United 777 PLUNGES 28,000 feet in 10 minutes!!!

Musta been one hell of a plumber to plunge a 28,000‘ toilet clog!
 
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Maybe they did the first 27000 in 2 mins, then the remaining pieces fluttered to the ground?
 
Silvaire said:
Wow, isn’t that like 2800 feet per minute? How could anyone have lived through that?
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During my multi training, my instructor wanted almost a 4000fpm descent during an emergency descent, was not pleasant to my ears for weeks afterwards.
 
Silvaire said:
Wow, isn’t that like 2800 feet per minute? How could anyone have lived through that?
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The flight track shows a descent rate of between 5,000-6,000 fpm for the first 90 seconds or so, then gradually levelling off.

To prevent future hysterics from passengers and the groundhog media, though, maybe flight crews going forward should make more gradual "emergency" descents, and let the folks in back nap a bit on the trip down?
 
flightwriter said:
The flight track shows a descent rate of between 5,000-6,000 fpm for the first 90 seconds or so, then gradually levelling off.

To prevent future hysterics from passengers and the groundhog media, though, maybe flight crews going forward should make more gradual "emergency" descents, and let the folks in back nap a bit on the trip down?
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A 6,000 fpm descent is dramatic and likely terrifying for the folks in the back, who aren't in control. That's nearly 70 mph straight down. I'm not sure why we wouldn't expect passengers to be absolutely terrified by that. I'm sure some of you have superhuman control over your emotions, but notwithstanding the fact that I'm a pilot, I can't say that if an airliner I was a passenger in suddenly began a 6,000 fpm descent that my first reaction would be, "This is no big deal, I'm sure everything is fine."
 
Silvaire said:
Wow, isn’t that like 2800 feet per minute? How could anyone have lived through that?
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Lindberg said:
A 6,000 fpm descent is dramatic and likely terrifying for the folks in the back, who aren't in control. That's nearly 70 mph straight down. I'm not sure why we wouldn't expect passengers to be absolutely terrified by that. I'm sure some of you have superhuman control over your emotions, but notwithstanding the fact that I'm a pilot, I can't say that if an airliner I was a passenger in suddenly began a 6,000 fpm descent that my first reaction would be, "This is no big deal, I'm sure everything is fine."
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Fair point. I guess I'm assuming there was some communication from the flight deck advising what was going on.
 
Were passenger masks deployed?
 
You never flew a 727, the descent rate on that beast would peg the vsi at 6000 fpm. Bút it could do almost 12000 fpm.
 
Piperonca said:
Were passenger masks deployed?
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"United said there was no loss of pressure and passengers' oxygen masks did not drop, but the pilots could not be certain."
 
RyanB said:
"United said there was no loss of pressure and passengers' oxygen masks did not drop, but the pilots could not be certain."
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So, a precautionary descent with some uncertainty. Glad it turned out OK but strangely no passenger comments or photos that I've seen (yet).
 
So there I was…

I went TWENTY FIVE degrees nose down in a Saab 340 trying to comply with a freakish TCAS RA reversal… While being vectored for an approach to DFW, prob 5000 feet.

Got the thing straightened out, continued in to land, was prepared for battle with the critters. NO ONE NOTICED. Not even the flight attendant. I mean, I did this all as smoothly as I could… but still can’t understand how no one noticed.

4-6k fpm down is hardly noticeable at all except below 5k feet or so….
 
Bob Noel said:
"asked"?
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Same headline writer for the Alaska crash. At least they quoted the FAA properly: “An air traffic controller instructed United Airlines Flight 2267 to perform a go-around at Boston Logan International Airport…”
 
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Lindberg said:
A 6,000 fpm descent is dramatic and likely terrifying for the folks in the back, who aren't in control. That's nearly 70 mph straight down. I'm not sure why we wouldn't expect passengers to be absolutely terrified by that. I'm sure some of you have superhuman control over your emotions, but notwithstanding the fact that I'm a pilot, I can't say that if an airliner I was a passenger in suddenly began a 6,000 fpm descent that my first reaction would be, "This is no big deal, I'm sure everything is fine."
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A 6000 FPM descent is neither tramatic or terrifying for the people in back. They would only sense rate of change if done smoothly would barely notice that. A standard high altitude approach for military jets required a 6000 FOM descent. A standard descent at idle in a 727 was 6000 FPM. We did it all the time.
 
Jeff767 said:
A 6000 FPM descent is neither tramatic or terrifying for the people in back. They would only sense rate of change if done smoothly would barely notice that. A standard high altitude approach for military jets required a 6000 FOM descent. A standard descent at idle in a 727 was 6000 FPM. We did it all the time.
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I guess that's why no one on board noticed. Yeah, it's the 0 fpm - 6000 fpm transition that's initially going to get people's attention. And that's probably a bit different in an emergency descent.
 
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Lindberg said:
I guess that's why no one on board noticed. Yeah, it's the 0 fpm - 6000 fpm transition that's initially going to get people's attention. And that's probably a bit different in an emergency descent.
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Not really, standard procedure is to use the autopilot for an emergency decent. Spin in the altitude you want, select an idle decent mode and spin the speed up a bit. You are moving the nose from 2 degrees nose up to 8 to 10 degrees nose down. No need at all for it to be anything but a gentle maneuver. A 1 degree per second pitch change will be unnoticeable to the people in back. A standard take off rotation from zero to 15 degrees noseup should be accomplished at 2 to 3 degrees per second.
 
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Lindberg said:
A 6,000 fpm descent is dramatic and likely terrifying for the folks in the back, who aren't in control. That's nearly 70 mph straight down. I'm not sure why we wouldn't expect passengers to be absolutely terrified by that. I'm sure some of you have superhuman control over your emotions, but notwithstanding the fact that I'm a pilot, I can't say that if an airliner I was a passenger in suddenly began a 6,000 fpm descent that my first reaction would be, "This is no big deal, I'm sure everything is fine."
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Have you ever done a 6000 FPM descent?
In the Aerostar I used to own, our emergency descent was much faster than that. My transition instructor asked ATC one time to allow us to do one from 28K; and I had three passengers in back.
The only comment from them, was the descent angle messed up the card game; and we were headed down at over 10K FPM.

Tim
 
Maybe because pressurized aircraft? For me felt like the world was coming to an end when doing 4000fpm descent lol.
 
mandm said:
Maybe because pressurized aircraft? For me felt like the world was coming to an end when doing 4000fpm descent lol.
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What plane? In the Aztec the VSI pegs at 4K, in the Duchess at 2K.. I believe you, just curious as it's more than what we did in both.
 
..PS, the media sleeps in the bed they make. Can't fault us for trashing a headline style that more times than not uses hyperbolic language to garner clicks. Maybe the transition to 6K was an aggressive zero or negative G push. Maybe it was a controlled smooth transition. We don't know. But I too take whatever I read with massive boulder sized grains of salt. Especially when it is not coming from an aviation centric news source.


A headline line this is more factually accurate, though when competing for clicks among the general population likely won't get the same amount of attention

The Aviation Herald

Aviation Herald - News, Incidents and Accidents in Aviation
avherald.com avherald.com
1695148232847.png
 
mandm said:
Maybe because pressurized aircraft? For me felt like the world was coming to an end when doing 4000fpm descent lol.
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It has a lot more to do with the airspeed of the aircraft. 6,000 fpm descent in a 172 at 70 knots is near vertical. In a 737 at 500 knots is probably only about 10 degrees nose down, a lot less dramatic. A 172 seldom intentionally does 2,000 fpm down, airliners do it every day.
 
midwestpa24 said:
It has a lot more to do with the airspeed of the aircraft. 6,000 fpm descent in a 172 at 70 knots is near vertical. In a 737 at 500 knots is probably only about 10 degrees nose down, a lot less dramatic. A 172 seldom intentionally does 2,000 fpm down, airliners do it every day.
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Redbird simulator 172 does + or -2,000 fpm in just a few seconds…completely realistic! Too bad it doesn’t go 16x between waypoints, like x plane, (also completely realistic)
 
As the originator of this thread I must admit that I'm proud of having created this blossom of banter
 
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