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Current Events => Breaking News => Topic started by: Chris_ on July 07, 2008, 11:54:35 AM

Title: Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight
Post by: Chris_ on July 07, 2008, 11:54:35 AM
Quote
Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight

MINNEAPOLIS —  Northwest Airlines says it's investigating after the nose cone on one of its planes was damaged during flight.

The plane had been scheduled to fly to Minneapolis from Tampa, Florida. But that flight was delayed after the plane was damaged sometime during a flight between Detroit and Tampa.

Retired Northwest pilot Richard Duxbury says the plane was likely hit by something, possibly a bird. He says bird strikes can be a significant safety issue.

The airline hasn't confirmed that a bird hit the plane. In a statement, Northwest says none of the passengers or crew members were hurt in the incident.

LINK (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,376942,00.html)

(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b293/aggie8387/ouch.jpg)

Ouch.
Title: Re: Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight
Post by: djones520 on July 07, 2008, 12:02:00 PM
Bird strike was my first thought.  They are no joke at all.

(http://www.rapp.org/wp-content/083105-eagle_strike1.jpg)

(http://www.rapp.org/wp-content/083105-eagle_strike2.jpg)

(http://www.rapp.org/wp-content/083105-eagle_strike3.jpg)
Title: Re: Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight
Post by: Wretched Excess on July 07, 2008, 12:16:43 PM
Quote
Retired Northwest pilot Richard Duxbury says the plane was likely hit by something . . . .

honestly, what are the alternative explanations?  it taxied into something?
Title: Re: Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight
Post by: Lord Undies on July 07, 2008, 12:27:28 PM
Looks like the co-pilot's foot got hung under the gas pedal and he had a struggle pulling it free.
Title: Re: Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight
Post by: djones520 on July 07, 2008, 12:28:23 PM
Looks like the co-pilot's foot got hung under the gas pedal and he had a struggle pulling it free.

That was one hell of a tug.
Title: Re: Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight
Post by: Lord Undies on July 07, 2008, 12:33:54 PM
Looks like the co-pilot's foot got hung under the gas pedal and he had a struggle pulling it free.

That was one hell of a tug.

Not really.  They are all big flying beer cans.
Title: Re: Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight
Post by: Chris_ on July 07, 2008, 12:41:37 PM
Quote
Retired Northwest pilot Richard Duxbury says the plane was likely hit by something . . . .

honestly, what are the alternative explanations?  it taxied into something?
Stuck its nose where it didn't belong.   :-)
Title: Re: Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight
Post by: Wretched Excess on July 07, 2008, 12:53:28 PM
Quote
Retired Northwest pilot Richard Duxbury says the plane was likely hit by something . . . .

honestly, what are the alternative explanations?  it taxied into something?
Stuck its nose where it didn't belong.   :-)

ah.  a fight with another airplane.  that could be . . . 
Title: Re: Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight
Post by: DixieBelle on July 07, 2008, 12:56:34 PM
Are there any dented walls at the airport???
Title: Re: Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight
Post by: Happy Fun Ball on July 07, 2008, 01:34:51 PM
Quote
Retired Northwest pilot Richard Duxbury says the plane was likely hit by something . . . .

honestly, what are the alternative explanations?  it taxied into something?
Looks like someone needs to patch it and blow it back up.
Title: Re: Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight
Post by: Chris_ on July 07, 2008, 02:49:18 PM
Looks like Superman got it in the ass.

Title: Re: Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight
Post by: Wretched Excess on July 07, 2008, 03:01:48 PM
Looks like Superman got it in the ass.


:rotf:
Title: Re: Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight
Post by: PatriotGame on July 07, 2008, 05:04:52 PM
Looks like the co-pilot's foot got hung under the gas pedal and he had a struggle pulling it free.

Naw, just a DUmmy that got carried away trying to suck-start one of the engines.
Title: Re: Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight
Post by: Bluesuiter-Retired on July 08, 2008, 03:21:06 AM
Quote
Retired Northwest pilot Richard Duxbury says the plane was likely hit by something . . . .

honestly, what are the alternative explanations?  it taxied into something?

Shades of Airplane II.
Title: Re: Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight
Post by: JohnnyReb on July 08, 2008, 07:30:49 AM
When airplanes pick their nose.
Title: Re: Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight
Post by: Thor on July 08, 2008, 11:03:18 AM
Unless it was blatant pilot error on the ground, the ONLY explanation is a bird strike. What strikes me odd is that one would THINK the pilot would have realized a bird strike. Good thing that it didn't hit the windscreen.....  :o
Title: Re: Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight
Post by: Chris_ on July 08, 2008, 12:41:18 PM
Unless it was blatant pilot error on the ground, the ONLY explanation is a bird strike. What strikes me odd is that one would THINK the pilot would have realized a bird strike. Good thing that it didn't hit the windscreen.....  :o

Airliner windshields are designed to shrug off a bird strike, but the nose is generally covered by a composite structure that is transparent to radar, as the aircraft's radar antennas are located behind the "radome" in the nose.  I'd say he either hit a bird, or overshot the marks during parking at the ramp, and hit the building (I've seen that happen, and it is really embarassing!).

doc
Title: Re: Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight
Post by: djones520 on July 08, 2008, 12:57:08 PM
Unless it was blatant pilot error on the ground, the ONLY explanation is a bird strike. What strikes me odd is that one would THINK the pilot would have realized a bird strike. Good thing that it didn't hit the windscreen.....  :o

Airliner windshields are designed to shrug off a bird strike, but the nose is generally covered by a composite structure that is transparent to radar, as the aircraft's radar antennas are located behind the "radome" in the nose.  I'd say he either hit a bird, or overshot the marks during parking at the ramp, and hit the building (I've seen that happen, and it is really embarassing!).

doc

The nose was dented in though.  If he struck the building, you'd think it would be flatter.  I'm convinced it's a bird strike myself.

As for the windshield part, you'd think military aircraft would be better protected then civilian aircraft.  And look at what that bald eagle did to that C-130 in those pictures I posted.
Title: Re: Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight
Post by: Chris_ on July 08, 2008, 01:14:23 PM
Unless it was blatant pilot error on the ground, the ONLY explanation is a bird strike. What strikes me odd is that one would THINK the pilot would have realized a bird strike. Good thing that it didn't hit the windscreen.....  :o

Airliner windshields are designed to shrug off a bird strike, but the nose is generally covered by a composite structure that is transparent to radar, as the aircraft's radar antennas are located behind the "radome" in the nose.  I'd say he either hit a bird, or overshot the marks during parking at the ramp, and hit the building (I've seen that happen, and it is really embarassing!).

doc

The nose was dented in though.  If he struck the building, you'd think it would be flatter.  I'm convinced it's a bird strike myself.

As for the windshield part, you'd think military aircraft would be better protected then civilian aircraft.  And look at what that bald eagle did to that C-130 in those pictures I posted.

I agree that it was a bird strike as well....which reminds me of an interesting story......Part of ceritfications standards testing for airliners here in the US (and I assume for military aircraft as well) there is a pneumatic "cannon" that fires dead chicken carcasses at the windshields and other parts of aircraft to simulate bird strikes.......some years ago, the Europeans decided to adopt this manner of testing, and after their first attempt, the FAA received a panic call from the euroweenies that the "chicken" not only penetrated the windshield, but also the bulkhead behind the cockpit, and ended up embedded in the galley cabinets.......causing millions in damage to the prototype being tested.

After examining the test data from the European testing agency, the FAA's reply was simply.......

...."you first have to thaw the chicken before use".......

doc
Title: Re: Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight
Post by: djones520 on July 08, 2008, 01:15:57 PM
Unless it was blatant pilot error on the ground, the ONLY explanation is a bird strike. What strikes me odd is that one would THINK the pilot would have realized a bird strike. Good thing that it didn't hit the windscreen.....  :o

Airliner windshields are designed to shrug off a bird strike, but the nose is generally covered by a composite structure that is transparent to radar, as the aircraft's radar antennas are located behind the "radome" in the nose.  I'd say he either hit a bird, or overshot the marks during parking at the ramp, and hit the building (I've seen that happen, and it is really embarassing!).

doc

The nose was dented in though.  If he struck the building, you'd think it would be flatter.  I'm convinced it's a bird strike myself.

As for the windshield part, you'd think military aircraft would be better protected then civilian aircraft.  And look at what that bald eagle did to that C-130 in those pictures I posted.

I agree that it was a bird strike as well....which reminds me of an interesting story......Part of ceritfications standards testing for airliners here in the US (and I assume for military aircraft as well) there is a pneumatic "cannon" that fires dead chicken carcasses at the windshields and other parts of aircraft to simulate bird strikes.......some years ago, the Europeans decided to adopt this manner of testing, and after their first attempt, the FAA received a panic call from the euroweenies that the "chicken" not only penetrated the windshield, but also the bulkhead behind the cockpit, and ended up embedded in the galley cabinets.......causing millions in damage to the prototype being tested.

After examining the test data from the European testing agency, the FAA's reply was simply.......

...."you first have to thaw the chicken before use".......

doc

 :lmao:
Title: Re: Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight
Post by: Happy Fun Ball on July 08, 2008, 01:41:00 PM
And here is a picture of the crew:

(http://i6.tinypic.com/6xt0don.jpg)
Title: Re: Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight
Post by: Thor on July 08, 2008, 02:35:43 PM
A bird strike to the windscreen would still crack it and make it tough to see through. Being an Avionics Tech on military aircraft, I've seen a few bird strikes and the results thereof. Probably the only thing messed up was either the TCAS or weather radar antenna.

(http://www.worldhovercraft.org/insider/img/apr05/BirdStrikeVulture1.JPG)

(http://www.911review.org/brad.com/pentagon/pic/brid.jpg)

The latter image was from a bird strike with a Canada Goose. Remarkably similar to the current situation.

I guess the techs are going to have to remove and replace the radar antenna....
Title: Re: Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight
Post by: docstew on July 08, 2008, 06:08:29 PM
I guess the techs are going to have to remove and replace the radar antenna....

Commercial planes have radar?
Title: Re: Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight
Post by: Chris_ on July 08, 2008, 06:43:30 PM
I guess the techs are going to have to remove and replace the radar antenna....

Commercial planes have radar?
No, the pilots just stick their head out the window and look for landmarks.
Title: Re: Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight
Post by: docstew on July 08, 2008, 08:56:09 PM
I guess the techs are going to have to remove and replace the radar antenna....

Commercial planes have radar?
No, the pilots just stick their head out the window and look for landmarks.


my understanding was that the pilots took all instruction from ATC, and were about as much in the decision making process on where they were going as a railroad engineer... (except of course, in case of emergencies).  If i am sorely mistaken, I hereby state my apologies
Title: Re: Nose Cone on Northwest Plane Pushed in During Flight
Post by: Thor on July 08, 2008, 09:01:07 PM
Doc, no apologies needed. Commercial airplanes and some private airplanes have both a weather radar and TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System). Typically, they don't have radar that shows other aircraft like ATC or the military fighters do.

Quote
The Traffic alert and Collision Avoidance System (or TCAS) is an aircraft collision avoidance system designed to reduce the danger of mid-air collisions between aircraft. It monitors the airspace around an aircraft for other aircraft equipped with a corresponding active transponder, independent of air traffic control, and warns pilots of the presence of other transponder-equipped aircraft which may present a threat of mid-air collision (MAC). It is an implementation of the Airborne Collision Avoidance System mandated by International Civil Aviation Organization to be fitted to all aircraft over 5700 kg or authorised to carry more than 19 passengers.

Official definition from PANS-ATM (Nov 2007): ACAS / TCAS is an aircraft system based on secondary surveillance radar (SSR) transponder signals which operates independently of ground-based equipment to provide advice to the pilot on potential conflicting aircraft that are equipped with SSR transponders.

In modern glass cockpit aircraft, the TCAS display may be integrated in the Navigation Display (ND); in older glass cockpit aircraft and those with mechanical instrumentation, such an integrated TCAS display may replace the mechanical Instantaneous Vertical Speed Indicator (which indicates the rate with which the aircraft is descending or climbing).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_Collision_Avoidance_System