Altitude adjustment: the aviation thread

[simplicitus]

It’s a reaction to 9/11. Thanks a lot Bin Laden.

Thanks a lot, Bin Laden. - 9/11- Alan - The Hangover

[clovis8]

[Devil]

One of them has a funny accent.

[Melkerson]

Really was not expecting Air India to have a white CEO.

[JimHammer]

Both probably use the same law firm.

[Coasterbrad]

Melania wrote the second one.

[Danspartan]

@BestOf

[Koss]

Looks like fuel switches were turned off right after takeoff.

Air India crash: Engine fuel supply was cut just before Air India jet crash,...

[Rugby]

“In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the report reads.

Ugh.

[Rugby]

Air India 171 Update: Fuel Cutoff Switches in 'Cutoff' Position according to WSJ

Video where a pilot discusses the switches and possible scenarios that could result in them being activated.

He basically rules out anything except deliberate murder/suicide

[kerowo]

That just takes selfish asshole to an entirely new level.

[Rugby]

‘Why did he cut off?’: what the report on the Air India Flight 171 crash found

This also ahas the initial report document embedded.

It’s 15 pages and is interesting.

[LFS]

So one of the pilots either fucked it intentionally or had one of the bigger brain farts of all time, with the former seeming a lot more likely.

[Rugby]

Maybe?

There’s something in the report about an alert that some switches didn’t have the safety lock installed. But you think they will be able to test that. They seem to have the switches in tact in the wreckage. There’s a photo in the report.

Unless there’s some automated logic that switches them off for some reason.

[jmakin]

seems difficult to prove murder suicide unless you can’t also argue a mental lapse like this isnt possible. whats craziest to me is that the pilot flying nearly immediately realized what was happening and tried to correct but in less than 30 seconds everyone but one crazy lucky guy was dead

[otatop]

UPDATE: Pilot of commercial flight performs ‘aggressive maneuver’ to avoid...

A SkyWest Flight operating as a Delta connection between Minneapolis and Minot turned into a tense and quiet ride for passengers after pilots took evasive action to avoid a mid-air collision with a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber.

According to AviationA2Z, the close call happened Saturday night aboard Delta flight DL3788, which was traveling from Minneapolis–Saint Paul (MSP) to Minot International Airport (MOT).

The Embraer E175 jet came dangerously close to a B-52 Stratofortress from Minot Air Force Base during the flight.

The pilot’s quick action prevented a possible collision, and passengers later thanked him for explaining what happened once the plane landed safely.

Monica Green, who was seated in the front of the plane, described the atmosphere on board as “weirdly calm,” even as the jet made sharp, unexpected turns.

“Honestly, everyone was weirdly calm. I felt like I was gaslighting myself, like maybe I was being crazy, because no one else was reacting,” Green said. “We took a really hard turn, and that’s when the pilot got on the intercom and said, ‘sorry everybody, I’ll explain everything when we land safely.’ the way he said it, it almost sounded like he was insinuating that landing safely might not be an option for a moment. We all just kind of looked at each other and stayed quiet.”

The flight circled the Minot Airport several times before landing. Green, who flies frequently for work, said she tracked the unusual flight pattern on an app while texting her husband.

“I texted my husband saying, ‘this is weird, we keep circling the airport, but we’re not landing.’ I was a little anxious, and when he said, ‘no, this is serious,’ I started to panic internally,” Green said.

Despite the tension, she praised the pilot for being transparent.

“He was very casual, if you can be casual about something like that, but you could tell he was stressed. He was almost shaking, trying to find the right words, but he was nice and detailed. It felt good that they weren’t just going to brush it off,” said Green.

Green didn’t see the bomber from her seat, but later overheard conversations in the small airport terminal.

“When we landed, it was really quiet. No one stood up right away like people normally do. At the airport, I heard some people saying their friends saw it from the ground. The other plane nearly hit us, and it went so low it passed under us,” Green said.

The Delta flight ultimately landed safely, but the unusual mid-air maneuver and calm, almost stunned reaction from passengers left a lasting impression.

“Maybe I was overreacting,” Green said. “But being in the very front row, you feel everything, and those hard turns, you could tell something wasn’t right.”

Your News Leader reached out to Delta who directed us to SkyWest. SkyWest provided the following statement late Saturday night:

“SkyWest flight 3788, operating as Delta Connection from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Minot, North Dakota landed safely in Minot after being cleared for approach by the tower but performed a go-around when another aircraft became visible in their flight path. We are investigating the incident.”

We also reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration Saturday, who directed us to the U.S. military.

We reached out to public affairs with Minot Air Force Base for comment and will update you as we learn more.

[wheatrich]

I did not know minot was big enough to have an international airport.

[Koss]

There are tons of tiny regional airports within a hundred miles or so of the Canadian border the get to claim international.

[kerowo]

It’s next door to Canada…

[JordanIB]

Minot International has no scheduled passenger airline service out of the country, but receives its international title (like many other airports) because of its customs service. Customs service is available for aircraft arriving from Canada and other countries.