Pilots arm falls off, landing plane at Belfast.

Banjo String

Ok, it's a prosthetic arm. Still, not the kind of headlines you'd expect to read about.

A pilot lost control of a passenger plane after his artificial arm became detached as he was coming in to land, an accident report has said.

The Flybe flight from Birmingham, with 47 passengers on board, was approaching Belfast City Airport in gusty conditions on 12 February.

It landed heavily but no-one was hurt and the plane was not damaged.

The pilot said he would be more cautious in future about checking his attachment, according to the report.

In a statement, Flybe said the senior captain was one of its "most experienced and trusted pilots", and the safety of passengers and crew had not been compromised in any way.

'Bounce'

Shortly before beginning to land the Dash 8 aircraft, the 46-year-old had checked that his prosthetic lower left arm was securely attached to the clamp that he used to fly the aircraft, with the latching device in place.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report said the captain had disconnected the autopilot and was manually flying the aircraft.

However, as he made the flare manoeuvre - a stage of the landing shortly before touchdown - "his prosthetic limb became detached from the yoke clamp, depriving him of control of the aircraft".

http://m.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-28778728

Loved this bit.

The pilot said he would be more cautious in future about checking his attachment, according to the report.

I'd say he'd give his right arm for it not to happen again.

philstar

how the hell did he get a license in the first place, with a prosthetic arm???

JBRowan

I have to hand it to them for landing the plane safely

K.Flyer

Lucky he didn't get the elbow for that mistake..

Bio Mech

Flybe "Proud to be an equal opportunities employer, even if it puts peoples lives at risk."

I hear their blind pilot programme is the envy of the worlds airlines.

Mr. CooL ICE

And I sometimes find it difficult to ride a bike with one arm...

Smiles35

The co-pilot gave him a hand.

Banjo String

I refuse to fly with them.

Always costs me an arm and a leg tbh.

Hande hoche!

Fair play to them.

jimd2

philstar wrote: »

how the hell did he get a license in the first place, with a prosthetic arm???

I agree, it is incredible. Even if he already had a licence surely it would be a reason to lose your aviation licence.

And then he is so blase saying that he will have to remember to connect it properly in the future.

The mind boggles.

Lapin

I'd rather get into a plane with an armless pilot than a legless one.








Boom boom and all that...............

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

I thought you weren't allowed to bring arms on board planes since 9/11?

Tail Docker

Was the auto-pilot also disabled?

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Deflated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAROv-V783s

The One Doctor

jimd2 wrote: »

I agree, it is incredible. Even if he already had a licence surely it would be a reason to lose your aviation licence.

And then he is so blase saying that he will have to remember to connect it properly in the future.

The mind boggles.

Many pilots with a full complement of limbs have made far stupider mistakes. Read the Air France AF447 accident report if you don't believe me - two dumb bastards in the cockpit literally flew 250 people straight into the ocean with a fully functioning aircraft. (Ok, they were French, so it's not that surprising.) It's well within the regulations to fly with only one arm, one leg, or indeed one eye.

JBRowan

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

Deflated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAROv-V783s

You win one Internet well done

Tokyo

Depending on which arm it was (left), it wouldn't have a huge impact over his ability to fly the plane safely. Right arm might be another matter though.

That aside, I am surprised that he's allowed to hold a commercial licence and take the lives of 47 passengers into his hand(s) on a daily basis.

MRnotlob606

he couldn't handle the pressure

KungPao

The One Doctor wrote: »

Many pilots with a full complement of limbs have made far stupider mistakes. Read the Air France AF447 accident report if you don't believe me - two dumb bastards in the cockpit literally flew 250 people straight into the ocean with a fully functioning aircraft. (Ok, they were French, so it's not that surprising.) It's well within the regulations to fly with only one arm, one leg, or indeed one eye.

A bit harsh no? I know they kept doing the opposite of what they should have been doing (e.g. pulling up instead of going nose down to get out of the stall) but the instruments were all over the place. I think it must have been very confusing. It was the dead of night too, so they were blind...I imagine if it were day time, and they could see, they would have just flew the damn thing rather than staring at the bull**** data from the dials.

Peregrine

The One Doctor wrote: »

It's well within the regulations to fly with only one arm, one leg, or indeed one eye.

Not sure about that one..

Edit: True enough, it seems that it is possible with the FAA if a SODA is granted.

Fighting Irish

Banjo String wrote: »

Ok, it's a prosthetic arm

:rolleyes:

Specialun

Nothing Happened. it was an armless incidenet

Karmella

philstar wrote: »

how the hell did he get a license in the first place, with a prosthetic arm???

Having a prosthetic arm doesn't mean you are useless you know .

If that was the case surely I wouldn't be allowed to drive a car .... and yet I've had a full licence for nearly 20 years! My god, I'd better get off the road fairly lively before I kill someone. Not only that, being without an upper limb doesn't even fall into the criteria that the disabled drivers association have for grants for car adaptions. I drive an automatic car and I have a steering knob on the wheel that most trucks and buses have. That's it.

I've never tried to fly a plane mind you but I don't see why it would be impossible. The developments in prosthetic limbs since I was a child are phenomenal.

Tail Docker

Nimr wrote: »

Not sure about that one..

Edit: True enough, it seems that it is possible with the FAA if a SODA is granted.

How does a can of soft drink help? Unless it was Red Bull.

Capt'n Midnight

philstar wrote: »

how the hell did he get a license in the first place, with a prosthetic arm???

you ain't seen nothing

In the US, being blind is no bar to owning and carrying firearms.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-28587041

whupdedo

All I want to know is how he lost the arm in the first place, was this not the first thought that came into everyone else's head ???

stefan idiot jones

Pfft. Douglas had no legs and still shot the filthy Hun outta the sky.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Bader

keith16

If word of this gets out, crazy clown airlines will be a laughing stock.

B.A._Baracus

I think thats the end of his career as a pilot sadly. You know yourself.