Midway Crash: NTSB Urges Change in Snowy-Landing Tactics
Mark J Konkol
Chicago Sun Times
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Federal investigators Friday called for a nationwide change in how airline pilots determine whether it's safe to land in bad weather on slick, snow-covered runways, an "urgent" recommendation resulting from the ongoing probe into last month's Midway Airport crash that killed a 6-year-old boy.
The National Transportation Safety Board urged the Federal Aviation Administration to prohibit pilots from factoring in the use of "thrust reversers" when determining whether it's possible to make a safe landing.
The reversers are part of a plane's braking system. Southwest Airlines pilots at the helm of Flight 1248 told investigators their cockpit computer determined putting the plane down Dec. 8 was "within operation parameters of the airplane and Southwest's procedures.
"The computer took into consideration the deployment of "thrust reversers" and calculated the amount of runway remaining after stopping would have been between 30 feet and 560 feet, depending on the severity of the weather, the NTSB said.
Friday, NTSB officials indicated if the use of thrust reversers hadn't been taken into consideration, the computer would have noted a safe landing "was not possible".
Jan 28, 2006
Mark J Konkol
Chicago Sun Times
_____________
Federal investigators Friday called for a nationwide change in how airline pilots determine whether it's safe to land in bad weather on slick, snow-covered runways, an "urgent" recommendation resulting from the ongoing probe into last month's Midway Airport crash that killed a 6-year-old boy.
The National Transportation Safety Board urged the Federal Aviation Administration to prohibit pilots from factoring in the use of "thrust reversers" when determining whether it's possible to make a safe landing.
The reversers are part of a plane's braking system. Southwest Airlines pilots at the helm of Flight 1248 told investigators their cockpit computer determined putting the plane down Dec. 8 was "within operation parameters of the airplane and Southwest's procedures.
"The computer took into consideration the deployment of "thrust reversers" and calculated the amount of runway remaining after stopping would have been between 30 feet and 560 feet, depending on the severity of the weather, the NTSB said.
Friday, NTSB officials indicated if the use of thrust reversers hadn't been taken into consideration, the computer would have noted a safe landing "was not possible".
Jan 28, 2006
