Thumbs up Mr. 90 seat RJ guy...

[Draginass]

I wasn't really comfortable staring at one once. I was the only pilot on board, and it is the second time I asked the signature line of my posts. Things get rather busy descending out of the FLs to an approach with a spiderwebbed windscreen a foot from your nose.

Not a big deal? Okay.

Now if you're the only pilot and it's the windscreen you have to look through, then yea, that's a big problem. I've had two, and they weren't a big deal.

 

[Gobi Gred]

The checklist for this doesn't say anything about landing at the nearest suitable airport interestingly enough. I had a windshield do the exact same thing and we returned to the field because we were in the process of climbing out. The thing that startled me at the time was the big bang it made when it shattered. But later on there were some tests done on this windshield by Bombardier I think and it is plenty strong. The shattering is typically caused by improper installation. This really didn't deserve the press it got. It's not a big deal. A little unnerving when it happens, yes. Dangerous, no.

 

[Weasil]

The windshield is the strongest part of the frame on the RJ. There are several layers and it's not uncommon for one to do that.

The Mystery of the Cracked Airplane Windshields

FAA Investigators Are Trying to Determine Why So Many Windshields in Denver Have Cracked

Feb. 18, 2007 —

Investigators at the Denver International Airport are trying to figure out why the windshields on at least 13 planes have cracked.
Winds reaching up to 100 miles-per-hour have been whipping through the Colorado foothills, but airport officials say they've never seen anything like this. The weather was so cold and windy this weekend that parts of Colorado's Interstate 70 were in a near whiteout, and some ski areas closed lifts.
On the tarmac and in flight, the weather has had damaging affects on airplane windshields.
"This is not only unusual, I know of no precedent for anything like this where multiple windshields have been cracked, simply by being in a particular place at a particular time," said John Nance, a pilot and aviation consultant for ABC News.

Birds, Weather Can Be Destructive

Aircraft windshields are designed to withstand air pressure at 400 knots and survive hitting a bird without catastrophic failure. But occasionally, they crack, and the pilots land as soon as practical.
"The two most likely causes of cracked windshields are simply the internal heat system being misapplied or not heating uniformly or having a bird hit it at a really high rate of speed in the air," Nance explained.
Cracks often are caught while the plane is on the ground. They can be terrifying when they happen in the air. The Federal Aviation Administration has records of 20 in-flight cracking incidents since 1982, 12 of them on commercial airliners.
Two years ago, when Oprah Winfrey's private jet suffered a cracked windshield after hitting a bird on takeoff. One of the most infamous cases of cracked windshields occurred in 1990, when a windshield panel blew out on a British Airways flight, nearly sucking the pilot out the window. The plane was still able to fly.
"It's certainly not going to destroy the airplane and it's not going to make it un-flyable," Nance said.
The FAA is investigating the Denver cases of cracked windshields because there have been so many of them, but all the affected jets are expected to be back in service today.


Copyright © 2008 ABC News Internet Ventures

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Plane Makes Emergency Landing After Windshield Shatters

Passengers, Crew Treated For Injuries


POSTED: 9:37 am EST January 31, 2008

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- An emergency landing at Palm Beach International Airport of an American Airlines flight was caused by a faulty windshield heater that filled the plane's cockpit with smoke, authorities said.

The Boeing 757 flight 1738 left from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was heading to Philadelphia Wednesday night when it was forced to land at Palm Beach International Airport at 9:08 p.m.

Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue spokesman Capt. Don DeLucia told WPBF News 25 that the pilot decided to make the emergency landing after a faulty windshield heater caused an electrical fire and filled the cockpit with heat and smoke. DeLucia said the heat of the fire caused the inner layer of the plane's windshield to shatter and that shards of the glass had fallen onto and injured the co-pilot. DeLucia told WPBF that the pilot was careful in his descent to keep the outer layer of glass intact.
The plane was carrying 132 passengers and seven crew members, according to American Airlines spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan.

DeLucia told WPBF that seven people were treated for injuries, including two passengers, the plane's pilot, co-pilot and three flight attendants. DeLucia said that their injuries were not considered life-threatening.

The other 130 passengers on the flight who were uninjured were given the option of staying the night in West Palm Beach or finishing their trip on a plane flown in from Fort Lauderdale. Fagan said that the replacement flight landed in Philadelphia around 4:30 a.m. Thursday.

A check of The Federal Aviation Administration's database reveals no previous damage incidents with the plane, WPBF reported.

 

[N1VIBS]

2 types of CRJ pilots. Those that have had a windshield shatter and those that will have one shatter. (kinda like flap failure).. Its just part of CRJ life. Bombardier has been trying to fix these problems for years, but they still happen.

 

[nickgutnick]

it cracked because they were flying to close to the birds!

 

[imisscorplife]

It probably woke both of them up!

 

[CarjCapt]

broken RJ glass

After 10 years of flying the CRJ and 2 broken windshields they were non events.

 

[Captain Morgan]

2 types of CRJ pilots. Those that have had a windshield shatter and those that will have one shatter. (kinda like flap failure).. Its just part of CRJ life. Bombardier has been trying to fix these problems for years, but they still happen.

That's because God wanted Bombardier to build a Turboprop (CRP) and they put ducted fans on it instead, furthing the decline of our industry. God is just continually reminding you that you should be flying slower at lower altitudes with big props pulling you through the air.

 

[Scope out RJ's]

I think that was PFT-MCDU in the captains seat. What a perfect match MCdoosh and Mesa!

 

[Soverytired]

The checklist for this doesn't say anything about landing at the nearest suitable airport interestingly enough. I had a windshield do the exact same thing and we returned to the field because we were in the process of climbing out. The thing that startled me at the time was the big bang it made when it shattered. But later on there were some tests done on this windshield by Bombardier I think and it is plenty strong. The shattering is typically caused by improper installation. This really didn't deserve the press it got. It's not a big deal. A little unnerving when it happens, yes. Dangerous, no.

Ditto. It sounds like a firearm going off in the cockpit. Definitely will wake you up after falling asleep in flight because Mesa assigned you a schedule where they expect you to get your rest sleeping on the floor of the airplane in the wee hours of the morning.

I actually recognized the captain from his picture. Super nice guy, a good pilot, and (if memory serves) a s-hot one time Army chopper pilot. His talents are wasted at MAG . . . there's really no justice in this industry.

 

[CoolSidePillow]

MESA sucks. This would never have happened if regional pukes were flying t-props like they are supposed to. The hurricanes, failure of banking system, and price of oil are all because those spike haired d*****bags are playing with themselves in those little toy jets.

 

[jws717]

It makes the big scary bang noise at altitude. However once you land, MX control just issues you a ferry permit and tells you to fly it again.

I love the drama of the news video. Was any one hurt, Bob? No Diane nothing freaking happened at the airport today.

 

[AvroGuy]

MESA sucks. This would never have happened if regional pukes were flying t-props like they are supposed to. The hurricanes, failure of banking system, and price of oil are all because those spike haired d*****bags are playing with themselves in those little toy jets.

I'll be the first to take a l e a k on the this little flame.

It was the Main line pilot on his/her high horse saying we don't want to fly those small jets.. and then let go of scope..either in ch 11 to save something else or just letting it go. Live with your decision or the decision of your fellow pilots.

 

[wmuflyguy]

. Did not miss a football game

Bet you wish you missed that USC-OSU game though.

 

[robair73]

Is it me or does that dude have a crooked thumb? He's trying to point it up, but it's pointing to the right!!

Looks like this


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