All survive as US Airbus A320 crashes into the Hudson river

J.Scicluna

Jan 17th 2009, 14:11

@ James Green
"Jolly good show by the pilots and let's not hear any silly comments about how overpaid they are!"

Sounds like pilot-speak ;-)

Adrian Allain

Jan 16th 2009, 21:11

@ JAMES GREEN

"An enquiry WILL be held and most probably come up with the conclusion that bird scaring activity at the airport and/or its surroundings was inadequate."

This prediction by James Green really makes me laugh.
The aircraft hit the birds one minute after take off and approaching 3,200 ft. The aircraft would be at least two and a half miles from the airport by then.
Bird control activities are restricted to an airport and its immediate vicinity and are only effective up to 100ft or so. Outside the airport boundaries, if there is a large roost or known attraction for birds, like a waste tip, under the flight path then that may receive attention.
In this case the airport bird control services are in the clear.

Charles Sammut

Jan 16th 2009, 18:08

@ Mark Zerafa

Welcome to the Maltese armchair accident investigators' club.

Bloggers here are somewhat less restrained in their comments than FI correspondents. It's more like the sort of chatter you find in a pub; minus the beer.

Initial reports were that both engines failed. Now whether they failed instantly (unlikely) or they shook themselves to pieces after a few seconds is really a moot point. This plane was only going one way, down.

Not until the NTSB analyses the data recorders shall we learn exactly what happened. So does that make it taboo to discuss the possibilities? Lighten up.

Mark Zerafa

Jan 16th 2009, 16:57

Here we go, Maltese armchair accident investigators!

We leap into conclusions where more informed people fear to thread!

The reports (as per Flight International and other reputable sites) state that the aircraft experienced LOSS OF POWER, not full engine failure. Hats off to the pilots and cabin crew.

Unlike the 737, the Airbus A320 has a different climb profile, which makes it tend to climb at a lower rate but at a higher airspeed. However, it has superb flight control computers who assist the pilot to manage the aircraft properly at the very limits of the flight envelope. Of course this only applies above 10,000 feet, where the 250kt airspeed limitation ceases to apply.

The fact was that the crew managed to successfuly ditch a heavily-laden aircraft with a very serious power loss, with very little altitude to spare.

Your average 707 or DC-8 would probably have survived it, supposing that you lost one engine out of four, but with its economics, the airline would have long gone bust anyway! Besides, they do not enjoy the flight control software which helped the pilots save the day!

Carmel Camilleri

Jan 16th 2009, 14:00

Engines are not expected to survive a birdstrike intact, but it's not supposed to fail completely either. Technically it is required to be in good enough shape to be shut down safely.

Here we have an example of an aircraft being crippled due to a birdstrike in both engines at around 3,000 feet. Geese fly in a "v" formation. Are we saying that if there is another birdstrike of geese in both powerplants, we can expect the aircraft in question to crash? I hope not...

But if that is the case, then bring back the 707s and DC8s.

Nyal Xuereb

Jan 16th 2009, 13:34

For those skeptics, around 20 years ago, during take off from Malta on an AirMalta flight, the plane hit a flock of doves. The plane stalled in mid air and one of the engines stopped. The pilot did a successful emergency landing with one engine and a blooded windscreen. If the birds hit both engines and/or smashed the windscreen the story would have been completely different.

Charles Sammut

Jan 16th 2009, 13:34

Geese weigh about 5 or 6 kgs each. An A320 climbing out will be travelling at about 300 kilometers per hour. The impact would be tremendous, no fan/turbine blades exist which can withstand such abuse.

It was lucky that there was an expanse of smooth water on which the pilot performed a textbook ditching. Had it happened inland the end would not have been so rosy.

James Green

Jan 16th 2009, 12:26

@ Carmel Camilleri

I seriously doubt that ANY aircraft engine would continue to operate after MULTIPLE strikes by Canadian Geese or any other of our large feathered friends (or foes in this case).
An enquiry WILL be held and most probably come up with the conclusion that bird scaring activity at the airport and/or its surroundings was inadequate.
Jolly good show by the pilots and let's not hear any silly comments about how overpaid they are!

Fabien Sant Fournier

Jan 16th 2009, 10:51

As far as I know fan blades aren't supposed to be immune to a birdstrike. It's the engine nacelle that has to be able to withstand the consequences of such an impact to protect the airframe.

Casha - regarding the speed; a high speed would be helpful in such a case as it can traded for alititude until reach best glide speed which buys the crew time.

Impeccable job done by the crew, should serve as inspiration to all pilots.

Paul Savona

Jan 16th 2009, 08:49

@ Carmel Camilleri

Yes indeed, I too am reconsidering my views of Spring Hunting. Damn Birds! :)

John Borg

Jan 16th 2009, 08:21

Bird-strikes are worrying, too true, but according to CNN, the plane was hit by a large flock of Geese, not exactly the common starling or sparrow. What chance does a pilot stand of avoiding a flock of big birds like geese which could be a flock of say 30 or 40, perhaps more?
Credit must go to the pilots who worked a miracle by landing safely in the middle of the Hudson river, avoiding a potential disaster not only to those on board, but also the many ppeople in NYC. Ryanair suffered a similar incident due to a bird strike only a few months ago, which caused the plane to make an emergency landing and damaging the same plane in the process. Airports need to take more action in making sure that flocks of birds do not gather near airfields, albeit it being quite a task.

Sandro Zahra

Jan 16th 2009, 07:51

super skilled pilots!

Carmel Camilleri

Jan 16th 2009, 07:49

This is worrying.

Aircraft and their engines are designed to deal with and survive such birdstrike accidents without losing all power. Engines are not supposed to fail due to a birdstrike. The CFM56 engines that powered this particular aircraft are the powerplant of thousands of A320s and Boeing 737s .

This accident confirms that the dimension of this birdstrike incident was more than the engines could handle. It also means that it can happen again.

Thank god that the hunters have made this probability in Malta quite unlikely.

victor vella

Jan 16th 2009, 07:20

I agree with all my friends here both that the pilots did a fantastic job and with regards to Airbus.Paul I wouldn't want to be on a plane like that taking off mind you lol, but seriously, it is all the enviormentalists fault. If the USA did not enforce hunting regulations and had hunters roaming around every tree then there wouldn't have been a flock of birds would there. and the crash would not have happened.I can just see a new advert by the MIA. Hunters required to men the perimeter of the airport 24/7.

Ramon Casha

Jan 16th 2009, 07:07

Good thing the aircraft had only just taken off and therefore was not at maximum speed - and that it was very close to shore. Well done to everyone - the pilots who kept it in one piece, the air crew who evacuated everyone quickly and safely, the boat owners who picked them up and Airbus for making a sturdy plane.

From the photo it seems that many of them didn't so much as wet their feet.

M.Azzopardi

Jan 16th 2009, 05:09

And a very well done to the Airbus Engineers that designed the A320 to survive such impacts. Surviving a crash with no fatalities is no mean feat!

That was not just luck!

Paul Barrett

Jan 16th 2009, 01:06

Good News at last.

As an aside:

Perhaps Gozo does not need a fixed wing runway after all - just a fleet of airbus A320's LOL.

Joseph Agius

Jan 16th 2009, 00:10

This is a miracle, well done to the pilots. Seeing this picture reminds me of every time that I get on a flight I hate watching the demonstration on how to evacuate cause I never believed that one can survive from an air accident.

M.Gauci

Jan 15th 2009, 23:53

That is a textbook ditch! Great Job! Incredible!

jabela

Jan 15th 2009, 23:29

Well done to the pilots and also airbus for an incredibly robust airframe design

adria berenguer

Jan 15th 2009, 23:05

A very well done to the pilots. It's time to read some good news. GOOD NEWS HAPPEN TOO!!

malcolm seychell

Jan 15th 2009, 22:49

A very well done to the pilots