Go Back  Airline Pilot Central Forums > Airline Pilot Forums > Major
Plane descends @ 2400 FPM OMG!!! >

Plane descends @ 2400 FPM OMG!!!

Notices
Major Legacy, National, and LCC

Plane descends @ 2400 FPM OMG!!!

Old 04-04-2014, 06:30 AM
  #1  
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
 
EWRflyr's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Jun 2008
Position: 737 CAPT
Posts: 1,879
Default Plane descends @ 2400 FPM OMG!!!

This has got to be one of the worst written articles. A few facts probably in error, but I wasn't there.

Plane headed to KCI drops 26,000 feet in 10 minutes - KCTV5

SWA IND-MCI

30 miles from MCI, the landing airport, when pressurization issue discovered

Allegedly at 36,000 feet, descended (I mean "dropped") to 10,000 feet in 11 minutes. That's about 2400 feet per minute descent. That is no where near an unusual descent rate in a 737.

So scheduled to land at MCI and still at 36000 feet 30 miles from the airport? This makes no sense at all. That's greater than a 10:1 descent rate. It must be the new RNAV RNP Space Shuttle One arrival.

Glad everyone was OK, but my question to a SWA pilot: the article says the flight was scheduled to arrive at 3:50PM but didn't arrive until 3:59PM. Does the flight crew get overs for that?

And for those who weren't able to tell: I am knocking the article, not SWA, as there is obviously some incorrect information posted. Followed up by a light-hearted but honest question about overs.
EWRflyr is offline  
Old 04-04-2014, 06:47 AM
  #2  
On Reserve
 
Joined APC: Aug 2013
Position: PIC 777/787
Posts: 16
Default

Flight Track Log ? SWA1731 ? 03-Apr-2014 ? KIND - KMCI ? FlightAware

I personally don't see anything out of the ordinary for the given circumstances. If in fact, there was a loss of pressurization, the crew did what they were supposed to do. Now it they were flying over the Andes, then those headlines would really get my full attention.
I guess there isn't much going on at MCI that this kind of events are given so much coverage...
pilotdj is offline  
Old 04-04-2014, 06:54 AM
  #3  
No longer cares
 
tsquare's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Mar 2008
Position: 767er Captain
Posts: 12,109
Default

Not that it applies here, but I hear that 737s also have trouble maintaining altitude when the fuel tanks are empty.....


Must be a Boeing thing.
tsquare is offline  
Old 04-04-2014, 07:02 AM
  #4  
Stuck Mic
 
Firsttimeflyer's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Dec 2013
Posts: 1,059
Default

Actually if you read into the article the time states at 3:13 they started the descent, reaching 10,000 feet at 3:24. 26 minutes before their scheduled arrival. Landing at 3:59.

I've heard that your TAS is slower at lower altitudes, maybe the pilots even pulled the speed back a bit to conserve some fuel and protect the plane if any structural problems existed. That might account for the unusually late arrival.
Firsttimeflyer is offline  
Old 04-04-2014, 07:30 AM
  #5  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined APC: Jun 2010
Position: Just another RJ guy
Posts: 906
Wink

Originally Posted by tsquare View Post
Not that it applies here, but I hear that 737s also have trouble maintaining altitude when the fuel tanks are empty.....


Must be a Boeing thing.
No no no, you're mistaken. CNN has only done an analysis on the 777 not being able to hold altitude when the fuel tanks are empty. ;-P

I suspect the next in-depth analysis will be CNN doing a report on how passengers can't breath when there is a loss of all oxygen...but only on the 737. Maybe that simulator technician up in Canada will show us how it's done.
AlaskaBound is offline  
Old 04-04-2014, 08:25 AM
  #6  
Line Holder
 
Joined APC: Nov 2012
Position: FO FOREVER....
Posts: 73
Default Plane descends @ 2400 FPM OMG!!!

This is bs !!! Sometimes I need to descent 2700 fpm with tailwinds in a rnav arrival to make it happen ! Thats nothing ! Fck wannabeers
DJPILOT is offline  
Old 04-04-2014, 09:02 AM
  #7  
veut gagner à la loterie
 
forgot to bid's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Apr 2008
Position: Light Chop
Posts: 23,286
Default

Sometimes I descend at 2701 fpm.

forgot to bid is offline  
Old 04-04-2014, 09:51 AM
  #8  
Line Holder
 
Joined APC: Aug 2012
Posts: 43
Default

Originally Posted by forgot to bid View Post
Sometimes I descend at 2701 fpm.

This is epic awesomeness!
Intransit is offline  
Old 04-04-2014, 11:09 AM
  #9  
No longer cares
 
tsquare's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Mar 2008
Position: 767er Captain
Posts: 12,109
Default

Originally Posted by DJPILOT View Post
This is bs !!! Sometimes I need to descent 2700 fpm with tailwinds in a rnav arrival to make it happen ! Thats nothing ! Fck wannabeers
I wanna beer. Is that a bad thing?
tsquare is offline  
Old 04-04-2014, 11:40 AM
  #10  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined APC: Jul 2010
Position: window seat
Posts: 12,522
Default

Originally Posted by Intransit View Post
This is epic awesomeness!
Yep. Maybe the second best one ever...

[CraziLoL.com] - The 69 'Price Is Right' For Gynecologist Steelers Fan - YouTube
gloopy is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Lori Clark
Hangar Talk
1
11-02-2016 05:02 PM
fireman0174
Major
7
05-02-2006 04:36 PM
Fly4Beer
Major
16
01-31-2006 01:15 PM
Boeingguy
Major
10
12-17-2005 08:27 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread
Your Privacy Choices