NTSB: Speedbrakes not armed before Southwest 737 excursion

[j41driver]

Logbook...

 

[Redeyes]

Why did Boeing design a system where the speedbrakes have to be armed. Canadair RJ are always armed. You land, and they come up, no arming necessary.

I think Boeing need to update a 50 year old design. Pilots will forget to arm them, it has been proven many times.

 

[Golden Falcon]

momentary flap overspeed distracted them?? Seems a bit unstable..wonder what their approach stability criterion is?

 

[vixin]

It was a windy crapy wet day in MDW with flaps 40. An overspeed happens.

 

[Dumb Pilot]

Why did Boeing design a system where the speedbrakes have to be armed. Canadair RJ are always armed. You land, and they come up, no arming necessary.

I think Boeing need to update a 50 year old design. Pilots will forget to arm them, it has been proven many times.

People forget to arm the TR's on the CRJ's all the time as well, talking about a bad design

 

[Captain Fulough]

Logbook...

"It's aboard"

 

[Redeyes]

I think the in the RJ you always leave the switches on. On the 737 the speed brake handle must me moved to an arm position before every landing. There is a big difference between the two systems.

 

[Ty Webb]

On the 737NG the spoilers will deploy when you go into reverse, whether they were armed or not.

 

[humveedriver]

On the 737NG the spoilers will deploy when you go into reverse, whether they were armed or not.

A mechanical do-hicky lifts the spoiler handle out the detent when you go into reverse. An electric motor takes it from there. It's a shame they waited 16s to go into reverse.. That probably would have solved their problem. Or, had they armed the spoilers, they would have deployed at main wheel spin up and along with heavy braking done the job w/o reverse. Both pilots got out of their groove. It's rare but it happens.

 

[Ty Webb]

A mechanical do-hicky lifts the spoiler handle out the detent when you go into reverse. An electric motor takes it from there.

Good thing they didn't ask me about that on the oral . . . I thought the whatchamacallit moved a thingamajig . . . or maybe it was done by little elves. :laugh:

 

[humveedriver]

Good thing they didn't ask me about that on the oral . . . I thought the whatchamacallit moved a thingamajig . . . or maybe it was done by little elves. :laugh:

I just tell them the pork chop does it

 

[Ty Webb]

I just tell them the pork chop does it

Or turn it into a discussion about the Electra; that works, too.

 

[737tanker]

"500 feet."

"Final Flaps 30/40, 5 Green lights"

It's that easy.

The Capt involved told me that he normally does "500 ft - 5 green lights. However that day he was doing the RNP approach and on that approach he said that the "Minimums" call occurred just when he would be doing the 500 ft - 5 green. So on that day it wasn't that easy.

 

[SpauldingSmails]

People forget to arm the TR's on the CRJ's all the time as well, talking about a bad design

Ok then, you don't have to do anything in the E-Jets with regard to arming spoilers or thrust reversers. Boeing could still do quite a lot bring their best selling product in line with more modern designs.

 

[Dumb Pilot]

Ok then, you don't have to do anything in the E-Jets with regard to arming spoilers or thrust reversers. Boeing could still do quite a lot bring their best selling product in line with more modern designs.

Like the A340 for example? Well, if you haven't activated the reversers 16 or 18 seconds after landing and you happened to land a little long, you will run out as we saw with AF in Toronto, regardless of a modern auto design or not, sure the arming of the spoilers played a part but the failure to get the reversers right away is the major factor here, the spoilers would have come up with the reverses regardless of being armed or not.