Turbulence Kills One

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Discussion

Jim H

Original Poster:

1,131 posts

196 months

Tuesday 21st May
quotequote all
I did a turbulence thread a few years ago.

This is shocking. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8889d7x8j4o

MOBB

3,812 posts

134 months

Tuesday 21st May
quotequote all
I was just reading that.

Came back from the USA last week and had some turbulence - I always convince myself that turbulence wont kill me............................

CLK-GTR

1,215 posts

252 months

Tuesday 21st May
quotequote all
Always wear your seatbelt when seated...

DanL

6,436 posts

272 months

Tuesday 21st May
quotequote all
MOBB said:
I was just reading that.

Came back from the USA last week and had some turbulence - I always convince myself that turbulence wont kill me............................
I suppose the “reassuring” thing is that turbulence heavy enough to result in a death still didn’t bring down the plane…

MitchT

16,223 posts

216 months

Tuesday 21st May
quotequote all
Bids a few questions...

Unrestrained pax? Restrained pax hit by unrestrained object? Turbulence within acceptable parameters or at a level where it should have been avoided?

Never ceases to amaze me how blasé people are about restraining themselves during bumpy flights. I'm always tightly strapped in except when I get up to go to the toilet, even when the going is smooth.

budgie smuggler

5,534 posts

166 months

Tuesday 21st May
quotequote all
DanL said:
I suppose the “reassuring” thing is that turbulence heavy enough to result in a death still didn’t bring down the plane…
I suppose it doesn;t really need to be that bad to kill somebody if they happen to fall in an unfortunate way, or if something came out of the overhead locker somehow.

Wonder if any aircraft manus will implement a turbulence cancellation feature now, like the one that person (student?) came up with. Think it feathered the flaps in real time in sort-of reverse phase to the effect of the turbulence to cancel it out.

eta link https://newatlas.com/aircraft/active-turbulence-ca...

HoHoHo

15,155 posts

257 months

Tuesday 21st May
quotequote all
I've been on a few rough flights over the years and one that springs to mind was from Sao Paulo last year.

We were being properly thrown around for hours and hours, another from Abu Dhabi to Manila again last year and again being bounced like a baby in a bouncy thing. Personally I'm not fussed because these machines are designed to be thrown around (and if you are in a bed I find it helps me sleep!) however I have often wondered why some folk think they don't need to belt themselves up when sitting, much like the sea the air can be a cruel mistress when it decides to be!

gotoPzero

18,154 posts

196 months

Tuesday 21st May
quotequote all
Its quite common for broken arms and legs. The issue is you are being floated up into the air but then if the timing is wrong you are coming down possibly when the aircraft is going up again. Can be pretty violent - only for a second but you are basically getting body slammed into bits of the cabin.

I can only guess what a fully loaded drinks trolley weighs too... 100kg?

I keep my belt on for 90% of all flights. I only take it off to get up and go to the toilet or if we have been in super still air for a while and its clear it can come off for a bit.

Flying anywhere tropical or where I can see any sort of weather or mountains.. belt is on for sure! It does not shock me this was down near Thailand.

Arrivalist

571 posts

6 months

Tuesday 21st May
quotequote all
CLK-GTR said:
Always wear your seatbelt when seated...
Indeed. Even after landing I leave mine on till we’ve come to a complete stop.

gotoPzero

18,154 posts

196 months

Tuesday 21st May
quotequote all
Does baffle me when you see the sign go off you immediately hear the seat belts unclick.

The plane is still travelling at 500mph folks...

Looking at FR24 it seems that it maybe happened just south of Bago in Burma.

At least it was a day time flight too!


Jim H

Original Poster:

1,131 posts

196 months

Tuesday 21st May
quotequote all
I’m flying tomorrow afternoon (only down to Malaga).

There is no doubt about it I will be fully belted up the whole flight. I try and make sure I won’t need the toilet for the flight also. If someone is sat next to me and request I move to let them out - same again. Belt straight back on.

To me it just makes perfect sense, after all, you are travelling in a large aluminium tube, at a respectable height at a considerable rate of knots. Things can happen quickly.

I really don’t feel any discomfort at all in wearing a belt full time, I honestly don’t know why others don’t. To me, I want to protect my own safety and others around to the best level possible.

Some good points already made - the aircraft landed.

blackmme

332 posts

90 months

Tuesday 21st May
quotequote all
Landed in Singapore 2hrs ago on the BA flight that was delayed by a couple of hours and departed only about 15m before the flight in question.
A little bit bumpy and a bit of a drop over India (I think) but absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.

Horribly random event, my seat belt remains fastened throughout the flight (I’ve seen the simulation videos).
Of course the poor soul killed and the injured might have been visiting the WC or Crew and just got caught out by a sudden event.

CLK-GTR

1,215 posts

252 months

Tuesday 21st May
quotequote all
budgie smuggler said:
I suppose it doesn;t really need to be that bad to kill somebody if they happen to fall in an unfortunate way, or if something came out of the overhead locker somehow.

Wonder if any aircraft manus will implement a turbulence cancellation feature now, like the one that person (student?) came up with. Think it feathered the flaps in real time in sort-of reverse phase to the effect of the turbulence to cancel it out.

eta link https://newatlas.com/aircraft/active-turbulence-ca...
787s and A350s already have this feature. Even with it, the masses and speeds involved mean its never going to be perfect.

Gargamel

15,215 posts

268 months

Tuesday 21st May
quotequote all
Arrivalist said:
CLK-GTR said:
Always wear your seatbelt when seated...
Indeed. Even after landing I leave mine on till we’ve come to a complete stop.
User name checks out...

captain_cynic

13,309 posts

102 months

Tuesday 21st May
quotequote all
CLK-GTR said:
Always wear your seatbelt when seated...
Yep, dollars to doughnuts I bet the deceased wasn't wearing a seatbelt.

On long haul flights I expect some turbulence these days, LHR-SIN is 12 hours.

Mabbs9

1,246 posts

225 months

Tuesday 21st May
quotequote all
CLK-GTR said:
787s and A350s already have this feature. Even with it, the masses and speeds involved mean its never going to be perfect.
We have Gust Load Alleviation on the 350 which is part of the main load alleviation functions. It doesn't have a huge effect in the cabin but does ease the load on the wing so helps a bit.

Edited by Mabbs9 on Tuesday 21st May 13:02

Abc321

562 posts

102 months

Tuesday 21st May
quotequote all
I am a nervous flyer, I'm fine if its smooth, its juts the turbulence I don't like.

I like to think I am relatively intelligent and rational person, HOWEVER as silly as it sounds (and I know it is silly), my fear is that the stress on the wings will force them to break and we will plummet to our death.

As another poster has said, this (for me atleast) is reassuring that my idiotic thinking is exactly that.

My last flight a month ago, i sat next to an aircraft engineer in the RAF and he said they are tested ten-fold more than they will ever encounter in real world conditions. Which I'm sure they are! It doesn't change my anxiety building up this week, for Saturday when I go away next!


DanL

6,436 posts

272 months

Tuesday 21st May
quotequote all
Abc321 said:
I am a nervous flyer, I'm fine if its smooth, its juts the turbulence I don't like.

I like to think I am relatively intelligent and rational person, HOWEVER as silly as it sounds (and I know it is silly), my fear is that the stress on the wings will force them to break and we will plummet to our death.

As another poster has said, this (for me atleast) is reassuring that my idiotic thinking is exactly that.

My last flight a month ago, i sat next to an aircraft engineer in the RAF and he said they are tested ten-fold more than they will ever encounter in real world conditions. Which I'm sure they are! It doesn't change my anxiety building up this week, for Saturday when I go away next!
I’m the same as you - logically I know it’s fine, but I hate turbulence. Hence my comment that it’s oddly reassuring that the plane landed. smile

Edit: you might prefer not to know the forecast, but I’ve found this site to be reasonably accurate (and reassuring in that I’m not worrying for the whole flight about if / when we might hit a few bumps): https://turbli.com/

Edited by DanL on Tuesday 21st May 12:48

Jim H

Original Poster:

1,131 posts

196 months

Tuesday 21st May
quotequote all
Abc321 said:
I am a nervous flyer, I'm fine if its smooth, its juts the turbulence I don't like.

I like to think I am relatively intelligent and rational person, HOWEVER as silly as it sounds (and I know it is silly), my fear is that the stress on the wings will force them to break and we will plummet to our death.

As another poster has said, this (for me atleast) is reassuring that my idiotic thinking is exactly that.

My last flight a month ago, i sat next to an aircraft engineer in the RAF and he said they are tested ten-fold more than they will ever encounter in real world conditions. Which I'm sure they are! It doesn't change my anxiety building up this week, for Saturday when I go away next!
Hi if you do a Google search for something like Pistonheads- Turbulence how serious is it?

You’ll probably find my old thread, the question of wing flex was addressed very well on it. I’m sure it will alleviate your fears.

Edit. Having said that? There were a few horror stories on that thread from other contributors and their experiences of Turbulence. Maybe not look up if you are nervous flyer!


Edited by Jim H on Tuesday 21st May 12:52

Downward

4,049 posts

110 months

Tuesday 21st May
quotequote all
captain_cynic said:
CLK-GTR said:
Always wear your seatbelt when seated...
Yep, dollars to doughnuts I bet the deceased wasn't wearing a seatbelt.

On long haul flights I expect some turbulence these days, LHR-SIN is 12 hours.
Wonder what the protocol is if the cabin crew are serving dinner. Do the pilots ask them to strap in and they have to get back quick with the trolley and secure this too ?