pwdrhound

Hero Matt... Is this the same guy that has pics of all the Russian hookers "girlfriends" on his website??

guycobb

Cliffy, I did go back and check my notes specific to some of your bullet points and have found many errors in the information you received from FedEx Express Engineering. I have listed them below. Also, if you would send me your email so we can take this offline if you would prefer. [email protected]. I entered my notes below in caps.

The FedEX and MIAC engineering departments have all reviewed Mr. Cobb's reports and have concluded that there is no threat to RWY 09/27

operations nor is there a threat to commercial or private aircraft.

I HAVE BEEN ASKING THE AIRPORT AUTHORITY FOR ANY KIND OF DOCUMENTATION TO PROVE THAT THE TUNNEL AND RUNWAY ARE SAFE SINCE NOVEMBER OF 2009.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME ANYONE HAS STATED THAT THEY HAVE REVIEWED MY DOCUMENTATION AND MADE A CONCLUSION. COULD I GET A COPY OF THEIR REPORT?

- The bounced landing, go-around, and subsequent tailstrike was on Rwy 09. According to pilot testimony, the aircraft was airborne again just

past the extended centerline of Rwy 18L/36R. The aircraft touched down approx. 1100 feet east of the approach end of Rwy 09; the minuscule

slope of the runway was not even in the touchdown zone let alone become a contributing factor in causing the aircraft to "pitch up"

RUNWAY 9/27 HAD A "PROFILE DEFICIENCY" (QUOTE FROM THE AIRPORT AUTHORITY AND AJAX PAVING, THE CONTRACTOR FOR THE NEW RUNWAY) THAT REQUIRED

THE NEW RUNWAY TO BE RAISED MORE THAN SEVEN FEET TO CORRECT. THEY STATED IN THE NEWSPAPER THAT IS WAS THREE FEET BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE

ACTUAL STRUCTURAL DIAGRAMS AND THE ALTITUDE OF THE TOP SURFACE OF THE NEW RUNWAY IS IS ACTUALLY SEVEN FEET.

MOST FEDEX PILOTS ARE FAMILIAR WITH "THE HUMP" THAT WAS THE LOCATION DIRECTLY ABOVE THE TUNNEL. I HAVE SPOKEN TO THREE SO FAR WHO KNEW

IMMEDIATELY WHERE THE HUMP WAS LOCATED. YOU DID NOT MENTION THAT THE MD-11 LANDED 30 FEET OFF CENTER WHICH WOULD HAVE PLACED THE JET OFF THE

KEEL BEAMS. YOU CAN DECIDE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE RUNWAY TAKEN IN FEBRUARY 2004 WHETHER OR NOT THE RUNWAY WAS IN POOR CONDITION. I

BELIEVE ONCE THE AIRCRAFT WAS OFF THE BEAMS IT PASSED OVER A SECTION OF THE ASPHALT RUNWAY THAT CAUSED IT TO PITCH UPWARD PRIOR TO THE

BOUNCE. THE NTSB REPORT STATES THAT THE TAILSTRIKE WAS FROM 3000 TO 4000 FEET WHICH I STILL BELIEVE WOULD HAVE TAKEN IT ACROSS THE TUNNEL.

READ THE REPORT AND LOOK AT THE PHOTOGRAPHS AND DECIDE. IF ANYONE KNOWS THESE TWO PILOTS INVOLVED WITH THIS ACCIDENT I WELCOME THEIR

FEEDBACK.

- The superhub facility is also situated over the tunnel. The weight of the structure and supporting sort equipment, vehicles, and freight

pallets are much higher than the footprint of a landing aircraft. The floors show no cracking or buckling, yet the thickness of the concrete

floors are rated at a lighter load limit.

KEEP IN MIND THAT THE ORIGINAL REASON FOR DRIVING THROUGH THE HURRICANE CREEK TUNNEL IN 2006 WAS TO EVALUATE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THE TUNNEL

DURING A NEW MADRID EARTHQUAKE. LATER BLAIR COX WITH EXPRESS ENGINEERING WORKED WITH ME TO IDENTIFY WHERE WE SHOULD INSTALL COLUMN TILT

SENSORS THROUGHOUT THE SUPERHUB FACILITY. WE WERE GOING TO INSTALL THESE SENSORS SO THAT IF WE EXPERIENCED A MID-LEVEL EARTHQUAKE WE WOULD

BE ABLE TO MORE QUICKLY ASSESS WHAT AREAS OF THE BUILDING WERE DAMAGED. THE TILT SENSORS WERE TO BE NETWORKED AND WOULD PROVIDE AN INSTANT

VIEW OF ANY COLUMNS THAT WERE NO LONGER STANDING STRAIGHT. I WAS DEMONSTRATING THESE SENSORS TO CHAIRMAN SMITH AND THE BOARD IN THE

PHOTOGRAPH ON MY DOC PAGE.

THE FACTS ARE THAT THE TUNNEL DOES NOT PASS BENEATH THE SUPERHUB BUILDING. BLAIR IDENTIFIED THAT IT PASSES BENEATH A CORNER OF THE OUTSIDE

CONVEYOR LINE ON THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE MAIN BUILDING. THE TUNNEL'S EXIT TO NONCONNAH CREEK BEGINS AT SPRANKLE ROAD AND PASSES BENEATH

THE PAVED AREA BETWEEN THE SUPERHUB. YOU CAN VERIFY THIS BY LOOKING AT THE SEWER GRATES IN THE CENTER OF THE ROADWAY WHICH ARE THE SAME ONES

WE PHOTOGRAPHED IN 2006 FROM THE INSIDE OF THE TUNNEL.

SO FOR THIS REASON YOU ARE CORRECT IN THAT THERE SHOULD BE NO DAMAGED OR FRACTURED FLOORS INSIDE THE SUPERHUB FACILITY.

- The taxiway "Victor" and "300-series gate taxiways" show no signs of damage above the tunnel, while their use is much higher than the

runway.

IN SATELLITE PHOTOS YOU CAN SEE WHERE MANY OF THE ORIGINAL "TILES" OF TAXIWAY VICTOR WERE REPLACED ABOVE THE TUNNEL. TOM CLARKE STATED THAT

THERE WERE ISSUES WITH THE TAXIWAYS BECAUSE THERE WAS LESS COVER BETWEEN THE TUNNEL CEILING AND THE TAXIWAY. THE STATEMENT BELOW IS FROM THE

AIRPORT AUTHORITIES 2009 ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT. AFTER RUNWAY 9/27'S COMPLETION, THE TAXIWAYS WERE TO BE COMPLETED 18 MONTHS LATER.

The Authority has obtained a $45,000,000 revolving line of credit with a bank. The purpose for this line of credit is to provide temporary

funding for the reconstruction of runway 9/27 and improvements to taxiways alpha and victor. At June 30, 2009, the Authority had not drawn on

this line of credit. Future draw downs, if any, will be repaid with Federal grant reimbursements received by the Authority.

Gunter

Sensors to more quickly assess earthquake damage? So who cares if they get installed? You can inspect for damage after an earthquake before reopening the runway.

Why do you have to see everyone else's report? Are you the only engineer of high enough caliber to form a proper opinion?

Sounds like you don't know how organizations operate. You don't get to see everything the boss sees. Most of us accept that.

bertengineer

Guy, I have been in the neighborhood for over three years and never knew you had a online kids TV show. Good God Man...and our kids hang out together...Now guess who I am!

Good luck with everything

guycobb

A major earthquake would have obvious damage. What we were interested in is an earthquake that was in the mid range. Something that would cause an evacuation of the SuperHub but where no visible damage could be seen. The sensors were to show within seconds the positions of all the columns which would allow for a faster structural assessment. Mr. Smith "loved" the idea.

MoosePileit

If you want this researched and sent out to the airline world just get it to ALPA

A good reference is [email protected]

guycobb

Moose,

I have placed all of ALPA's email responses concerning Hurricane Creek and Runway 9/27 in a pdf at this link below. They have known since December of last year. I believe ALPA's Legal area was trying to determine liability associated with telling you all.

http://www.guycobb.com/wreg/ALPAemails.pdf

Guy

guycobb

Gunter, I sent a response back concerning the earthquake sensors. I believe it is somewhere else in this thread. As far as wanting to see everyone else's reports, the reason is it's the only way validate what methodology Express and MIAC Engineers are using to make their conclusions.

Cliffy's post yesterday answered more questions in one day than I have seen in four years. The disturbing part is that his post validated that Express and MIAC Engineers are working together to cover up their errors. The proof is in the statements:

"The FedEX and MIAC engineering departments have all reviewed Mr. Cobb's reports and have concluded that there is no threat to RWY 09/27 operations nor is there a threat to commercial or private aircraft."

This statement means that FedEx Express and MIAC engineers are making your FAA safety decisions at Memphis International Airport. Even if you don't want to believe any of my findings, that statement alone should make you stop and think.

Basically they are saying we think Guy's hundreds of pages of documentation he's worked on since 2007 are wrong because we looked at the floors of the SuperHub and we did not see any cracks. Look at my documentation...the tunnel does not pass beneath the SuperHub. Blair Cox of Express Engineering and I confirmed the exact path of the tunnel years ago.

So where does the FAA stand on the issue? They've had my documentation since December of 2009. I am very much alleging that the FAA hasn't said a word because they can't explain how Runway 9/27 passed inspection in the condition shown in all of the public satellite photos available online in particular the Google Earth image from February of 2004 (see large vertical fractures above Hurricane Creek tunnel the Airport Authority stated were from when the runway was "open cut" in 1985. The runway would have remained in this condition if not for the FedEx MD-11 accident in September of that same year which forced them to repave).

The reality is, I believe, there were no runway inspections because they trusted Express and the MIAC to do it themselves. It's the same criteria Memphis Water Pollution employs with Express for water that runs through the Hurricane Creek tunnel. They let Express test it themselves. Maybe we will hear something from the FAA soon.

If I were you all and I had to land on that runway, I would ask for a walking tour through the Hurricane Creek tunnel to see for myself what all the fuss is about.

drftddgr

Because that would involve a homicide investigation. And if the intent was simply intimidation and not an attempt on his life then the loose wheeel theory is pretty good.

guycobb

I'll be the first to say I don't think anyone was trying to knock me off. Like you say I would imagine some far more creative means would have been utilized. I think someone was just messing me with. The irony is I never associated the two incidents with the tunnel because I didn't discover the defects until much later. It was more like Steve Martin in the movie The Jerk being shot at and yelling "Wow, someone must really hate these cans!"

What was interesting is that after I found the satellite images of the fractures and began asking for permission to go back to the tunnel so that I could pinpoint the exact location of where the runway crossed the tunnel's ceiling, no one would approve it. So as it stands, no one other than the MIAC and Express Engineers has been in the two center tunnels (including the FAA). I know Cliffy thought the bulldozer sounded out there but you have admit when you look at the photographs of the bulldozer parked inside the tunnel, wouldn't common sense tell you to at least park it outside enough so that the diesel fumes don't blow back into the tunnel when you fire it up again? The dude driving it was pretty nervous looking as well.

I do appreciate you guys still talking about this and the moderators of the forum for leaving it open for discussion. I would like to see Cliffy back in the conversation so that I can walk him through more of the facts. My guess is he may have made a call and received some smear and went with it so I don't slight him at all for that. I can only imagine what's being said all over town about me right now. Regardless I'm not passing the buck.