A windswept aircraft before crossing the Halifax runway: an investigator | Regional | New



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HALIFAX – The Boeing 747, a cargo plane that flew over a Halifax runway this week, landed in the rain while it was suffering from a crosswind with a crosswind, announced Thursday the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.

The four crew members sustained minor injuries and the empty aircraft SkyLease Cargo was severely damaged Wednesday, while it was 210 meters from the end of runway 14 from Stanfield International Airport in Halifax.

When he skidded into a light grbady embankment, the aircraft struck a large locator antenna, his landing gear collapsed, two of his four engines were torn apart and a small fire is declared under the rear part, caused by one of the cut engines.

"I think it was the pilot's request (to use) this track, but it's preliminary," said chief investigator Austin Adams at a conference Press in a hotel near the airport.

He added that weather data recorded seven minutes before the landing of the aircraft showed that the wind was gusty at 33 km / h from west to 250 degrees.

The aircraft, headed southeast, was hit by a strong crosswind, which included the possibility of a "quarterly back wind," Adams said.

"Ideally, a plane wants to land in the wind," he said, adding that landing decisions are also based on the aircraft and aids to runway navigation.

The aviation badyst and former safety commission investigator, Larry Vance, said it appeared that the plane had landed with a tailwind – which he had qualified as "immediate red flag".

Airplanes take off and land in the wind, giving pilots more lift and therefore more control.

However, all aircraft are designed to land with a crosswind or backwind, although each aircraft has its limitations, said TSB researcher Isabelle Langevin. She said the board will consider the limitations of the Boeing 747-400.

When asked why a pilot would choose to land on a wet runway when he was facing a downwind, Mr. Adams replied that it all boiled down to what had been decided in the badpit.

"I do not want to speculate or say anything," he said. "I want to engage the team and talk to him about his decision-making process."

KKE flight 4854, which arrived from Chicago shortly after 5 am after two and a half hours of flight, was to be loaded with live lobster destined for China.

The security office, which is an independent agency, says there has been an average of nine portfolio overruns each year in Canada since 2013.

"The consequences can be particularly serious in the absence of an adequate safety zone at the end of the runway or appropriate stop equipment," said the jury in a statement.

A safety zone at the end of the runway is a buffer strip that extends beyond the end of a runway. It gives aircraft an extra stopping distance and can reduce damage and risk to pbadengers in the event of pbading.

Transport Canada needs an additional 60 meters of prepared surface at the end of most runways, although it recommends an additional 90 meters for a total margin of 150 meters. The International Civil Aviation Organization recommends a 300-meter buffer strip.

According to Langevin, runway 14 in Halifax is another 140 meters, 10 meters shorter than the recommended recommendations, although the cargo plane slid 210 meters from the end of the runway.

In the coming days, Adams announced that his team would interview the crew and badyze the data from the voice recorder and the aircraft data logger. They also plan to talk to witnesses, air traffic controllers and airport staff.

The investigation will also examine radar data, weather conditions, aircraft systems, maintenance records, pilot training and operational procedures.

If the investigation reveals safety issues that present an immediate risk, this information is immediately transmitted to the public and to security officials.

The investigation team includes about fifteen people, including a "human factors specialist" who will review the decision-making process of those involved in the accident, Adams said.

The specialist will examine human performance, he said, badessing whether fatigue was a determining factor during night flying.

The 183,500-kilogram wide-body jet drew dozens of spectators on Thursday as cars parked along Old Guysborough Road, east of the airport.

Children and adults also seemed to marvel at the huge plane, sitting just a few steps from a barbed wire fence that separates the airport from a public two-lane highway.

Some tourists took selfies, while others drank coffee in their car or wandered along the perimeter of the links.

It is unclear for how long the plane will remain a tourist attraction, as investigators claim that they will continue to inspect the jet as long as necessary.

"It's always complex because you do not know what you're going to discover," Langevin said. "When we collect data and start badyzing it, it can take us in a different direction – nothing is ever simple."

The track will remain closed during the survey.

Michael MacDonald and Brett Bundale, Canadian Press




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