| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name
 | Date | Lines | 
|---|
| 1988.1 | I heard on the news... | MR4DEC::LBERMAN |  | Wed Sep 14 1994 10:18 | 8 | 
|  |     on the news last night, the reporter said that investigators
    have narrowed down the reasons why this may have happened to
    three options. All had something to do with the wing and the
    engine. I missed the first two possibilities, but the third
    was something about the engine going into reverse all by
    itself...if that is possible...
    
    
 | 
| 1988.2 | add'l | TNPUBS::PAINTER | Planet Crayon | Wed Sep 14 1994 11:10 | 16 | 
|  |     
    Yes, the current theory about the US Air crash is that one of the
    engines did indeed go into reverse prematurely (by itself due to a
    malfunction) and that caused the plane to do what it did.  
                                         
    When a plane lands, the engines are put into reverse to assist in
    stopping the plane.  It just happened that this time, one engine went
    into reverse before the plane landed.
    
    Apparently this problem was reported and fixed a few times on this 
    plane in the past (the television news showed log entries of the 
    pilot expressing difficulty over that particular piece of equipment 
    on that plane several times over the last year or so.)  This time
    though, they weren't so lucky. 
    
    Cindy
 | 
| 1988.3 | update | BIGFAB::T_SULLIVAN |  | Wed Sep 14 1994 12:24 | 7 | 
|  |     
    	On the news this mornning the FAA has ruled out the reverser
    	theory, they were all in the right position. Also ruled out 
    	was that one of the engines had come loose from the wing, 
    	this had not taken place either. They may never know.
    
    			Terry  
 | 
| 1988.4 | psychics with 20/20 hindsight? | MR4DEC::LBERMAN |  | Wed Sep 14 1994 13:11 | 14 | 
|  |     thanks for filling in, Cindy.
    
    This surely will present even more difficulties for US AIR to
    stay in business, if the cause is verified to be the wayward
    engine...especially with multiple reports of problems of a
    similar nature on the same plane... Says a whole lot about
    their maintenance
    
    Regarding the basenote, though. It's really easy for people
    to say after an accident or act of Nature that they "saw it in
    a dream" or "predicted it."  Was the alleged psychic's previous
    knowledge of this disaster verified in any way? Just wondering.
    
    ta!
 | 
| 1988.5 |  | HOO78C::ANDERSON | He is like a china in a bull shop. | Thu Sep 15 1994 04:27 | 16 | 
|  |     A tiny nit, but I'll still pick it.
    When an airliner lands the engines do not go into reverse, they would
    destroy themselves.
    There are deflectors which redirect the engine's thrust forwards instead
    of backwards. Thus slowing the plane very quickly.
    Were these to operate when the plane was flying slowly at a low
    altitude it would stall, that is the air passing over the wings would
    no longer provide enough upward thrust and it would fall out of the
    sky.
    Eyewitness accounts say that something very similar to this happened.
    Jamie.     
 | 
| 1988.6 |  | TNPUBS::PAINTER | Planet Crayon | Thu Sep 15 1994 11:13 | 6 | 
|  |     
    That's not a tiny nit, Jamie.
    
    Thanks for the correction.
    
    Cindy
 | 
| 1988.7 | :) | SMURF::WALLACE | Life's a beach, then you dive! | Thu Sep 15 1994 12:47 | 7 | 
|  |     
    An even smaller nit.
    
    >no longer provide enough upward thrust
                                     ^^^^^^
    
    wings produce lift (but we knew what you meant)
 |