Colgan 3407 Down in Buffalo

[cale42]

The DEICE Caution light is a nuisance light more than anything in the Q400. It is not a failure of the deice equipment. I've had the light at least a half dozen times and never had a boot fail to inflate.

The Q handles ice quite well.. plane SOP is to turn the boots on as soon as ice is initially detected, no buildup like a lot of boots. On fast cycle the boots blow every minute, I've never seen any significant ice build up. Lot of indications sound like a tail stall, but its just hard to imagine much ice building up on the tail of a Q.

For whoever mentioned green on green, most of those rules are only 100 hours per seat, so a 3 year captain and a 1 year FO would be no where near this.

Godspeed to all involved.. its scary when its your own type of aircraft..

cale

 

[AV1ATRX]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned, and may not have anything whatsoever to do with this accident, but the pressure was VERY low in the northeast yesterday. I triple-checked the current altimeter setting all day because it's just weird to have them down around 29.00. The contoller didn't mention anything about them being at any wrong altitudes, so I doubt it's a factor, but something to consider.

 

[TxPilot0878]

Godspeed!

Obviously this will be a learning event...noone puts themselves in a situation that would have this kind of outcome. The details I have no doubt will show that the crew had a circumstance handed to them that was unnatural, unheard of, and unbelievable.

My heart goes out to the crew, the passengers, the people on the ground and for all of their families!!!

 

[www.]

For whoever mentioned green on green, most of those rules are only 100 hours per seat, so a 3 year captain and a 1 year FO would be no where near this.

- Captain Marvin Renslow joined Colgan on September 9, 2005. Captain Renslow had flown 3,379 hours with Colgan Air.
- First Officer Rebecca Shaw joined Colgan on January 16, 2008. Ms. Shaw had flown 2,244 hours with Colgan Air.


Most junior Q400 capt hired: Sept 2005

It appears that he flew the Saab at Colgan first then upgraded to the Dash 8 on 11/18/2008.

 

[WSurf]

Common for the -100/-200 series also. Rare to have it stay on after the valves cycled. If it did, it was written up.

deHavilland published several tailplane icing bulletins for the Dash-8 series in the mid-1990's after NASA's research used the DHC-6 (remember those videos in Recurrent?)

After the Eagle ATR Roselawn crash in 1994 (we're you at PDT then Surf?), deHavilland published a bulletin to operate in icing conditions with the boots cycling continuously (fast mode). I don't know if that applied to the Q400. I've been gone from PDT for 5 years and don't know if that is still SOP there.

The Dash-8 carries ice very well and not only can you see it, you can hear it as it builds, disrupting the normal slipstream airflow around the cockpit and on the wiperblades. If we carried ice on approach, we always bumped the ref speeds up, as recommended for tailplane icing.

This BUF crash is heartbreaking. My condolences to the families of the crew and pax and their loved ones.

T8

Trainer I was in college in Wilminton NC crushing beers chasing tail in 1994 during the Eagle Crash. But weren't those guys holding in ice with the flaps deployed to lower the nose? Causing major ICE bridging.

Yes, our SOP's now is if you enter icing condition boots go on at Fast Mode.

And yes depending on the ice we (or I) bump up the approach speeds.

Its still hard for me to believe ice brought them down.

 

[dispatchguy]

True, I believe the NTSB will really be looking hard at Total Time in Type.

Does Colgan have Green on Green rules?

While those are a reg, carriers can get an exemption to green on green for a certain period of time after introducing a new type of aircraft, in order to get crews experience in the aircraft; sorta the chicken and egg argument - how would u pair aircrew for a new aircraft type in service, if no one has the 75h in type (I think youre no longer "green" at 75; but I could be wrong)

 

[cale42]

Its still hard for me to believe ice brought them down.

I'm inclined to agree.. but theres no doubt theres some denial on my part as I fly these things in a boatload of ice every day.

cale

On another note a cnn analyst just said that conditions were prime for carb icing..

 

[Flyin2low]

All I gotta say is remember Atlantic Coast Airlines circa 1995 when they first got their J-41's. Remember the CMH accident? Pilots new to automation basically reduced power to near idle to configure and descend on the glide slope and forgot to add it back in. Airplane stalled and fell to the ground before they could recover.

 

[dh82dvr]

Very sad day. My thoughts and prayers are with all the families and everyone at Colgan.

Colgan guy 2000 - 2005

 

[trainer8]

I'm inclined to agree.. but theres no doubt theres some denial on my part as I fly these things in a boatload of ice every day.

cale

On another note a cnn analyst just said that conditions were prime for carb icing..

Must have been Miles...he is a Private Pilot.