Plane Crash

[MLW]

a pitot failure wouldn't effect the engines

Correct, pitot tube are not link to engine system at all.

It would take three pitot failures alone to effect the air data computers

The Dash-8 has two pitot tube. The failure of the pitot tube (or pitot-static system) in flight
would not cause an aircraft accident or lost of control.

Any T-tail plane is at a disadvantage if they had an ice build-up

This is a myth. The position of the elevator or stabilisator is inconsequential when it
comes to icing. In a high tail scenario the elevator has more authority since it is not
blanket by the airframe. What will dictate an aircraft (or wing or elevator etc.)
susceptibility to icing is the type of anti-icing / de-icing equipment, the airfoil shape and
relative speed, the icing "rating" of the aircraft, the type and severity of icing,
and the crew adherence to SOP and AFM Ops.

Tail stall cause by ice build up makes no difference between high "t" tail and
more "conventional" type of aircraft


.

 

[mike8693]

The plot thickens...
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNe...ecrash_buffalo_090215/20090215?hub=TopStories

 

[macjet]

In todays turbo-prop this is an impossibility. Aircraft equipped with reversing propellers
(for thrust reverser on the ground -i:e: to shorten the landing distance) have low-pitch stops
to prevent the propeller from reversing in flight.

.

I think I remember something about low pitch stops on the PT-6. The last turboprop I flew was a 1982 B100 with the Garrett TPE-331. I remember the test pilots found out the hard way no to go into Beta airborne.

 

[macjet]

The Dash-8 has two pitot tube. The failure of the pitot tube (or pitot-static system) in flight
would not cause an aircraft accident or lost of control.




.

Does the Dash not have a standby system? I can't see a modern aircraft being certified with an A-B system.

 

[UP2CSX]

Man, you guys know way more about airplanes than me. My brother is a pilot and agrees that it had to be icing on a laminar surface that caused a stall. The fact the plane went into the ground flat with it's nose pointed away from the airport indicates it must have been in flat stall when it crashed. It's his theory that auto disengage on the autopilot failed, since it should have done so as soon as it sensed the stall. The pilots assumed they had control of the aircraft when they were really fighting the autopilot. Once they went into a flat spin at 1400 feet, the crash was inevitable. Sound plausible?

 

[jetavdk]

You guys are forgetting the accident that started this all which was the American Eagle crash in Roselawn Indiana. The aircraft had been flying in moderate to severe icing conditions for an extended period of time with the autopilot on. When the load limits on the autopilot were exceeded the autopilot kicked off leaving no time for the crew to react.

This crash is not the same but the scenario will be the same. The crew most likely lost situational awareness due to a very long duty day, inexperience or complacency. Perhaps there was something on MEL that shouldn't have been?? Adding flaps with the autopilot on and in icing conditions I believe was the contibuting factor with the aircraft being too low to the ground to recover.

 

[Boilerbuster]

If we all recall this problem also hit the ATR-42 and 72 about ten years ago. it was found that ice was extending behind the boots and causing the plane to go into a spin as ice would form on one wing more then the other causing lift to be less on one wing then the other. I would be willing to bet that They are running into simular problems with this aircraft as the design team didnt take in account the problems with the ATR. The ATR-72 and the Dash 8 are very simular aircraft in many respects. Both are high wing T Tail configurations and carry roughly the same number of passengers.
However as long as people have to be somewhere reguardless of weather there will always be losses due to weather. My Grandfather owned three differant aircraft and decided if weather was a factor he would eather fly around it or land and wait it out. We lost some friends about 15 years ago because they decided not to wait the weather out. this was tragic but all it would have taken was some patients. Just because a Pilot has alot of expirance dosnt mean that flying is fool proof. As a passenger I would never allow them to fly me through bad weather and risk my life. I can wait for better weather. Why do we as a society have to put money and time ahead of safty?

 

[hamltnblue]

Their saying excessive icing is the preliminary report . The passenger who died was married to a gentleman who was killed in tower two ! She later became an activist for the families of the miss-hap !

Tower two wasn't a mishap, it was terrorists driving innocent civilians into a building.

 

[jetavdk]

If we all recall this problem also hit the ATR-42 and 72 about ten years ago. it was found that ice was extending behind the boots and causing the plane to go into a spin as ice would form on one wing more then the other causing lift to be less on one wing then the other.

That was the Roselawn crash. Ice did form behind the boots causing uncommanded aileron inputs. In that accident the autopilot being on masked the severity of the situation until it was too late. It is a sad situation either way.