Originally Posted by
MD11Fr8Dog
Sent: Mon, Jul 8, 2013 2:19 am
Subject: FSAP from bunkie on UAL 885
We heard much confusion and quick instructions from SFO Tower and a few moments later heard an aircraft go around over the runway 28 complex.
Approximately two minutes later I was looking out the left side cockpit windows and noticed movement on the right side of Runway 28L.
It seemed to take a very long time for vehicles and assistance to arrive for these victims. The survivors I saw were approximately 1000-1500' away from the fuselage and had apparently been ejected from the fuselage.
A number of passengers also noticed what I had seen with the survivors out near the end of 28L expressing concern that the rescue effort appeared slow for those individuals that had been separated from the airplane wreckage.
Time compression.
IF the reports are correct - ARFF was on station in 3 MINUTES.
Now I don't fly into KSFO, so I am not sure when the emergency responders are stationed on the airfield and if they have some prepositioned (like the military often does out on the field) on the airfield or if they come from one of the 3 stations (number 3 looking like the closest from the airfield diagram); but considering the location of the mishap - it would seem to have been a pretty quick response time from dead calm to catastrophe
Thanks to the FO for the insightful write up and MD11Fr8Dog for reposting.
otari - I see that rickair7777 noted that they have no responsibility in the visual approach arena and don't have the SA; but I'll disagree - at least with the SA part from my own experience. I'll let some ATC types answer the question as to whether there is responsibility within the terminal area of the runway(s), but I often fly approaches well below the normal glidepath and have been cautioned before on low/shallow approaches. Some times the controllers forget what we are doing and we certainly try and let them know - sometimes pre-briefed and again real time just to erase some of the worry they express. I'll agree that I bet the tower controllers were probably not aware of the last part of the approach and had their attention elsewhere, but I'll bet a dollar that some controller didn't look at that approach and say to himself [they look extremely low, but it isn't my job]
F15andMD11 -
"Look what a good pilot I am."
Exactly what metric of *usual* airline flying does a pilot have the opportunity to portray the above line? The last 200' of a stabilized ILS approach? I truly don't know. If these boards are to be believed, a very large majority of heavy international flying is done on the AP.
