This Could Make You Cry...

[Woof603]

In case you missed it: good photos of what NOT to do while working in the cockpit of a modern air craft -- a clear case of "ESO" (engineering speak for Equipment Smarter than Operator).

This wreck is a brand new A340-600, never flown. Thank the French and their Arab friends for this bit of comedy.

Nine employees of the airline in the aircraft, no employees from Airbus were present. They went out to the run-up area. Took all four engines to takeoff power with a virtually empty aircraft. No chocks, not that it would have mattered. Brakes will not hold the plane back anyway.

Turns out the takeoff warning horn was blaring away in the cockpit because they had all FOUR engines at full power. The aircraft thought they were trying to takeoff but it had not been configured properly (flaps/slats, etc).

Someone decided to pull the "Ground Sense" circuit breaker. This fools the aircraft into thinking it is in the air.

BIG mistake! As soon as they do that, the computers released all the brakes. (Safety feature so that folks don't land with the brakes on.)

No time to stop.....The rest is as you see it below.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v30/woof603/ATT00028.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v30/woof603/ATT00031.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v30/woof603/ATT00034.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v30/woof603/ATT00037.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v30/woof603/ATT00040.jpg

[GAU-8]

all jokes aside, i hope they are ok. but i have a feeling i know what happened to at least some of the crew.

on the lighter side, how many bells went off in any of the crews heads, or didnt go off..when they should. i cant see it being any "simple" step that only one or two items went wrong. i would hate to see an actual list.

[knightflyte]

For sale:
1 slightly used passenger plane. Has (virtually) never left the ground. Has all manuals and service records in the glove box. Still has that new aircraft smell.

[woofiedog]

Wonder if they served the drinks before you get on board with that airline. http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/16x16_smiley-surprised.gif

http://www.siliconeer.com/past_issues/2007/jan2007/BIZ-etihad.jpg

[ploughman]

Is that the world's smallest fireman spread eagled against the shattered nosecone of that 340 in the last photo?

Shame about that plane, the A-340 series are the only Airbuses I find pleasing to the eye.

Tool.

[DuxCorvan]

Originally posted by Ploughman:
Is that the world's smallest fireman spread eagled against the shattered nosecone of that 340 in the last photo?

Yep, I saw that, too. http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/blink.gif

[heywooood]

The plane is a good distance behind the fellers in the foreground ...
looks like a fullgrown fireman that has taken a knee to peer into the lower forward fuselage there under the cockpit...where is the flight recorder on that type?

[Korolov1986]

Ok, so who built the full-size airplane blender?