Germanwing Aircraft Crashes in French Alps
 

Just in case you haven't heard - An Airbus A320 Crashed in the Alps this morning;

Germanwings airliner 4U 9525 crashes in French Alps - BBC News

Re: Planespotting
 

They always start dropping out the sky just before I fly home!

Re: Planespotting
 

Don't say that. 2 weeks for me.

Re: Planespotting
 

The NY Times is reporting that the aircraft voice recorder is showing that one of the pilots was locked out of the cockpit before the crash. He is heard firstly knocking lightly, before harder and finally trying to break the door down. There is never a response from the cockpit. Yet another crash that is beyond the realms of strange. If the PIC passed out fr some reason, you would expect the aircraft to be on a/p during the cruise so the aircraft should have remained at its flight level. If it was pilot suicide, you would have thought a dive would have been performed rather than the reported 4,000 ft/min descent reportedbenign isn't exactly the descent of someone pushing forward on the stick to kill themsleves. Very strange.

Re: Planespotting
 

3 weeks for me. :thumbsup:

Re: Planespotting
 

If it is only one you are OK. Two then you should be worried as things happen in threes. :p

Re: Planespotting
 

This one will be an interesting outcome I think. I take it they don't have a f/a go and sit inside the flight deck when one of the pilots leave? I know some US airlines do that, so nobody can get locked out and someone can let the other pilot back in if there is an issue.

Re: Planespotting
 

I flew US to UK on the same day and my plane didn't go down so yours should be fine :nod:

Re: Planespotting
 

You should make a graph! Those always look more impressive and convincing. ;)

Re: Planespotting
 

It is, indeed, very strange. There are several scenarios being discussed, and none them are especially plausible, but presumably one of them happened. I wonder if there is enough left of the PIC to do any sort of drug/ tox analysis? Is it possible that there was someone else in the cockpit? Is it time to add video to the flight recorder data?

Re: Planespotting
 

It is surprising to me that video isn't standard already. It must be just about the only place left that ISN'T being recorded by someone.
Now I think about it, I am also surprised that all this data isn't streamed and monitored in real time.

Re: Planespotting
 

Dunno how reliable this is...

Germanwings co-pilot intended to destroy plane, says French prosecutor – live updates | World news | The Guardian

Re: Planespotting
 

It's only a matter of time before it is streamed and monitored, ...... and connected to a flight computer that can take control of a pilotless plane, or override a suicidal pilot. The sooner this happens, the better.

Re: Planespotting
 

Ryanair can stick a GoPro on the dash.

Re: Planespotting
 

Don't know about Europe and elsewhere, but in the US pilots have fought tooth and nail not to have camera's installed. The NTSB want's them, but they have no regulatory authority so can't mandate them, and the FAA doesn't seem to be in a hurry to require them, and of course the unions fight it as well.

I've heard everything from pilots not wanting their last moments on video to being afraid airlines will use to to get rid of pilots and pretty much everything in between.