Originally Posted by
sailingfun
Hard landings are way up industry wide. Most of them never make the news. United alone has lost 3 airframes recently to hard landings. It’s a discussion item at high levels in airline management. I made no specific comment on this accident. I stated major airlines. I am not on the 737 but I have a lot of time flying the aircraft. The hard landing issues are not fleet specific. The one issue in many seems to be limited experience and a perhaps checkered training background. Before you jump on that statement I have zero knowledge of the background of the pilots in this accident. It’s a bit of a sensitive subject for me because the closest I came to damaging an aircraft was a copilot that turned out to have required extensive extra training in both their aircraft checkouts. Prior to the last three years I would not have had to deal with the issue as the pilot in question would have been washed out. We need as a collective industry to stop lowering performance minimums.
It’s not often I agree with you but in this case you’re right. We’re starting to see it at SWA and it is a major concern for both SWAPA & the Company and that’s not just hearsay.
It is what it is. Airlines either stop or slow growth or they continue to accept less experience. I advocate for much longer mandatory IOE (and even UOE).
We landed in SNA about 12 hours before this accident. The wx wasn’t as bad as these guys had it but when I got in the flare, it was like we hit wake turbulence with repeated rolling moments the last 20’ and none of that above that altitude. Strange.
Btw, my understanding is that it was the captain’s leg so if that is true it’s not a matter of inexperience, but let’s wait and see what the investigation reveals.
Either way, ya gotta feel for them….