Something doesn't add up. Theory 1: stowed away in wheel well, froze up, reduced metabolic rate reduced body demand for O2 and he survived. Question: ever figure out ho long it takes a frozen steak to thaw even at 85F? I'd say at least an hour or two. Hoe was the boy coherent and in full possession of his mental faculties within minutes of the plane landing? Not to mention he was defrosted and his body devoid of frostbite symptoms. Theory 2: was located next to bleed air duct in wheel well and therefore didn't freeze. Question: I'd guess lasting brain damage would be inevitable in that case. The boy seemed by all accounts in decent enough shape to be walking around on the ramp. Anybody remember the Payne Stewart Lear Jet loss of pressurization accident? That flight was a lot shorter and lower (FL290). I'm going with his initially checking out the wheel well but ultimately hiding in the plane or cargo compartment.

(Written on 2014/04/26)(Permalink)

I bet folks remember the tragic Payne Stewart Lear Jet accident. That plane was only at FL290 and the passengers probably died of oxygen starvation well before the plane ran out of fuel and crashed. In this case, even allowing for a reduced metabolic rate given the low temperatures, I find it hard to believe that there can be no lasting brain damage. Take a frozen steak out of your fridge and see how long it takes to defrost at 80F. I bet it's at least a couple of hours. The story doesn't add up.

(Written on 2014/04/26)(Permalink)

I stand to be corrected but I think the primary reason for providing the BRS chute was that the aircraft did not go through stall/spin testing during certification. Essentially the chute was to recover from otherwise unrecoverable flight regimes. It is a "last resort" device and not a substitute for proper pilot technique. This ain't like the Ctrl+Alt+Del keystroke combo on your PC that will fix errant behavior by aforementioned computer.

(Written on 2013/05/20)(Permalink)

Hope the news report meant 800 AGL not MSL. Addison, Texas airport elevation is 644 ft. DAP maneuver to pull the chute instead of first doing what they teach you in Flying 101 about "always fly the plane". How bad could the instrument failure have been that the pilot was able to successfully dive through the clouds without spatial disorientation, spinning or graveyard spiral. Should have flown the plane in the first place ...

(Written on 2013/05/19)(Permalink)

Looks like more of a case of powering up too early before being completely aligned with runway CL. Possible #2 engine spooled up a bit more than #1, causing the skid. Not an issue of misaligned nose wheel IMHO. Either way more drama with smoke than any real likelihood of damage. I've seen more smoke than that during some landings only it is spread out for a bit than concentrated in one spot

(Written on 2012/04/13)(Permalink)