Topic: | 777 crash landing | |
Posted by: | Kevin Regan | |
Date/Time: | 18/01/08 13:58:00 |
From the same website as the A4 report: The open APU door indicates that the APU was in the process or was, started. That occurs automatically when the two AC transfer busses fail. The "youtube" video showing a few seconds of the final approach shows an aircraft with a higher-than-usual attitude and, I suspect, a very high angle of attack. Combined with eye-witness reports which I listened to and consider "interesting", whatever occured, got serious very quickly in the initial approach, likely within less than four miles to the field. I say that because the gear was down and the flaps were in the landing configuration which is normally required by Approach. An aircraft which required minimum drag for maximum glide would have set gear and flaps perhaps later, although the RAT hydraulic pump rate would make any setting of flaps very slow, (and QRH calculations would be impossible at that stage). The eye-witness (a PPL but seemed credible), reported a steeper-than-usual bank angle from the south, and a lower-than-normal altitude vs. distance from the field and a closer-in than normal turn. Whether it was fuel or a system fault, lack of engine power increasingly appears to have played a role and very late in the approach, (even though indications for the crew may have been sensed earlier). Inconsistent with this notion is the absence of communications from the flight deck regarding any problem with the aircraft. Perhaps the crew was extremely busy with an late, unexpected problem or lack of electrics prevented normal communications and the crew was again too occupied to provide communications. Still, at 400ft whatever it was would have been apparent but no communications from the a/c to ATC were made. Interesting set of factors from which to gather a theory... |