AF447 broke up mid-air

[Cyberman]

Time will tell, but all the pointers are that it was not a bomb because of the type of injuries to the dead. There is strong evidence that the pitot tubes failed due to freezing and thus the aircraft was probably flying too fast which would cause it to break up in those weather conditions.

[Le Rosbif]

Oops.

I'd imagine in Toulouse there are a series of lawyers and other associated scumballs (sorry, don't like lawyers) trying to work out how Airbus Industrie can wriggle out of taking it up the tulipter for this one.

Guess what my hometown is?

[Zippy]

Originally Posted by Zippy
Seriously though, wouldn't a failure like that most likely be a bomb? I know the Airbus planes are all fly by wire so if the computer systems go down the pilots have no means of control (the cockpit looks like the space shuttle).

Doesn't necessarily prove or disprove a bomb. Planes have gone down due to structural faliure before. The computer systems on Airbuses have multiple redundancy.


STOP PRESS - A poor pilot on an American Airlines plane flying from Brussels to Newark NJ has apparently just died "in service" - on the flight deck - oh and I've just seen a BAC 1-11 flying - I haven't seen one of those in the air for > 20 years.

I suppose I meant that safety critical systems are engineered to operate way beyond their 'tolerances' in extreme situations. It could have been extreme weather conditions etc. But is it the most likely explaination given that (presumably) other Airbus aircraft were flying in that area at around the same time (and similar conditions)? I do remember other instances where cargo doors have blown off (there was one over London in the 70's I think - due to procedural errors at the airport?) and that Quantas flight was bloody lucky.

Re - the poor pilot. Bummer! I guess he just couldn't handle the excitement of leaving Belgium

[Peoplesoft bloke]

hmmmm...remind me again what hefty chunks of the new A380 is made of?

Flown on it - fabulous piece of kit - I'd gladly fly anywhere on one (to be fair I trust pretty much any modern and quite a few old airliners)

As a matter of interest, a Vickers Viscount crashed in 1968 due to total electrical failure (all the cockpit instruments were affected), so all this flapping about computers is hardly new or valid.

[Le Rosbif]

Airbus vs Boeing

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/Bo...us-cartoon.gif

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Time will tell, but all the pointers are that it was not a bomb because of the type of injuries to the dead. There is strong evidence that the pitot tubes failed due to freezing and thus the aircraft was probably flying too fast which would cause it to break up in those weather conditions.

With your customary attention to detail.

The fact is that no-one knows how fast it was going - or at least not anyone now with us sadly. We'll know more if they get the DFDR back.

Quite frankly you have no idea what speed (high or low) would cause a break up or what the weather was like do you?

[Menelaus]

Guess what my hometown is?

Lovely town - I spent two days there a couple of Christmases ago waiting for my Plan B clients to show up, the ****wads.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

I suppose I meant that safety critical systems are engineered to operate way beyond their 'tolerances' in extreme situations. It could have been extreme weather conditions etc. But is it the most likely explaination given that (presumably) other Airbus aircraft were flying in that area at around the same time (and similar conditions)? I do remember other instances where cargo doors have blown off (there was one over London in the 70's I think - due to procedural errors at the airport?) and that Quantas flight was bloody lucky.

Re - the poor pilot. Bummer! I guess he just couldn't handle the excitement of leaving Belgium

I'm not suggesting it was a cargo door - just pointing out that total loss of control due to electrical or mechanical failures has been going on much longer than we've had fly-by-wire.

The fact is we don't know - and we won't know unless and until the DFDR is recovered (and maybe not even then).

[Zippy]

[QUOTE=Peoplesoft bloke;872629]
The fact is that no-one knows how fast it was going - or at least not anyone now with us sadly. We'll know more if they get the DFDR back.
{/QUOTE]

What will Airbus do if the flight recorders don't turn up? There's a hell of a lot of money on this ....

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Oops.

I'd imagine in Toulouse there are a series of lawyers and other associated scumballs (sorry, don't like lawyers) trying to work out how Airbus Industrie can wriggle out of taking it up the tulipter for this one.

True - and the same happens in any aircraft manufacturer when a plane is lost. I loathe (most) lawyers too.