Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire diversity plane crash

you can measure that....

It’s a file photo not the crew that went swimming.

Yes, I know that.

It's been a long time and I am a Private Pilot, but if I am reading this right, the winds were from 070 degrees at 14 knots, GUSTING to 21. There were scattered clouds at 1800 feet, a broken overcast (more than 50% coverage) at 2600 and a solid overcast at 3500 feet. Visibility a mile and a half, so you probably could not see one end of the runway from the other. Clearly IFR conditions.

With mountains at one end and water at the other, I wouldn't be surprised if the runway was sloped down. Someone said a 10kt tailwind would add 20% to the landing run and a wet runway adds another 30%. So how much more for the downward slope and a 14-21kt tailwind gust?

So they don't touch down on the numbers, but a little long maybe, and cannot see well enough to judge how little runway they have left...until too late for a go-around decision. It's easy for us to question why they didn't divert to Honolulu or Hickam, where precision approaches, longer runways and maybe different weather may have been available. The crew made a judgment call, as flight crews do constantly.

So, as in most other aviation accidents, there was a collection of factors that all contributed to cause this. The pilots thought they could make it, and they almost did!

Well, at least they didn't have to worry about hot brakes... 🤭

Simple, the PIC f ucked up. Should have realized the problem by merely looking at the distance (in feet) remaining boards, check airspeed, go to MRT and just go the f uck around and divert.

...We know the wx conditions, the length of the runway (7771') Hypothetically, let's assume the a/c weight was 150,000# and the approach speed was 145kts. Touchdown at the 1,000' mark, speed brakes deploy one second after touch down, reversers fully deploy and are effective 3-4 seconds later, followed by max brake/anti-skid. Touchdown speed of 145kts, plus 16kts tailwind component which is 161kts which is 185mph. In the 5 seconds after touchdown the a/c has traveled approximately 1355'. Total r/w length is 7771' minus touchdown 1,000', minus 1355'runout leaves 5416' of usable (?) r/w remaining. Now add the tailwind component of 16kt, and the wet r/w penalty of 30%. Not much margin for error to remain, FEET DRY. PPP=PPP


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Hickam AFB, which shares runways with Honolulu Intl, and Barbers Point NAS are about 5 minutes to the west. Both have plenty of length, direction, and ability to handle a diversion. Even if the weather was down both have ample approaches and would be a better shot than a downwind approach and landing.

Once I went into KCXO (Conroe Texas) , was going to land on 32. It is 7501 feet. I was in my 182. Several jets coming in, and the tower kept saying "keep your speed up". Well I did. Across the numbers I was at about 130 knots. I had my head waaayyy up my ass. At about 1/2 way down the runway I told the tower 'I've got to go around". It was very humbling. Very humbling. But, I made the pattern, got the speed right, and made the first exit. Lesson learned.
Charlie

Got told to keep the speed up in the cub once. I was doing all it could do, in a slight dive. I asked if they thought I could get out and push.

I see people here land all over the runway as if they have no idea where they will actually touch down. Maybe a long runway induces some amount of complacency. I try to hit my spot every time, regardless of how much runway I have so hopefully when it does matter I don't have an over run.

It was during the '76~'77 time frame MAC lost a C-141 at Thule AFB Greenland. The runway has a pretty big up slope to it, you can get the illusion that you're closer to the end of the runway that you really are. The 141 touched down at the normal point, the pilot must of felt that they landed too long and wouldn't be able to stop in time. He went to full power on the engines, lifted off at the correct speed and crashed into the face of the glacier that was just past the end of the runway. The crew was a few hours past the normal duty day, they blamed the crash on pilot fatigue. The same day another 141 was shooting an approach into RAF Mildenhall when it flew into a thunderstorm. They were hit by a wind shear. The right wing that had a previously cracked wing spar that went undected broke off, the aircraft crashed with 18 SOB. Not a good day for McGuire AFB.
Mildenhall Crash