Latest news with #BobMann
Japan Times
a day ago
- General
- Japan Times
Aviation experts draw attention to flaps and landing gear in Air India crash
Video of an Air India jetliner that crashed into a neighborhood points to potential anomalies that aviation safety authorities will examine to understand what caused the accident that killed at least 241 people. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner appeared to not achieve sufficient thrust as it lumbered down nearly the full length of an 3,350-meter runway, a distance that should have been more than enough to take off, said Bob Mann, head of aviation consultant RW Mann & Co. That could stem from a misconfiguration of the plane prior to takeoff or erroneous weight data entered into the plane's computer system that determines how much power is needed to get off the ground, he said. Mann cautioned that his views were unofficial and not corroborated by data or cockpit voice recorders, which have yet to be recovered from the site. "If the weight is high compared to the actual number, you end up with a very aggressive takeoff,' Mann said. "If the weight is low compared to the actual, you end up with not enough commanded power.' The 787's landing gear was never retracted, which normally occurs just after takeoff, said Jeff Guzzetti, a former accident investigation chief for the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. He also said he'd want to know more about whether the plane's flaps — movable panels along the wing that generate additional lift during takeoff — were in the correct position, noting that it was possible those were raised mistakenly instead of the landing gear. "You don't see any smoke or fire or engines burping or anything like that. You don't see any structural failure occurring,' Guzzetti said. "It just appears the airplane was unable to climb once it got off the runway.' That could be due to several reasons, Guzzetti said, including the flaps being raised instead of the landing gear or improper programming of the flight control computer. "We just don't know at this time,' he said. Mann said the flaps appeared to be incorrectly positioned, adding that trying to belatedly adjust the flaps could lead to an aerodynamic stall. The Air India Dreamliner was carrying 242 passengers and crew on a flight from Ahmedabad to London. There was one survivor from the plane. Investigators from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and FAA will travel to India to assist with that government's investigation of the crash. Additional clues should emerge when authorities recover the plane's flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder containing key information about what was happening to the airplane systems and pilots in the flight's final moments.
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
What caused Air India crash? Experts focus on plane's flaps, landing gear
Video of the Air India jet that crashed into a neighbourhood points to potential anomalies that aviation safety authorities will examine to understand what caused the accident that killed at least 241 people. The Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner appeared to not achieve sufficient thrust as it lumbered down nearly the full length of a 3,352-metre (11,000-foot) runway, a distance that should have been more than enough to take off, said Bob Mann, head of aviation consultant RW Mann & Co. That could stem from a misconfiguration of the plane before take-off or erroneous weight data entered into the plane's computer system that determines how much power is needed to get off the ground, he said. Mann cautioned that his views were unofficial and not corroborated by data or cockpit voice recorders, which have yet to be recovered from the site. 'If the weight is high compared to the actual number, you end up with a very aggressive take-off,' Mann said. 'If the weight is low compared to the actual, you end up with not enough commanded power.' The 787's landing gear was never retracted, which normally occurs just after take-off, said Jeff Guzzetti, a former accident investigation chief for the US Federal Aviation Administration. He also said that he wanted to know more about whether the plane's flaps – movable panels along the wing that generate additional lift during take-off – were in the correct position, noting that it was possible those were raised mistakenly instead of the landing gear. 02:40 Air India plane bound for London crashes moments after take off in Ahmedabad Air India plane bound for London crashes moments after take off in Ahmedabad 'You don't see any smoke or fire or engines burping or anything like that. You don't see any structural failure occurring,' Guzzetti said. 'It just appears the aeroplane was unable to climb once it got off the runway.'
Straits Times
2 days ago
- General
- Straits Times
Air India plane crash draws attention to flaps and landing gear
Officials inspect the site of a plane crash near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India, on June 12. PHOTO: EPA-EFE Video of the Air India jetliner that crashed into a neighbourhood points to potential anomalies that aviation safety authorities will examine to understand what caused the accident that killed at least 241 people. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner appeared to not achieve sufficient thrust as it lumbered down nearly the full length of an 11,000-foot runway, a distance that should have been more than enough to take off, said Mr Bob Mann, head of aviation consultant RW Mann. That could stem from a misconfiguration of the plane prior to takeoff or erroneous weight data entered into the plane's computer system that determines how much power is needed to get off the ground, he said. Mr Mann cautioned that his views were unofficial and not corroborated by data or cockpit voice recorders, which have yet to be recovered from the site. 'If the weight is high compared to the actual number, you end up with a very aggressive takeoff,' he said. 'If the weight is low compared to the actual, you end up with not enough commanded power.' The 787's landing gear was never retracted, which normally occurs just after takeoff, said Mr Jeff Guzzetti, a former accident investigation chief for the US Federal Aviation Administration. He also said he'd want to know more about whether the plane's flaps – movable panels along the wing that generate additional lift during takeoff – were in the correct position, noting that it was possible those were raised mistakenly instead of the landing gear. 'You don't see any smoke or fire or engines burping or anything like that. You don't see any structural failure occurring,' Mr Guzzetti said. 'It just appears the airplane was unable to climb once it got off the runway.' That could be due to several reasons, he said, including the flaps being raised instead of the landing gear or improper programming of the flight control computer. 'We just don't know at this time,' he said. Mr Mann said the flaps appeared to be incorrectly positioned, adding that trying to belatedly adjust the flaps could lead to an aerodynamic stall. The Air India Dreamliner was carrying 242 passengers and crew on a flight from Ahmedabad to London. There was one survivor from the plane. Investigators from the US National Transportation Safety Board and FAA will travel to India to assist with that government's investigation of the crash. Additional clues should emerge when authorities recover the plane's flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, the so-called black boxes containing key information about what was happening to airplane systems and pilots in the flight's final moments. Bloomberg Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- General
- Bloomberg
Air India Plane Crash Draws Attention to Flaps and Landing Gear
Video of the Air India jetliner that crashed into a neighborhood points to potential anomalies that aviation safety authorities will examine to understand what caused the accident that killed at least 241 people. The Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner appeared to not achieve sufficient thrust as it lumbered down nearly the full length of an 11,000-foot runway, a distance that should have been more than enough to take off, said Bob Mann, head of aviation consultant RW Mann & Co.
Travel Weekly
12-05-2025
- Travel Weekly
What is going on at Newark Airport?
Clockwise from top left: Travel Weekly aviation editor Robert Silk, industry consultant Bob Mann and Folo host Rebecca Tobin talk about the operational issues plaguing Newark Airport. Subscribe now using your favorite service: What the heck is going on at EWR? Undoubtably the biggest news in travel this past week has to be the mess at Newark Airport in New Jersey. What started as complaints of unusual delays on one day in April has unfolded into a huge story about air traffic control system breakdowns, controllers on leave and the DOT's request for billions of dollars to be earmarked for upgrades and fixes. With aviation editor Robert Silk and aviation expert and consultant Bob Mann, of R.W. Mann & Company, we break down what happened, why Newark is so hard to manage and what the solutions might be: Is the DOT proposal enough? This episode was recorded Friday May 9 and has been edited for length and clarity. Episode sponsor: This episode is sponsored by the Globus family of brands Related links: FAA pledges fixes for Newark, but delays could continue White House proposes overhaul of air traffic control system Outdated technology and stress-related absences contribute to chaos at Newark Airport Air traffic controllers briefly lose radar access again at Newark
