ILS is not an issue judging by the weather in the pic.

 

Hope all are safe. Don't jump on the pilots yet, could have been a loss of thrust or micro-burst incident.

 

I find it hard to believe that a pilot could misjudge the touchdown zone to that extent, unless it were a pilot who recently transferred over from a smaller, shorter aircraft, though that should not have lead to such a drastic short landing.

 

Regards,

Ró.

It could be as well a gpws failure (Turkish 738 accident), or similarly to BA's cristalised fuel, let's wait and see.

Immediate reports from the MSM suspected pilot error on the BA incident at Heathrow.  Soon afterwards, it was discovered he actually made an heroic effort to save his passengers.  Initial news reports are almost totally, or at least significantly, WRONG.

I just saw much clearer debris field video and it looks as though the tailstrike occured on the rocks that make up the water embankment sloping upwards to the displaced runway threshold. 

Two confirmed killed, 61 injured ... from KCBS radio. and Drudge

Tail strike is not a likely cause here, to hit the tail on the runway would require significant pitch up, to hit it on a line below the runway would require such a pitch up it would only happen as a result of the control surface jamming into the full up position.

 

Regards,

Ró.

CNN just characterized this (from one of their contributors) as a "Text Book Crash Landing"... Say what????

On the surface, the BA 777 crash at Heathrow is disturbingly similar. In that case it was fuel starvation due to high altitude freezing, not pilot error.

 

 

Thats what I was thinking,  but this plane was fitted with P+W engines not RR like the BA crash.  

Tail strike is not a likely cause here, to hit the tail on the runway would require significant pitch up, to hit it on a line below the runway would require such a pitch up it would only happen as a result of the control surface jamming into the full up position.

 

Regards,

Ró.

 

Or an imminent stall? Or, a steeper approach angle?

On the surface, the BA 777 crash at Heathrow is disturbingly similar. In that case it was fuel starvation due to high altitude freezing, not pilot error.

+1 Thought the exact same thing when I saw it on the news.  There's an Air Crash investigation series episode based on that incident.

 

Hope everyone got out but the burnt top of the fuselage doesn't look good hope it didn't flash over until everyone was out.

 

Prayers for the Passengers, Crew and Families

 

 

No reports of fatalities yet from CNN.

 

Or on Fox News.  I do agree with one assessment that the pilot probably came down too low and tried to correct it by pulling up and dragging the tail and knocking it off.  Tails just don't fall off....

 

Best regards,

Jim

CNN just characterized this (from one of their contributors) as a "Text Book Crash Landing"... Say what????

 

I heard that too and promptly changed the channel. 

I'm hearing most people are accounted for.  What is impressive is the sturdiness of this aircraft considering the forces it experienced.

So far there are two fatalities. Terrible tragedy.   I was going to do a FSX PDGM 747 United flight from KSFO to EGLL today and depart at 12:00.  But I am having "Fatal Error" (No pun intended) issues with the plane at the airport so had to quit. I live in the Bay Area and happen to hear on the radio about it when trouble shooting the error issue.

Or on Fox News. I do agree with one assessment that the pilot probably came down too low and tried to correct it by pulling up and dragging the tail and knocking it off. Tails just don't fall off....

 

Best regards,

Jim

 

 

In 2002, a China Air 747 had a tail fall off causing uncontrolled flight into terrain, killing all aboard. That was a maintenance issue from 20 years before. Prolly not the issue here.

Ró, he clearly hit part of the fuselage on the rock wall at the shoreline about 150' right of centerline--the debris field and skid trail begins right there, and there's a piece of the acft in the water just short of that point of impact. To be that low and that far off centerline seems odd...undoubtably it'll be some time before we find out why, but he did hit the shore wall with part of the acft below runway level.

 

Regards