Air France Flight Missing

[Dornier 335]

I cannot imagine that Airbus has no electrical backup. What about the RAT (Ram Air Turbine)? Besides, I think severe turbulence is worse than lightning strikes. Let's hope for the best.

 

[Princedietrich]

MSN news is now saying that officials are confirming a catastrophic crash.

But then again, we all know how the news outlets like to jump the gun so take it for what it's worth.

Always feels like a punch to the gut when you read about things like this.

 

[jpeace02]

hey are we going to any games this season or not? get off the computer and get to work.

 

[crj567]

He's just a bitter rj butt warmer. These pilots are highly trained. It's Air France for Pete's Sake!

Hope they end up somewhere on land with no cell phone coverage safe and sound. Not looking too good.

Yep-

This is all the fault of RJs.... You know-one of tjose crappy "RJs" built but Airbus (which can carry 300 pax) and the substandard pilots-probably from Gulfstream...

 

[wmuflyguy]

If that back up system fails, the Trimmable Horizontal Stab and the Rudder can be controlled manually (cables).

I can't even imagine an aircraft such as that losing every electrical option, and with only those control surfaces, controlling the aircraft would be a really tall order over the Atlantic at night, with turbulence, and T-storms...with no attitude instruments (I assume the backup is also electric). It would be hard/impossible just to determine which direction is up in those conditions.

 

[~~~^~~~]

going to show my ignorance here. can anyone dispell the idea, that a former NTSB offical cited...

If that's who I think it is, we used to joke in air safety circles that he would report the cause of the crash while the airplane was still in flight.

Ready, FIRE, aim... .

If this is the same guy who it always tends to be, he does a disservice to air safety work. If this AirBus was lost in the ocean there will be a lot of hard work needed to figure out why, what and lessons we can apply. We will not know all the answers for years, if then.

 

[Axel]

Airplane missing, last known position over the Atlantic; down somewhere, God knows where, by now. The fate of almost 300 humans unknown, but looking bleaker with each passing hour. Probably a lot of empty seats at dinner tables tonight; lots of widows, orphans and bereaved parents whose lives are forever altered and some of you actually try to turn it into a RJ/GIA pissing contest.

Screw you.

 

[Snaab]

Airplane missing, last known position over the Atlantic; down somewhere, God knows where, by now. The fate of almost 300 humans unknown, but looking bleaker with each passing hour. Probably a lot of empty seats at dinner tables tonight; lots of widows, orphans and bereaved parents whose lives are forever altered and some of you actually try to turn it into a RJ/GIA pissing contest.

Screw you.

Thank you! Grow up, people.

 

[Amish RakeFight]

Shhhhhh...

It's actually a PR promo for the new reality show based off of ABC's highly successful "LOST" program.

Stay tuned. Lots of hot French babes stranded on a desert island.

 

[i fly boxes]

Shhhhhh...

It's actually a PR promo for the new reality show based off of ABC's highly successful "LOST" program.

Stay tuned. Lots of hot French babes stranded on a desert island.

I can't believe how many people have such sick minds. For one, I would never even think to think about this when i view an aircraft crash, let alone to decide to post it on an internet message board. Do you think people are actually going to laugh at that statement? Why don't you go to the airport where the plane was supposed to land and say what you just said there in front of all the families and see how many people laugh.

 

[Amish RakeFight]

I can't believe how many people have such sick minds. For one, I would never even think to think about this when i view an aircraft crash, let alone to decide to post it on an internet message board. Do you think people are actually going to laugh at that statement? Why don't you go to the airport where the plane was supposed to land and say what you just said there in front of all the families and see how many people laugh.

You'll have to excuse me and my sense of humor. You see, I was born to a set of Vulcan parents and don't understand this silly fragility called human emotion. Very peculiar and paradoxial on my home planet.

 

[Donsa320]

I can't even imagine an aircraft such as that losing every electrical option, and with only those control surfaces, controlling the aircraft would be a really tall order over the Atlantic at night, with turbulence, and T-storms...with no attitude instruments (I assume the backup is also electric). It would be hard/impossible just to determine which direction is up in those conditions.

Well, hard but not impossible. We had to do it in the Sim 20 years ago this month when I typed in the 320. I would hope that it is still done today.

DC

 

[ACL65PILOT]

It has backup for the flight controls. It is required under FAA Certification Part 25. I cannot recall the JAA number, but they require it too.
A RAT would provide essential power. Most flight controls will have two if not three separate channels of power to each control surface.
Add to that back up hydraulic power to move the surfaces as well.

 

[Amish RakeFight]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-air-france-missing2-2009jun02,0,4765833.story

Reporting from Bogota, Colombia, and Sao Paulo, Brazil, -- Strong turbulence apparently caused an electric circuit to fail aboard an Air France jetliner flying from Brazil to Paris, forcing the plane to crash and killing all 228 people on board, officials for the airline announced this morning.

In a prepared statement and news conference in Paris, Air France-KLM Chief Executive Pierre-Henri Gourgeon said Flight 447 had reported "the failure of several onboard computer systems" after flying through an area of turbulence today.

 

[livin'thesim]

Despite all the redundancy, there are probably weak areas that could cause total failure.

The DC-10 before they modified the hydraulics comes to mind. Who knew?

And the more complicated the system, the more opportunity for one in a million type failures.

Personally, the idea of no manual reversion mode makes me squeamish. And from what I understand about the Airbus, electrics are required for very control level from full to minimum.