MD 80 hard landing
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 3,325
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From: UK
MD 80 hard landing
Someone sent me a video clip of an MD80 landing with a very high rate of descent. The entire tail section breaks off on touchdown, and the fuselage fractures just ahead of the wing (it bends severly on touchdown and it's amazing it doesn't break in half). The mainn gears appear to survive, but the nosewheel comes off.
Any one know any details (It's a poor quality image - can't make out the airline).
SSD
Any one know any details (It's a poor quality image - can't make out the airline).
SSD
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 159
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From: Between land masses
Probably JAS - Japan Air Systems - recently acquired by JAL - Japan Air Lines.
JAS have recently had a series of incidents and accidents that grounded their entire MD fleet for reasons ranging from broken main gear to (rear mounted) engine problems, thereby covering all of the above.
It is something of a "Secret Society" network in aviation in The Land of the Risen Sun, but occasionally the West gets a peek behind the mask of the geisha!
JAS have recently had a series of incidents and accidents that grounded their entire MD fleet for reasons ranging from broken main gear to (rear mounted) engine problems, thereby covering all of the above.
It is something of a "Secret Society" network in aviation in The Land of the Risen Sun, but occasionally the West gets a peek behind the mask of the geisha!
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 328
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From: Just down the road from ISK
SSD
It was indeed the MD80 during testing. A flapless approach with an FAA certifying pilot at the controls!! The aircraft was destined for swissair but not delivered (funnyb old thing!) however, it was repaired and went on to fly further trials.
A second MD80 aslo crashed during landing, the gear collapsing. Air bags and a crane were used to raise it so that the u/c could be lowered. Unfortunately, the crane was not supported properly and toppled, cutting into the top half of the fuselage - result - write off!
I'll try and post a link to the website but it'll have to wait until Monday as the details are on my work PC.
VageR
It was indeed the MD80 during testing. A flapless approach with an FAA certifying pilot at the controls!! The aircraft was destined for swissair but not delivered (funnyb old thing!) however, it was repaired and went on to fly further trials.
A second MD80 aslo crashed during landing, the gear collapsing. Air bags and a crane were used to raise it so that the u/c could be lowered. Unfortunately, the crane was not supported properly and toppled, cutting into the top half of the fuselage - result - write off!
I'll try and post a link to the website but it'll have to wait until Monday as the details are on my work PC.
VageR
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 1,238
Likes: 69
From: EGNX
The intent of this particular flight was to land at a 12fps descent rate, a very hard landing rate for a commercial airliner.
The pilot in command on this flight messed up a bit, and brought it down at a 17fps rate - basically a carrier landing descent rate.
This is almost 3 times the 'normal' landing descent rate of 6fps used by most airlines.
This film-clip is really a testament to the quality of the MDC product.
I'm certain that most airliners would have snapped in half at mid-fuselage at this abusive descent rate.
For only what you see in this film-clip to happen is really amazing....
This plane (Fus. No. 909) was actually rebuilt, and was the primary test aircraft throughout the 80's and early 90's for MDC.
It was a legendary workhorse in the MDC Flight Test stable for many years.
To all you fellow MDC F/T folks,
This film-clip finally made it to digital!
A memory of one of our all-time favorite aircraft....
The pilot in command on this flight messed up a bit, and brought it down at a 17fps rate - basically a carrier landing descent rate.
This is almost 3 times the 'normal' landing descent rate of 6fps used by most airlines.
This film-clip is really a testament to the quality of the MDC product.
I'm certain that most airliners would have snapped in half at mid-fuselage at this abusive descent rate.
For only what you see in this film-clip to happen is really amazing....
This plane (Fus. No. 909) was actually rebuilt, and was the primary test aircraft throughout the 80's and early 90's for MDC.
It was a legendary workhorse in the MDC Flight Test stable for many years.
To all you fellow MDC F/T folks,
This film-clip finally made it to digital!
A memory of one of our all-time favorite aircraft....
Joined: Dec 1998
Posts: 163
Likes: 2
From: PENang, Malaysia
The film clip has a link on the D & G forum.
Link posted here
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...hreadid=117923
Actually carrier landings only look brutal. The sink rate is around 650 fpm, but no flare. The brutal part is the deceleration.
Link posted here
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...hreadid=117923
Actually carrier landings only look brutal. The sink rate is around 650 fpm, but no flare. The brutal part is the deceleration.
FX Guru
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 901
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From: Greenwich
I'm not a pilot so confess to being completely ignorant about this sort of thing, but if they had any technicians sitting in the back to monitor things etc I imagine it would have been quite smelly as well.... 
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 85
Likes: 2
From: Bristol UK
This plane (Fus. No. 909) was actually rebuilt, and was the primary test aircraft throughout the 80's and early 90's for MDC.
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 174
Likes: 0
From: Slaving away in front of multiple LCDs, somewhere in the USA
909 MD-81 JT8D-217 10/18/79 (IASG) N560MD N980DC [MDC/UHB DEMO][SCRAPPED @ SHERMAN-GRAYSON, TEXAS 1994]
While ship 909 was repaired after this landing accident at EDW, it was never used to fly revenue passengers for any airline. MDC kept it and it was later re-registered as N560MD and use as a demonstrator for their UHB concept.
BTW..
http://amelia.db.erau.edu/reports/ntsb/aar/AAR82-02.pdf
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze6kuhd/MD-80.mpg
If that last link above doesn't work, I'm told the clip is also on www.jetthrust.com somewhere,,,
While ship 909 was repaired after this landing accident at EDW, it was never used to fly revenue passengers for any airline. MDC kept it and it was later re-registered as N560MD and use as a demonstrator for their UHB concept.
BTW..
http://amelia.db.erau.edu/reports/ntsb/aar/AAR82-02.pdf
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze6kuhd/MD-80.mpg
If that last link above doesn't work, I'm told the clip is also on www.jetthrust.com somewhere,,,
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 174
Likes: 0
From: Slaving away in front of multiple LCDs, somewhere in the USA
Yep, tailcones have come off, like this guy...
http://www.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!/open.file/016973/M/
...but in the video in question, the break occurred just before the aft end of the engines, everything aft of that (vert/horz stabs, tailcone) was last seen skipping down the runway..
Lovely video..
http://www.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!/open.file/016973/M/
...but in the video in question, the break occurred just before the aft end of the engines, everything aft of that (vert/horz stabs, tailcone) was last seen skipping down the runway..
Lovely video..
ex-Tanker
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 907
Likes: 0
From: Luton Beds UK
HB-INB
HB-INB
The MD-80 which broke its back during testing then suffered the indignity of having the crane which was supposed to be raising it fall on the fuselage:
That aircraft was indeed repaired and delivered to Swissair. I have flown it. Registration as in the title.
The MD-80 which broke its back during testing then suffered the indignity of having the crane which was supposed to be raising it fall on the fuselage:
That aircraft was indeed repaired and delivered to Swissair. I have flown it. Registration as in the title.