Invisible Killer - Delta Air Lines Flight 191
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Channel: X Pilot
Views: 744,408
Rating: 4.7250714 out of 5
Keywords: plane, crash, delta, air, lines, delta air lines, delta airlines, airlines, 191, delta 191, delta air lines 191, delta airlines 191, flight, delta air lin
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Length: 8min 9sec (489 seconds)
Published: Mon Jan 01 2018
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For a little background, this crash is what really brought windshear detection into the limelight. Prior to this we didn't really appreciate the risks presented by windshear and microbursts. We knew they existed, but we didn't fully understand them. The pilots knew they were flying into a thunderstorm, and they knew they probably should have diverted or gone around, but they likely imagined a rough landing at worst. It's kind of like when you get into your car and it's snowing, and you know driving conditions aren't ideal, but you also know they're well within your ability to operate safely.
Here's the courtroom animation that shows a lot of the raw data synchronized with the CVR recording.
At around 1000 feet they pass the final threshold; recovery at that point would have required aggressive, unorthodox action. Had the crew gone full thrust, gear up, turn away, be lucky to pass through enough calm air to gain enough altitude, and diverted, they might have made it. Picture yourself driving to to work, and suddenly punching it and turning a hard right while singing "I'm A Little Teapot". For no reason. That's what the crew would have had to do; there was no reason for them to do anything out of the ordinary, and no indication anything serious was wrong.
At around 800 feet they get the first inkling of trouble, the first indicators of windshear when their airspeed starts to drop. At this point the crew still didn't realize the magnitude of their situation. Recovery would have been very unlikely no matter what they did. They still believe they can make a safe, if not a little bumpy, landing. Most of the flight crew and many passengers are now beginning the final 30 seconds of their lives.
The sudden wind change at 600 feet means they're caught in it. The flight crew likely still believes they are in control. Recovery is now impossible. No passenger jet on the planet has enough thrust to pull out of that.
At about 250 feet the flight crew knows they're about to crash. Being the professionals they are, they remain calm and attempt a TOGA anyway. They likely know at this point that their gesture is meaningless, but they try.
It should be noted that the crew performed their duties flawlessly. They simply weren't aware of the danger they were flying into, and their aircraft had no means by which to detect microbursts. While the storms presented a good reason to divert, they didn't appear to exceed the ability of the aircraft or the flight crew. Expecting the crew to have diverted would be unreasonable.
Based on the animation, what are the chances the crash would have been significantly less disastrous had those water towers not been there and the plane instead landed in an open area? Seems like hitting the tower is the main cause the plane tumbled and broke apart like it did.