Passengers watch wheel falling off their plane but don't think to tell anyone

**Chris** · 10-11-2011, 11:48

Quote:

Passengers who saw a wheel fall off a plane as it took off did not immediately inform the crew, a report has said.
The accident happened in March on a Flybe flight from Exeter to Newcastle.
The captain returned to Exeter and used the emergency brake and "significant amounts of right rudder" to safely land the plane. No-one was injured.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-15668364

If you looked out of the window of a plane and saw a wheel falling off during take-off, would you not think it the sort of thing that you should bring to the crew's attention?

What a bizarre story.

Kingofthedead4 · 10-11-2011, 11:52

Maybe they thought that the plane automatically changes its wheels every time it takes off and lands? Some strange people about.

**Chris** · 10-11-2011, 11:55

I think it might depend who the passengers were. In my experience, scheduled flights always have a significant number of regular flyers on board. I suppose it's possible that all the witnesses were flight novices, but even so, we've all seen planes on TV and I would have thought the typical behaviour of the landing gear was reasonably well understood ...

Kingofthedead4 · 10-11-2011, 12:01

Exactly, if I had seen it I would have grabbed hold of a stewardess (gently and in the correct places

) and said I think you might have a problem. But the more I think about it surely something should light up in the cockpit to tell the flight crew. Maybe that is what the people who saw it thought and when nothing was mentioned they thought they better say something.

**Kymmy** · 10-11-2011, 12:13

You would have thought that they would have got a low pressure warning for that wheel

TheNorm · 10-11-2011, 12:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kymmy

You would have thought that they would have got a low pressure warning for that wheel

Apparently, that particular aircraft has a history of landing gear problems:

Quote:

A third incident of Bombardier Q400 landing gear failure prompted Scandinavian Airlines to permanently ground its fleet of the aircraft...

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/gener...ird%20Incident

Not only that, but a Flybe aircraft had landing gear problems the day before this incident:

Quote:

A Flybe de Havilland Dash 8-400, ... returned to Belfast's City Airport when the crew could not retract the gear after departure from Belfast.

http://avherald.com/h?article=4381456d&opt=0

TheDaddy · 10-11-2011, 13:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris

If you looked out of the window of a plane and saw a wheel falling off during take-off, would you not think it the sort of thing that you should bring to the crew's attention?

What a bizarre story.

Years ago I remember one of my workmates saying he'd had recieved a call saying there was a bomb in the building, I said we'd better tell the boss and get everyone out, he said no need it's a hoax. A tiny bit perplexed I asked how he knew and he said it should have gone of 2 hours ago as he took the call first thing, even after explaining to him he still couldn't quite grasp it and kept saying but it's a hoax, nothing happened.

**Damien** · 10-11-2011, 14:01

Probably didn't want to cause a fuss.

**Chris** · 10-11-2011, 14:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheNorm

Apparently, that particular aircraft has a history of landing gear problems

Yes, I used to fly semi-regularly between Glasgow and Birmingham on a Flybe Dash-8. It always made me slightly uneasy in a way other aircraft didn't.

Perhaps I should revise my earlier comments. If the passengers were all experienced in this type of aircraft, perhaps they thought wheels dropping off mid-takeoff was perfectly normal.

---------- Post added at 14:10 ---------- Previous post was at 14:07 ----------

... in fact I, perhaps unwisely, showed a colleague this picture just before she took a flight on one.

This was the first of two gear failures on this aircraft class that occurred within weeks of each other in 2007.

Zee · 10-11-2011, 14:14

how stupid, and lucky no one was hurt.

Hom3r · 10-11-2011, 15:08

As far as I'm aware there is no pressure detecting device for wheels, these are generally done by a visual inspection.

I believe even if a wheel falls off their is no sensor, there is a brake temp sensor but thats all I can think off, I will ask the wheel guys here at work.

Hom3r · 10-11-2011, 19:07

I checked with a wheel guy at work and none that he knows of have any pressure sensors in them.

We do C-130, Helicopters, 737, gulfstream & other small size aircraft and some Airbus.

New to cable · 10-11-2011, 19:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kymmy

You would have thought that they would have got a low pressure warning for that wheel

WOW LOL, Shows how little you know, For one that aircraft has an history of issues and two you wouldn't get any pressure reading at all. I suspect this would leave the pilot to believe there was a fault.

As a zero pressure reading is unheard of. Although your post did make me laugh lol...

**Chris** · 10-11-2011, 19:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by New to cable

WOW LOL, Shows how little you know, For one that aircraft has an history of issues and two you wouldn't get any pressure reading at all. I suspect this would leave the pilot to believe there was a fault.

As a zero pressure reading is unheard of. Although your post did make me laugh lol...

Given Kymmy's employment history it's your post that's providing the lulz right now.

New to cable · 10-11-2011, 19:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris

Given Kymmy's employment history it's your post that's providing the lulz right now.

My uncle is RAF an has been at Scampton and is currently at Shawbury and I think I will choose to believe his "Employment history" which I know is 100% fact.