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A look at the debris field suggests the aircraft 'may' have been intact.
The Herc in the wing separation video is an A-model, built 1957. This one is an H-model, built 1981, and heavily modified for the task. They are like chalk and cheese.
They don't normally do "dry runs". They normally follow the spotter aircraft in on its run, first time.
I believe the aircraft had just completed a run.
as an interesting perspective from a comment about the size of the fires.
"The area of australia that is burnt or on fire started being reported as being larger than some countries, their states and moved to including words like combined"
I'd speculate that some peculiar localised air movment would have had some contribution towards the cause.
you've seen heat rising off of your oven or a plate of steel thats been welded/oxy heated and if the lights right you can see eddy currents as shadows on the floor...
Imagine trying to fly a plane at low altitute (NOE/LAPES levels) over a small country thats on fire along with a vairable payload in constantly variable atmospherice and visabilty.
I can also see the potential for a "surge" incident where a tank might have only partially emptied.
My take is.
too many small things went the wrong way at the wrong time and the plane ultimately fell out of the sky, I don't think a single massive failure (the wings fell off) caused it.
a close call
there is 1 swear word at the end. mods please forgive me.
EDIT by p38arover: Video deleted owing to language. You should know better
Yes and the Australian media had reported that it had already done its run but in the vid I thought the guy indicated they normally do a dry run first and in an episode of Mighty Planes where they covered the Martin Mars (mentioned in the vid) they also did a dry run first but it is a water bomber not a retardant bomber.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hugh Jars
The wreckage is scattered along a km long debris field indicating it did not "fall from the sky" and had considerable forward momentum - it is a shame it did not carry a black box.
Unless something really obvious, it will take some time to work all this out.
Garry
This morning's news reported that the black box has been recovered.
Nah, AULRO has got it sussed already Gazza.[wink11]Quote:
Unless something really obvious, it will take some time to work all this out.
Yep, too many conflicting comments I reckon.
Re Surging. HJ has already mentioned about the tanks having internal Baffles, so unless a main/structural baffle plate carried away which could leave the length of the tank open to a "long" surge I doubt that would be the cause. .........?? I say main because I believe there would be more than one along it's length. Besides, it may have not have had Tank contents at this stage, so it is academic really.
im not sure about the VLAT, but the SEATS's do dry runs all the time in SA.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hugh Jars
See what I mean about conflicting reports?Quote:
Originally Posted by Graeme
The black box or the cockpit voice recorder - media would not know the difference. The media got who performed what functions in the aircraft cocked up - they said the Captain was the engineer and vice versa where the Coulson media release was the other way around.Quote:
Originally Posted by Graeme
Australia Archives - Fire Aviation
I would have expected a black box to be fitted but the guy in the vid said they were not fitted in that class of aircraft and I had heard it also somewhere else before the video - maybe they have to be fitted to operate in Australia but I would have thought retro fitting would have been difficult.
Investigators apparently have the FDR. For that size of aircraft, FDR and CVR would be mandatory in Australia.
The debris field is over a kilometre long, and is typical of a CFIT, or possibly a windshear event. At least 2 engines are located near the tail section, indicating the aircraft was probably intact during the crash. So it is looking less like a structural failure.
There is no evidence of retardant on the ground anywhere near the crash. I still reckon they had completed their run, which is confirmed by a lack of retardant.