RiderFan Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 (edited) This is, among other things, one the biggest reasons commercial air travel scars the hell out of me. All it takes is one guy to have a fight with his girlfriend the night before and be distracted enough all day to forget to fasten down one screw... Edited October 19, 2015 by RiderFan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
11bee Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 This is, among other things, one the biggest reasons commercial air travel scars the hell out of me. All it takes is one guy to have a fight with his girlfriend the night before and be distracted enough all day to forget to fasten down one screw... If you are that scared, drive. I'm sure that driving is a much safer mode of transportation. No distracted drivers out on the roads. On the example video above, I didn't stick around long enough to watch the entire clip (life is too short) but I'm guessing the plane landed and everyone on board walked away fine? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 I'm far more scared of driving to the airport than I am of getting on a plane and going somewhere. But I'm also very selective about what airlines I fly (or more to the point, don't fly). There are some I simply won't set foot on, Allegiant being at the current head of the class. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RiderFan Posted October 19, 2015 Author Share Posted October 19, 2015 If you are that scared, drive. I'm sure that driving is a much safer mode of transportation. No distracted drivers out on the roads. On the example video above, I didn't stick around long enough to watch the entire clip (life is too short) but I'm guessing the plane landed and everyone on board walked away fine? I drive where ever possible thanks. At least 1/2 the equation is in my hands. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TaiidanTomcat Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 I drive where ever possible thanks. At least 1/2 the equation is in my hands. Which part? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Emvar Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 That was a fail on so many sets of eyes....should have been caught by the dispatch crew on final walk around. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gordon Shumway Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 I drive where ever possible thanks. At least 1/2 the equation is in my hands. You may be increasing your risk by 50% that way. :D ;) Commercial flying (at least in most of the developed world) has been and is the safest form of passenger travel ever. I recall the odds of being in a crash are these. One would have to board a flight each day, every day for 16,000 years before you would be in a commercial airplane crash. Of course those odds could be the first flight, the 10,000 th. flight and up to the last flight. But another fact is that about 2/3rds of all commercial plane crash victims survive the crash. Panic, smoke and fire make most commercial airplane crash deaths. Driving in your automobile is the most dangerous thing the average person does each day that we drive. Auto crashes are also the number one killer of anyone under the age of 25. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 I fly a few times every year, and my worst fear is a packed plane full of screaming infants, & toddlers. Not much you can do about it, except crank up the music and pray for a tail wind. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RiderFan Posted October 19, 2015 Author Share Posted October 19, 2015 Well hey, if it's not bad enough that parts of the engine may fall off, now you have to worry about being eaten... http://globalnews.ca/news/2284654/brazilian-man-bites-passenger-on-plane-collapses-and-dies/ I'm pretty sure I saw this scene in a movie once. It didn't end well... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Failure: 0:29 1st bell: 0:42 (12s later) 2nd bell: 1.22 (40s later) Panicking or causing a panic is stupid or worse. But, I would have pulled the call bell immediately. While I might not be able to take any direct action, I need to make sure that others who can take action are aware of the situation. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LanceB Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Well hey, if it's not bad enough that parts of the engine may fall off, No "engine parts" fell off, part of the fan cowling did. To put it in car terms, the hood blew off. Does that affect the engine in any way, shape or form when it happens to a car? No. Does it affect the plane's engine? No. Will cause drag, some vibration, and noise, none of which are desirable but also none of which are dangerous. And if you are concerned about the Zombie Apocalypse on a flight... But there are no metal detectors or screening for pedestrians on streets. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
niart17 Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 I drive where ever possible thanks. At least 1/2 the equation is in my hands. I beg to differ. The only part of the equation you have control over is your driving. You have no control over the assembly line workers that built your car who could have had a bad day at work as well, the mechanics that do any work on your car (unless you're the only mechanic to work on your auto) and of course the other drivers on the road, which if you multiply that by the number of autos you're likely to be in close enough proximity to have an accident (on a short trip), then you're likely to only have control of at best 1/100 of the equation. Just sayin' Bill Quote Link to post Share on other sites
spejic Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 No "engine parts" fell off, part of the fan cowling did. To put it in car terms, the hood blew off. Does that affect the engine in any way, shape or form when it happens to a car? No. Does it affect the plane's engine? No. Yeah, but the pieces could impact the slats (although it didn't seem to in this case) or the stabilizers or tail. They still need to land right away. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ikar Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 I never really liked flying. People think that's a bit strange since I was in the Air Force, but I have turned down flights in T-33s, Darts and Eagles where I had a standing invitation to go up and get some stick time whenever I had the time and a open seat. Flying commercial you really don't have any control of the situation and I have been in a couple situations, a very large air pocket over the Alaska mountains, in flight emergency, and a pilot trying to take off with one engine on fire. I have also been to a couple crash sites. Not fun. On the other hand, I had a friend who had been in a KC-135 crash and went on to be the engineer on a C-130. He had his aircraft get hit by a deer while taxing, had the avionics bay under the flight deck catch fire while taxing and they ran off the aircraft, had a snake crash through the wind screen, and almost hit by a meteor. Despite all that, he kept flying until he retired. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Don Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 ...I had a friend who had been in a KC-135 crash and went on to be the engineer on a C-130. He had his aircraft get hit by a deer while taxing, had the avionics bay under the flight deck catch fire while taxing and they ran off the aircraft, had a snake crash through the wind screen, and almost hit by a meteor... ...and people still flew with him after all that :unsure: ? Lol :D , I jest. But still, that's some serious bad luck. Regards, Don. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LanceB Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Yeah, but the pieces could impact the slats (although it didn't seem to in this case) or the stabilizers or tail. They still need to land right away. Agreed, absolutely. You shouldn't fly around with large panels missing from the aircraft, if you can help it, even if their departure from the aircraft has not physically damaged anything. And yes, it is conceivable that that large chunk of sheet aluminum impacts the stabilizer and locks the elevator and causes a control problem. So this could have ended up worse, possibly. But it still wasn't "a piece of the engine falling off" as OP said. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LanceB Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 I had a friend who had been in a KC-135 crash and went on to be the engineer on a C-130. He had his aircraft get hit by a deer while taxing, had the avionics bay under the flight deck catch fire while taxing and they ran off the aircraft, had a snake crash through the wind screen, and almost hit by a meteor. Wow - in the Corps we would have said his MOS was 1369... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Exhausted Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 That was a fail on so many sets of eyes....should have been caught by the dispatch crew on final walk around. Maybe they signed off on it without actually looking at it? It's possible and it does happen... It's not like these companies have all the man power they need. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RiderFan Posted October 20, 2015 Author Share Posted October 20, 2015 But it still wasn't "a piece of the engine falling off" as OP said. Don't be so literal or obtuse. Yes I know full well it was not part of the mechanical engine thank you very much. I didn't need your help with that. Was it part of the engine housing? Well, yes, yes it was. Would 99.9998% of the world understand the difference without the need to be so literal?? Yes, yes they would. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Flankerman Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 The chances of you being on an airliner with a bomb on board is ten million to one. If you don't like those odds - take a bomb aboard yourself............... The chances of you being on an airliner with TWO bombs on aboard are a billion to one..... Seeemples... Ken Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SBARC Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 I recall a JAL flight out of Toyko that was delayed for 2 hrs "due to technical difficulties". Hummm.....the plane was at the gate.....the passengers were at the gate......so why the delay? So I wandered around and noticed the big engine cowlings were all open on one engine and a team of mechanics were frantically working on it. I was confident they knew what they were doing......but I couldn't help thinking....if this was a worse airline....I would be quite nervous to get on the plane. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scott R Wilson Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 (edited) This is, among other things, one the biggest reasons commercial air travel scars the hell out of me. All it takes is one guy to have a fight with his girlfriend the night before and be distracted enough all day to forget to fasten down one screw... I'm guessing you are exaggerating a little for effect. One screw not tightened shouldn't be an issue. A whole row- now that can cause problems: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Express_Flight_2574 While airline flying is statistically one of the safest modes of transportation, it might be interesting to consider that the vast majority of maintenance on the airplanes is done on the overnight shift since the airplanes need to fly in the daytime. The mechanics are often pretty tired from trying to sleep through the day with interruptions by family and outside noises. I spent nine months doing the overnight shift thing at a regional airline before they filed bankruptcy and I was laid off and moved on. Everyone I worked with was perpetually tired. Several people fell asleep on the job during the time I was there, but we covered for each other, waking the individuals and not telling management. We were also pressured to cut corners to make sure the planes were at the gates on time. When the FAA inspector came we were told to avoid him and not to speak to him unless he came to us and asked something first. And we were warned to be very careful what we said to him. When management got especially overbearing the guys and gals would threaten to "work safe," which was follow the inspection procedures in the maintenance manuals step-by-step. That took so long there was no way the airplane would make the gate on time. Overall it was a pretty awful place to work, and when I got a recall notice from the airline I threw it away. I'd never want to work in aircraft maintenance for an airline again. Edited October 20, 2015 by Scott R Wilson Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LanceB Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Yes I know full well it was not part of the mechanical engine thank you very much. I didn't need your help with that. Perhaps you didn't, but everyone else in the room needed help, since what you wrote was not what happened. Or do you call the hood (or bonnet, can never be certain with you Canadians) of your car "a part of the engine" as well? No? Thought not. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Johnopfor Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 This is, among other things, one the biggest reasons commercial air travel scars the hell out of me. All it takes is one guy to have a fight with his girlfriend the night before and be distracted enough all day to forget to fasten down one screw... Don't think of it as an aircraft falling apart.........think of it as an aviation striptease...... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
seafuryfb Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 So you think that the takeoff should have been aborted? At the point of rotation during the takeoff is the point of no return as the would have ended in a serious crash, it would be safer to complete takeoff came the speed low and circle back and land safely. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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