Ten Crashes That Changed Aviation

[nigelb]

This article from Popular Mechanics is a few years old but I still found it interesting. There is also a link to an investigation into the safest seat on an airline. I know that is controversial as there are many opinions on that subject.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technol ... tml?page=1

Nigel²

[Garry Russell]

Interesting but very US orientated :@

The Comets aren't included for a start.

Garry

[DaveB]

That's what I thought too mate but of course, you have to remember that in the U.S. the U.S. IS the world ;-)

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[Garry Russell]

Maybe they cause most of the accidents

Garry

[TSR2]

Also fails to mention that the only reason the NTSB found the faulty valve in the 737 was from information provided by BA / BM etc who had been using proactive data recorders for years and who had been replacing the valves more regularly as pre failure data would show up on the recorders.

[DanKH]

I think that the Tenerife disaster might be worth mentioning, if you really are talking about crashes that changed history

[TSR2]

definately Dan... the real starting point for the mass roll out of ground radar.

[DispatchDragon]

The Teneriffe accident also was the begining of runway incursion studies -- However a couple of things in defence of our
American cousins -- Popular Mechanics IS an American publication so it they used examples of US accidents -- secondly
in truth ALL of the accidents mentioned in the article HAVE percipated action by the FAA/NTSB/NASA -- to my mind they missed
three others - Palm 71 at Washington National which brought about the "green on green" experience levels used by the FAA - and the US Airways 737 that struck a commuter on the runway at LAX and finally - the SWA overrun at MDW which has brought about a total rethinking of runway clutter and stop distances.


Leif

[nigelb]

Yes I know it is very US oriented and a lot of the comments mentioned other crashes, including Teneriffe and the JAL flight that hit a mountain. Someone did mention the Comet and the window design change. One crash for which I read the NTSB report was the 1974 TWA flight 514 crash into Weather Mountain about 25 miles from Dulles (KIAD). This resulted in GPWS being made mandatory and also clarification of nomenclature used by the FAA. Since I live very close to KIAD I am familiar with the local terrain. Essentially the pilots thought they could descend to 1800 feet way before they should have descended out of 3400. Confusion over the approach clearance was a contributing factor and the FAA had known about the confusion between pilot and controllers for years but did nothing until this accident.

I suppose it is also impossible to select ten crashes out of many and the fact that Popular Mechanics is US published explains the US orientation. And yes, I am aware the Colonists are somewhat of the opinion that they are the whole world. Throw some hamburgers into Bristol harbour and protest! ;-)

Nigel²

[airboatr]

That's what I thought too mate but of course, you have to remember that in the U.S. the U.S. IS the world ;-)

ATB

DaveB :tab:

well we are most certainly in the world.



Note:
I used the mexican dudes smiley because most of the conversation I heard today ... was in spanish :roll:

excuse me anybody speaky the english... cuz' us americans don't
:o :o