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Southwest Captain Reduced Power Before NYC Crash Landing

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The captain of a Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) plane that skidded on its belly at New York’s LaGuardia Airport in July 2013 wrested control from the co-pilot and reduced power shortly before the landing, new documents show. (www.bloomberg.com) עוד...

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tduggan2010
Tim Duggan 11
"I've got it".....(famous last words). Other than, "Hey, watch this!"

Jokes aside, it's obvious that this Captain (if uncomfortable for some reason with the F/O's performance) should have simply said "TOGA" (Go-Around..."Flaps 15, Positive Rate...Gear Up check altitude, call the Tower") and sorted it out.

Years ago my F/O flying, landing at KLAS...our own company just ahead took their own sweet time, ALL the way to the end of 25L. So, I saw the situation, and figured the Tower would tell us to go around, so I mentioned to my F/O the normal litany (for the B-757, in this case). It's rare to go-around, so it's nice to think it through in your head, first.

Well, she apparently didn't grasp my "subtlety" of meaning. Because, when ATC said "Go around" it was a 'deer-in-the-headlights' moment. So, my old CFI days kick in, and it's time to "coach" her through it, as an Instructor. I ALSO had to mention that the A/P was available too.....as I observed her "death-grip" on the control wheel. (LOL).

Ah......good times! CAVU day....we just circled left, vectored around and landed on 19L.
preacher1
preacher1 3
Seen that deer in the headlights look before. A good pilot shouldn't have even had to have that sudblety from you. He should have been thinking that through himself and on any operation for that matter, but all of us aren't perfect like me and you. LOL
preacher1
preacher1 2
I guess I should have said "SHE"
THRUSTT
THRUSTT 1
These days it's confusing...
pjshield
pjshield 0
Now it makes more sense...
preacher1
preacher1 1
30west
30west 1
I agree, the need for good SA, anticipating and mentally planning for possible needed actions. During recurrent training at my former company, the safety classes were attended jointly by both the pilots and FA's. The FA's were taught to do a "30 Seconds Review" while strapped in their jump seats just prior to takeoff, in order to review in their minds their roles in an aborted takeoff and possible evacuation. I know that I always spent a few moments prior to takeoff reviewing in my mind engine out and RTO procedures. Same, as you suggested, on approach when a go-around looks likely.
preacher1
preacher1 6
MY AIRPLANE and TOGA simplifies a whole lot.
CaptBmckay
CaptBmckay 1
Exactly, that should have been a clear go around situation
11Mooneymite
Mooneymite Hight 3
I was a check airman at a major carrier. I did a 4 day IOE with a transition captain from the 727, to the 737. Such was normally a 4 leg evolution. After 4 days, I could not sign the captain off. No way. I wrote two letters to the Chief LCA describing the problems.

The company promptly found another check airman who did sign that captain off....much to my surprise. I called the CLCA and asked what was going on. He told me that the company had decided to get the captain signed off because she had sued the company on multiple occassions for sexual harrassment and that they were required to have her lawyer sit in the simulator for her check-rides. If they didn't pass her, she would sue again.

I told the LCA that this pilot should never have been allowed to command an aircraft. I further stated that dealing with sexual harrassment lawsuits was above my pay grade, but he could go to the bank with one fact: when she had her incident, or God forbid, accident, I would release both my letters to the media about her incompetence.

Two days later, on her first trip as a 737 captain, she had a minor incident in Austin, TX that scared her so badly she could not taxi the plane off the runway. The copilot called in and said he wouldn't continue the rotation with her.

She was called in, terminated on a "medical" with a 2 million dollar payout. That was the cheapest $2 million the airline ever spent.

I wonder if SWA had been warned about this captain before.
dkgambler
Dean Kennedy 1
As I've been saying for years, political correctness kills. What a scary world we live in, where feelings trump facts.
sparkie624
sparkie624 1
Would not be surprised, and somehow that incident sounds familiar...
joelwiley
joel wiley 1
"cheapest $2 million the airline ever spent"
Administrative costs of an appeal could easily go over that with attorney fees factored in.
Doesn't include repair/ write-off costs for a dented airframe.
preacher1
preacher1 1
That is just about where SWA was with this heifer. They should have spent the money before she crashed the plane. Shoulda, coulda, woulda.
clabo
gene kwiecinski 1
"The company promptly found another check airman who did sign that captain off."

Yeah, I was teaching a course where one guy would either be sleeping through the entire class, or had his finger buried up his nose to the 3rd knuckle, and then had the nerve to complain to the dean that I "wasn't teaching him". He handed back completely blank quizzes/tests, etc., yet the school wanted me to pass him!!

The school was for adult edjumacation, and as such practically *every* student was on financial aid, which was contingent on their *passing* the course. Aha, so the plot sickens. The school didn't want to lose their bux, so was a "diploma mill" passing through even those who did zero work.

I refused, of course, so they transferred him to the other class where the "teacher" taught them how to click on a button to turn a frowny-face into a smiley-face.

Yah, I can see the job offers for *that* particular skill...
CaptBmckay
CaptBmckay 2
Geez, there was no leadership in the Cockpit in those final frames of time
preacher1
preacher1 1
Yeah there was but the wrong kind. No CRM at all and I think she was on the carpet for some other crap like that already.
CaptBmckay
CaptBmckay 1
ofcourse. Thats the only rationale I can come up with
colohunter
Tom Witowski 2
Whatever happened to "Checklists", i.e. "Flaps set to ___." and Cockpit coordination and communications?
sparkie624
sparkie624 1
What Check List.... Oh that little card crews are supposed to read...
chalet
chalet 2
I maintained from Day 1 that this was a classic example of a real bad pilot error and it was a no brainer, after all the nose gear was the first to ram the ground, a NO-NO.
VisApp
Dave Mills 4
Slight OT, but mainstream media sometimes gives me a giggle: "...they hadn’t properly set the movable panels on the wings known as flaps...."
BaronG58
BaronG58 1
Yeah..Captain forgot about the movable switch that activates the movable panels. Also article said "Captain inhaled and uttered an unspecified expletive." Captain was not specific with her CRM responsibilities...not specific with her expletive either. 8-)
preacher1
preacher1 4
Methinks that unspecified expletive would have been something like "Oh Sh**".
hoffberg
Alan Hoffberg 1
While flying a mission on behalf of Angel Flight Southeast last afternoon, I listened to the chatter between Orlando Approach and a pilot of a Mexican airline. My passengers wanted to know why the pilot requested a go-around.

Further statements by the pilot told us he was uncomfortable with the assigned runway, which was on the other side of the airport from his assigned gate.

ATC gave him the go-around and an approach for a better runway.
fedexman2
Eric Schmaltz 1
What happens when a pilot gets fired?
preacher1
preacher1 1
Well, I think in her case, she got a good settlement as a result of a discrimination suit, but normally, they would be like any other employee possessing a skillset, and hoping someone else would hire them. That said, most are union members and there is an appeal right in there, that may or may not be paid during that appeal process, so it may not be immediate.
PeterMcDevitt
Peter McDevitt 4
Shouldn't have been any "discrimination" suit. Pilot error is just that! Your plumbing just doesn't matter
canuck44
canuck44 3
My sources tell me this was not her first problem and this was the icing on an almost baked cake.
CaptainFreedom
CaptainFreedom 1
Is there any chance that she might face additional punishment? ie could regulators come after her ATPL or commercial license? Has this happened before?
preacher1
preacher1 1
I suppose that if there were a vendetta of some type that they could come after her for several different things but in most cases they just leave it to the airlines. As there were no fatalities or permanent injuries to pursue criminal liability for, I figure they'll leave her alone, especially since she has been terminated and the additional $ settlement. From what I heard, her being at the top end of her career, recreational flying is probably all she will do from here on out and no more commercial work.
dllbmedia
D. Benjamin 1
DAMN! Well... thats a wrap!
preacher1
preacher1 2
It's a shame that she crunched a perfectly good airplane but she brought a profitable personal situation to a head. Company kinda took her down but she reciprocated by hollering discrimination and all that and instead of just giving her the boot, they gave her the boot with much $.
sparkie624
sparkie624 1
No surprise here...

[This poster has been suspended.]

THRUSTT
THRUSTT 2
You should be our negotiator!!!
CaptainFreedom
CaptainFreedom 1
-9 folks....come on....1 more!
THRUSTT
THRUSTT 0
You're right, pilots need to get paid way more than they're paid now. It's bs that you have to go to China to make good money!!!

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