US Airways plane lands in Hudson River

[The Swegian]

A friend sent photos of the aircraft being lifted out of the water and on a barge. Sorry, I can't post the photos here. The aircraft was pretty much in one piece. It appears that the landing ripped off the left motor and pylon. They are having some issues with getting the pylon and motor out of the water.

When I watched Dateline last Friday night, they were talking about the current of the river had moved the plane a couple miles so I would guess it had still been moving up until the point of extraction. How many cranes did it take to get the plane out of the water?

 

[The Swegian]

Now I see this story and what is so frustrating about the media is the headline makes it seem like the engines were to blame.

Plane in Hudson River had engine type that drew FAA scrutiny - CNN.com

Gee, I would think that any airplane that had to fly through a flock of birds would have a pretty good chance of sustaining catastrophic engine damage, especially if it were geese they encountered.

 

[ProStockJunkie]

I believe the 2nd engine was recovered from the river yesterday. No small feat considering the swift current that runs in the Hudson.

 

[Tom]

When I watched Dateline last Friday night, they were talking about the current of the river had moved the plane a couple miles so I would guess it had still been moving up until the point of extraction. How many cranes did it take to get the plane out of the water?

They used a large barge crane attached to the tail section and fuselage.

 

[Jenn]

They used a large barge crane attached to the tail section and fuselage.

I heard it took them a long time because they needed to drain the water.

 

[The Swegian]

They used a large barge crane attached to the tail section and fuselage.

I saw some pictures that a friend emailed to me. Would have posted them here but they weren't sent as an attachment. Pretty amazing photos I must say. That crane was huge. I assume divers rigged the massive straps that were used to cradle the fuselage.

 

[ProStockJunkie]

I saw some pictures that a friend emailed to me. Would have posted them here but they weren't sent as an attachment. Pretty amazing photos I must say. That crane was huge. I assume divers rigged the massive straps that were used to cradle the fuselage.

I have several photos from one of the crane operator, but I don't know how to post them.

 

[Nitrohaulic]

I used to do work that regularly took me into buildings at the 119th Air Refueling Group just south of Knoxville. I remember one display showing a destroyed engine with both, photos and fan pieces. Then, there was the culprit. One brake shoe rivet that got sucked up!

Seems like I remember the military requires a certain kind of bird strike test before they'll buy your jet engine.

 

[DrRocket]

I used to do work that regularly took me into buildings at the 119th Air Refueling Group just south of Knoxville. I remember one display showing a destroyed engine with both, photos and fan pieces. Then, there was the culprit. One brake shoe rivet that got sucked up!

Seems like I remember the military requires a certain kind of bird strike test before they'll buy your jet engine.

On aircraft carriers, unless there's a military emergency that requires immediate aircraft launches, it's standard procedure to do a "FOD" walk on the deck before any flight operations commence. (Foreign Object Damage.) They line up sailors and walk the length of the deck, looking for anything that might get sucked up into the intakes.

As tough as modern jet engines are, they're still susceptible to damage by ingesting "thingys." (Including large critters.)

Jackee, check your PMs.

 

[BaldyLochs]

FOD walks are standard everywhere. When I worked for the airlines, it was amazing the crap you'd find out on the ramp - just right around at the gate, where the plane is innocently sitting. Little things like bolts, screws, of course pieces of luggage like zipper handles, bag tags, little pebbles, rocks, chipped concrete... the list is endless. But trust me, it all can hurt an airplane. Where I work now, once a week everyone in the entire company goes out & walks the ramp together. We joke that the ramp is cleaner than the offices. Safety is the name of the game. A little thing like a paperclip, under the right circumstances, can take out a tire, get pulled into an engine or nick a prop, or rotor blade. Another danger is those little bitty things being whipped around by wind or jet blast/rotor wash and getting propelled into other parked airplanes and damaging them... or worse yet, hitting people in the face (which I have personal experience with!)

 

[ProStockJunkie]

Jackee, check your PMs.

Got it, sent them Thanks Dave

 

[Jenn]

Military friend of mine said they'd blast cannons and have gunfire to scare of large animals and birds, have dogs patrol in a run to keep animals away but the PETA people got upset about it.

 

[mike cummings]

Military friend of mine said they'd blast cannons and have gunfire to scare of large animals and birds, have dogs patrol in a run to keep animals away but the PETA people got upset about it.

so having the birds getting sucked into a jet intake (which kills the bird, btw) and possibly bring down a plane and kill all the passengers is more appealing to PETA? Wow, they have some screwed up priorities if this is true.

 

[TJ]

The airline industry contracts w/ a few companies that shoot dead chickens from a cannon at airplane windshields to see the highest level of impact before breaking. They do the same test for their turbines engines as well.
A very interesting process that I witnessed at Van Nuys airport. Hi-speed train companies do the same testing..

 

[DrRocket]

Here are a couple of the pictures that Jackee wrote of.

There are more. I thought it would be easier for everyone to look at a slideshow instead.

Linky linky

Note that, inspite of the force of the impact with the water, the plane is reletively intact, save for the missing port engine.

It's a testament to both the skill of the pilots in putting it into the water as gently as was possible, and also to the robust construction modern airliners feature.

Much thanks to Jackee for these pictures!!

 

[Tom]

The airline industry contracts w/ a few companies that shoot dead chickens from a cannon at airplane windshields to see the highest level of impact before breaking. They do the same test for their turbines engines as well.
A very interesting process that I witnessed at Van Nuys airport. Hi-speed train companies do the same testing..

The Brits borrowed the bird gun to cert their high speed train windows. The problem was that they fired frozen geese and the windows were shattered. They soon figured out that the birds had to be defrosted.

I have a video of the New Trent engine showing the fan blade separation for containment certification. The is done to insure that blades will not come outside the case. Is there anyway that I can drop this on the sight?

 

[DrRocket]

The Brits borrowed the bird gun to cert their high speed train windows. The problem was that they fired frozen geese and the windows were shattered. They soon figured out that the birds had to be defrosted.

I've heard all sorts of versions of this. The versions I heard had NASA, the FAA, the NTSB, and the ASAF all lending the gun, and British, and French aeronautical engineers firing the frozen birds. The train one is new to me.

I have a video of the New Trent engine showing the fan blade separation for containment certification. The is done to insure that blades will not come outside the case. Is there anyway that I can drop this on the sight?

You can upload it onto UTube and post a link here.

 

[DrRocket]

The investigation continues.

The airliner has had the wings and tail section removed.

Link to Airliners.net photo.

 

[T.J.]

I heard a joke earlier (its ok since everyone survived) about how Grey Goose Vodka was naming a new drink after the pilot and called it the Sully...take 2 shots of Grey Goose and add a splash of water!

 

[ProStockJunkie]

Dave, thanks a million for posting the pictures. The slide show was great!