UA landing at Newark
Join Date: Jun 2001
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Change of subject!
Can we maybe steer this discussion into a different direction (away from stairs vs. slides), and start asking questions about why the gear didn't come down? Yes, I know it's just speculation at this point until the report comes out. However, I would be interested in the technical side of this incident!
(Well done, to the crew! They got everyone out ok!)
(Well done, to the crew! They got everyone out ok!)
From the one photo available here, it appears as if the right gear got caught up on the gear door. Obviously its a "timing" issue, (gear door not fully extended before main gear began extending, LGCIU 1 or 2 perhaps?) but it could also be damage to the extension mechanism perhaps at the door - a Virgin A340 had a similar issue a number of years ago now - broken mechanism on the bogey assembly jammed the gear. One question might be, why wouldn't recycling the gear fix the problem unless it was purely mechanical?
The RAT is extended, likely perhaps because the checklist requires shutting down both engines at or just before touchdown (in the flare, not at altitude!)- the power loss on AC1 and AC2 or the perhaps-faulty input from the controlling LGCIU would be sensed; failure of both AC buses is one of the conditions for RAT extension. Hydraulics (another condition for RAT extension) will have been powered until well into the landing rollout. The FDR will tell us all.
The RAT is extended, likely perhaps because the checklist requires shutting down both engines at or just before touchdown (in the flare, not at altitude!)- the power loss on AC1 and AC2 or the perhaps-faulty input from the controlling LGCIU would be sensed; failure of both AC buses is one of the conditions for RAT extension. Hydraulics (another condition for RAT extension) will have been powered until well into the landing rollout. The FDR will tell us all.
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Well here is a note of appreciation for those United Pilots that did the right thing, from a old (77 years old) woman passenger, who hopes sincerely that if the gear didn't come down on one side, and we managed to do such a miraculous landing, I would be the first one down the slide, thank you very much indeed!
As for waiting for the Newark fire department to show up and make the decision, thanks but no thanks.
As for waiting for the Newark fire department to show up and make the decision, thanks but no thanks.
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Jackofalltrades
Please tell me exactly where I wrote: don't deploy the slides in order to save money.
PTH> I take back what I say re money, I misread something you had written. However, I still stand by my comment that I am amazed at your reluctance to use the slides in this case. Like BigHitDH alluded to, the plane dragging down the runway at speed is cause for a fire concern. It is better to evacuate the passengers in a calm manner when the plane came to rest, rather than wait a little and try and evacuate everyone, old and young whilst a major fire has broken out. The panic ensuing then is more likely to cause injuries as it's every man for themselves desperate to get out.
I am a controller, so have been trained to respond and assess all options in an emergency. Yes, that is a different perspective to being in the cockpit, so I accept I'm not fully qualified to judge. But having been in a situation where I've had to use the slides, I can say the risk of a broken ankle is better than being burnt alive.
Lets be thankful that in the KEWR incident that fire didn't break out. However, can you say for certain that if you were in the same position, you could tell for sure that fire wouldn't have broken out before stairs could have been brought to the plane and everyone disembarked?
Please tell me exactly where I wrote: don't deploy the slides in order to save money.
PTH> I take back what I say re money, I misread something you had written. However, I still stand by my comment that I am amazed at your reluctance to use the slides in this case. Like BigHitDH alluded to, the plane dragging down the runway at speed is cause for a fire concern. It is better to evacuate the passengers in a calm manner when the plane came to rest, rather than wait a little and try and evacuate everyone, old and young whilst a major fire has broken out. The panic ensuing then is more likely to cause injuries as it's every man for themselves desperate to get out.
I am a controller, so have been trained to respond and assess all options in an emergency. Yes, that is a different perspective to being in the cockpit, so I accept I'm not fully qualified to judge. But having been in a situation where I've had to use the slides, I can say the risk of a broken ankle is better than being burnt alive.
Lets be thankful that in the KEWR incident that fire didn't break out. However, can you say for certain that if you were in the same position, you could tell for sure that fire wouldn't have broken out before stairs could have been brought to the plane and everyone disembarked?
