Pilot's artificial arm 'became detached while landing plane'
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Aircraft are sometimes subjected to zero and negative 'G', which rather negates that point.
He was , apparently Flared when the disconnect happened.As withan able-bodied pilot,he grabbed the Yoke back...just,with the other hand. with the system-latency of the aircraft, I think the throttles would make not a jot of difference.....more likely, the sudden short pitch forward of the controls ,caused a "bunny-hop" which gave the impression of a bounce....
..dunno, wasn't there, it was two years ago, never happened before, unlikely to ever happen again..... I'd think blocked /faulty Pitot-probes, sticky rudder-servos, bits of titanium dropping off and bursting tyres........ are far more important issues than, "If you wear a prosthetic, brief your oppo that theres a < million -to-one chance it may detatch from the Yoke, so follow -through on critical phases of the flight"....OK? i'm out of here
Avoid imitations
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_incidentally....a balljoint,installed so that gravity holds the ball in the socket, will not separate ,if within it's articulation limits
the harder it's loaded, the tighter the two parts engage.
the harder it's loaded, the tighter the two parts engage.
When the assembly is being used,gravity plays no further part in it's mechanical integrity.
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Such a wringing of hands, (no pun intended) and gnashing of teeth around here for the incident. How many not physically handicapped pilots fly perfectly fine aircraft into terrain. Sometimes a Captain or even FO very suddenly becomes incapacitated or even dies on short final...... Are the nattering nabobs calling for increased standards and increased monitoring and vigilance of medical standards for all pilots?? I would guess not. Probably one of the first actions taken by pilots for an airline so affected by a pilot actually succumbing in flight is a check of the seniority list.
Is there a call by many that supposedly non handicapped pilots of modern jets actually be taught and checked hand flying skills, with perhaps some emphasis on how to fly, say an A330 by hand at altitude, and visual approach and landing skills for some 777 "fliers"?
And mods, before you deep six this post, as I again post a quote attributed to Flybe senior management that the Dash 8 incident pilot was a senior pilot and "one of its' most experienced and trusted pilots." That definition should be appropriate to define any Airline Captain, and certainly from the perspective of senior management.
Is there a call by many that supposedly non handicapped pilots of modern jets actually be taught and checked hand flying skills, with perhaps some emphasis on how to fly, say an A330 by hand at altitude, and visual approach and landing skills for some 777 "fliers"?
And mods, before you deep six this post, as I again post a quote attributed to Flybe senior management that the Dash 8 incident pilot was a senior pilot and "one of its' most experienced and trusted pilots." That definition should be appropriate to define any Airline Captain, and certainly from the perspective of senior management.
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The only question that matters is, was flight safety compromised directly as a result of the pilot`s disability. This must be considered by applying the question in the opposite sense, had the pilot not been so disabled as to be reliant on a prosthesis, would this event have occurred.
Had the event led to a serious accident what could the position of his employers be. I think short of pleading a defence as an equal opportunities employer under the Equality Act 2010, it could well have turned out a bit of a sticky wicket for them.
Had the event led to a serious accident what could the position of his employers be. I think short of pleading a defence as an equal opportunities employer under the Equality Act 2010, it could well have turned out a bit of a sticky wicket for them.
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It's a classic 'black swan' event, this one, with low probability and potentially high severity.
Human nature tends to screen out very unlikely events (it had not happened to the captain during many flights before, why should it happen now?), but that does not mean that they are absent.
No harm (i.e. injuries/deaths) arose from this incident and possibly some good, in terms of applied learning about flying with prosthetics.
A lot of the learning in the airline industry was paid for in blood, fortunately this one was a free gift
Human nature tends to screen out very unlikely events (it had not happened to the captain during many flights before, why should it happen now?), but that does not mean that they are absent.
No harm (i.e. injuries/deaths) arose from this incident and possibly some good, in terms of applied learning about flying with prosthetics.
A lot of the learning in the airline industry was paid for in blood, fortunately this one was a free gift
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I'm fully in favour of equal rights and I support the disabled being allowed to be pilots provided that safety concerns can be fully mitigated.
That being said, if I saw a one-armed pilot getting on my plane, I would immediately and catastrophically brick myself.
That being said, if I saw a one-armed pilot getting on my plane, I would immediately and catastrophically brick myself.
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Guy, we must trust the Authority, I'm sure this Captain had to show proficiency to the Authority on various tests on a sim and on the real plane, I'm sure he had to proof the same performance (if not better perf) than an able bodied pilot.
Any pilot can get sick in a plane, even an able bodied one.
Any pilot can get sick in a plane, even an able bodied one.
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FFS. 13 pages and counting.
I know this pilot. He is a bloody fine professional. A trainer and Sim instructor as well. His "artificial arm" is just a lower arm cup and attachment and a set of clip on grips for yolk and tiller. He has to detach from the yolk after landing to clip to the nose steering tiller so it's a quick release mechanism and clips and unclips dozens of times a day.
Had this happened a second or more earlier he would have been able to lip back in, just like anyone with sweaty palms might slip their grip and grab back. It was just the worst timing in this event and his quick reactions got the flare completed. Applying full power on a Q400 is something to behold BTW. It is very dynamic!
I would put myself and family on his aircraft any day. No problem.
I know this pilot. He is a bloody fine professional. A trainer and Sim instructor as well. His "artificial arm" is just a lower arm cup and attachment and a set of clip on grips for yolk and tiller. He has to detach from the yolk after landing to clip to the nose steering tiller so it's a quick release mechanism and clips and unclips dozens of times a day.
Had this happened a second or more earlier he would have been able to lip back in, just like anyone with sweaty palms might slip their grip and grab back. It was just the worst timing in this event and his quick reactions got the flare completed. Applying full power on a Q400 is something to behold BTW. It is very dynamic!
I would put myself and family on his aircraft any day. No problem.
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FFS - sounds like denial of what happened and a wish to pretend it was trivial.
But it didn't happen a few seconds earlier, did it? And an able bodied person would have changed hands quickly to re-establish full control
I'm of the view that the learning gained from this incident for such a low cost is a positive thing, but just because you know the pilot and would put your family on this aircraft does not mean others are to be attacked for expressing an opinion.
But it didn't happen a few seconds earlier, did it? And an able bodied person would have changed hands quickly to re-establish full control
I'm of the view that the learning gained from this incident for such a low cost is a positive thing, but just because you know the pilot and would put your family on this aircraft does not mean others are to be attacked for expressing an opinion.
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Doesn't matter.
Irrelevant.
Extraneous.
But it didn't.
Err no not quite. I don't need to remove my remaining hand from the flying controls to put my other hand back on do I?
The point is that for a short period of time the aircraft was not under positive control and it was only luck that prevented a more serious outcome. Still.
He is a bloody fine professional.
A trainer and Sim instructor as well.
Had this happened a second or more earlier
just like anyone with sweaty palms might slip their grip and grab back.
The point is that for a short period of time the aircraft was not under positive control and it was only luck that prevented a more serious outcome. Still.
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if any landing right down to touchdown is not right a Go around should be instigated if the pilot does not feel he can resettle the aircraft safely from a bounce or whatever.
if a detached arm meant the pilot continued the landing on a wing and a prayer then thats wrong.
i was not there so have no idea whether it was a wing and a prayer landing or a bad bounce or drift which the pilot could fully control without a Go around.
i have seen able bodied pilots become passengers to a botched landing.
The seneca twin can go into a bucking motion which will eventually lead to violent bucks until the aircraft breaks the nose and falls on the props.
The only way out of this situation is to apply power and back pressure not to continue braking and trying to stop the aircraft.
The able bodied pilot remained frozen at the controls feet firmly on the brakes and it was only my own intervention which stopped us breaking the nose and falling on the props.
As stated I am sure this pilot is excellent but only he knows whether the continued landing was a decision by a pilot in full control or a wing and a prayer landing not in full control because of the missing arm.
if it was a wing and a prayer landing then that needs to be addressed so it does not happen again, able bodied or not!
if a detached arm meant the pilot continued the landing on a wing and a prayer then thats wrong.
i was not there so have no idea whether it was a wing and a prayer landing or a bad bounce or drift which the pilot could fully control without a Go around.
i have seen able bodied pilots become passengers to a botched landing.
The seneca twin can go into a bucking motion which will eventually lead to violent bucks until the aircraft breaks the nose and falls on the props.
The only way out of this situation is to apply power and back pressure not to continue braking and trying to stop the aircraft.
The able bodied pilot remained frozen at the controls feet firmly on the brakes and it was only my own intervention which stopped us breaking the nose and falling on the props.
As stated I am sure this pilot is excellent but only he knows whether the continued landing was a decision by a pilot in full control or a wing and a prayer landing not in full control because of the missing arm.
if it was a wing and a prayer landing then that needs to be addressed so it does not happen again, able bodied or not!
Last edited by Pace; 23rd Aug 2014 at 16:11.
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We should also recognise that the incident fell well inside the REQUIREMENT for an ASR to be raised, so while the Captain was quite right to do so, he would have been in breach of regulations had he not done so.
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Why not distil this to an potential AAIB report finding. If this had resulted in fatalities.
Where do you hide the ovbious conclusions?
This is about political correctness.
How long before we are required to have blind bus drivers?
I am not being unkind, mearly questioning the rational of our social perspectave and the exposures that arise.
In a perverse way, this counters the health and safety culchure which sees to take us the other way.
Where do you hide the ovbious conclusions?
This is about political correctness.
How long before we are required to have blind bus drivers?
I am not being unkind, mearly questioning the rational of our social perspectave and the exposures that arise.
In a perverse way, this counters the health and safety culchure which sees to take us the other way.