Airbus A320 crashed in Southern France

[andrasz]

Pilots are trained to fully understand the importance of getting on oxygen as THE number one priority.

I may add from experience that LH (group) SOP-s take this very seriously.

In pre-hysteria times I have often flown on a cockpit jump-seats with many airlines. I have only ever experienced on LH to be asked prior to push-back to don the mask and test it. It was a part of the SOP, as it happened on all occasions. This may or may not have relevance, but I doubt that lack of awareness or training played any part.

[xcris]

threemiles, this is an interesting image! If true, the vertical variations can be consistent with plane's (designed) self-trim on descent at a low engine speed (i.e. unable to maintain level flight) with no moves on the respective control surfaces (elevator and pitch trim).

Question: It is possible for the A320 to descend on heading hold, wings level and autothrust disengaged?

http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/5...ml#post8914431

[athonite]

Pozidrive, I think what you were struggling to say that the data wasn't statistically significant, as the data set is thankfully to small.

[Heathrow Harry]

"'Flight recorder transferred'

17:36
According to Le Monde, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve has said the flight recorder will be looked at immediately and has been transferred to the Office of Investigations and Analysis,

[Trackdiamond]

testing O2 masks fir jumpseaters

Andrasz..that is Standard Ops Procedure... In all my flights i demo to my jumpseater how to test and if a crew member have them don n test.Otherwise we might be held responsible!

[DaveReidUK]

Departure was delayed by half hour.The spokeswoman VP couldnt account for why it did when interrogated by a journalist.

According to FR24, the inbound DUS-BCN flight touched down a couple of minutes after the 07:55 STA, so was probably 5-10 minutes behind schedule by the time it arrived on stand.

With a 40 minute scheduled turnround, that wouldn't be enough to account for a half hour departure delay, so there may have been a technical issue.

[fireflybob]

With a 40 minute scheduled turnround, that wouldn't be enough to account for a half hour departure delay, so there may have been a technical issue.

Or a slot time?

[ILS27LEFT]

Only 3 minutes at cruise altitude...

Reached cruise altitude, stayed there for just 3 minutes: exactly when "the thin unbreathable air outside, is at its greatest. Any weak spots on the fuselage resulting from metal fatigue or even corrosion can fail due to the large pressure differential"...just 3 minutes there.

"The flight data recorder monitors cabin pressure and will reveal any sudden changes. The cockpit voice recorder may have recorded the sound of any failure of the aircraft’s skin but investigators will especially listen to the pilots’ speaking voices towards the end of the cockpit voice tape"
...in this case voices will change earlier, around 8/9 mins before end of tape.

They will very likely find the following:
"A slower rate of speech, long delays in answering questions and slurred words are tell-tale signs of hypoxia"

[jugofpropwash]

"NO INDICATION OF TERRORISM IN AIRPLANE CRASH" Yes, but that does not rule it out either.

All the White House is saying is that none of the usual suspects have claimed credit for taking out the plane - and presumably, that they haven't had any recent intel that something was planned. If the White House didn't say something, then everyone would be taking "no statement" as being an indication that it was terrorist related.

[busTRE]

I think it is safe to discount the creeping depressurisation. There are several warnings that would alert the crew to this in good time. As posted earlier, at least one of these is effectively impossible to miss.

Other theories including sudden decompression are on the table

[weebobby]

From AV Herald:

Radar data suggest the aircraft had reached FL380 about 3 minutes prior to leaving FL380 and descended from FL380 through FL110 in 8 minutes (average rate of descent 3375 fpm). The aircraft appeared to have levelled off at FL068 for one minute while on a northeasterly heading of 26 degrees true, mountains rise up to 8900 feet about 1nm north of the last reported aircraft position.

[4468]

As far as hypoxia, after a cabin decompression is concerned: Wouldn't it be usual to keep the a/p in for the descent, and dial 10,000 (or higher?) into the MCP? (Useful consciousness 20-30 secs?)

In which case the a/c would level at that altitude, and fly to fuel exhaustion/impact with terrain?

I accept, everything currently known seems to tally, but a significant number of possibilities are still very much in play. No doubt the talking heads on TV will be able to explain all!

[aviator17]

Rapid fire?

What about a rapid developing fire and smoke? Crew started emergercy descent but unable to call ATC...

[DaveReidUK]

They will very likely find the following:
"A slower rate of speech, long delays in answering questions and slurred words are tell-tale signs of hypoxia"

Very likely? That's a tad premature, given how little we know so far.

[weebobby]

a hypoxia event seems most likely to me

with the pilots managing to set the plane in a steady descent before being knocked out ?

strange that it didn't level out at 10,000 but maybe they accidentally set the level out to 6800 ?

[Trackdiamond]

terrorism

Not any air accident or explosion for that matter has got to be terrorist or Islamic driven.If it was malucious terror..they would have owned up by now.if we have to speculate let us be more intelligent about it and base it on known facts...like possibly that 30 minute delay whose reason isnt being disclosed even when GW is interrogated. This is an old and highly utilized aircraft...maintenance ussues might be at work? LCCs normally operate young fleet to enable dispatch reliabity for their frequency hungry and effivient operations.Why would an airline like LH get rid of it?? But to pass it on to its subsidiary?! Perhaps they couldnt find a buyer...too old and used at 58000 hours???

[aviator17]

Autopilot?

If A/P disengaged?

[DaveReidUK]

The aircraft appeared to have levelled off at FL068 for one minute

I wouldn't place too much credence on that, it could equally be that a minute or two elapsed without FR24 having received an altitude update, rather than the aircraft having levelled off in the meantime.

[Trackdiamond]

Any ACARS data?

Surely MCC/OCC might have some clues....?

[threemiles]

The aircraft appeared to have levelled off at FL068 for one minute

This is nonsense. You must filter the FR24 data as the clocks of the different receivers are far apart and misleading. Receiver 1418 is the one with the best and cleanest data.