on them a bit shall we.

[Two's in]

Footage from inside shows how little attention the SLF paid to the safety briefs, having their oxy masks only over their mouths.

...but surely that's all you need as a mouth breather? Quite Darwinian.

[MarcK]

As much stress as having a gravely injured but living passenger and needing to get the injured person to medical care as quickly as possible?

Sad as it is...."dead" removes any urgency re the deceased.Whatever the qualifications of the first responders, they don't have the authority to declare "death" in the field. Even if they are qualified as EMTs or Paramedics, the only conditions that qualify are Decapitation, Incineration, Decomposition, Rigor Mortis. None of that applied.