tripoli

From what I have heard, they had both engines quit at partial throttle as well the electronic software platform fail. No manual input was having any effect on the engines and control stick function was minimized as well they had a total radio and approach plate failure while flying an IFR approach. They were at the two mile marker at 600 feet when it all failed.

It looks like they really pulled off an incredible feat bringing it down as they did. The approach is over a heavy populated area, had they gone down any sooner, there would have been mass casulties on the ground as well the souls on board.

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Jeff

GliderPilot

The approach into that particular runway (Southern runway 27L) is over a densely populated area of South West London for several miles and then the last two miles are more housing, over a public house called the "Green Man" ( sit outside on a warm day with a cold beer and the planes go directly over your head low enough to count the rivets). It then crosses a 4 lane dual carriageway, which at peak times bumper to bumper with slow moving traffic, a cross roads, an underground railway station with associated bus station, another busy road and finally the airport boundary. So as you can see, another couple of miles out and the potential for major loss of life and devastation is huge.Can't see what all the fuss is about myself, every flight I take ends with me landing without an engine! (Only kidding because no-one was badly injured)

D-AIHC

And sometimes on green pastures amongst some cows/sheeps too?

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Lufthansa - Star Alliance member since 1997

Mystère

However it appears that BOTH engines were not responding. Maybe a software malfunction, as it already happened during this flight : ASN Aircraft accident description Boeing 777-2H6ER 9M-MRG - Perth, WA

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Diecaster

As for back-ups...there are two engines. If you lose them both then needless to say you must glide. As for electrical power, there is an APU which provides electrical power and air to the aircraft, and a RAT (Ram Air Turbine) which automatically drops out to power the radios and instruments, interestingly, someone had also found a photo of this RAT.





You can see the RAT here:

MarinerOne

Thanks Diecaster for the insight ... but WHERE did you come up with that photo of the decimated BA 777 ???

GliderPilot

No way! Cows lick the gel coat and cover it with sticky goo and sheep jump when they are nervous.

TexAV8R

BBC article here about what happens to plane wrecks..

BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine | What happens to a plane wreck?

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Stay on the bomb run, boys! I'm gonna get them doors open if it harelips ever'body on Bear Creek!(Major T.J "King Kong" from the movie Dr. Strangelove)

TexAV8R

Caught on camera: Last moments of Flight BA38's dramatic descent into Heathrow


Caught on camera: Last moments of Flight BA38's dramatic descent into Heathrow | the Daily Mail

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Stay on the bomb run, boys! I'm gonna get them doors open if it harelips ever'body on Bear Creek!(Major T.J "King Kong" from the movie Dr. Strangelove)

B-16707

no RAT out in those photos.

you know with all the photoediting that goes on these days, that first photo could be a fake for all we know so that people could make a buck. it happens to be very convenient that the tree line and the roof line dont block the airplane at all....VERY convenient, convenient for those wanting to edit, very easily, in a plane into a clean background

no RAT out but still power for the headlights? im no aviation expert here but someone explain that. batteries?

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The Completed Customs The Airport

Mystère

Maybe the first one is edited, I highly doubt the second and third are...

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B-16707

yea i dont think the second and third are but boy it got me thinking that "is there always someone out watching planes with a camera?"

i dont know where this guy took pics but those pics are from different places on the airport. he probably took the crashing shot then drove and raced to closer to the crash site right when the passengers got off? how far was that distance anyways for those that know heathrow?

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The Completed Customs The Airport

C-Rex

Three different shots from three photographers.
Too easy to conclude that the first one is edited.

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| Rex |

dylan

Hey bartender, I need another beer.....

Tell me DAC's resident aviation expert: When does the APU provide electrical power to the 777's systems? Is it on all the time? If it's not on all the time...when do they turn it on? Or off? Were the engines on this 777 completely failed, therefore rendering both generators useless? Or were they just stuck at a low power setting. Does a software problem or failed Avionics issue mean the whole Electrical system went south?

Because...HEY, the nose taxi-lights are still on...MUST BE A FAKE!

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mmmmm, beer.

Dork

Not positive on the 777, but on the 767 and 757 the RAT provides hydraulic power only for the essential flight controls. Backup electrical power is provided by a hydraulically driven generator. If the APU is off and all generators fail, essential power would be provided by batteries for at least a half an hour or so, depending on the aircraft model. The APU is generally only left on if an engine driven generator is inoperative or when conducting a CAT II or III approach.

C-Rex

I have misinterpreted the APU and RAT wrong on what they can do and not do. Blimey, My mistake on mixing the two up of what powers what. Thanks for the info and correction, Dork.

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| Rex |

Prestwick Pioneer

Not too far at all. Its just by hatton cross bus/underground station, to cover it on foot would take a few minutes on foot. The triple has now been moved to the side of the white hangar (visible in background). There was discussion about it being rebuilt, but although it looks superficially ok, the more you look at it, the more things wrong you can see with it. and altho it might have been an optical illusion, the forward fuselage looked ever so slightly bent and the starboard stabiliser leading edge has been shredded by the departing main gear.

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The Prestwick Pioneer

B-16707

ah i see, thanks for the info.

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The Completed Customs The Airport

MarinerOne

Hey Prestwick, just noticed you're from Birmingham, home of my favorite band ... Ali Campbell and Company ... yup ... yah maan ... UB40!!!

Saw them twice last summer (in a span of three days) when they were touring southern California ... they're fun!

Long live dem boyz!!!

(JUST ADDED - talk about WEIRD TIMING!!! )

I just found out that Ali Campbell is QUITTING UB40 as of TODAY!!!

.........

Diecaster

It was discussed heavily in flyertalk.com

BA38 lands short of the runway - LHR delays likely - FlyerTalk Forums

Another close up for the BA's RAT

citjet

The only opinion that I can contribute to this discussion is that the crew were faced with an uncommanded engine shut down on short final. There is obviously no way to re-start those engines (unless at higher altitudes) and they had to conduct a 'power off' approach to landing in which in my training you almost never change any configuration of the aircraft as very bad results will happen.

The change in pitch people are talking about from the video is Im sure the captain making control inputs to get the aircraft to its best pitch for airspeed. Obviously there is not much room to iniciate too much of a nose down attitude to increase airspeed to provide more distance in the glide given the altitude that the emergency started.

HOWUDN

More pics of the wrecked 777

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HOWUDN

And just a few more I am so amazed that no one got killed looking at the damage that must have been such an impact hitting the ground.

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