Air Transat - "Panic in the Cockpit" recording
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Air Transat - "Panic in the Cockpit" recording
Does anyone have a link to the ATC recording of the March 2008 incident involving Air Transat departing Quebec City? This was the recording that had inadvertently recorded the cockpit conversations on an ATC frequency due to a held mike switch.
This recording was originally available on Live ATC, but seems to have been removed.
This recording was originally available on Live ATC, but seems to have been removed.
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I just listened to it at Live ATC.net, all in French. 
I can honestly say, that in 40 years of professional flying, never have I had 'panic' on the FD.
Of course, there was the one time....
when all the switchlights on the flight controls electronic panel were flashing like mad, just after takeoff, and at the same time, number three engine was having a case of pod nod whereupon the Flight Engineer was beside himself...I reset a couple of flight control monitor switchlights and adjusted the number three throttle to stop the pod nod, and he soon stopped screaming...OMG, we're all going to die.
What was the incident, and why did they only declare a PAN if they/he were/was that alarmed? (what would the reaction to a MAYDAY event be???)
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Sorry about the link, here is the home page: LiveATC Discussion Forums - Index | LiveATC.net
That's what I was thinking.
why did they only declare a PAN if they/he were/was that alarmed? (what would the reaction to a MAYDAY event be???)
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I'm fluent in French (in fact do most of my radio work in French here in Quebec), so I'll take a crack at it. Here's a summary of the incident:
They took off from YQB with RVR of 1400 ft (given the date, I'd say another of the many snowstorms in YQB this past winter).
On initial climb, there was a panicked female voice in the cockpit saying "what's going on", and some sort of bell ringing; another male voice said "tabarnac" (Québecois slang expletive, based on a sacred religious object, but you can insert "sh!t" here and get the same effect), and also "what's going on?".
Then in French they declared a "pan pan pan", stating an airspeed indication problem, and asked for immediate clearance to a higher altitude (10,000 ft). On the way up they asked tower for a groundspeed and altitude readout.
By the time they reached 10k ft, they asked for another altitude check and they asked for a climb to FL220; they got 13k initially, then FL220. The problem seems to have sorted itself out and airspeed indication restored to normal and they canceled the Pan call and proceeded to YUL.
One assumes that the request for both altitude and speed readouts from the tower was to diagnose if it was the pitot or static port that was plugged.
Not a good situation to lose your instruments actually, they were in solid IMC.
Beech
They took off from YQB with RVR of 1400 ft (given the date, I'd say another of the many snowstorms in YQB this past winter).
On initial climb, there was a panicked female voice in the cockpit saying "what's going on", and some sort of bell ringing; another male voice said "tabarnac" (Québecois slang expletive, based on a sacred religious object, but you can insert "sh!t" here and get the same effect), and also "what's going on?".
Then in French they declared a "pan pan pan", stating an airspeed indication problem, and asked for immediate clearance to a higher altitude (10,000 ft). On the way up they asked tower for a groundspeed and altitude readout.
By the time they reached 10k ft, they asked for another altitude check and they asked for a climb to FL220; they got 13k initially, then FL220. The problem seems to have sorted itself out and airspeed indication restored to normal and they canceled the Pan call and proceeded to YUL.
One assumes that the request for both altitude and speed readouts from the tower was to diagnose if it was the pitot or static port that was plugged.
Not a good situation to lose your instruments actually, they were in solid IMC.
Beech
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translation of the guy screaming:
"What's happening!!! what's happening!!!!"
"God damn!!!"
"Hervé (not sure about it) what is going on??!!!!"
"I know, I know but...."
beechnut has a more detailed version, thanks beechnut. I heard they had hit windshear and lost 1700' from 3000'
"What's happening!!! what's happening!!!!"
"God damn!!!"
"Hervé (not sure about it) what is going on??!!!!"
"I know, I know but...."
beechnut has a more detailed version, thanks beechnut. I heard they had hit windshear and lost 1700' from 3000'
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411A
re panic
in your decades of magnificent flying, I think there was panic every time an FO saw your name on his/her roster.
Retirement is a two pronged tool.
re panic
in your decades of magnificent flying, I think there was panic every time an FO saw your name on his/her roster.
Retirement is a two pronged tool.
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On the way up they asked tower for a groundspeed and altitude readout.
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WOW, pretty erie,
For a full transcription and translation see
airdisaster.info • View topic - Air Transat 211 Panic in the Cockpit recording
.
For a full transcription and translation see
airdisaster.info • View topic - Air Transat 211 Panic in the Cockpit recording
.
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Sounds chilling indeed - whatever the cause! I doubt that any ppruners (except perhaps 411) would consider it innapropriate that the Captain's over riding concen, despite his (or her) state of alarm, was altitude and airspeed (or groundspeed, given the possible circumstances).
Over to 411, who I am sure has far more experience with dealing with such matters - and without the input of an FE.
Over to 411, who I am sure has far more experience with dealing with such matters - and without the input of an FE.
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If there is a pitot tube blocked the radar controller will not give you a different altitude than your altimeter, except on 1013 than local QNH. Aero Peru 757 Flight 603 relied on the same misunderstanding and touched the ocean's surface. Ground speed may help a little to judge IAS, though.
I have had blocked pitots before but never any issue with altitude readouts.
And wasn't the issue in the Aero Peru accident blocked static ports?
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First it was an Airbus A310 that they were flying and not a tristar L-1011. Air transat does not have any active L1011's in their fleet. So there is no flight engineer.
It appears that they flew into some wind sheer, dropped from 3000 ft to 1300 ft which caused a loss of altitude and airspeed indications. They then asked for their ground speed and altitude from the controller and then climbed to 6000 ft. After climbing, they restored the instruments and were transfered to Montreal Centre.
It appears that they flew into some wind sheer, dropped from 3000 ft to 1300 ft which caused a loss of altitude and airspeed indications. They then asked for their ground speed and altitude from the controller and then climbed to 6000 ft. After climbing, they restored the instruments and were transfered to Montreal Centre.