Posted on 01/30/2006 5:17:44 PM PST by wallcrawlr
Disaster seemed certain when a photographer captured these planes on course to collide over east London.
To the onlookers below, the aircraft looked set for a horrific mid-air crash.
The cameraman took the pictures of an Airbus A300 belonging to transport firm DHL, which seemed to narrowly avoid flying into the rear of a Japan Airlines Boeing 777.
The photographer was in the crowd attending West Ham's home FA Cup match at Upton Park stadium on Saturday.
But the Civil Aviation Authority says the incident was an optical illusion and not as dangerous as it appeared from below.
A spokesman said: 'It is impossible to tell from the ground how close aircraft are in the air.'
For a mid-air incident to be classed a near miss, the planes must be within three nautical miles horizontally or 1,000ft vertically of each other.
A DHL spokesman said the company took safety 'extremely seriously' and had investigated the claims.
He said: 'In this instance a proper distance between the two planes was maintained at all times.'
Experts say the blue skies and sunshine added to the optical illusion as the conditions distorted the perspective of those watching below.
They're too close, but zoom lenses can be deceiving.
Maybe, they could easily be 1000 ft apart. It all depends on the distance and zoom of the lens.
near miss my butt! That was a near hit! :\
I'd guess the trailing plane is lower by a few hundred feet at least.
Still way too close given turbulence, etc., but nothing close to a fender bender.
wow!
lol!
Holy Crap ping!
I bet the pucker factor kinda pegged on that one!
The lower plane looks to be smaller but because it is closer to the camera it appears to be about the same size making the mind believe that they are at the same level.
LOL!
Indeed.
"The difference in the comparative size of the planes could also create the illusion.
The lower plane looks to be smaller but because it is closer to the camera it appears to be about the same size making the mind believe that they are at the same level."
Googleized:
Airbus A300 specifications and plane history. ... Wingspan:, 147. Length:, 177.
Boeing 777 specifications and plane history
Wingspan:, 199. Length:, 209. Height:, 60.
COMMENT: If this says anything, it says that the smaller plane has to be pretty close to the larger plane, in order for the optical view to be so proportionately close to the true dimensions.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.