US Airways jet crashes into Hudson River

**Tye 1on** · 01-16-2009, 10:24 AM

Ok, two questions of you aviationMags...
How fast were they going when they splashed down? Isn't a landing basically timing a stall to happen just before the wheels touch?

And is it the inflatable slides that do double duty as rafts, or are A320's equipped with both?

Ok, three. If only one engine had been goosed, would that have left enough power to get to Teeterboro?

**Cono Este** · 01-16-2009, 10:33 AM

I hope they waive those extra luggage fee's.

**road trip** · 01-16-2009, 10:39 AM

By no means an aviator mag, but news reports said (by quoting aviator peeps) that, with one engine, it would have made it to Teterboro, Newark, or back to LaGuardia.

Also read that the first ferry to reach the plane was piloted by both the first female ferry captain and the youngest ever - - 19. She was profiled in the NY Times back in December. I read that back then and then read her name noted in one of the articles today. Pretty crazy sh!t for your first month on the job.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/01/16/hud...ash/index.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/05/ny...tanzaro&st=cse

**Cono Este** · 01-16-2009, 11:11 AM

I heard Bush is going to use TARP money to buy 50,000 hawks from a central African country and release then on them on the Mexican border to Kill off Canadian Geese.

**Flaskman** · 01-16-2009, 12:01 PM

This shot is unbelieveable...

**Ted Striker** · 01-16-2009, 12:24 PM

Originally Posted by Tye 1on

Ok, two questions of you aviationMags...
How fast were they going when they splashed down? Isn't a landing basically timing a stall to happen just before the wheels touch?

Depends on weight and configuration (flaps/slats and gear). The Vref (approach speed) range for an A320 is 100 kts to 147 kts with full flap/slats and up to 197 knots clean (flaps/slats at 0 and gear up). Under normal circumstances touchdown is significantly higher than stall in a medium and larger jet, but in this instance you'd want to milk it to get the slowest touchdown, so yeah, just like you said. Oh, and 100 kts = 115 mph.

Originally Posted by Tye 1on

And is it the inflatable slides that do double duty as rafts, or are A320's equipped with both?

Kind of, but not necessarily. Rafts depend on use. They aren't required (by FAA and TC) unless you fly beyond 50 miles off shore. A320s usually fly domestic, but some may go to Caribbean islands so maybe, maybe not.

Originally Posted by Tye 1on

Ok, three. If only one engine had been goosed, would that have left enough power to get to Teeterboro?

Yes, no problem. Single engine is no big deal.

**Tye 1on** · 01-16-2009, 12:28 PM

Originally Posted by pisteoff

Depends on weight and configuration (flaps/slats and gear). The Vref (approach speed) range for an A320 is 100 kts to 147 kts with full flap/slats and up to 197 knots clean (flaps/slats at 0 and gear up). Under normal circumstances touchdown is significantly higher than stall in a medium and larger jet, but in this instance you'd want to milk it to get the slowest touchdown, so yeah, just like you said. Oh, and 100 kts = 115 mph.

So perhaps around 100mph, or higher, given he was trying for closer to stall speed?

That's just amazing. Shit happens pretty fast at 100mph...

thanks for the beta...

**RootSkier** · 01-16-2009, 12:33 PM

What are the chances that someone did not get this on video?

Think someone is smart enough to be shopping it instead of putting it on youporn?

**Ted Striker** · 01-16-2009, 12:42 PM

Originally Posted by hubie

wouldn't a bird flying at 29,039 feet over mt. everest be only 10 feet above the ground?

Yeah, I kinda figured someone might say that. You are correct.

They don't fly that high if they don't have to, but they routinely fly above 1000 ft AGL when migrating. Most bird strikes happen down low because that's where the most birds are, but that doesn't mean that all birds fly low.

**lionelhutz** · 01-16-2009, 12:47 PM

If for nothing else this crash has provided endless comedy as serious news people talk seriously while the screen is filled with test footage of various dead birds being fired into engines and turned in red clouds of goop.
I know bird strikes are a real concern....but come on...that footage is awesome and to show it while Matt Laurer pretends he is really concerned is LOL worthy.

**spanky** · 01-16-2009, 12:52 PM

Originally Posted by dipstik

I wonder how many people pulled out those safety pamphlet's for a quick refresher when they realized that both engines had stopped working.

I guess one of the guys in this boat didn't read the pamphlet.

**iceman** · 01-16-2009, 01:29 PM

Originally Posted by spanky

I guess one of the guys in this boat didn't read the pamphlet.

That's funny. Check out the lady looking at him like "You DORK!"

**Stu Gotz** · 01-16-2009, 01:31 PM

from Dealbreaker.

If it was in the summer, I wonder if someone would have hopped in the water and popped the "raft." (Its the safety slide, I know.)

**MultiVerse** · 01-16-2009, 02:13 PM

Originally Posted by hubie

wouldn't a bird flying at 29,039 feet over mt. everest be only 10 feet above the ground?

Originally Posted by pisteoff

Yeah, I kinda figured someone might say that. You are correct.

They don't fly that high if they don't have to, but they routinely fly above 1000 ft AGL when migrating. Most bird strikes happen down low because that's where the most birds are, but that doesn't mean that all birds fly low.

Kind of long, but the birds flying over the Himalayas’ is pretty salty.

(If you want to fast-forward ~2:50 min in = Cranes migrating over the Himalayas. Great shot at ~8:00 min of the birds summiting)

This is from the Mountains portion of the BBC Planet Earth series.

**Tye 1on** · 01-16-2009, 04:40 PM

Latest is the engines are missing. Sort of came off in all the excitement. They're out looking for them and any ingested kamikaze geese...

**milton** · 01-17-2009, 10:45 AM

video released..

Starts at about 2:00, doesn't really show the descent, just the landing and initial rescue.

**TROLL-HOLE-E-O** · 01-17-2009, 10:52 AM

Environmentalists nearly kill 150+ in New York....

Do you think those fucking geese would be that close to the airport if the the PETA types didn't have a say??

**bklyn** · 01-17-2009, 11:13 AM

Originally Posted by TROLL-HOLE-E-O

Environmentalists nearly kill 150+ in New York....

Do you think those fucking geese would be that close to the airport if the the PETA types didn't have a say??

You don't know much about the geography of the area or how many millions of geese and other waterfowl are here year round.

A funnier troll would have been to say since their Canadian geese, this is a terrorist plot from the north. At least funny trolls are somewhat entertaining.

**TROLL-HOLE-E-O** · 01-17-2009, 11:26 AM

Originally Posted by bklyn

You don't know much about the geography of the area or how many millions of geese and other waterfowl are here year round.

A funnier troll would have been to say since their Canadian geese, this is a terrorist plot from the north. At least funny trolls are somewhat entertaining.

Come to think of it, those 9/11 guys DID come through Canada. You are on to something there. It's obvious that the Canadian border is out of control when it comes to water fowl.

**P_McPoser** · 01-17-2009, 11:34 AM

Pre PETA days it was someone's job to hunt fowl all day long at most airports...

**LegoSkier** · 01-17-2009, 12:02 PM

Flew out of Newark yesterday and on the monorail from rental car return to the terminal we passed over an estuary with a few hundred geese chillin right next to the runway. You could tell everyone on the train was thinking somebody needs to go down there with a shotgun and take care of business.

**TROLL-HOLE-E-O** · 01-17-2009, 12:32 PM

Originally Posted by LegoSkier

Flew out of Newark yesterday and on the monorail from rental car return to the terminal we passed over an estuary with a few hundred geese chillin right next to the runway. You could tell everyone on the train was thinking somebody needs to go down there with a shotgun and take care of business.

Hundreds Dead in Newark....Animal Activists Responsible.

**f2f** · 01-17-2009, 03:41 PM

footage of the actual landing from a pier's security camera (click through to watch higher quality on youtube):

this gives a full timeline of the accident. crash-landing at 3:31, within 20 seconds people are spilling on the wings, within 1m40s the first barge is already near enough to throw a line. starts at 2:00 in:

all of this is impressive on so many different levels...

**P_McPoser** · 01-17-2009, 04:20 PM

L7 · 01-17-2009, 04:44 PM

Originally Posted by bklyn

You don't know much about the geography of the area or how many millions of geese and other waterfowl are here year round.

A funnier troll would have been to say since their Canadian geese, this is a terrorist plot from the north. At least funny trolls are somewhat entertaining.

Actually I'm waiting for the fox network headline saying Canada offering easy access for terrorists to US border. I thought a good editorial comic would have the Canada Geese complete with maple leafs somewhere so no one misses it and perhaps turbans dive bombing into the engine. (It's all open season when no one dies).