Plane Crashes
Jun 22, 2015 08:57:52 #
I have posted before on aviation safety - always thought that the 'standard' aviation safety statistics which always quote deaths per millions of passenger miles are eyewash . The figures are arrived at by multiplying the number of passengers on a flight by the distance flown e.g 400 souls on a 747 from London to ny 3000 miles = 1,200,000 safe passenger miles ! This is really misleading . Why not quote the number of times each passenger exposes him/her self to the risk - much more realistic. The more you fly the more you expose yourself to the risk of an 'incident' - exactly the same as being in a car - most folk drive or get into their cars twice a day (the drive to and from work) that's 700 exposures per year approx - how many flights do they take per year . If you have time - this is interesting - http://asndata.aviation-safety.net/industry-reports/Boeing-Statistical-Summary-1959-2013.pdf
Jun 22, 2015 09:15:16 #
Jun 22, 2015 09:24:47 #
jerryc41 wrote:
But that insures us of a perfectly safe flight. :D
Ya think Jerry! Thats why tsa just failed its own test on letting through bad guys. Lol
Jun 22, 2015 09:29:23 #
nimbushopper wrote:
Ya think Jerry! Thats why tsa just failed its own test on letting through bad guys. Lol
TSA failed it's own test because they kept poking their eye while attempting the exam. My 2c worth of course :)
Jun 22, 2015 09:29:40 #
Jerry, you forgot a couple big ones:
"Sometimes stuff happens"
"Sometimes Mother Nature has alternative plans"
"Sometimes stuff happens"
"Sometimes Mother Nature has alternative plans"
Jun 22, 2015 09:32:18 #
Interesting observations, Jerry. The checklist thing really caught my eye. While training to be certified as a Missile Combat Crew Commander they hammered into us again and again that the checklists (we had three 3" notebooks) were there to be used, we were not to EVER memorize one and Lord help us if we missed a step and caused problems with the sorties (missiles). As a result I always used the checklists and always read each step aloud so my deputy could hear and follow along and only after we both agreed the action was correct did we complete the step. Kept us out of trouble and kept the sorties in their silos for my entire tour.
Jun 22, 2015 09:39:10 #
A comprehensive list and I will add two other things.
1. Weather. Both at take-off and landings and the possibility of severe weather enroute.
2. If an airplane has two engines and room for two pilots, there should be two pilots. There's been a rash of accidents of two-place plane accidents with only one pilot aboard. I contribute this partially to the pilot failing to do a proper take-off check list.
1. Weather. Both at take-off and landings and the possibility of severe weather enroute.
2. If an airplane has two engines and room for two pilots, there should be two pilots. There's been a rash of accidents of two-place plane accidents with only one pilot aboard. I contribute this partially to the pilot failing to do a proper take-off check list.
Jun 22, 2015 11:11:04 #
Jun 22, 2015 12:03:02 #
my opinion only. If God wanted me to fly he would have gave me wings like he did the Angels.
-Bushy
-Bushy
Jun 22, 2015 12:14:26 #
Quite a lot of "generalizations". In your list but all are good points to ponder.
But as a small plane pilot for 55 years, I think the "small planes and airliners are a bad mix" is one such generalization. I could say that "trucks and cars are a bad mix" yet we all do it most days of our lives and don't even think about it. And I guar-an-tee that more people die in truck/car accidents than in small plane/airliner accidents.
As I have said here before, I most likely will never fly on an airliner again but not for being worried about safety. They've made an airliner flight so onerous that I won't submit to it. And the terrorists win again.
But as a small plane pilot for 55 years, I think the "small planes and airliners are a bad mix" is one such generalization. I could say that "trucks and cars are a bad mix" yet we all do it most days of our lives and don't even think about it. And I guar-an-tee that more people die in truck/car accidents than in small plane/airliner accidents.
As I have said here before, I most likely will never fly on an airliner again but not for being worried about safety. They've made an airliner flight so onerous that I won't submit to it. And the terrorists win again.
Jun 22, 2015 12:16:53 #
EdJ0307 wrote:
And I thought I had enough reasons never to get on an airplane again then you come up with all these.
I wish you had told me all this before I went up in that 80+ year old airplane a week ago.
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-316697-1.html
I wish you had told me all this before I went up in that 80+ year old airplane a week ago.
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-316697-1.html
Heck, that old Ford triplane is probably in better condition now than when it was first built.
Jun 22, 2015 12:31:46 #
wilikioti wrote:
A comprehensive list and I will add two other things.
1. Weather. Both at take-off and landings and the possibility of severe weather enroute.
2. If an airplane has two engines and room for two pilots, there should be two pilots. There's been a rash of accidents of two-place plane accidents with only one pilot aboard. I contribute this partially to the pilot failing to do a proper take-off check list.
1. Weather. Both at take-off and landings and the possibility of severe weather enroute.
2. If an airplane has two engines and room for two pilots, there should be two pilots. There's been a rash of accidents of two-place plane accidents with only one pilot aboard. I contribute this partially to the pilot failing to do a proper take-off check list.
True on both counts. Sometimes you just shouldn't take off. Just ask Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper
As for the single pilot, one of the shows featured the crash of a small island-hopping plane with two engines and one pilot. A control cable broke, so it was hopeless. They discovered that the plane was kept at an airport overnight and parked very close to the jet exhaust of larger planes. The blast barrier had been removed to allow more room for maneuvering. With the elevators tied down, the blast of air on them put a lot of stress on the cable, and it failed prematurely. This crash was preventable, but the barrier was removed, and there weren't enough inspections of the cable, which was known to be susceptible to wear.
Jun 22, 2015 12:34:41 #
Although most of the world uses the metric system, altitude is reported in feet, and speed in MPH.
For the most part speed is in Knots not MPH.
For the most part speed is in Knots not MPH.
Jun 22, 2015 12:37:00 #
tbohon wrote:
Interesting observations, Jerry. The checklist th... (show quote)
:thumbup:
There's been an effort to get surgeons to use checklists, but they've resisted. Since no one has ever had a complication from surgery or died on the table, I guess a checklist isn't necessary.
I have several packing checklists for when I go away, although leaving an item home is generally not a matter of life or death. A checklist list lets you make sure things are right when there is no stress. It's good that the pilots have lists to consult when things do go wrong, so they can find out what to do, rather than just using trial and error.
Jun 22, 2015 12:50:52 #
Bushpilot wrote:
Although most of the world uses the metric system, altitude is reported in feet, and speed in MPH.
For the most part speed is in Knots not MPH.
For the most part speed is in Knots not MPH.
Ah, right! Distance is given in miles, though. That's got to be confusing for foreign controllers.
I think what we need is a new, third system of measurement that everyone can use - like an Esperanto for measurement. That would catch on quickly, right?
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