Posted on 11/13/2001 1:05:28 PM PST by X-Servative
At the NTSB press conference, they just stated that both engines appear to be intact and that there are no signs of engine failure, according to George Black, NTSB Boardmember.
But would they rather use furlongs per fortnight?
I heard the briefing on the radio on my way home from work, and was truly shocked that one of the engines had not gutted itself, setting of the chain of events that led to the crash.
/john
Try this yourself: drop a rock and a piece of paper out your car window and see which one goes farther forward. Answer: the rock will. Drag will stop the paper almost immediately.
Now for "rock" substitute "engine" and for "paper" substitute "vertical stabilizer." The aerodynamics are roughly the same.
Prior to takeoff there was a 30 minute "security" delay.
Hmm. I was earlier corrected that the speed may have been closer to 200-> 220 knots. Presumably it was not horizontal when the engines separated. The weight is different between the frame and the engines and thus the trajectory path would be different, yet they landed within 2 blocks of the frame. That is the part I have trouble with. Makes me think the engines separated much closer to crash site.
I'm not ready to conclude one way or the other., but keep in mind...
The last Japanese soldiers of WWII didn't come out of their caves until the mid-1970s.
Worry more about the sleepers here than the Taliban over there.
George Black Jr. of the National Transportation Safety Board gave no indication of what caused the "airframe rattling noise."
From takeoff to the end of the tape lasts less than 2 minutes, 24 seconds, Black said at a news conference.
The first portion of the flight to the Dominican Republic appeared normal, with the co-pilot at the controls. But 107 seconds after the plane had started its takeoff roll, a rattling was heard; 14 seconds later, a second rattle was audible, Black said.
Twenty-three seconds later -- after "several comments suggesting loss of control" -- the cockpit voice recording ends, he said.
The plane's second black box, the flight data recorder, was recovered Tuesday after a 24-hour hunt through a Queens neighborhood staggered by a double dose of tragedy. At least 262 people were killed when the plane crashed.
A source close to the investigation said that the NTSB was looking at whether the plane's engines failed after sucking in birds, a phenomenon that has caused severe damage to airliners in the past.
But Black said that an initial inspection of the engines found no evidence of a collision with a bird. He said a more detailed analysis still needs to be done.
REST OF ARTICLE: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2001/11/13/national1704EST0773.DTL
The short answer is...NO. Welcome to wonder-land.
To my weak recollection, the only thing that is reported in statute miles is surface visibility... everything else is in nautical miles, except the outside ring of the airspeed indicator on my Mooney, which is in MPH, creating a constant state of confusion.
Think I better get a new ASI.
I saw that too on a news banner on TV. What is a "security delay."
Does that mean the plane was delayed because it took longer to get people checked than they anticipated, or does it mean they had a threat about the plane?
How well are the engines attached for inverted flying while at max power? I wonder?
So some people think.
Where?
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