Aircraft flies next sector after tailstrike
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Balmullo,Scotland
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I *think* that the 10,000 cycle calculation took the improper repair into account and that a correctly repaired bulkhead would have lasted the natural life of the airframe. Also, if I remember correctly, once the bulkhead patches were in place it was difficult to see from the front that the splice only had one rivet line taking the strain and it wasn't until you saw it from the back that it became obvious. Amplifying the tragedy was that the Boeing engineer responsible for supervising the repair later took his own life, as did several JAL employees.
And yes, this was the first known incident where steering by thrust was attempted. Unfortunately the loss of the vertical stabiliser in this case (as opposed to UAL232 and DHL, where the empennage remained intact) made control practically impossible.
As for the original subject of the thread, I wonder if revisiting the aforementioned incidents in training, including that of ground crew would help sharpen focus on the seriousness of preflight checks?
And yes, this was the first known incident where steering by thrust was attempted. Unfortunately the loss of the vertical stabiliser in this case (as opposed to UAL232 and DHL, where the empennage remained intact) made control practically impossible.
As for the original subject of the thread, I wonder if revisiting the aforementioned incidents in training, including that of ground crew would help sharpen focus on the seriousness of preflight checks?
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I was thinking more about applying it generally than to a specific type though - and was referring more to the BMI DUB incident where the walkround missed significant damage than to the JAL incident where the damage was impossible to see on the walkround (I guess Aloha 243 would be useful as well).
My previous remark was more of a musing than criticism though...
