B707 water landing
 

This moved R&N thread seems to show that you can ditch a B707 with less damage than you might think.

See hobie post dated 25 June on page 2

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...hreadid=135119

pics at http://www.cargolaw.com/2000nightmare_africa_air.html

Could it not be that, relative to the mass of the aircraft, a 707 has smaller, and more, energy-absorbing protuberances to be ripped off in a ditching than a twin-jet?

Just look at the head-on, gear-down, profile of a 707 or DC-8 and compare it with that of any narrow- or wide-body twin.

Another possible factor - I suspect, can't back it up but it would seem to fit: 707s and DC-8s might have been overstrong at the design stage than more modern aircraft. Not suggesting that modern ones are flimsy, rather that everything possible has been pared down to the absolute known minimum weight, thickness etc. Half a century ago, when the first big jets were being designed, those minimums were a lot higher.

I take your points.

One still has a gut feel that the nature/quality of the touchdown and the sea state at the time are very important to the outcome – for any type.

I also cannot imagine anybody choosing to do a powered landing in the water unless they were full of smoke or literally on fire.

Anybody current on modern types care to comment on their ditching drills?

I was referring to unintentional calm water touchdowns. Japan a long time ago and Lake Victoria are the only examples I can think of. Prior to that, the only real ditchings I can remember were the PanAm Stratocruisers between the US West Coast and Hawaii, a looong time ago.

The only intentional ditching that comes to mind is the Ethiopian 767 a few years ago. No power, thinking "keep close to the beach" so there's a chance for people to swim for it, trying to follow the swell line. And finally having port pod digging in if that was what really happened, then the wing, then that awful cartwheel. In circumstances like that I doubt whether a 4-engine aircraft could have come off any better.

Being attacked with the fireaxe by the hijackers didn't help either.

Did very well to save anyone.

I remember thumbing through a book written by one of the pax when the 767 was ditched. As I recall, the fuselage broke up. Fortunately the ditching was in shallow enough water that the sections did not sink completely so that survivors had a chance.

Hate to think of what would happen in a mid-ocean ditching:(