Airbus A320 crashed in Southern France
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GPWS Sink Rate Alert Trigger
GPWS BASIC MODES
MODE 1: EXCESSIVE RATE OF DESCENT
Mode 1 has two boundaries. Penetration of the first boundary (2450 feet radio altitude) generates a repeated "SINK RATE" aural alert...
So a peak of 10550' would trigger the "Sink Rate" alert at 13000'.
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Well said Mac. I speak as a recently retired NHS surgeon and you are spot on about the utterly disproportionate and corrosive effect Shipman has had on British medicine. Shipman was basically a murderer who happened to be a GP and therefore had the means and opportunity to carry out his crimes. In fact, he was a much respected family doctor, and would almost certainly have passed his compulsory revalidations with flying colours. I fear that the same repressive attitude may spread to the airline industry as a result of this tragedy, and the knee-jerk reactions of those itching to regulate your profession.
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fa2fi,
We thought that the CVR would be intrusive but everyone now accepts it as a great diagnostic and I don't recollect it repressing robust social comment on the flight deck.
Provided that the use of audio and video recordings is rigidly controlled ONLY to be used by accident investigators then I have no objection to either. Simply make it a criminal offense for the operator to intentionally view or listen.
We thought that the CVR would be intrusive but everyone now accepts it as a great diagnostic and I don't recollect it repressing robust social comment on the flight deck.
Provided that the use of audio and video recordings is rigidly controlled ONLY to be used by accident investigators then I have no objection to either. Simply make it a criminal offense for the operator to intentionally view or listen.
Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult
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West Lakes, the French personnel are drawn from the population as a whole.
On Mar 25th 2015 more than 300 policemen and 380 fire fighters departed Seyne-les-Alpes, the base for the search and recovery, to continue the recovery efforts, that were suspended during the night. Weather conditions are better than expected, no precipitation and less strong winds than forecast.
On Mar 26th 2015 first human remains were recovered from the crash site and airlifted to Seyne-les-Alpes, where relatives have been taken to too.
On Mar 27th 2015 soldiers of the French Army joined the recovery teams providing tracked vehicles. The efforts to recover the bodies of the victims resume after being suspended during the night.
On Mar 28th 2015 Recovery Services, while continuing to recover human remains, still focus on the search for the flight data recorder.
On Mar 29th 2015 the States Attorney of Marseille reported, that the human remains of 78 people have been identified using DNA testing. The Prosecutor said in response to media reports surfacing in Germany, that the first officer's remains have been identified, that those reports were false.
On Mar 31st 2015 Recovery Services reported that an access road to the crash site has been finished and opened, first heavy recovery machinery is on the way to the crash site.
On Apr 1st 2015 the French Gendarmerie reported that all human remains have been recovered from the crash site. Recovery personnel is now collecting personal belongings, the search for the flight data recorder is continuing. The French Gendarmerie is unaware of any video (memory card) recovered from the crash site as claimed by some French and German media.
On Mar 26th 2015 first human remains were recovered from the crash site and airlifted to Seyne-les-Alpes, where relatives have been taken to too.
On Mar 27th 2015 soldiers of the French Army joined the recovery teams providing tracked vehicles. The efforts to recover the bodies of the victims resume after being suspended during the night.
On Mar 28th 2015 Recovery Services, while continuing to recover human remains, still focus on the search for the flight data recorder.
On Mar 29th 2015 the States Attorney of Marseille reported, that the human remains of 78 people have been identified using DNA testing. The Prosecutor said in response to media reports surfacing in Germany, that the first officer's remains have been identified, that those reports were false.
On Mar 31st 2015 Recovery Services reported that an access road to the crash site has been finished and opened, first heavy recovery machinery is on the way to the crash site.
On Apr 1st 2015 the French Gendarmerie reported that all human remains have been recovered from the crash site. Recovery personnel is now collecting personal belongings, the search for the flight data recorder is continuing. The French Gendarmerie is unaware of any video (memory card) recovered from the crash site as claimed by some French and German media.
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Delta flight1651 of 01/02/2015, Minneapolis to LA. The Captain was locked out of the cockpit and the F/O landed the plane. Less than two months later we have another lock out, but with disasterous results. Did the incident of Flight 1651 not prompt the need to consider emergency access to cockpit.
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I think people need to understand that if you shoot some video footage on your Iphone and have iCloud storage and sharing, then that footage can be retrievable immediately in multiple ways , regardless of whether the phone itself is found or not, or regardless of what condition it's in.
We don't need to blame a shady member of the search teams or investigative crew as having 'stolen' a phone from the site of the crash, nor should we be imagining a shifty villager from Vernet selling a memory card to Paris Match.
It's quite possible the video images were accessed/recuperatd via a victims home or office computer. This recuperation may have occurred
a) by a spouse or family or colleague
b) by a shifty computer hacker who works for Paris Match who has penetrated into the iCloud account of a victim
The Police may be quite correct in saying that they have no knowledge of the images.
What is awful is that theses images have not been delivered to the investigative authorities, or so it seems.
We don't need to blame a shady member of the search teams or investigative crew as having 'stolen' a phone from the site of the crash, nor should we be imagining a shifty villager from Vernet selling a memory card to Paris Match.
It's quite possible the video images were accessed/recuperatd via a victims home or office computer. This recuperation may have occurred
a) by a spouse or family or colleague
b) by a shifty computer hacker who works for Paris Match who has penetrated into the iCloud account of a victim
The Police may be quite correct in saying that they have no knowledge of the images.
What is awful is that theses images have not been delivered to the investigative authorities, or so it seems.
(Curious: was the issue resolved as to cause? It appears that the NTSB does not have a file on that, but I may have used the search function incorrectly on their site).
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Linerider
Not neccessarily.
13,000ft is barometric altitude, but the GPWS uses the radio altimeter. There could be mountain peaks in that area which triggered it. I don't know that to be the case, just offering a possible explanation.
I looked it up and found a page of "a320 flash cards" which details the GPWS modes and alerts.
Originally Posted by Linerider
Not neccessarily.
13,000ft is barometric altitude, but the GPWS uses the radio altimeter. There could be mountain peaks in that area which triggered it. I don't know that to be the case, just offering a possible explanation.
I looked it up and found a page of "a320 flash cards" which details the GPWS modes and alerts.
MODE 1: EXCESSIVE RATE OF DESCENT
Mode 1 has two boundaries. Penetration of the first boundary (2450 feet radio altitude) generates a repeated "SINK RATE" aural alert...
So a peak of 10550' would trigger the "Sink Rate" alert at 13000'.
Pull up 3 minutes in advance? (if you only had looked at the article...)
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Originally Posted by Multicpl
As it seems we have crew members killing as many people now as the terrorist have done, maybe it is time to re-think the door.
If you forget nearly 3000 during 911
After Shipman British medicine was never the same again and after 9/11 air travel was never the same again.
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In the USA, depressed pilots could continue to fly if their depression was treated by medication as of around 2010 (Don't know off the top of my head, when it became the case in Europe). The problem is, most depression now is treated by an SSRI, such as Prozac. As has been pointed out before in this forum, Prozac and drugs like it, occasionally cause people who may not otherwise take their own life or the lives of others, to do just those things (Not often, but often enough to be a public safety concern). I'm not thinking that depressed pilots shouldn't fly. In many cases of depression, one of the best treatments is to immerse yourself in your work, to get your mind off of of the depression or it's cause, whether it be piloting or playing football (after any needed time off).
It is too risky for a pilot to take Prozac or similar SSRI's. If depressed pilots must be medicated, they should take an amphetamine such as Dexedrine or Adderall, or an amphetamine analog, like Methylphenidate (Ritalin). These drugs may not help depression as much as Prozac and the like, but they don't have the danger to public safety side effect of suicide, while taking others with you.
A depressed pilot might not quite be "on his game". Crewmates and automation can make up for that, but a pilot on Prozac might be hell on wheels (or wings), while he flies the aeroplane into the mountainside.
Of course, the public may never know if Lubitz was on an SSRI, such as Prozac (aka: Fluctin, Fluoxetine HCL), but it seems likely he and many past mass murderers were on them.
I wonder if Jet Blue pilot, who went crazy on a flight and had to be restrained by passengers, was on an SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor)?
Change the regulations. Prohibit the use of SSRIs for commercial pilots. Pilots and passengers are better off with an un-medicated depressed pilot than one on Prozac!
It is too risky for a pilot to take Prozac or similar SSRI's. If depressed pilots must be medicated, they should take an amphetamine such as Dexedrine or Adderall, or an amphetamine analog, like Methylphenidate (Ritalin). These drugs may not help depression as much as Prozac and the like, but they don't have the danger to public safety side effect of suicide, while taking others with you.
A depressed pilot might not quite be "on his game". Crewmates and automation can make up for that, but a pilot on Prozac might be hell on wheels (or wings), while he flies the aeroplane into the mountainside.
Of course, the public may never know if Lubitz was on an SSRI, such as Prozac (aka: Fluctin, Fluoxetine HCL), but it seems likely he and many past mass murderers were on them.
I wonder if Jet Blue pilot, who went crazy on a flight and had to be restrained by passengers, was on an SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor)?
Change the regulations. Prohibit the use of SSRIs for commercial pilots. Pilots and passengers are better off with an un-medicated depressed pilot than one on Prozac!
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Isotope Toast asked:
"Do we know he flipped the switch from CVR data? "
There's no data on the CVR, just separate audio recordings from each pilot's headset microphone and from a general microphone in the instrument panel.
The operation of that guarded cockpit-door switch might not produce much sound at all, it may be unlikely to be audible at the co-pilot's headset microphone or at the instrument-panel microphone.
I've not read of the CVR recording including the sound of the door-open request or override audio-alerts. Either the investigators felt this was not sufficiently important to include in their briefing or perhaps the sound was inhibited by prior movement of the switch to the "lock" position.
The FDR records data including (I believe) some switch activation relating to flight controls. But, so far as I know from what I have read, it does not include the operation of the cockpit door lock/unlock switch. The FDR memory unit has not yet been found anyway.
It does look like the article you refer to (and quite a few others) is very poor quality as you say.
"Do we know he flipped the switch from CVR data? "
There's no data on the CVR, just separate audio recordings from each pilot's headset microphone and from a general microphone in the instrument panel.
The operation of that guarded cockpit-door switch might not produce much sound at all, it may be unlikely to be audible at the co-pilot's headset microphone or at the instrument-panel microphone.
I've not read of the CVR recording including the sound of the door-open request or override audio-alerts. Either the investigators felt this was not sufficiently important to include in their briefing or perhaps the sound was inhibited by prior movement of the switch to the "lock" position.
The FDR records data including (I believe) some switch activation relating to flight controls. But, so far as I know from what I have read, it does not include the operation of the cockpit door lock/unlock switch. The FDR memory unit has not yet been found anyway.
It does look like the article you refer to (and quite a few others) is very poor quality as you say.
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i am curious about his training. He started with Lufthansa training in 2008, took a break in 2009, then started work for Germanwings in 2013. how long was his break away from training and how long is training when completed alll at once?
to me it seems like a long time between starting training in 2008 and 2013.
to me it seems like a long time between starting training in 2008 and 2013.
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As the period was 8 minutes and the override (apparently) has a 5 minute time out the override would have needed to be operated at least twice which falsifies hypotheses about an incapacitated first officer.
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RYFQB
http://www.parismatch.com/Actu/Inter...e-crash-736774
this link refers to the alleged video (article not video) which is accompanied by the timeline from BEA.
10.30 captain has left flight deck, lock is operated?
10.33 captain heard telling FO it was him trying to enter
10.40 right wing clips the mountain.
that is a minimum of 7 minutes, CEO GW confirmed their reset period is 5m (can be 5-20m).
Think it is fairly safe to assume he had tried the code 1st, didn't spend long in toilet again fairly safe to assume he recognised they were in descent.
http://www.parismatch.com/Actu/Inter...e-crash-736774
this link refers to the alleged video (article not video) which is accompanied by the timeline from BEA.
10.30 captain has left flight deck, lock is operated?
10.33 captain heard telling FO it was him trying to enter
10.40 right wing clips the mountain.
that is a minimum of 7 minutes, CEO GW confirmed their reset period is 5m (can be 5-20m).
Think it is fairly safe to assume he had tried the code 1st, didn't spend long in toilet again fairly safe to assume he recognised they were in descent.
Not really. Nor will be the reluctance some pilots might have to go on an inflight potty break now (re: passenger perception) and instead try to hold it. That in turn creates a cockpit distraction witn a net safety detriment of far more than trying to mind-read potentially nutty crewmembers.
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Surely this is all about probability and risk factors? We all know the accident statistics! High on the list are CFIT and pilot error or system mismanagement.
I very much doubt that a pilot controlled crash hardly enters statistics for being a risk factor so would not have been considered until it happened.
Bird strikes and double flameouts probably ranked higher as a perceived risk factor.
Take the ditching into the Hudson? Thankfully the result was Ok and the pilot was hailed as a hero, but if not what would have been the public reaction had that plane come down into the City!
What could the authorities have done to prevent further double flameouts due to Bird strikes?
This is an exceptionally rare occurrence but it has happened so We have the two crew on the flight deck fix, probably more for public consumption, public confidence than anything like a real safety benefit.
Adding a low experience CC more access to the flight deck and at times when they are alone with one flight crew member is adding another low risk of giving access to a terrorist in the guise of CC with only one person to deal with and an ability to lock everyone else out.
The probability of that is "probably" equally low as an FO taking out an aircraft so you add an equal risk factor to remove another low risk factor?
That doesn't make sense unless you have already changed opinion to considering pilot suicide mass murder as a much higher risk factor than before which i Doubt it is. It will be public perception which will have changed not the risk factor.
My concern is a witch hunt with every pilot now being regarded as a potential mass murderer when really the best people to note his/her daily actions and moods should be the people he /she works with on a daily basis.
There could be real benefit in training colleagues to notice problems with another pilot and to be more forthcoming to that pilot and his superiors! But even there the most dangerous will be the ones who are good at hiding their emotions not the open book variety?
I very much doubt that a pilot controlled crash hardly enters statistics for being a risk factor so would not have been considered until it happened.
Bird strikes and double flameouts probably ranked higher as a perceived risk factor.
Take the ditching into the Hudson? Thankfully the result was Ok and the pilot was hailed as a hero, but if not what would have been the public reaction had that plane come down into the City!
What could the authorities have done to prevent further double flameouts due to Bird strikes?
This is an exceptionally rare occurrence but it has happened so We have the two crew on the flight deck fix, probably more for public consumption, public confidence than anything like a real safety benefit.
Adding a low experience CC more access to the flight deck and at times when they are alone with one flight crew member is adding another low risk of giving access to a terrorist in the guise of CC with only one person to deal with and an ability to lock everyone else out.
The probability of that is "probably" equally low as an FO taking out an aircraft so you add an equal risk factor to remove another low risk factor?
That doesn't make sense unless you have already changed opinion to considering pilot suicide mass murder as a much higher risk factor than before which i Doubt it is. It will be public perception which will have changed not the risk factor.
My concern is a witch hunt with every pilot now being regarded as a potential mass murderer when really the best people to note his/her daily actions and moods should be the people he /she works with on a daily basis.
There could be real benefit in training colleagues to notice problems with another pilot and to be more forthcoming to that pilot and his superiors! But even there the most dangerous will be the ones who are good at hiding their emotions not the open book variety?
Last edited by Pace; 2nd Apr 2015 at 01:10.
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@Lonewolf: "@SevereClear: I detect a bit of "filling in the blanks" in the breaking news story that you linked to. Thanks for the link anyway. If one ever needed an illustration of "if it bleeds it leads" in journalism, this one seems a textbook case."
Not just the video links @parismatch.com, but the text below them of supposed FD step-by-step...if not fully fabricated, it and the linked writings are surely subreption.
I hesitated posting the links, but there are data out there + or -. There is so much that disgusts.
The video and image libraries though are illustrating the enormity of the efforts needed in this recovery and investigation. Few if any ever know or see the number, skill sets, physicality and mental grit recovery and investigative teams attain, let alone in terrain of such extreme difficulties. French officials seem to me to be providing plenty of logical information and the recovery teams are professional not voluntary. Having been fortunate to trade stints at respective areas with French mountaineers/SAR/ski patrol, I learned from interaction that France has highly skilled mountaineers who are also police and a very different system than we deploy in the Rocky Mountains --that is why I agree with another of your points that it is unlikely anything would be purloined, equally because of professional integrity, site/scene protocol, checks and triple checks, and the severity of punishment if discovered. That said, of course anything will likely happen, given the need for immediate gratification of our present Internet Culture...real or made up.
Not just the video links @parismatch.com, but the text below them of supposed FD step-by-step...if not fully fabricated, it and the linked writings are surely subreption.
I hesitated posting the links, but there are data out there + or -. There is so much that disgusts.
The video and image libraries though are illustrating the enormity of the efforts needed in this recovery and investigation. Few if any ever know or see the number, skill sets, physicality and mental grit recovery and investigative teams attain, let alone in terrain of such extreme difficulties. French officials seem to me to be providing plenty of logical information and the recovery teams are professional not voluntary. Having been fortunate to trade stints at respective areas with French mountaineers/SAR/ski patrol, I learned from interaction that France has highly skilled mountaineers who are also police and a very different system than we deploy in the Rocky Mountains --that is why I agree with another of your points that it is unlikely anything would be purloined, equally because of professional integrity, site/scene protocol, checks and triple checks, and the severity of punishment if discovered. That said, of course anything will likely happen, given the need for immediate gratification of our present Internet Culture...real or made up.
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When you think of it, it was stupid devising a system whereby a captain could be denied access to his flight deck.
The one key person you want in charge in an emergency,doesnt have access to all of his aircraft.
The one key person you want in charge in an emergency,doesnt have access to all of his aircraft.
