Air Transat Pilots get "Superior Airmanship Awards"
 

Hero pilots awarded for daring landing

From cbc.ca


WASHINGTON, D.C. - Two Canadian pilots who managed to land a passenger jet after it ran out of fuel have been honoured for what they were able to do.

The U.S.-based Air Line Pilots Association presented Superior Airmanship Awards to captain Robert Piché and first officer Dirk De Jager at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Thursday night.

Last August, Piché was piloting an Air Transat flight from Toronto to Lisbon. About two-thirds of the way there, the right engine of the Airbus A-330 stopped because of a fuel leak.

Two minutes later, the other engine also died. Piché managed to ride the wind for 18 minutes and glide the plane to safety, landing on a tiny island runway in the Azores.


The force of the touch-down blew out eight of the plane's 12 tires. But despite the flat tires and lack of electrical power, the pilots managed to stop on the runway.

The pilots are credited with saving the lives of 300 people on board.

Good on them! I couldn't have done it!

About time they receive some positive recognition for that remarkable glide.

Hear, hear.

Possibly they could have made better choices, earlier in their adventure. But, faced with their later situation, I just wish I would have done as well. Beautifully done! What a recovery!

Perhaps the Azores should get an award as well, for being there.

You guys are easy!

last time I looked, there are 10 tires on the bus, not 12.

If they had followed the checklist, things wouldn't have gotten so quiet.

Sure, they unscrewed the pooch by surviving the, um, incident, but it doesn't change the cause of the whole thing.

They did a great job recovering, but the recovery was made necessary by a failure to follow a set procedure.

I agree with Rolling Thunder, the Azores should get an award for being there.

PB

>>...landing on a tiny island runway in the Azores. <<

Not to minimize the accomplishments of Canadians, but 10,800 feet at Lajes would not be a tiny island runway to many of us. Perhaps the CBC was thinking of the Gimli Glider.

Glad the captain was able to get a job in the Great White North after he got out of prison in the U.S.

Anyway, they all have the coveted title of survivor...

Plastic Bug
 

You said they should have followed the checklist....but a poster said that it was due to a fuel LEAK not a fuel MISCALCULATION or RUNOUT of fuel. :rolleyes:

At least they did not run out of fuel like the Qatar flight to London which diverted to MUC (munich) vecause it RANOUT of fuel due to a MISCALCULATION somewhere!

Anyhow, good job to those involved.

Smooth skies

They did a remarkable job in saving the day having got themselves in the mess in the first place. I think I would be a bit red faced going to recieve an award for sorting out my own mess! As an instructor once said to me:
'An above average pilot is one who uses his above average knowledge and experience to keep him away from a situation where he might have to use his above average skill.'

I was always under the impression that the mark of a good pilot was "one who used superior judgement to avoid having to demonstrate superior ability".

It is my guess that neither guy will take any pride from recieving this award and both wish that they not put themselves in the position to qualify for it.

They cocked up no matter which way you try and look at it. Wannabes should stop being romantic and realise what is entailed in being a PROFESSIONAL PILOT.

QAR ASR
 

I am an Wannabe, and think I am the reason you mentioned about being romantic. I am aware what a professional pilot entails...and that is to have as many successful landings as takeoffs. So please, enough of the bulshy comments.

I am still not clear how they cocked up. They landed, no-one died, or was significantly injured, and the cause of the right engine failure was a fuel leak. Who can blame crew for that? And second, the other engine, #1, is said to have stopped also, but still, the plane had to land and where the "cock- up" as it has been called here, has originated from I would very much like to know!

Smooth skies

The cock-up as far as I understood it was a design-flaw on the aircraft itself, wasn't it??

Well done but...
 

the outcome was finally good, however, they adapted fast to the increasing task level.

As far as i know, the fuel leak was first, (not uncommon...) then a imbalance built up, triggering the Imbalance-ECAM Caution. Here the point CROSSFEED VALVE - OPEN is somewhat tricky. If you do it with a leak, you'll run out of the fuel in the otherwise tight tanks too....It's the eternal point of artificial intelligence...

However, finally as the A330 turned into a glider, things went well.

Might be they got the Azores due to the "LAND RECOVERY" Button built in Airbusses...

The Schuttle astronauts do it all the time.:p

Almost...
 

The SCHUTTLE pilots do not...but the SHUTTLE pilots do :D

Smooth skies

Yep. only a trade union could give an award for this one. Tonic, stick to Biggles.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Anyone who has flown or is flying a A330 will tell you, that upon receiving an ECAM cautionary messsage regarding a fuel imbalance, it is clearly instructed during training to consult ones QRH. In which, the prcedure quite clearly states, if an imbalance has occured AND A FUEL LEAK HAS BEEN CONFIRMED as NOT BEING PRESENT to go ahead and open the cross feed.

Airbus has made it very clear that an imbalance situation can be managed with a Fuel leak. Cautious use of the cross feed would keep the imbalance in check. As for handing out awards, well they did get it down, however to put the lives of over 200 passengers, is not good airmanship.

Bottom line is, and the incident report will show this, they did not follow correct procedure and did not adhere to the written words of the QRH. NOT GOOD AIRMANSHIP in my opinion.

you forgot two words... "at risk"

Thanks Rolling,

Your quite right, "AT RISK", makes it even worse. Cheers