Another runway excursion
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Another runway excursion
Air Europa flight to Mallorca damaged after crashing into light beacon in strong winds
Air Europa flight from Valencia to Mallorca damaged after crashing into a light beacon in strong winds. Significant fuselage damage.(I have a photo of the damage but not allowed to upload it. Pprune convert it to a URL that I can't show until I have ten posts)
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ATR 42. Damage to main gear fairing when it hit a runway edge light before returning to the runway according to Aviation Herald.
Runway 24L wind 320/20G34, effectively all cross wind.
The wind would be blowing over the mountains to the North of the airfield.
Incident: Europa AT72 at Palma Mallorca on Jan 28th 2019, temporary runway excursion on landing
Runway 24L wind 320/20G34, effectively all cross wind.
The wind would be blowing over the mountains to the North of the airfield.
Incident: Europa AT72 at Palma Mallorca on Jan 28th 2019, temporary runway excursion on landing
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Just out of interest, what sort of temporary repair can be made to that gaping hole to get the aircraft airworthy to an accredited repair facility?
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I really feel for the pilot. Strong crosswinds would make for an interesting landing and then, possibly as he was thinking "well done, me" a gust does this. These are the times I am glad that I have generally been SLF with a boring career in IT.
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The landing isn't over till you are at taxi speed, than you have the next challenge of getting to the gate without hitting anything.
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I still break out in a sweat when I remember the time when I was taxiing out to do my first solo and came within inches of becoming a "wingtip warrior". Hence I still think "there but for the grace of God go I" when I see reports like this.
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34 knots, downwind of a mountain. There always seems to be someone wanting to be able to say how they landed in these sort of conditions when talking at the bar. I remember diverting once in a case like that. Anybody interested in hearing about it over a few drinks?
That said, judging from the NACA inlet visible in the photo, the items visible inside the cavity may well be air con/ECS components. The repair crew will want to check whether any damage has been sustained to those before any ferry flight takes place.
But I would fully expect the aircraft (which, incidentally, was the first production ATR-72-500) to position back to its birthplace in the next few days - it's only a short hop from Palma to Toulouse.
I REALLY SHOULDN'T BE HERE
ATRs are notoriously difficult to keep straight on the runway owing partially to the narrow MLG track. Additionally on high wing turboprops if you bring the power levers back into the disc position quickly (easily done with a bit of adrenaline in the system after a challenging approach) you can rapidly lose rudder authority as you disrupt the airflow over the vertical stabiliser and rudder, allowing the aircraft to weathercock and take a beeline toward the upwind side of the runway. It will be interesting to see which side of the runway the excursion was on.
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ATRs are notoriously difficult to keep straight on the runway owing partially to the narrow MLG track. Additionally on high wing turboprops if you bring the power levers back into the disc position quickly (easily done with a bit of adrenaline in the system after a challenging approach) you can rapidly lose rudder authority as you disrupt the airflow over the vertical stabiliser and rudder, allowing the aircraft to weathercock and take a beeline toward the upwind side of the runway. It will be interesting to see which side of the runway the excursion was on.
Wouldn't be surprised if the Right Gear also hit the airport structure that caused the damage ...
Affirm !!! ... ATRs are a very good challenge in X-wind conditions.
It will be interesting to see which side of the runway the excursion was on.
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On aircraft like the ATR where the main gear is stowed outside the contour of the pressure vessel, the fairing is typically not classed as primary structure. So a temporary repair doesn't need to contribute much in the way of strength, it just needs to minimise the drag from the hole. I would expect speed tape to figure prominently in any temporary repair scheme.
That said, judging from the NACA inlet visible in the photo, the items visible inside the cavity may well be air con/ECS components. The repair crew will want to check whether any damage has been sustained to those before any ferry flight takes place.
But I would fully expect the aircraft (which, incidentally, was the first production ATR-72-500) to position back to its birthplace in the next few days - it's only a short hop from Palma to Toulouse.
That said, judging from the NACA inlet visible in the photo, the items visible inside the cavity may well be air con/ECS components. The repair crew will want to check whether any damage has been sustained to those before any ferry flight takes place.
But I would fully expect the aircraft (which, incidentally, was the first production ATR-72-500) to position back to its birthplace in the next few days - it's only a short hop from Palma to Toulouse.
The next question, who pays for the damage, Air Europa or Swiftair?