AA flight hits runway marker during takeoff

[david.h]

This looks to have happened last week, just hearing about it now. Did I miss anyone else posting about this?
Anyways here's the story:
https://www.foxnews.com/travel/american-airlines-flight-crashing-claims

Also, I found the cached picture of the "big chunk missing from the wing"

 

[Unit74]

How on earth could that have happened and who is the idiot who would install signage on an aircraft movement area that could do this?

 

[Zeldman]

According to the NTSB, it didn't hit a runway marker.....from the article:

The flight reportedly “experienced a roll during takeoff and hit a runway distance market with the left wingtip,” the NTSB wrote in a tweet.

This is what happens when all the proof readers are fired....

 

[flyingron]

I loved one article that said the sign was to guide aircraft down the runway. I asked if it said "Don't hit me" on it.
There was a NOTAM for the missing distance marker after this happened.
The aircraft called a pilot a retard after that maneuver.

 

[clear_prop]

Some more pics, including parts of the sign still embedded in the wing: https://twitter.com/krisvancleave/status/1118632474148397057

 

[Eric Stoltz]

Down wind wing?

 

[ARFlyer]

How on earth could that have happened and who is the idiot who would install signage on an aircraft movement area that could do this?

Looks like they took a light with them for a ride.

I almost drug a wing in a 145 departing one windy evening. As soon as I rotated we got hit by a very unexpected rotor coming off a nearby building that rolled us. I have no idea how close we got but at the time I was for sure we lost the winglet.

It’s quite easy in a regional type airliner. In a CRJ it’s roughly a 11° Bank to drag the wing tip.

 

[3393RP]

The pilot said it was an uncommanded roll, perhaps wake turbulence caused it.

 

[Eric Stoltz]

I almost drug a wing in a 145 departing one windy evening. As soon as I rotated we got hit by a very unexpected rotor coming off a nearby building that rolled us. I have no idea how close we got but at the time I was for sure we lost the winglet.

XJT?

 

[G-force]

Pilot reported an uncommanded roll of 45 degrees. Wake turbulence? Wind gust? Computer malifunction?

 

[Greg Bockelman]

Not computer.

 

[dtuuri]

The pilot said it was an uncommanded roll, perhaps wake turbulence caused it.

Roll is one thing, but to hit a sign—you have to turn too.

 

[flyingron]

Roll is one thing, but to hit a sign—you have to turn too.

Oh, so once he had a 45 degree uncommanded roll he was to stomp on opposite rudder to maintain ground track. Then he could have watched the tail fall off like AA587?

 

[dtuuri]

Oh, so once he had a 45 degree uncommanded roll he was to stomp on opposite rudder to maintain ground track. Then he could have watched the tail fall off like AA587?

I don't know about you, but I don't wait that long to get on the rudder. Neither am I believing the plane drifted left (or right) far enough to catch a distance marker faster than the plane rose up on rotation. I wonder what and if the FDR will show, given it might not (IDK) activate until off the squat switch.

 

[Salty]

Roll is one thing, but to hit a sign—you have to turn too.

distance markers at JFK are probably what, 150 feet off centerline? Wingspan of your average airliner is what, 50 feet off centerline?

Roughly 100 feet off centerline to hit the sign?

 

[dtuuri]

distance markers at JFK are probably what, 150 feet off centerline? Wingspan of your average airliner is what, 50 feet off centerline?

Roughly 100 feet off centerline to hit the sign?

Narrowest JFK runway is 150' wide, others 200'; total wingspan is 118', so the aircaft's nose was 15' off centerline at least, maybe 40', if not turning. I doubt that the signs are right at the edge of the pavement either. An uncommanded yaw seems more plausable to me.

 

[Lindberg]

distance markers at JFK are probably what, 150 feet off centerline? Wingspan of your average airliner is what, 50 feet off centerline?

Roughly 100 feet off centerline to hit the sign?

About that. The long runways at JFK are 200' wide. The A321 has a 112' wingspan. So 44' to the runway edge.

 

[unsafervguy]

I don't know about you, but I don't wait that long to get on the rudder. Neither am I believing the plane drifted left (or right) far enough to catch a distance marker faster than the plane rose up on rotation. I wonder what and if the FDR will show, given it might not (IDK) activate until off the squat switch.

the fdr is activated when the ground control switch is pressed on the before start flow. anybody know how far down the runway the impacted light was, if the light was closer to the start of the ground roll then it points to a different issue.

 

[flyingron]

the fdr is activated when the ground control switch is pressed on the before start flow. anybody know how far down the runway the impacted light was, if the light was closer to the start of the ground roll then it points to a different issue.

He hit the 9 sign on a 14,500 runway. Not sure which way he was going but it had to be at least 5000 from the start.

 

[Salty]

New math?

Wikipedia says A321 wingspan is 117' 5".

Rounding to 118':
200' wide runway - (118' wingspan/2) = 141' from wingtip to runway edge when the aircraft is on the centerline.

I think you forgot that half the 200 foot runway is on the other side.

 

[dmspilot]

I think you forgot that half the 200 foot runway is on the other side.

Deleted.

 

[hindsight2020]

Hope the FO wasn't on probation like the poor SOB that lost his job at Envoy when daddy AA "came for butts" (yes another homoerotic TOP GUN reference) after they missed the heading out of ORD.