Not so good news about flight 3407

[Indy319FA]

I feel very sorry for the family of Captian Renslow. To hear the media attempting to blame him for the crash (rightly or wrongly) in addition to their loss. They are in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[rickair7777]

I thought they were to heavy to reach the high orbit of the space station ?

Ooops, you are correct. The space station was not an option due to lack of fuel for orbital manuevering. But nasa did not just let them re-enter knowing the ship would be destroyed. They would have tried any of several methods to reduce the re-entry energy (different orbit, jettison excess weight, etc).

 

[airplane wizard]

If they had known, the crew could have stayed at the space station for a very long time until either nasa or russia sent a rescue ship(s).

Nasa did know about the foam strike before re-entry, but did not conclude that it posed a serious risk. Ooops...

Not true, Columbia was not equipped to dock at the station. It was the only shuttle not set up with a docking port. Nasa also declined the airforce's offer to view the shuttles belly form orbit with a high powered telescope which would have revealed the damage to the leading edge of the left wing. Columbia was not in the right orbit and did not have enough fuel to reach the station.

 

[Hugh Johnson]

I am guessing they don't want to release it because it looks so bad for the pilots. They want to wait until everything is looked at before they say they simply stalled it, which the data seems to show. Just my guess.

NTSB already released preliminary airspeed data.


Chealander says the crew's intended landing configuration was with 15° of flap, and that initial calculations put the Q400's weight at 55,000lb (24,950kg) with a reference speed of 119kt - this rose by 20kt, to 139kt, as a result of the precautionary activation of a switch to increase stall margins. Preliminary flight-data evidence puts the aircraft's calibrated airspeed at 134kt, but Chealander warns against reading too much into the early figures.


Calibrated airspeed (CAS) is the speed shown by a conventional airspeed indicator after correction for instrument error and position error.

 

[LJ45]

NTSB already released preliminary airspeed data.


Chealander says the crew's intended landing configuration was with 15° of flap, and that initial calculations put the Q400's weight at 55,000lb (24,950kg) with a reference speed of 119kt - this rose by 20kt, to 139kt, as a result of the precautionary activation of a switch to increase stall margins. Preliminary flight-data evidence puts the aircraft's calibrated airspeed at 134kt, but Chealander warns against reading too much into the early figures.


Calibrated airspeed (CAS) is the speed shown by a conventional airspeed indicator after correction for instrument error and position error.

ok, but what was it when the stall warning activated, what was it when the power was added, what was it when they pitched up to 31 degrees, how many g's in the pitch up...etc

 

[airplane wizard]

I hope for the crews memory that it was a freak accident and not pilot error.

 

[DX Rick]

ok, but what was it when the stall warning activated, what was it when the power was added, what was it when they pitched up to 31 degrees, how many g's in the pitch up...etc

From what I read, they were doing 134kias before all hell broke lose.

 

[Oakum_Boy]

I hope for the crews memory that it was a freak accident and not pilot error.

Um, yeah. Maybe the NTSB will rule this one:

FREAK ACCIDENT

 

[Oakum_Boy]

Calibrated airspeed (CAS) is the speed shown by a conventional airspeed indicator after correction for instrument error and position error.

Just to clarify, CAS is presented on the PFD airspeed tape, not IAS. The data goes through an ADC which makes those corrections before being displayed. A conventional airspeed indicator shows, well, indicated airspeed.

 

[MALSR]

I hope for the crews memory that it was a freak accident and not pilot error.

How will that help anybody?