Near disaster on United Flight Boeing 777 leaving Hawaii -any ideas? 2

[kjoiner]

Hello,

I recently saw some articles about a near crash of a Boeing 777 leaving the he Kahului airport in Hawaii. The plane took off, reached an altitude of 2200 feet then descended at 8600 feet per minute. It dropped to 775 feet off the water when the pilots recovered. The articled then mentioned additional training. Any ideas what happened?

Kyle

 

[LittleInch]

See the last posts dated 14th Feb on this post

https://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=487065#newpost

I've not seen any confirmed details but the explanation offered seems to fit the profile of what happened - i.e. the airplane reacting to incorrect altitude level programmed in.

The fact there is no FAA notice says it's not hardware related.

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[1503-44]

The software workaround to the hardware problem has been whitewashed and certified now, so all future incidents will be classified as pilot error and referred for training.

--Einstein gave the same test to students every year. When asked why he would do something like that, "Because the answers had changed."

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

It's a feature of the Old FAA Boeing relationship.

We shall see if the relationship has changed.

Although these days as the mutual recognition between authoritys was put on hold over the MAX fiasco I suspect that they might not have an option.

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

Btw it won't have been descending that fast, or pulling the G that's reported.

It's a feature of the internet data processing.

If it pulled the g that was reported there would have been pax going to hospital and the plane written off.

 

[1503-44]

I found a flight track printout offer, but I'm not paying $390 for it.

--Einstein gave the same test to students every year. When asked why he would do something like that, "Because the answers had changed."

 

[EdStainless]

Check out blacolirio on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B9mQQnZg_8&t=637s

He suspects that this one is like a few others recently.
Altitude set for 0, and then engaging the autopilot.


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P.E. Metallurgy, consulting work welcomed

 

[1503-44]

Alistair mentioned the same in the other thread.

--Einstein gave the same test to students every year. When asked why he would do something like that, "Because the answers had changed."

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

its a unfortunately not a rare screw up.... It should have been engineered by now after 50 years in my opinion.

But flying one of the latest types its still a hole in the cheese.

BTW this is Honeywell not Boeing.

 

[tommj]

I would think it should not be possible to set an autopilot altitude lower than any terrain at any part of the forthcoming programmed trip without some sort of warning that needs to be OK'd to override.

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

That would be extremely annoying. We often fly below the minimum safe altitude while under Radar control to the local minimum radar sector altitude. And it does change sometimes daily with construction cranes etc.

The system that grounded the US a few weeks back NOTAM's is how the information is distributed to pilots. But the local air traffic control implement it. They do sometimes trigger things to be removed if required.

The terrain databases and other data get updated on a monthly cycle in the aircraft.

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

Just for interest, and for once not the pilots fault. Good call to ground everything until they found the bug.

https://www.seattletimes.com/busine...anes-bump-runway-a-scramble-to-pull-the-plug/

 

[davidbeach]

The seattletimes thinks it's their business whether or not I use an ad blocker. Would be interesting to know what was in the article.

I’ll see your silver lining and raise you two black clouds. - Protection Operations

 

[LittleInch]

Just open it in incognito mode.

Very interesting article and took some balls for the ops manager to suspend all flights from Alaska airways!

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[Cool_Controls]

Archive link to article Link

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

Dominic Gates really does stand apart from other journalists on aviation.

 

[Cool_Controls]

Nothing like testing software in a production environment.

 

[dik]

you forgot the 'laughing' emoji...

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[1503-44]

They got it from Tesla.

Got to give the operation supervisor credit for putting 1+1 together and shutting that down so quickly. Hope they make him VP someday real soon.

--Einstein gave the same test to students every year. When asked why he would do something like that, "Because the answers had changed."

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

the software is extensively used in the industry.

I used it 4 times today!!

I really don't have a clue though who is responsible for what with it though. It updates 2 databases every 24 hours. But I don't know if the company deals with that or the OEM or the software provider.

We have a double check with the FMS when we load in the performance and if there is a number wrong it throws a hissy fit and starts triggering cautions and refuses to arm various things until you sort it out.

FBW also has tail strike protections so in the sim you can haul the stick back to the rear stop before you apply power and it will just rotate normally on the stick shaker and no drama.