Boeing 777 Crash Lands at San Fransico Intnl.
- Thread starter MacLeod
- Start date
KNTV is reporting 2 dead, 70 injured. (their source is the San Francisco Fire Department.)
Witnesses are stating it was a very hard landing..with a near or possible cartwheel at over 70 degrees from the normal attitude...
Some factors, the Instrument Landing System at SFO was undergoing maintenance at the time, the weather was clear but breezy. Unknown if the aircraft was using it's autoland systems.
The NTSB and the FAA are arriving at the scene now.
Reports are that 20+ people are in critical condition at area hospitals.
Reports are that the aircraft was too low and too slow and attempted a go around too late after most of the lift was gone..
Looking at the flight tracking data, it looks like it stalled just before landing. Reports also say that it hit the sea wall, which accounts for the landing gear being ripped off and the tail being missing, the landing gear would have punctured the fuel tanks and caused the fire.
I really hope the death toll doesn't rise :/
I really hope the death toll doesn't rise :/
It tried to abort the landing and go around but its speed was too slow? Sounds like pilot error. Either that or their instruments weren't reading speed correctly.
Fuel tanks on the 777 are main fuel tank in the fuselage and in the wings and the fire damage isn't consistent with the locations. No fire damange on the wings.
Possible the centre tank could have burnt as a quick google search show it's under/around the wing area the fire looks to have started in that region and moved forward.
There can also be fuel tank in the rear cargo area.
But overall the 777 has a very good safety record with 3 hull loses in 18 years.
the BA 777 that went down at Heathrow back in 2008 (the same day my wife was flying back to Canada on an Air Canada 777), an Egypt Air jet that was written off after fire burnt out the cockpit and the Asiana one today.
Yeah I was referring to the centre wing fuel tank, I thought that was where the last of the fuel was stored, so the fuel in the wing tanks is used first.
Fire in the fuselage... Did that happen after the crash?
Just one unaccounted for now. There might have been confusion because a lot of the passengers don't speak English and didn't know to check in and where.
Early footage from cell phones shows that dark smoke was starting to billow out of the side of the plane opposite the chutes that had deployed, but there are no flames yet. People can be seen walking away from the plane.
Here's an image of the plane from one of the passengers who posted it on Twitter just after he got to safety.
My thoughts are with the people who were in the plane. Many are still in critical condition, but, at the same time, this could have been worse.
Looking at the top down picture above, it looks like the right hand engine is up against the fuselage and to me, the burn marks indicate it could be the source of ignition..
NTSB reports today the aircraft was "well below" minimum safe speed, engines reduced to IDLE settings, the crew received a stall warning and requested a go around, the throttles were advanced, but it was too late..the tail hit the seawall, separating from the aircraft and all control was lost...
The dead have been ID-ed as 2 Chinese 16 year old girls on their way to LA for a summer camp..
This is looking as some sort of pilot error.. perhaps training or systemic to cockpit organization.
The dead have been ID-ed as 2 Chinese 16 year old girls on their way to LA for a summer camp..
This is looking as some sort of pilot error.. perhaps training or systemic to cockpit organization.
Oh man 
Only 16...
There have been cases before where the autopilot has retarded the throttle without the pilots knowing. But seems like pilot error.
Only 16...There have been cases before where the autopilot has retarded the throttle without the pilots knowing. But seems like pilot error.
A 777 should not be approaching at idle power, for exactly this reason. If anything it should be on the "back" of the power curve, the engines are spun up pretty fast but the plane remains slow. In that configuration, going around is as simple as dropping the nose.
NTSB reports today the aircraft was "well below" minimum safe speed, engines reduced to IDLE settings, the crew received a stall warning and requested a go around, the throttles were advanced, but it was too late..the tail hit the seawall, separating from the aircraft and all control was lost...
The dead have been ID-ed as 2 Chinese 16 year old girls on their way to LA for a summer camp..
This is looking as some sort of pilot error.. perhaps training or systemic to cockpit organization.
one of the aerial shots shows a 747 (think it's been identified as a United) holding at the threshold for take off.
It has to be real bummer being on that jet with Aisiana 777 crashing right in front of you.
Video released of the crash:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/8890317/Jet-tried-to-abort-landing-moments-before-crash
Note the guy filming it is shocked by what he's seeing, the girl with him is shocked the guy is filming it...
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/8890317/Jet-tried-to-abort-landing-moments-before-crash
Note the guy filming it is shocked by what he's seeing, the girl with him is shocked the guy is filming it...
Oh wow... That is just amazing, how the hell can you cock up so badly yet only have as few fatalities as there were. It's amazing there weren't more.
Also the woman in that video sounds like Keiko O'Brien.
Also the woman in that video sounds like Keiko O'Brien.
Here's the recording of the tower chatter, subtitled:
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGyx1bzd-Z4&sns=tw[/yt]
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGyx1bzd-Z4&sns=tw[/yt]
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