Questions tagged [accident-investigation]
Use only when final reports are released or for the process of investigating accidents. Questions inviting speculation or opinions are off-topic.
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Where can I find crash information/reports based on the aircraft's Bureau Number?
I am writing a book about my military service. I was working the catapults as a final checker and the F-14 lost the shuttle and went into the sea. Both crew survived.
This was with squadron VF-124 in ...
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Could what happened to Yeti Airlines Flight 691 happen on an Airbus or Boeing?
The Yeti Airlines crash involved an ATR 72 and was likely due to pilot error - a stall resulting in an incipient spin.
Would this accident be more avoidable on say a Boeing 737 or an Airbus A320?
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How was the lost F35 from the Queen Elizabeth recovered?
In 2021, an F35 Lightning II from the Royal Navy carrier Queen Elizabeth crashed into the sea on take-off.
It was later reported that the aircraft was recovered from a mile below the Mediterranean.
...
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Has FDR data from a previous flight ever been useful in an accident investigation?
Has there ever been an accident investigation in which FDR data from a prior, seemingly uneventful flight was useful, for example by showing that a problem had begun to develop prior to the accident ...
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What would have been the pitch angle of this McCauley Prop before impact?
I'm trying to determine the pre-impact pitch of a two blade McCauley variable pitch on a Cessna 210 that hit shallow ocean water (8 feet, mostly sand) shortly after takeoff from an altitude of 300 ...
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Why do planes explode upon high velocity impacts?
I usually see fatal plane crashes end with a huge explosion, what causes the fuel to ignite?
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Was the Yeti Airlines Flight 691 crash the first time a commercial airline crash was livestreamed from a plane?
The Yeti Airlines Flight 691 crash that happened on 2023-01-15 was livestreamed by a passenger in the plane. Was the Yeti Airlines Flight 691 crash the first time a commercial airline crash was ...
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What was the story of a serious incident with Galaxy C5 in about 1973
I am guessing it was a flight in support of the Yom Kippur War in October of 1973 that due a pitot tube failure that Galaxy C5 had to do an emergency landing on Azore with assitance from another plane ...
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What happened to the engines on takeoff here (loud popping sound then silence) [closed]
What is the cause of the sound shortly after rotation in this short video?
And does anyone know what flight this was and what happened? (i.e. incident report) as I can't find any news about a fatal ...
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Were the Airbus A320 rudder hardover issues fixed after Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 crashed due to uncommanded rudder deflection?
Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 crashed when the rudder made an uncommanded deflection 2 degrees to the left:
When the crew was required to fly the Airbus A320 manually, there was
an unexplained nine-...
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Did Helios Flight 522 take off with its pressurisation mode selector in manual? [closed]
I'm currently doing a write up on the Helios Flight 522 disaster. Full disclosure, this is a journalistic piece, and I'm not an aviation expert.
I'm many hours in at this point and most of it so far ...
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Kinetic energy to perforate skin/fuselage of aircraft
I know that most aircraft have skins that are either aluminum or an aluminum alloy variant. I'm trying to figure out the minimal amount of kinetic energy that would be required for a projectile to ...
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Could the pilots really not trim manually to overcome MCAS, as shown in the Netflix Downfall documentary?
In the recent Netflix documentary, a claim is made that once MCAS activated, after several activations, the pilots physically could not trim the aircraft due to the speed and pitch.
Is this true? I ...
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Why did the NTSB issue a full report for this accident?
The NTSB issued a full aircraft accident report https://libraryonline.erau.edu/online-full-text/ntsb/aircraft-accident-reports/AAR73-10.pdf for what seems to me to be a small general aviation crash. ...
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What caused this crash landing?
Watching this video, my attention was triggered by the quite firm right rudder deflection, just before the right wing stalls.
There's no information about what ...
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Did commercial air planes in 1972 really not have some sort of automatic distress call equipment?
I've recently watched the 1993 movie Alive, "based on" the real events of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571. I don't know how accurate it was, but the basic idea is that the pilots did a ...
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Have there been any fatal accidents involving a transatlantic flight since AF447?
I'm trying to confirm there has been no commercial airline transatlantic flight accident (with fatalities) since AF447 in 2009. This would include any flight that crossed the Atlantic ocean, even if ...
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Airplane accidents that happen during take off and landing [closed]
I have just seen some documentary about Munich Air Disaster in 1958. I found that the real reason behind this disaster is related to the aircraft performance with the thick snow runway during take off....
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Why it was thought that 25% of the passengers could have survived the Crash in the Desert?
I read on Wikipedia:
The Controlled Impact Demonstration (or colloquially the Crash In the Desert) was a joint project between NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that intentionally ...
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Why did the Soviets not make radio contact with Korean 007?
I was reading recently about the shootdown of Korean 007 and it is clear that it was very tense times between the American and Soviet governments.
The one point which struck me as weird throught the ...
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How do witness marks on propeller blades provide data on estimated blade angles at the time of impact?
In the NTSB Powerplant Group Chairman Factual Report for the 2014 crash of the King Air B200 in Wichita Kansas (NTSB# CEN15FA034), I read:
"Neither propeller was feathered before impact. Both ...
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Has a passenger's consumer electronic device ever actually caused a crash?
Most of us are familiar with the standard warnings and regulations against passengers using electronic devices (at all during takeoff and landing, and in some cases throughout the flight). This is ...
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Have attitude indicators ever had triple failure in a commercial aircraft?
I'm wondering about couple of well known crashes (mainly AF447 and AirAsia 8501) and thinking: is there any case where triple redundant attitude sensor failure has ever occurred? In those accidents it ...
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How can a pilot involved in serious accident remain unknown?
Somewhat similar to this question. A short part from Wikipedia article about Emirates Flight 521 (emphasis mine):
The captain was an unnamed 34-year-old UAE national who had been with Emirates since ...
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Why are manufacturers assumed to be responsible in case of a crash?
I attended at a training concerning airborne software and the coach remarked that despite at the normal courts, when an aircraft crashes and the authority investigates, a manufacturer is guilty for ...
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Are there any characteristics of a hypoxic flight? [closed]
Any patterns that investigators look for? For example, what happens when the engine flames out? is it guaranteed to enter a high speed dive? And would this affect certain parts of the aircraft, ...
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What is MCAS' purpose? [duplicate]
In a recent question, one of the answers states:
MCAS has nothing whatsoever to do with stall recovery or stall behaviour.
It was implemented strictly to make the MAX's pitch stick force response in ...
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Is there a reason that commercial jets do not have a “dead man’s switch”?
Following high-profile cases of disappearances such as MH370, as well as the lower-profile but no doubt common radar infringement and level / airspace busts that we don’t hear about often, is there a ...
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How far along was JFK Jr. in his instrument training?
I read up a little more about the infamous and tragic incident. JFK Jr. had over 300 hours logged, and about 36 in the Saratoga, half of which was solo. It's not like he was a newly minted VFR pilot ...
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What would happen if a hot air ballooon was punctured in mid-air?
I am writing a script for a film where a hot air balloon is punctured and it falls to the ground. There are two teenagers in the balloon when it is in the air. What I would like to know is how fast ...
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What is the maximal delay between the publication of an investigation report recomending a study and the beginning of this study?
This question is focused on EASA regulations, mainly because the question arise when reading an investigation report written by the BEA.
Investigation reports results in lots of recommendations to ...
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What caused the Belgian aircraft mechanic who stole an F-16 to crash? [closed]
This is the story, from the late 80s:
https://apnews.com/3b2ba1c5735b3817a3e7ae3562780e9b
Why did he crash? Why would anyone crash in this scenario?
I'd like to ideally hear from someone who is ...
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ETH 409: Was the most obvious sign of fatigue being a factor due to one of the pilots calling out “go around” when they were climbing after T/O? [closed]
One of the pilots yelled out “go around” x6. It looks like they were making a right turn when they should have been making a left turn. The controller informed them for the second time to turn left, ...
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What are some examples of pilot error with criminal negligence?
I’m having a hard time understanding why pilot error technically can’t be criminal negligence all the time? So I’m curious to find out some examples of this exact scenario, and how investigators ...
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Is there a typical time on site during an investigation of a major accident?
An answer to the question Why does it take months, sometimes years, for the BEA and NTSB to complete aviation accident investigations? said,
Visiting the Site - First there will be a team that ...
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Has any accident been prevented by bending or breaking the rules?
I wonder if there is an incident that pilots saved the plane or minimized the damage by bending or breaking the rules like Sully? (As it's known Sullenberger started the APU at first which was the ...
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Has color vision deficiency ever contributed to any incidents in aviation history?
I would like to know if there are any official reports pointing Color Vision Deficiency (CVD) as a major contributing cause of an air accident/incident. Not only related to flying but also maintenance ...
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Does the NTSB and other investigative agencies charge airlines for investigations?
Does an airline have to pay the investigation team? For example the NTSB? And if Boeing or Airbus participate in the investigation, do they also charge the airlines?
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Incident & Accident Investigation [duplicate]
Does the airports have there own incident/accident investigation depts? or they are restricted to the NCAA/Safety dept only?
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Do airports have their own incident/accident investigation departments?
Do airports have their own incident/accident investigation departments? or they are restricted to the NCAA/Safety department only?
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How is an air accident's probable cause determined?
I constantly hear that air accidents are caused by a range of shortcomings. However, most accident reports declare a main "probable cause". You can see below a bar-chart with the causes of fatal ...
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Why did the Boeing Max operated by Lion Air disintegrate upon crashing in the sea from a low altitude?
The Lion Air Max crashed in the Java sea from a low altitude. What is the structural integrity strength of the fuselage?
I am curious to know the structural strength and integrity of commercial ...
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Can the debris pattern from a crash site confirm explosion as the cause of a crash?
Is there any precedent or can the debris pattern positively confirm the cause of a crash due to:
an internal explosion OR
strike from a missile or other military projectile?
If a particular flight ...
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How do insurers apportion responsibility when airliners collide on runways or taxiways?
Here's an ATC recording of Virgin and Egyptair aircraft clipping wings at JFK.
Generally, what happens next with regard to sorting out responsibility after a low-speed collision that results in ...
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Is there any obvious warning when auto-pilot is disengaged or when the mode changes?
Under the investigation section of the First Air Flight 6560 incident, it describes the catalyst for the accident:
The approach was entirely flown on autopilot, which was correctly set to capture ...
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What does Lion Air faking the repair of the AoA vane mean for the Florida repair shop that ceased operations?
This is a lengthy read, but worth it. I'll quote the main piece I am speaking of.
At the Bali airport, a vane, known as an angle of attack sensor, was replaced. Crash investigators were presented ...
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What changes were made to the 777 as a result of British Airways 38?
Regarding the crash of British Airways Flight 38, a 777 inbound to Heathrow, the AAIB final report, section 2.8 states that frozen fuel deprived the engines of fuel pressure resulting in the crash.
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Would shutting down the engine have prevented the Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311 crash?
In the crash of Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311, a worn propeller quill caused the propeller blades to go flat, which created enough drag on that side of the airplane to make the aircraft ...
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How long is maximum time to investigate an airplane crash?
Lion Air flight 610 was crashed on 29 October 2018. It was Boeing 373 Max 8. Almost one year ago. I have not heard any news from National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) when they will release ...
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Did the First Officer of Ethiopian Flight 302 trim in the wrong direction? [closed]
Looking at the accident report of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, it says the cut out switches were used. But the manual trim moved from 2.3-2.1? My reasoning for asking this is because the timeframe ...