Why aft CG increases TAS

[profile]

>>We ALL know what happened. No, I wasn't there as I'm sure that was your next question.<<

As an experienced accident investigator, I would say that contrary to your assertions, no "we all" do NOT "know what happened." The scenario you mention was very convenient for Boeing, though, wonder who spread that particular rumor around?

 

[chperplt]

You're right, it was very convenient for Boeing.

As an experienced accident investigator, how would you explain why the crew erased the CVR?

 

[profile]

Well, that portion of the tape would have been history anyway by the time they got on the ground (more than 30 minutes after the upset), so it's really a moot point. The procedure now is to pull the CB to preserve the pertinent portion of the tape, but in actual practice few do that. While it may not look good, the fact is that there are a variety of innocuous reasons to hit the erase button. It is habit for a fair number of pilots (at least it used to be). It could be that somebody said something in poor taste, it could be that someone mentioned a mistress, could just have been his SOP (which he stated), but doesn't indicate that. Read the ALPA report on it and then decide what you think.

 

[chperplt]

It's the point that the tape would have been history, and they still erased it, that makes me think they were messing around and it bit them in the butt.

I read the reports a few years ago. I'll give them a re-read and see if I come up with a different opinion.

Fly safe

 

[profile]

Well, it could have been anything from "this divert is going to mess up my date tonight" to just being paranoid for no real reason (a very common trait among airline pilots these days, and not without good cause!). Perhaps they didn't follow some published TWA procedure after the event, so were worried on being burned on that.

I can recall one event where the crew got blamed for not reading the entire checklist even though the smoke in the cockpit and goggle problems made it virtually impossible. Crew got the airplane on the ground without a scratch, and everyone out without any injuries. If they had hit that erase button they'd now have clean records instead of having FAA and NTSB hammer them. Capice? Kind of makes you consider hitting that erase button....

While the "procedure" described in the initial post was bantered around, I doubt very seriously that anybody did this, if performance improvement were possible this way, as I said before, the "flap 0" position would have left them with the same droop as "flaps 2" did. IOW, Boeing would have designed it into their airplanes. Considering that there have been more than one recorded event of uncommanded slat deployment at altitude since that event, it is more probable that the crew's story is accurate.

 

[chperplt]

Point well taken

 

[rudedog]

chperpilot or profile,

Either of you guys know where I can get a copy of that report on the TWA 727?

 

[profile]

Should be able to find it in the Airline Pilot archives.