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-   -   Air France jet clips smaller plane at New York's JFK airport (https://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/448494-air-france-jet-clips-smaller-plane-new-yorks-jfk-airport.html)

Feathered 15th Apr 2011 02:18

robertbartsch wrote:

....anyone care to speculate on how long it would take to repair the AF wing? I assume this situation is much different from the wing that was damaged from the RR engine failure last year; right?
Apparently less than 24 hours.... Actually less than that because I doubt maintenance was allowed to touch the airplane before the investigators gave the ok.

"It will buff right out..."

SimJock 15th Apr 2011 08:45

Just two points from my observations.

From the overhead pics provided, this '+' intersection has clearance bar lights (3 yellow in pavement hold lights). Accepting that these are normally used for low vis operations, it might be a good idea to use these for A380 movements, ie hold the A380 at intersections until the preceding aircraft has reported, in this case 'on stand' or in another case 'at it's next cleared postion'.

The apron area boundary is marked in this case by a road, on other airports there is often a dark pink or red line which I assume marks the boundary between the declared taxiway width and apron area. The 'see and avoid' principle surely still applies on the ground, if it's hanging out past the line or boundary, stop and get it investigated.

Just my opinion.

Exascot 15th Apr 2011 08:51


If the A380 captain had seen the potential collision and had come to a stop to avoid it but then somebody had rammed him from behind who would have been at fault then?!
No question unless it was also an AF of course:hmm:

Airbus_a321 15th Apr 2011 09:20

agree with rananim and mountainbear in almost all aspects, but the AF skipper is not to blame - it's all ATC fault - maybe a little too relaxed. Or was the skipper given Taxi clearance on "own discretion" ? - for shure not.

On a good airport with good controllers all my career long we were always advised to stop, or to hold short or.... until the ground traffic was clear. sometimes the controllers were overcautious and also we reported clear from ground traffic they were waiting for info from additional sources. so JFK obviously a "special airport" with "special":} ground controllers...

aviatorhi 15th Apr 2011 10:04

@Simjock,

Not a bad idea, but don't single out the A380, I think the 747-8 and the An-225 fit into the same category as far as width is concerned.

@A321,

While I'm not part of the lynch mob saying the AF A380 driver is exlusivley at fault, he contributed the most of anybody. It's his responsibility to know where his wingtips are and he failed at that. Failed by as little as 6 inches but failed all the same.

Advance 15th Apr 2011 11:00

Ready, Fire, AIM.... FACTS first??
 
Post #145 correctly states the A380 is an ICAO Cat F aircraft. It is also only 3/4" less than the maximum permitted wingspan for that category.

Does JFK airport meet the ICAO standards for operations of Cat F aircraft?

If not, why does the FAA and the Port Authority permit Cat F operations?
Published procedures are a work-around to mitigate risk from a known safety problem; they do not eliminate risk nor do they reduce risk to that contemplated by the standards internationally agreed.

If JFK does not meet ICAO standards for the type why are operators of Cat F aircraft permitted by their State of Registry to use JFK?

Whilst we are at it, does any runway at JFK meet the ICAO standards for the aircraft? (Or at LHR or CDG or SYD or anyplace else?). If the runways do not meet the standards why would anyone believe the taxiways do? But do they?

Questions about who was moving and who was stopped - and where - and why should all be covered in the investigation and the objective evidence published in the report. We do not need to demean ourselves by guessing.

First action should be to prevent recurrence. How will that be done until international standards are complied with? (and if they need amending do that too.)

And whilst we all remember the travesty of justice that the CDG Concorde blame game was, perhaps this is an opportunity to (a) Teach the french a hard lesson, or (b) Show them how justice is best served?

aterpster 15th Apr 2011 11:06

CaptainDan80:


I have 25 years taxiing narrow body and wide body aircraft and we almost always have to stop and wait for ground equipment to be moved or a guideman and most of the time we are hanging out on a taxiway. If some moron hits you he is 100% at fault!!!!!!!! End of story.
27 years for me. I am in complete agreement with you except my experience was not "almost aways" but certainly it happened on a quite reqular basis. Your last sentence is absolutely correct.

I'll add, if in doubt about an ambiguous taxiway or ramp conflict, coming to a complete stop until it is resolved makes you, at worst, the "hittee." The exception is not leaving your tail hanging out over the runway unless you simply cannot move forward, in which case you need to be forceful about it to ATC.

barit1 15th Apr 2011 12:08

Advance

Post #145 correctly states the A380 is an ICAO Cat F aircraft. It is also only 3/4" short of the maximum wingspan for that category.
Is that 3/4" true in Riyadh as well as Edmonton? :eek:

old,not bold 15th Apr 2011 12:15


The exception is not leaving your tail hanging out over the runway
Or, indeed, penetrating the obstruction surface while landings and/or takeoffs are in progress, to be technical. But it's really ATC's job to look after that.

fsfaludi 15th Apr 2011 12:26

There are many "reasons" for the collision, but ultimately... who ran into who?

Answer that question and THAT is who is responsible. No?

lomapaseo 15th Apr 2011 13:34

Advance


Post #145 correctly states the A380 is an ICAO Cat F aircraft. It is also only 3/4" less than the maximum permitted wingspan for that category.

Does JFK airport meet the ICAO standards for operations of Cat F aircraft?

If not, why does the FAA and the Port Authority permit Cat F operations?
Published procedures are a work-around to mitigate risk from a known safety problem; they do not eliminate risk nor do they reduce risk to that contemplated by the standards internationally agreed.

If JFK does not meet ICAO standards for the type why are operators of Cat F aircraft permitted by their State of Registry to use JFK?

Whilst we are at it, does any runway at JFK meet the ICAO standards for the aircraft? (Or at LHR or CDG or SYD or anyplace else?). If the runways do not meet the standards why would anyone believe the taxiways do? But do they?

Questions about who was moving and who was stopped - and where - and why should all be covered in the investigation and the objective evidence published in the report. We do not need to demean ourselves by guessing.

First action should be to prevent recurrence. How will that be done until international standards are complied with? (and if they need amending do that too.)

And whilst we all remember the travesty of justice that the CDG Concorde blame game was, perhaps this is an opportunity to (a) Teach the french a hard lesson, or (b) Show them how justice is best served?
I like your clarity of thoughts and recommendations :ok:

as it points the way to prevention rather than joining in the "blame game" , well almost, except for the last paragraph :)

mary meagher 15th Apr 2011 13:57

JFK taxyways compared to LHR
 
Not so long ago, Heathrow was constantly under construction. Builders encroaching on taxiways, big jets edging round tight corners.

How many times did this result in a wingbender, I wonder? and if not a lot, how was it prevented?

aterpster 15th Apr 2011 14:23

Advance:

What defines an ICAO CAT F aircraft?

Is a 747 a CAT F aircraft?

RatherBeFlying 15th Apr 2011 14:40

The tight squeeze between the RJ terminal and A was an accident waiting to happen once A380s began taxiing on A.

Perhaps signs at the appropriate distance declaring

Get your tail past here before contacting apron
would help.

If I was Airbus Industrie, I'd make up the signs and have the local tech crews plant them.

If you want to get fancy, have flashing lights illuminate the obstruction when it interrupts the beams so the A380 crews would know the way was blocked.

Touny 15th Apr 2011 15:46

Hi,
I think the aircraft category is defined by wingspan...
a cat G aircraft must have a wingspan above 80 m (An 225)
cat F between 65m and 80m (A380 / An 124 / C5 B Galaxy...)
cat E between 52m and 65m (777-300 / A340-300)
cat D 36m and 52m (A310-300 / B707-300)
cat C 24m and 36m... (B737-800 / A321)



A 747-600X or 500X or 400X QLR has a wingspan above 65 m, so cat F.
a 747-400 ER or 300 or 200 has a wingspan less than 65m, consequently it's a cat E aircraft.

KBPsen 15th Apr 2011 15:56

http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/...sen/icao-1.jpg

pattern_is_full 15th Apr 2011 16:09


Perhaps signs at the appropriate distance declaring


Get your tail past here before contacting apron
would help.
Hmmm - If pilots already can't see where their wingtips are, I suspect keeping track of just where their tail is is even harder. :ooh:

surplus1 15th Apr 2011 16:16


Not a bad idea, but don't single out the A380, I think the 747-8 and the An-225 fit into the same category as far as width is concerned.
You are correct about the AN-225 but since it is a cargo-only aircraft it would not like be in that area.

You are not correct about the B747-8. While it may be a category F aircraft, It's wing span is 11.3m shorter than the A-380 [68.5m v 79.8m]. In the identical conditions it is not only possible but highly probable that a 747-800 would NOT have hit the CRJ.

WilyB 15th Apr 2011 16:16

I believe Air France had a score to settle.

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/fl...420-122359.jpg

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/fl...420-122362.jpg

(Pictures from Flightblogger)

:p

ChristiaanJ 15th Apr 2011 16:20

If I remember correctly from articles in the early days of the A380 'arrival on the scene', the ICAO aircraft size category is based on a "box", with cat. F being 80m long, 80m wide and ?? m high. The A380 was sized to just fit inside the "box".
Airports are supposed to be designed and operated using the same criteria.

I tried to Google the subject, but without any success, sorry....
Anybody else ?


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