Hatrack River Forum: JetBlue plane in landing trouble

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Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :

Landing gear frozen

Hmm, Adam, didn't we just discuss these guys the other night?

Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :

They're down safely! Everyone will be evacuated using stairs to reduce the risk of injuries from going down chutes. [Smile]

(I've been watching it live.)

Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :

[Angst]

They have a telecommuting base in SLC, that books all their tickets. I applied about 18 months ago but was turned down. I flew on one of their earlier flights, when it was just SLC to Kennedy.

Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :

Ah, so this would be a flight on the same route I flew the other week. Quite possibly the very same plane. *small gulp*

I'm glad everyone is safe.

Posted by Salah (Member # 7294) on :

I think it's a good thing that they shut off all the TV sets on the plane, I guess so passengers would not be able to see what was going on by looking at CNN, or FOX. That's one way to freak people out- by seeing how serious their situation is on national news.

I wonder if how loud the tire flames sounded from inside the plane.

Posted by Salah (Member # 7294) on :

Um.. I meant I WONDER HOW...

Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :

:whew:

Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :

I'd like to mention that that pilot did the most excellent job possible of bringing the front gear down slowly and gently, which prevented the landing gear from snapping. It was the best possible landing (since the gear did not untwist as they had hoped it might.) It was really impressive to watch. I'm sure you all can catch it on the news tonight.

Posted by Mike (Member # 55) on :

It was really interesting to see this while riding on another JetBlue Airbus A320 flying across the country. I kid you not.

Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :

quote:
I think it's a good thing that they shut off all the TV sets on the plane,

But I guess they didn't. Because the passengers they interviewed on the news today talked about watching their own emergency on the on-board TVs and how it made it all seem so surreal.

FG

Posted by Zeugma (Member # 6636) on :

One of the articles says they didn't switch it off until the last minute.

I'd love to hear what the mood was like in the plane for the three hours they were circling... Obviously they were frightened and tense, but do you think that being able to watch developments unfold on CNN made it harder or easier for them to handle? I think people in our society tend to like to have as much information available as possible, and the choice between watching your own disaster play out on CNN or sitting in the cabin without anything but the occasional update from the captain would be an interesting one...

Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :

Well, from what they said this morning -- the only really bad part of watching themselves on the news was hearing all the commentators talk about worse-case scenarios.... like using the words "fireballs" and "big explosion" and all possibilities.

I wonder, if the newscasters had known the passengers were listening, if they would have possibly changed what they were saying a little. (I didn't see any of this on TV, so I don't know what all was said).

FG

Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :

Actually, leaving the passengers themselves out of it, I wonder if it might not have been better to cover this differently (or even keep it off the news, which I know is impossible) until it was resolved.

Those passengers had family and friends on the ground. Who, it could be argued, might have been better off not knowing there was a problem until after the plane had made it to the ground.

I like knowing things too. But sometimes a little information is a dangerous thing . . .

Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :

Hi Mike! Long time no see! [Big Grin]

Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :

I was watching Fox, and they were actually doing a pretty good job of keeping away from worst-case scenarios and reassuring everyone that it was a good thing that they'd had three hours to prepare for it, and that in all likelyhood the best-case scenario would happen because they had an experienced pilot flying. (They were talking to a pilot "consultant" in the few minutes beforehand who did an awfully good job of dispelling horrifying terror scenarios when someone tried to bring them up and explaining what was happening and what was going to happen.) And they all had the grace to stop talking in the few seconds that everyone was holding their breath for a safe landing (although one of the commentators, apparently not realizing that he was audible, was "talking them down" under his breath-- "Easy... Gentle... That's it!" and the mic picked it up. It actually left me with a good impression of their news team, because I was doing the same thing, albeit in my head.)

I don't usually watch Fox News, btw, but I was trying to watch King of the Hill. [Wink]

Posted by littlemissattitude (Member # 4514) on :

quote:
Originally posted by ketchupqueen:
(They were talking to a pilot "consultant" in the few minutes beforehand who did an awfully good job of dispelling horrifying terror scenarios when someone tried to bring them up and explaining what was happening and what was going to happen.)

On the local coverage here in Fresno (who stuck with it until the landing as well) also had a pilot consulting - 747 pilot, as I recall - and while he mentioned that there were things that could go wrong, he spend most of his time explaining that landings with nosegear problems most often have a positive outcome and that he expected that given what he knew about the situation that this one would come out all right, too.

Some things that stood out to me in the aftermath of the situation:

The pilot was quoted afterward as saying to L.A.'s mayor that he really didn't do that good a job on the landing because he was six inches off the center line. [Eek!]

One of the passengers, who said he'd experienced rougher landings on flights with no problems at all.

The cat riding in one passenger's carry-on bag that slept through the whole thing.

The problem landing gear, which aside from the melted tires didn't look to have moved even an inch during the landing despite its being dragged down the runway at speed. Pretty good engineering and construction, if you ask me.

Edit: for problem found by the department of redundancy department. [Wink]