Crash landing at Heathrow

Heard the news that a Boeing 777 had lost power a minute ago before landing. I wondered if there were any build-in procedure or bug to shut the power automatically.

probably lost power because someone still had their mp3 player going after everyone was told to turn off electronic devices.

Anything is possible but I doubt the problem is anything simple. The 777 uses a fly by wire system.

IEEE Explore: Design considerations in Boeing 777 fly-by-wire computers

The heart of the FBW concept is the use of triple redundancy for all hardware resources: the computing system, airplane electrical power, hydraulic power and communication paths. The multiple redundant hardware is required to meet the numerical safety requirements. Hardware redundancy can be relied upon only if hardware faults can be contained; fail-passive electronics are necessary building blocks for the FBW systems. In addition, the FBW computer architecture must consider other fault tolerance issues: generic errors, common mode faults, near-coincidence faults and dissimilarity

Click to expand...

What about the software? Do they use Windows and need to be re-booted the computer before landing?

In Canada recently, an Airbus was flying on auto-pilot then suddenly rolled sharply to the left then to the right. Passengers were hurt. It had a mind of its own. No terrorists were found on board.

The pilot was called a hero but he didn't and couldn't do anything.

I will wear my seat belt on all the time regardless the seat belt sign status.

Did some reading. The 777 design dates back to 1995. This is its first accident/crash. This plane was about 6 years old so there will be older units in the air that should have discovered design flaws ahead of this one.

Do not forget that faulty maintance could be the cause of the problem.

I recall that 2 big jets ran out of fuel then landed safely.

The first Boeing 767 in Canada was flying cross-country but there was a metric-imperial mixup when it was fuelled. It ran out of fuel up high in the middle of nowhere. Luckily the pilot remembered an abandoned airstrip and he glided around looking for the place then landed quietly in the middle of a car race. The jet didn't have a horn to warn the people there.

The other big jet had a fuel leak then ran out in the middle of the atlantic ocean. The pilot glided the jet for a long time then landed safely on an island.

It is amazing that a big jet can be glided then landed where it should go. Maybe the on-board computer made some accurate fancy calculations.

Link to one article, just Google "Boeing 777" for more info/news.

http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?ContentBlockID=32ae74a2-07d2-4129-b418-612049b6c354

Only saw a bit about it on the news before I took my daughter out to play a gig, but all the passengers they interviewed said they didn't realise the plane had crashed until the stewards threw the emergency doors open - the undercarriage ripping off and sliding sidewards across the ground felt only like a rough landing!.

any landing you can walk away from is a good one!

Rather than losing all power (i.e., both engines), it sounds like the pilot may have lost only one.

From the link:
"Neil Jones witnessed the scene from the ground, and said the 777 made a "very, very unusual approach" to the airport. He added the aircraft's engines were louder than is usually the case while on approach to land."

One twin engined aircraft, losing one engine on an approach can be very dicey, particularly if the approach is a little low to begin with and under greater than usual power.

You have to put as much power as you can into the good engine. Unfortunately, when you lose power in one engine of a jet, the other engine will take considerable time to spool up to full power relative to a reciprocating engine -- I am sure to the pilot it feels like forever. With only one engine operating, the power differential is so great that the pilot will have a hard time keeping the airplane straight. The one crash I witnessed was exactly that scenario, except the pilot got way too slow and barrel rolled right into the runway. John