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+--- Thread: ditching? (/showthread.php?tid=578)
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ditching? - SAS480 - 27-07-2005
Hi
If for some reason I can't reach any airport, would the best option be to ditch the aircraft in a lake or the sea, or try to find a suitable area of
land?
/Daniel
Re: ditching? - walterp - 27-07-2005
Ditching is the last resort, always try to reach land if possible.
Although I only fly a 4 seater in real life the thought of ditching scares the &%$^ out of me.
I always plan to avoid overflying vast areas of water and if I must, I choose a route which gives me a fighting chance of reaching land in
the event of engine failure.
Re: ditching? - SWAFO - 27-07-2005
This is one reason SWA doesn't fly more than 50NM from any coastline. We won't even cross the Gulf of Mexico in any of our normal
routes (i.e. Tampa to Houston). We'll fly around the Gulf. You'll see the Gulf the whole time out your left hand window, but we'll never fly
over it... kind of neat.
Re: ditching? - SAS480 - 27-07-2005
Well it seems that the crews on big jets tend to prefer water over land when they're going down. Like that Etiophian 767 that was hijacked
and ran out of fuel.
Anyway, I was wondering how FsP would react to a ditching?
/Daniel
Re: ditching? - fruitfly - 27-07-2005
Only one way to find out, I guess !?
Re: ditching? - Paton - 27-07-2005
Well think about what happens when you ditch in water instead of land. As soon as you hit the water, its going to be very hard to keep the nose of
the plane from "digging" into the water and fliping over. Where as on land, the surface of the earth is much harder then water and it is easier, but
by no means easy, to keep the nose from catching and digging in. Espeacially since you have the landing gear, assuming they deploy if they are not
fixed, to cushin your touchdown on land. Over water, forget it if your in a plane with fixed gear. And if your in a plane with retractable gear it
is most likely a heavier plane and the first thing thats going to happen when you hit the water is that nose is going to slap down, and your going to
go for quite a ride.
Re: ditching? - fpborges - 28-07-2005
Planes float just about as well as boats fly.
That´s about it.
Cheers,
FPB
Re: ditching? - Paton - 29-07-2005
^That too
Re: ditching? - SAS480 - 29-07-2005
Is that so?
http://www.geocities.com/afwjr/ditch4.jpg
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/180234/M/
Im defintly no expert, but you're saying theres absolutely no reason whatsoever for the lifewest under your seat?
/Daniel
Re: ditching? - Cuda - 29-07-2005
In all fairness thoes are sitting in about 10 feet of water
Re: ditching? - Paton - 29-07-2005
Yea SAS, ther is no real way of telling how deep the water is. But trust me, 747's dont float.
Re: ditching? - fpborges - 29-07-2005
Quote:Im defintly no expert, but you're saying theres absolutely no reason whatsoever for the lifewest under your seat?
/Daniel
Well, there's a reason, but let's just say that if you go down in the ocean, the odds are definitely stacked up against you ever using them.
The main reason for their existence is passenger reassurance. Kinda like the brace position - it's a good idea, and it might help if the
conditions are right, but most of the time it doesn't really matter.
This might seem a bit pessimistic, but remember, you're hurtling through the air in a pressurised metal tube, going close to the speed of
sound, several miles up. There are other, more important factors, to your survival.
That said, have a nice flight!
Cheers,
FPB
Re: ditching? - MarkMcCoy - 29-07-2005
Quote:SAS480 wrote:Actually, he's right. In both of those accidents, the aircraft are sitting on the bottom. I forgot where the first took place but there is an
Is that so?
http://www.geocities.com/afwjr/ditch4.jpg
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/180234/M/
Im defintly no expert, but you're saying theres absolutely no reason whatsoever for the lifewest under your seat?
/Daniel
overhead profile shot somewhere on the net showing how shallow the water is. 707's don't float. The 747, however, overshot the runway at Kai Tak in
a heavy downpour and failed to stop before slapping into the water at the end of the runway. She too was sitting on the bottom, and 747's don’t float
either.
Lifevest under the seat provide more security for the passengers than anything. If a plane somehow managed not to breakup (very rare considering that
the stall speeds for most (if not all) jetliners is over the hundred mile per hour mark) after a water ditching, the airline would need to provide
SOMETHING to give those passengers security. I can recall very few instances where those cushions even came in handy for more than providing a place
to put your butt.
That Ethiopian airliner video that everyone is familiar with tells all. When the 767's left wing dipped, the engine caught the water and ripped the
entire wing off, causing the right wing to suddenly take the entire load of the aircraft--inducing a sharp left snap roll. The aircraft broke to
pieces and many passengers were instantly killed. Here's the catch--the 767 was out of fuel. Imagine what a scene that would have been for any
survivors had there been fuel burning on the surface.
Most (if not all) jetliner pilots will tell you that they prefer land ditching over water, and no-ditching at all where possible!
Re: ditching? - fpborges - 29-07-2005
That's why I never island-hop in single-props...
Cheers,
FPB
Re: ditching? - nem - 29-07-2005
Quote:fpborges wrote:Come on, where's your sense for adventure?
That's why I never island-hop in single-props...
*off to the caribbean again*