Boeing boeing bong.

David Morton

Lifetime Supporter
Some of you may remember one of our early contributers called Andre Loubser who lives in Cape Town. He has been a long time friend of Hugh (Huge) Dibley
who I had the priviledge of being crewed with in BA in the early 90s. Huge now works for Airbus Industries but Andre's Email is self explanatory. Another wondrous day Airbus Industries in Toulose. You could not write this .......



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Subject:<FONT face=Tahoma><FONT size=2> FW: AIRBUS GROUND ACCIDENT - THE TRUTHffice:eek:ffice" /><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
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Hi All,<o:p></o:p>
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I often receive E-mails, as I’m sure you do, about a whole host of subjects, many beautiful, fascinating, interesting, informative and often great animal pics. However, sometimes one wonders if some are true, altered or manipulated for a variety of reasons, possibly to suit people’s own agendas or to create false impressions. <o:p></o:p>
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In just about all cases one is left to make up one’s own mind but in this report on the Airbus 340-600 accident on the ground I was able to contact someone who could know the true story.<o:p></o:p>
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My informant is Hugh Dibley whom I’ve known for 46 years having met him in ffice:smarttags" /><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
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<st1:City w:st="on">London</st1:City></st1:place>. Hugh was a BOAC Boeing 707 first officer at the time and subsequently I believe that he can lay claim to having been the world’s youngest airlines captain ever at age 35.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>
Hugh was also a racing driver and entered his own Brabham BT8 2.7 litre sports car and later a Lola T70 Spyder under the banner of the Stirling Moss Automobile Racing Team (SMART). He cleverly organised his international flight schedules to fit in with his racing programme! <o:p></o:p>
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Until today Hugh is an Airbus instructor, based at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Toulouse</st1:City></st1:place> where the accident happened. Who better to ask?<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
First read this and then the official report with the true story will follow.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
Flying is the safest way to fly,
André <o:p></o:p>

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Subject: AIRBUS<o:p></o:p>

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This brand spanking new Airbus 340-600, the largest passenger airplane ever built, sits just outside its hangarin <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Toulouse</st1:City> , <st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region></st1:place> without a single hour of airtime.<o:p></o:p>

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Enter the Arab flight crew of Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies<o:p></o:p>


( ADAT ) to conduct pre-delivery tests on the ground, such as<o:p></o:p>


engine run-ups prior to delivery to Etihad Airways in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Abu Dhabi</st1:City></st1:place> .<o:p></o:p>


<o:p></o:p>


The ADAT crew taxied the A340-600 to the run-up area.<o:p></o:p>


<o:p></o:p>


Then they took all Four engines to takeoff power with a<o:p></o:p>


virtually empty aircraft. Not having Read the run-up<o:p></o:p>


manuals, they had no clue just how light an empty<o:p></o:p>


A340-600 Really is.<o:p></o:p>

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The takeoff warning horn was blaring away in the cockpit<o:p></o:p>


because they had All 4 engines at full power.<o:p></o:p>


The aircraft computers thought they were trying to take off,<o:p></o:p>


but it had not been configured properly (flaps/slats, etc..)<o:p></o:p>

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Then one of the ADAT crew decided to pull the circuit<o:p></o:p>


breaker on the Ground Proximity Sensor to silence the alarm.<o:p></o:p>


This fools the aircraft into thinking it is in the air.<o:p></o:p>

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The computers automatically released all the Brakes<o:p></o:p>


and set the aircraft rocketing forward. <o:p></o:p>

This a safety feature which prevents landing with the brakes on.<o:p></o:p>​


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Not one member of the seven-man Arab crew was smart enough<o:p></o:p>


to throttle back the engines from their max power setting,<o:p></o:p>


so the $200 million brand-new Aircraft crashed into a blast<o:p></o:p>


barrier, totaling it.<o:p></o:p>

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The extent of injuries to the crew is unknown due to the<o:p></o:p>


news blackout in the major media in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region></st1:place> and elsewhere..<o:p></o:p>

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Coverage of the story was deemed insulting to Muslim Arabs.<o:p></o:p>

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Finally, the photos are starting to leak out.<o:p></o:p>

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A French Airbus: $200 million dollars<o:p></o:p>


Untrained Arab Flight Crew: $300,000 Yearly Salary <o:p></o:p>


Unread Operating Manual: $300<o:p></o:p>


AIRCRAFT MEETS RETAINING WALL -- WALL WINS<o:p></o:p>


PRICELESS!!!<o:p></o:p>

"That's why God gave them camels"!<o:p></o:p>​

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David Morton

Lifetime Supporter
Now - as most of you know I am useless at posting pictures so the above post is in
in Black and White. If you are adept at doing it and really feel like doing it feel free. Send me your email and I'll forward Andre's email to you.
Dave
 
I wonder who is more stupid, the crew or the aircraft.
If the computer of the latter would also have referenced against KIAS as one would reasonably expect, this could never have happened...
 

David Morton

Lifetime Supporter
OK Jac - it was a figure of speech. No - you aren't going blind yet - you need to practise a bit more !!! :lipsrsealed::laugh:
 
Hi, Dave et al. This story appeared some time ago. A more accurate description of the event, with pictures, can be found at the following web site. ( I don't know how to copy an address and make it a link?)...oops. The link works. How 'bout dat!

snopes.com: The Tale of the Arab Flight Crew

They did a pretty good job on the airplane. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?
 

David Morton

Lifetime Supporter
Hi Mike,
It's frightening really. All of these 'electric' jets have hidden mysteries and it's not until you are up to your arse in alligators that they sometimes reveal themselves and try to write a script for the next snuff movie -with you as the central character.
Did you see the report about the BA747 out of JNB when the LEDs retracted after V1?
Two brilliant aviators to have got away with it. I am in awe of people like that.
 
Good Lord. I hadn’t seen that about the BA747. I Googled it. What an eye watering experience that must have been. Wonder if they kept it in the air in ground effect? Is JNB relatively flat? That had to be one of my biggest fears in flying, a thrust reverser deploying. I remember a DC-8 up in Iceland or thereabouts that crashed, killing over 200 servicemen, if I recall.
The article I read said the first reverser warning came on below V1. Wonder why they didn’t abort? That was one of my ‘automatic’ go-no go items prior to V1, i.e. engine fire/fail or a thrust reverser.
That false warning kind of crap, in a few/certain critical systems, just shouldn’t bloody happen! Build in as many fail-safe systems/computer-glitch protections that it takes.
 

David Morton

Lifetime Supporter
Yes indeed . Just think - levelling off at 40ft at night with the stick shaker. That would make the flight deck about 65ft AGL and any bank more than 10 degrees would be in the trees.
 
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Jim Craik

Lifetime Supporter
Alright you guys,

I am very interested in this stuff but a little short on lingo.

I have a vague idea what V1 is but LED JBN?

My dad was a Pan Am guy back in the M130-B314 days but I do not recall him using these terms.
 

David Morton

Lifetime Supporter
LED: Leading Edge Device - sometimes also called Slats or droops
JNB: Jan Smutts Airport in Johannesburg.
V1: is the Criticical Engine recognition speed or basically a Comit speed - ie if you attempt to stop after V1 there will not be enough runway/ prepared surface remaining to stop safely.
 
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