What is your closest encounter with an airplane crash?

Paddy Cow · 15-06-2018 07:49PM #1

I have recently discovered The Flight Channel on Youtube and have been on a binge of airplane* accidents. Most seem to be the result of pilot error. Some pilots saved everyone by sheer skill, such as the landing of the plane in the hudson river but others have been the direct result of pilot negligence such as this one, where the son** of a pilot lead to the death of everyone on board :eek:

The two scariest experiences I've had on an airplane was 1) flying 15 hrs to Frankfurt (connection flight from Australia) and there was awful turbulence. There was a thunderstorm and I was convinced I was going to die. Obviously I didn't and when we were going to land in Frankfurt the captain came on the radio and said something along the lines of "we experienced some turbulence earlier in the flight but expect to make a smooth landing". I wish the captain had made an announcement when we were actually going through the turbulence but it was a night flight and I guess they didn't want to wake everyone up and for the pilots it wasn't a big deal.

2) I was flying to Gran Canaria with friends and the landing was super windy. When we finally landed safely a lot of people clapped and yes I was one of them. I feel no shame in this.

Other than that I've never felt scared on a flight, even though I can be a nervous flyer.

So AH'ers, have you ever had a near miss on a plane?

*Airplane vs Aeroplane either works for me, I'm just used to seeing airplane
**Not the son's fault at all, his father should've known better

amdublin · 15-06-2018 07:51PM

What was the son case???!!

Do you have a wiki link to it rather than YouTube?

thecretinhop · 15-06-2018 07:51PM

i think there was a boards member who should have been on mh17... they win thread I assume...

MAJJ · 15-06-2018 07:53PM

Touched down on a charter from Dublin to Cairo., normal enough landing, then seconds later brakes slammed on ,everyone thrown forward hard. I look out my window and see a little luggage truck completing their trip directly across the runway. Welcome to Egypt!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 15-06-2018 07:56PM

I was a passenger on a light aircraft with two others plus the pilot when we had engine problems. He basically glided us to a safe landing on a beach. More than 30 years ago and I had forgotten about it until I saw this thread.

arybvtcw0eolkf · 15-06-2018 07:56PM

I seen the Hezbollah engage an Israeli Cobera 'copter with 20mm cannon in south Lebanon one night, but the 'copter fired two Hell Fire missiles at the AA position and blew them to sh*t.

I guess that's the closest I've come to an aircrafter crashing.

Outside of that I'm convinced just about everyone plane I get on is the one which is going to crash this day

gimli2112 · 15-06-2018 07:57PM

amdublin wrote: »

What was the son case???!!

Do you have a wiki link to it rather than YouTube?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroflot_Flight_593

castletownman · 15-06-2018 08:00PM

Apart from experiencing heavy turbulence and subsequently puking my guts up landing into Logan airport as a young lad years ago, most other flights have been stress-free.

But I have witnessed a plane related death so to speak. Saw a mechanic crushed to death by one of those heavy machines you see whizzing around the runway between planes. Not a nice thing to see

Paddy Cow · 15-06-2018 08:00PM

amdublin wrote: »

What was the son case???!!

Do you have a wiki link to it rather than YouTube?

I only have the YouTube link. From my understanding, the pilot wanted to give his two kids a go at "flying" the plane. He set the auto pilot and the 12 year old girl thought she was flying it, when really the plane was. He did the same thing for his son, but because he was 15, he was stronger than his sister and when he turned the controls, he overrode the autopilot. His father didn't realise what was happening and let the son stay in the captain's seat. They noticed the plane was acting funny but by the time they realised what was going on, the plane had entered a stall and G forces that meant they couldn't get back into the seat to take control of the plane. They were shouting at the 15yr old to turn the plane but he's 15. By the time the real pilots got control it was too late.

Junkyard Tom · 15-06-2018 08:02PM

Touched down in the land of Delta Blues in the middle of the pouring rain.

15-06-2018 08:03PM

A Piper Cub crashed just after take off from Galway in 2000. I drove past it.

I have never knowingly had a close call myself.
Turbulence was normal.

andekwarhola · 15-06-2018 08:05PM

Turbulence and rough landings are normal to be fair.

Any time I fly I think I'm going to die though. I fcuking hate it.

And when you're with the kids it's worse as you have to man up, look out the window with them and act jolly.

When I was a kid, our next door neighbours died in a famous air disaster but thankfully no other stories.

Mrcaramelchoc · 15-06-2018 08:08PM

amdublin wrote: »

What was the son case???!!

Do you have a wiki link to it rather than YouTube?

https://youtu.be/tyAZqSh8GoI

Wiki
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroflot_Flight_593

umop episdn · 15-06-2018 08:09PM

I was on Oceanic Flight 815

gctest50 · 15-06-2018 08:10PM

Hezekiah Ripe Notch wrote: »

....

Outside of that I'm convinced just about everyone plane I get on is the one which is going to crash this day

Be grand - they're made of ......

oh wait - a single skin of aluminium about as thick as a bra strap

TheValeyard · 15-06-2018 08:11PM

Hitting an air pocket and dropping like a stone. Scary as fcuk.

15-06-2018 08:12PM

I have distant relatives who used to take separate flights in case anything ever happened to them.
Then they would pile into the same rental car and head off driving on the wrong side of the road after having been awake all night travelling.

murpho999 · 15-06-2018 08:32PM

gctest50 wrote: »

Be grand - they're made of ......

oh wait - a single skin of aluminium about as thick as a bra strap

Really it's a lot more stronger than that. It's about the frame as well.

Look at how little surrounds a car and people are not nervous travellng in them.

razorblunt · 15-06-2018 08:37PM

I've watched Airplane 24 times.

umop episdn · 15-06-2018 08:37PM

murpho999 wrote: »

Really it's a lot more stronger than that. It's about the frame as well.

Look at how little surrounds a car and people are not nervous travellng in them.

They would be if they were in a Toyota Corolla 30,000 feet up in the sky

murpho999 · 15-06-2018 09:10PM

umop episdn wrote: »

They would be if they were in a Toyota Corolla 30,000 feet up in the sky

Yes but cruising in the air is actually the safest part of flying.

somefeen · 15-06-2018 09:35PM

OP, check out AOPA accident case studies on YouTube. They're done on the cheap but very gripping. Its all general aviation so small private planes.
Very chilling to since they almost always have the real ATC conversation.
I share your addiction, its fascinating stuff not just because of the morbidity but also for the technical and human side of aviation.

https://youtu.be/fLlWf-Fk_YM

That one is my favourite

There's also the full NTSB public hearing on the Reno airshow disaster and a few others. The NTSB ones are very long but worth it for the insight.

Graces7 · 15-06-2018 09:38PM

I do not fly any more... Last time was the journey to Ireland nearly 2 years ago; three planes, first a 12 seater..

Just no need to fly. Dunroamin/// prefer to keep my feet safe on the ground

Only exception would be our Air Ambulance chopper

Laphroaig52 · 15-06-2018 09:40PM

umop episdn wrote: »

murpho999 wrote: »

Really it's a lot more stronger .

They would be if they were in a Toyota Corolla 30,000 feet up in the sky

There's WAY more than enough energy in the Corolla moving at 60 mph to kill and mutilate the bodies of all its occupants...... even at 0 feet off the ground.

corner of hells · 15-06-2018 09:42PM

I was at an airshow years ago where a small plane nosedived into the ground killing the pilot .The amount of idiots that ran towards the crash site was incredible blocking a route for rescue personnel.

I know a navy diver who recovered bodies from the Air India disaster. His pots are gone now , off his head completely.

Snotty · 15-06-2018 09:44PM

murpho999 wrote: »

Yes but cruising in the air is actually the safest part of flying.

Yup, it's the ground that's the hard bastard

fritzelly · 15-06-2018 09:48PM

Murray TheDemonic TalkingSkull wrote: »

Hitting an air pocket and dropping like a stone. Scary as fcuk.

Yup this is the closest and had it just recently - scared a good few people on the plane (myself included!)
Prefer to try and sleep thru flights, that way I won't know I'm dead on impact

But that child one is too stupid to comprehend

Canard · 15-06-2018 09:51PM

Deleted User wrote: »

I have distant relatives who used to take separate flights in case anything ever happened to them.
Then they would pile into the same rental car and head off driving on the wrong side of the road after having been awake all night travelling.

Wow that is grim, essentially when they board their separate flights (to go on holidays presumably) they're saying 'Bye, I think I'll never see you again'. :eek: In a reverse grim way, whenever I'm on a flight with all of my immediate family I think of how if the plane went down, at least none of us would be left mourning. :pac:

I've never had any close calls myself (thankfully), but I recall a few people posting online with their boarding passes for MH370 after having missed / not taken the flight for some reason. That would spook you for a long time.

The One Doctor · 15-06-2018 09:52PM

That Aeroflot A310 accident wasn't caused by a teenager. It was caused by the first officer not realising that the aircraft was in a spiral dive. Impressive that the aircraft stood up to the abuse and recovered. Pity about the ground getting in the way during the recovery though.

thecretinhop · 15-06-2018 09:54PM

I was flying back from Croatia a few years ago to cork airport. really old charter plane delayed 3 hours. I had 1 pint the whole rest of the cork passengers got off their head. looking out window saw mechanic walloping front wheel brake. the pilot looked like Alf from the t.v. show wearing a big Hawaiian shirt.
landed pure bedlam cork rednecks sing what will be will be front brake did not work full reverse thusters on the g force nuts thought I was gonna be in back to the future film. defo very scary I reckon we could have crashed and the cork lads would not have noticed.
the air hostess was not amused when a pink fat ginger woman in her 50s barfed up her fat frog on the way out...

Donald Trump · 15-06-2018 09:58PM

razorblunt wrote: »

I've watched Airplane 24 times.

Surely you can't be serious?

What is your closest encounter with an airplane crash?

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