ARFF Daily News
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Thursday the 4th of April, 2024
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Be safe out there!
Passenger, flight attendant injured during severe turbulence on Southwest flight
By Jamiel Lynch, CNN
(CNN) — Two people were injured when a Southwest Airlines flight encountered severe turbulence on Wednesday morning and had to make an emergency landing in Tampa, Florida, according to a spokesperson for Tampa International Airport.
Southwest Flight 4273 was traveling from New Orleans to Orlando when the captain declared an emergency after experiencing turbulence aboard the Boeing 737 jet, the airline said in a statement.
“The Captain declared an emergency, a requirement to deviate from a filed flight plan, and also requested that paramedics be available when the aircraft arrived to assess any potential injury,” the statement said.
A passenger and a flight attendant were transported to a Tampa area medical facility, the airline added.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident, a spokesperson told CNN.
According to CNN Weather, storms that brought severe weather from the Ohio Valley to the Deep South on Tuesday were draped over the Gulf of Mexico this morning, causing strong thunderstorms in the area.
YOU Are Invited: SEARCH & RESCUE SYMPOSIUM AT FDNY (The Secret List)
All,
11th Annual FDNY Search & Rescue Field Medicine Symposium is coming up:
May 2 - 5, 2024
The FDNY, in partnership with the FDNY Foundation, is proud to invite all Firefighters, Medics and First Responders to the 11th Annual FDNY Search and Rescue Field Medicine Symposium (SRFM).
FDNY SRFM is a conference that brings military, federal, state, and local emergency rescue and medical responders together to share their experiences, best practices, and ideas.
Each year, this FDNY program includes current hot topics (see link to the entire program below), the latest rescue medical technological updates, and recent case studies from around the world. FDNY SRFM Symposium takes place over four days, consisting of workshops, lectures, panel discussions, hands-on-skills scenarios, and a vendor showcase with the latest equipment and products.
This is an EXCELLENT opportunity.
Here are the details on the classes & programs
Download flyer HERE
HERE are some video clips from previous years:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2-EkJu4I98&t=10s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFuSaBtlxeA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwWjZASfBgM
Take Care. Be Careful. Pass It On.
BillyG
The Secret List 4/4/2024-0800 Hours
NTSB Prelim: Kolb Company Firestar KXP
Witness Stated That They Saw The Airplane Descend About 100 Ft In A Slightly Nose Down Attitude Before It Entered A 90° Nose Down Attitude
Location: Cave Junction, OR Accident Number: WPR24FA104
Date & Time: March 7, 2024, 11:24 Local Registration: N4443G
Aircraft: Kolb Company Firestar KXP Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
On March 7, 2024, about 1124 Pacific standard time, a Kolb Firestar KXP, N4443G, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Cave Junction, Oregon. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
Witnesses reported that the airplane departed runway 36, for a local flight following the installation of an overhauled engine. The witnesses observed the airplane turn left to the northwest, about 500 ft above ground level. The airplane continued to turn left in an approximate 30° to 40° bank to a southeast heading. The witness stated that they saw the airplane descend about 100 ft in a slightly nose down attitude before it entered a 90° nose down attitude and descended towards the ground. The witness lost sight of the airplane prior to impact.
Examination of the accident site revealed that the main wreckage was located about 0.14 nm northwest of the departure end of runway 36. The wreckage came to rest in an open field. The first identified point of contact (FIPC) was a tree with broken branches about 40 ft northwest of the main wreckage. Several broken branches were found adjacent to the tree. Ground scars were observed consistent with the airplane's left wing and nose section making initial contact with the ground, followed by the leading edge of the right wing. Two propeller blade fragments were the furthest identifiable components within the debris field, located about 50 to 60-ft northeast of the main wreckage. All major structural components of the airplane were located within the wreckage debris path. The wreckage was recovered to a secure hangar for further examination.
FMI: www.ntsb.gov
Today in History
47 Years ago today: On 4 April 1977 a Southern Airways Douglas DC-9-31 crashed near New Hope following a rain-induced double engine failure; killing 63 out of 85 occupants and 9 people on the ground.
Date: Monday 4 April 1977
Time: 16:19
Type: McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31
Owner/operator: Southern Airways
Registration: N1335U
MSN: 47393/608
Year of manufacture: 1971
Total airframe hrs: 15405 hours
Engine model: Pratt & Whitney JT8D-7A
Fatalities: Fatalities: 63 / Occupants: 85
Other fatalities: 9
Aircraft damage: Destroyed, written off
Category: Accident
Location: New Hope, GA - United States of America
Phase: En route
Nature: Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport: Huntsville-Madison County Airport, AL (HSV/KHSV)
Destination airport: Atlanta Municipal Airport, GA (ATL/KATL)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
Southern Airways Flight 242, a DC-9-31, operated as a scheduled passenger flight from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to Atlanta, Georgia, with an intermediate stop at Huntsville, Alabama. Flight 242 departed Muscle Shoals at 15:21 and landed at Huntsville about 15:44.
About 15:54, Flight 242 departed Huntsville on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan for the Hartsfield-Atlanta International Airport; there were 81 passengers and 4 crewmembers aboard.
The flight's route was direct to the Rome VOR and then a Rome runway 26 profile descent to Atlanta. Its estimated time en route was 25 min and its requested en route altitude was 17,000 ft.
At 15:56, the controller told Flight 242 that his radarscope was showing heavy precipitation and that the echos were about 5 nmi ahead of the flight.
At 15:57:36, the controller said, "...you're in what appears to be about the heaviest part of it now, what are your flight conditions." Flight 242 replied, "...we're getting a little light turbulence and...I'd say moderate rain." At 15:57:47, the controller acknowledged Flight 242's report and told the flight to contact Memphis Center.
The Memphis Center controller advised the flight that a SIGMET was current for the area. He then told Flight 242 to contact Atlanta Center.
At 16:03:20, Flight 242 switched to another sector of Atlanta Center, established communications on the new frequency and reported being level at FL170. As the aircraft entered an area of rain, the flight crew began discussing the weather depicted on their radar. Based on information from the airborne radar, the captain initially decided that the storms just west of the Rome VOR were too severe to penetrate. Shortly after his initial assessment of the storm system, the captain decided to penetrate the storm area near the Rome VOR.
At 16:06:41 Atlanta Center cleared Flight 242 to descend to and maintain 14,000 ft. Shortly afterwards the aircraft entered an area of heavy hail or rain, which continued for at least one minute. The ingestion of intense rain and hail into the engines caused the rotational speed of both engines to decrease below the engine-driven electrical generator operating speeds, and resulted in normal electrical power interruption for 36 seconds. The flight crew likely advanced one or both thrust levers, restoring its generator to operation and provide normal electrical power.
After establishing contact with Atlanta Center again, the flight was told to maintain 15,000 ft. At 16:09:15, Flight 242 reported to Atlanta Center, "Okay...we just got our windshield busted and... we'll try to get it back up to 15, we're 14." After reported that the left engine had flamed out, the flight was cleared to descend to 13,000 ft.
Meanwhile both engines' high-pressure compressors began to stall severely due to ingestion of massive quantities of water. The severe compressor stalls produced an overpressure surge which deflected the compressor blades forward in the sixth stage of the low-pressure compressors; these blades clashed against the fifth-stage stator vanes and broke pieces from the blades and vanes.
Pieces of blades and stator vanes were then ingested into the high-pressure compressors and damaged them severely.
Continued high thrust settings following the severe damage to the high-pressure compressors probably caused severe overheating in the turbine sections of both engines, and the engines ceased to function. Shortly before normal electrical power was again, the flight crew radioed that both engines had failed. Atlanta Center told the crew to contact approach control for vectors to Dobbins Air Force Base. Power was then lost for 2 min 4 sec until the APU-driven generator restored electrical power.
After establishing contact with Atlanta Approach Control the flight was told they were 20 miles from Dobbins. As the flight was descending, the captain began to doubt their ability to reach Dobbins. Cartersville was closer at 15 miles, so the controller gave vectors for Cartersville. Unable to make it to Cartersville, the crew began looking for a clear field or highway for an emergency landing.
At 16:18:02, Flight 242's last transmission to Approach Control was recorded: "... we're putting it on the highway, we're down to nothing."
The aircraft's outboard left wing section first contacted two trees near State Spur Highway 92 south-southwest of the community of New Hope. About 0.8 miles farther north-northeast, the left wing again contacted a tree alongside the highway within the community of New Hope. The left and right wings continued to strike trees and utility poles on both sides of the highway, and 570 ft after striking the first tree in New Hope, the aircraft's left main gear contacted the highway to the left of the centerline. Almost simultaneously, the outer structure of the left wing struck an embankment, and the aircraft veered to the left and off the highway. The aircraft traveled another 1,260 ft before it came to rest. As it traveled, the aircraft struck road signs, utility poles, fences, trees, shrubs, gasoline pumps at a gas station-store, five automobiles, and a truck.
Of the 85 persons aboard Flight 242, 62 were killed, 21 were seriously injured, and 1 was slightly injured. Additionally, eight persons on the ground were killed. Within a month of the accident, one of the surviving passengers and one person on the ground both died of their injuries.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "Total and unique loss of thrust from both engines while the aircraft was penetrating an area of severe thunderstorms. The loss of thrust was caused by the ingestion of massive amounts of water and hail which, in combination with thrust lever movement, induced severe stalling in and major damage to the engine compressors.
Major contributing factors include the failure of the company's dispatching system to provide the flight crew with up-to-date severe weather information pertaining to the aircraft's intended route of flight, the captain's reliance on airborne weather radar for penetration of thunderstorm areas, and limitations in the FAA's ATC system which precluded the timely dissemination of real-time hazardous weather information to the flight crew."
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