3
$\begingroup$

Has any scheduled commercial passenger - not cargo - flight ever experienced a stall due to cargo shifting, like the National Airlines Flight 102 did, back in 2013?

Please note I am specifically asking about scheduled airline flights with passengers on board, i.e. not cargo flights. No incidents involving tanks or other military equipment.

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
12
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ Possibly $\endgroup$
    – fooot
    Jul 11, 2018 at 14:29
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ National Airlines is a commercial operator, they aren't part of the military $\endgroup$
    – Pondlife
    Jul 11, 2018 at 14:31
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ @Cloud It was a commercial flight, they were just carrying military equipment. Just like putting military personnel on a domestic flight doesn't make it a military one. It was a commercial operator on a commercial flight. $\endgroup$
    – Ron Beyer
    Jul 11, 2018 at 14:40
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ National Airlines was/is a civilian Part 121 or 125 carrier. The military regularly contracts with civilian carriers for movement of cargo and personnel, but the flights are commercial flights and are not distinguishable from other commercial flying insofar as the rules. I flew many such flights, and occasionally the disparity between military rules and FAA rules did cause confusion. Both sets of rules are more or less restrictive than the other depending on what area of operations you're talking about. Military commanders can waive some rules. Airline managers cannot waive FAA rules. $\endgroup$
    – Terry
    Jul 11, 2018 at 18:06
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ I notice that the link in the OP does not include the video of the crash. Go to youtube.com/watch?v=qPngBazzce4 for that. It is dramatic, to say the least. Also, on a far more minor note, cargo shifts to happen, but they're usually just a single ULD and easily handled. See the last paragraphs of terryliittschwager.com/Journal/1999-01-23.html for one such shift. $\endgroup$
    – Terry
    Jul 11, 2018 at 18:15

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
6
$\begingroup$

Yes, a LET-410 crashed in the DR Congo, apparently because a crocodile escaped. Passengers trying to escape the animal apparently caused enough of a load shift to result in a crash.

Not a shift, but Air Midwest Flight 5481 crashed due to a combination of a weight and balance error coupled with a misrigged elevator.

In general, it's harder to have a significant load shift on a passenger aircraft since it's easy to check the distribution of passenger loads, people are well restrained by seat backs, and unless something else is catastrophically wrong (fire), passengers don't all get up and move to one side of the aircraft.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
3
$\begingroup$

If you include tailstrikes in your definition, then yes. There has been at least one case in Italy involving a takeoff with an A320 where the aircraft was loaded without any baggage in CP 1. Although it did not involve a shifting ULD, the improper loading did contribute to the incident.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .