Pilot's artificial arm 'became detached while landing plane'

[glendalegoon]

think about it

if an approach / landing is not going well, what do you do?

GO AROUND


The captain could have applied full power (throttles forward) and then called for full power and the copilot would have verified, set full power and THEN the captain could have used his right hand to pull back on the controls.


They could have flown around and fixed the problem and then tried the landing again.

[Flap62]

Glen,

So you would have them apply G/A power with absolutely nobody's hands on the controls?

[Fair_Weather_Flyer]

Some years ago, a friend told me that he was on regional airline a type rating course with a bloke that had lost his arm in a light aircraft crash on the other side of the planet. Said individual regained his medical, moved to the other side of the world and got a job with a low cost airline operating aircraft with a side stick controller. He wasn't able to complete training due to being unable to operate the side stick due to his disability. He then went to the regional airline and passed a TR on a turboprop with conventional controls. I have no idea what became of him.....

I think that the CAA should have a rethink about the incident pilots ability to hold a medical and the airline should give him a training or management role. I know it isn't politically correct to say that. But when you are pairing up new FO's with a Captain whose arm falls off in demanding conditions; oh come on.

[BOAC]

So you would have them apply G/A power with absolutely nobody's hands on the controls?

- not a nice thought!

[OneOffDave]

But when you are pairing up new FO's with a Captain whose arm falls off in demanding conditions; oh come on.

His arm didn't fall off, his "hand" came away from the yoke. Significantly different events.

[toaddy]

The arm falling off is from CNN's headline: Pilot's false arm falls off as he lands passenger plane

Nice going CNN. The report said it detached from the yoke clamp. Not sure if the yoke clamp IS the hand or if there is another 'hand' but clearly the arm didn't fall off. It was some sort of mechanical failure between the clamp and arm.

[tdracer]

The captain that successfully dead-sticked the TACA 737 on a levee after a dual engine power loss only had one eye (IIRC he lost it when he got shot in the head while flying an evacuation during a civil war).

I suspect a high percentage of commercial airline pilots - without any sort of physical handicap - could not have done as well

Personally I'll take a highly skilled pilot with a physical disability over a physically sound mediocre pilot.

[mad_jock]

I think I have been in the back of said pilots aircraft 2-3 times.


And I wouldn't hesitate to do it again

[toaddy]

The problem is not with the pilot, he's fine. It's the mechanical arm created by the medical industry, likely assembled by an intern, with likely no thoughts to air worthiness or reliability. If they'd certify the arm components like the rest of the aircraft I'd fly with him all day everyday.

[Above The Clouds]

For all of you who feel this more than capable, obviously highly skilled, motivated individual should be assigned to an office, ground duties, simulator or some other role than flying because of using a prosthetic arm. Or those of you who feel less than capable of operating as a crew member or are uncomfortable with someone who has a prosthetic limb, wears glasses, or some other disability even being allowed into a cockpit having passed probably a more stringent CAA class 1 medical, been tested in a simulator to higher degree than themselves with a normal class 1 medical, or feel they know better than the medical advisors at the CAA, should sit down, take a deep breath then reflect on their comments posted here.

How many of you would even bother pursuing the CAA to retain a medical after loosing a limb to continue flying, never mind continuing with your airline job ? probably not many of you, most would take the easy route claiming their loss of licence insurance, early retirement pension and take the airline for everything they could get.

Give the guy a break, I for one would rather fly with him over most pontificating on this forum, the 100 hour button pushing wannabes or the infallible been there got the tee shirt ex military types.

The only reason this thread was started by the original OP was because the guy had the balls to put his head above the parapet and report what had happened, only to have it picked up and most likely blown out of all proportion by the gutter press, the passengers had no idea other than a bounce and a hard landing.

Well done for your perseverance and I hope the publicity does not affect your so far successful career.

[ATC Watcher]

If the CAA allows medical exceptions , they are just that : exceptions, and rare events , and given after serious considerations and very often after a long process.
The guys that get those exceptions are generally exceptional people , and this case proves it again , if I read the post of Airjersey earlier.
I hope he can continue his carreer and I will be proud to fly with him.
I did not know Flybe but, reading the comments they made after the event , sounds like a very good airline to fly with too.

[glendalegoon]

flap, boac and others

yes

you move the throttles and a well trimmed airplane will maintain speed (climb), you call for max power and move your good hand to the control wheel.

now, granted, it takes longer to read than actually do.

try it in the sim some time, assuming you really know how to trim.

while some planes may have unique handling qualities , a straight wing turboprop would probably do just fine.

add power in a 737 and the nose will come up, underwing engines don't you know?

now, I'm not saying that once you call for max power, you don't move your hand to the yoke, but try it .

[Angels 99]

glendalegoon - I can only assume you've never flown the Q400, you're suggested course of action at that stage in the landing in those conditions would be moronic. Please never try it.

As for those commenting on the individual involved, I suggest you only do so with full knowledge of the facts. He's a good guy and a better pilot than I'll ever be. I will continue to operate with him without a seconds hesitation.

[Desert Budgie]

I wish this chap all the best. I too have heard from pilots on social media who have made statements in his defense after being bombarded with questions of 'have you flown with this guy?!' Nothing but fine things to say about a guy who has flown into Belfast on many occasions in horrendous condition without incident. Even this wasn't a terrible incident. I'm sure most of us have been in a squeaky bum situation where we thought....S*/T! But it was a non-event because we have 2 arms.

But what I'm curious about is how would you fly from the right seat if you've lost your left arm? There are 2 yokes so if there was a failure of the left limb as a Captain, the F/O could wrestle the aircraft out of trouble with his/her yoke and give you time to sort yourself out.

However if you're flying in the right seat and since there is one set of throttles...surely you can't clamp the arm to the throttles?! If there were to be some sort of failure of the limb and it is stuck to the ONLY set of throttles I would imagine you could be in some sort poo.

Pardon my ignorance. I am sure they have come up with a procedure and everything is safe. I just cannot see what it could be. Unless you can only fly from the left.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=b2IqpPSF9-U

[Sheikh Zabik]

Political correctness gone absolutely mad and I thought the FLYBE Director of flight operations response could be a "Gerald Ratner" moment for the company.

So how many other disabled pilots does FLYBE employ .....and what is the nature of their disabilities? People are scared enough as it is already about flying without being unwitting bystanders to FLYBE's experimenation with their well being.

How about an explosive decompression, an emergency evacuation, fire and smoke on the flight deck? How would the guy cope?
Clearly not as well as an able bodied counterpart......

For goodness sake we only let able bodied pax occupy seats next to emergency exits!!!


Fair play to the guy concerned, hes only doing what hes been allowed to do ( and if Im correct he had to come all tne way from Oz to find someone to employ him?) but at the end of the day this was an entirely forseeable event and at the very least he should be restricted to flying with trainers who are used to recovering a situation from an inexperienced trainee.

[gatbusdriver]

Have you not heard of simulators, LPC, OPC. For those who don't know this is when the chap involved would have had to go through simulated emergencies ie. engine failure/fire, decompression, fire/smoke in the cabin, fuel leaks, incapacitation, double hydraulics failure.........need I go on.

He has been issued a Class 1 medical by the CAA not Flybe, they have just employed him because he is suitably qualified.

[funfly]

It's obviously a safe situation but surely the mechanics of the false arm (or false anything else) should be manufactured, certified and checked to aircraft standards if used to fly an aircraft.

[BARKINGMAD]

WOT WORRIES ME.

A commonly quoted statistic for aviation accidents quotes 70% due to "pilot error".


In that case maybe the medical authorities should be looking ever so closely at that 50,000 year old microprocessor which occupies the space between the ears of us articulate Bonobo Chimps, who have occupied the driving seats of Public Transport aircraft.


Remember UK CAA mandated twice yearly ECGs on the over 40s for many years post Trident "PI" at LHR, til a few years ago when it reverted to the over 60s?


Doubtless the brave and honest Flybe Captain will arrange an improved prosthetic device and we can all go back to waiting for the next major hull loss under the control of 100% complete flight crew unable to fly a visual approach!


Lighten up folks, there are more important flight safety hazards out there, a lot of them flying desks at YOUR airlines HQ??!!

[grumpyoldgeek]

"Arm down and locked" added to before landing checklist?

[superq7]

grumpy

"Arm down and locked"

That is naughty but very funny