Originally Posted by
aa73
eaglefly.... the term "from what i've heard" encompasses a lot of things, but many times "facts" are not one of them. I would say that if you were not there witnessing the whole thing, it would be prudent not to speculate. I have not heard any such story on the incident. I do know that most if not all of our crews are professional enough to not attempt such a maneuver in conditions like that. I also know that the -80, at lighter weights, has a nasty tendency to skid on its very lightly loaded nosewheel. It really does not take very much forward speed for this to happen.
That said, you are absolutely correct in your last paragraph, stating that we all need to be extra prudent in conditions like these.
73
aa, I know you're a staunch defender of your pilot group, but I've witnessed MANY acts of unprofessionalism by AA crews. That being said, I've seen an equally number of such acts by other crews (including Eagle), so I'm not making these comments just because it was AA.
It IS possible for AA pilots to blunder badly (Little Rock comes to mind). The length, direction and location of the skid marks are very telling, but "what I've heard" explaines what I've seen. When the full incident report comes out, we'll see what the experts say. I don't think an unforseen "act of god" will be in the conclusion.