Blackbox - 03 - Crash Detectives - Part 1 of 5

[Elemarth]

Quit with the "alligator-infested swamp" stuff already! Okay, so swimming in water with alligators isn't really a good idea, but in a boat, or right after a plane crash, the alligators are going to stay away because it's obvious you're too big for them. You can keep alligators away when you're swimming just by splashing a lot. They're not that scary.

[MsYumo]

<3 Greg Feith

[ChristopherSaindon]

Left Left Left Left.. God bless you Al Haynes! "Sully" gets a ton of compliments

and for good reason, but I will never forget how you managed to put a DC10 down

at 250mph and save MANY of your passengers. Sioux City 1989. You are one of my favorite pilots, along with Dennis Fitch, "Sully," and one other Capt. who didn't make it -- Capt. Lux from the DC10 in Chicago in 1979. I REALLY believe he managed to push that hopeless jet over just enough to miss sozens of kids just out of school..

[faffaflunkie]

Amazing 1996 technology.

[suelizjohnson]

There are four commercial pilots in my family (two retired) and none have ever experienced anything other than routine course of events... Two uncles (bomber pilots) lost their lives in WWII... but they were shot down. We have a "token" ATC too (sis in law)... BUT I'm like ChristopherSaindon's grandfather, I prefer being in control of a very dangerous car and just CRINGE to have to fly but fly I must if I want to see MY grandchildren in Europe and down under....

[ChristopherSaindon]

@suelizjohnson Sorry to hear that about your Uncles;

I appreciate the fact that they gave their lives for my freedom..

One other thing about my Grandfather (who I miss more as I

get older) is that he helped nail some REALLY big war criminal in

Germany and had all kinds of medals from WWII. He never told

us about any of it. I found out at his funeral. It was unreal. All three

are together now and we'll all see each other some day :-)

[JetsSuck2008]

A player from the San Diego Chargers was on this flight. He and his wife were killed in the Value Jet.

[ChristopherSaindon]

Funny story (please everyone unsympathetic don't completely torch me :-) -- After that crash I found the NTSB process remarkable as did my sister. We used to build big I mean BIG lego "airliners," put as many people in there as we could then close our eyes and throw it into out basement (about 16 stairs down). It had a concrete floor, and we'd go down there with little toothpick "flags," mark the people, mark the "scars" and try to figure out where it hit, and who survived and died..

[ChristopherSaindon]

I appreciate that my friend :-) just out of curiosity do you read any, many, or as in my case most of the NTSB accident reports? Some of them are absolutely incredible. The August 16, 1987 crash in Detroit was really shocking. I remember watching cartoons on May 25, 1979 when they interrupted the prog. with news that an American Airlines DC-10 flight 191 had crashed just after takeoff. My mom's good friend and coworker was on board. That's how I became so interested. (Cont'd)

[helsinkisuomi]

I don't know how those people can work at the crash site. I am nervous from LOOKING at the alligators!

[dbritton41]

That's crazy video that person recorded on that flight at the beginning of this video...It's shocking how it happens in just a "second" next thing you know all those passengers are jumping out the emergency exits!!

There's really no "my life just flashed b4 me moment" It happened in an instant. That is terrifying!! Thank God those people made it to safety.

People post comments that say "at least if I was driving I'd be in control" If it's our time to go..I'm pretty certain it's our time..

[helsinkisuomi]

For real, this is the only video I have seen of an aircraft accident in progress from inside!

[thedayitriedtodie]

ntsb ppl are crazy.., they go check accidents and they fly there.

[pete5668]

@thedayitriedtodie i know... who will investigate their crash if they crash? And what if those investigators who come to investigate the investigators' plane crash crash? And what if the investigators who come to investigate the investigators of the investigators of the original plane crash crash?

[helsinkisuomi]

Perhaps. But it's the quickest way to get there.

[skylineXpert]

i am curious about the way of treating the black boxes before extracting data, why are they doing it

[ChristopherSaindon]

Three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics. A good person with decent math skills could "prove" driving a car with white socks is more dangerous than driving one with yellow ones. Wouldn't mean a thing. Yes, by the numbers flying is ABSOLUTELY the safest way to go. But there was my Grandfather with his simple wisdom telling me "I know that Chris. I like being in control of my very dangerous car. I have something to say about it before I die." I certainly understand this too!

[helsinkisuomi]

Would I be far off if I guess that your grandfather would at least know that he did everything he could to control his dangerous car? Sometimes people (myself included) do second-guess other peoples' action, etc.

[ChristopherSaindon]

No that would be his argument and he certainly would have done (and in fact always did) everything in his power to avoid an accident. He actually drove a semi for over 25 years and had a spotless record :-) He just died recently at 88. One thing the Flight 585 and 427 737 episodes fail to mention is the almost comical lack of data the FDR logged. I believe Flight 427 had 5 parameters - FIVE! - the Wright Brothers had that many.. I hope this has been improved on since the crashes.

[helsinkisuomi]

I think there are a lot more parameters being recorded now. This show is kinda old. Also, sorry to hear about the passing of your grandpa. A good driver he was indeed.

[111teamomori]

Greg Feith may indeed be the man however that jumper could possibly be the most hideous garment i have ever witnessed.

[matildawong]

Greg Feith is the man.

[keduardop]

the cabin crew did an excellent job

[celticlofts]

Ive always felt uncomfortable with this one in a million chance of being involved in an air accident. The fact is the poorer you are the less likely you are of being involved in such an accident simply because poor people seldom fly. Its people living in rich Countries who are more likely to die in a crash. Those odds they talk about just dropped quite a bit.

[jokeface2]

thanks for posting!

[Shardith]

Holy crap. That video of a real emergency evacuation was terrifying. I could tell that plane wasn't slowing down much on that slick runway.

[camilleri63]

BJones - THANKS so much for posting this great series! I have been searching for it for a long time, and it is as good as I remember :) Cheers!

[6949paul]

Greg Feith looks young back then in 96!

[mmp3pets]

@6949paul all those crashes take their toll

[flint55]

I take it BlackBox was aired in the U.K. In the U.S. it was aired as Survival in the Skies in 1996. Great series that concentrates on the events and doesn't muddled with recreations and overdone special visual and audio effects.

[cutekev1]

Look at 4.15, There is what appears a UFO flying behind the guy being interviewed ! ???

[textthing]

Flying is statistically the safest form of transport? Sorry, don't think that's true.

[jaredgulick]

then your stupid

[textthing]

Sorry, but that's not an argument. Prove it.

[flyerholland]

.. dude just search it up.. still till today its statistically the safest.. more people die in car accidents then plane accidents

[textthing]

I wasn't referring to cars. I'm pretty sure train travel is safest by far. Planes have far more to go wrong with them, are far more likely to suffer disaster due to human error, and travel at very high speeds. Add to this the fact that it is highly unlikely anyone will survive a crash.

[staggiboy]

Actually mate there are more commercial train crashes every year than plane crashes

[textthing]

Well, "mate", where do you get that from?

[staggiboy]

Well im not an idiot for starters, also i've found a oage that proves this however youtube won't let me paste the link. (taken from an article about air traffic's increase on the bbc website) "However, UK airline operations are among the safest anywhere. When compared against all other modes of transport on a fatality per mile basis air transport is the safest - six times safer than travelling by car and twice as safe as rail."

[textthing]

Well, you've really strengthened your argument, with your not being an idiot and all, which is reassuring. I wouldn't trust the BBC on "UK airline operations" as far as I could drag them over a bed of rusty nails.

[munkchop]

Never mind challenging everyone else - you made the comment, you back it up.

[textthing]

I just did. Assertions by industry as to how safe industry is aren't reassuring, and neither are studies paid for by industry. But live in a fool's paradise if you want.

[munkchop]

No you didn't. You just said why the industry shouldn't be believed. You've said nothing to back up your claim that air travel is not statistically the safest form of transport. Nor have said why its a fool's paradise.

[textthing]

I did not say that air trabel was not statistically the safest form of transport. I said the claim was not to be believed, since those who make (and defend) such claims have a vested interest in doing so.

[munkchop]

That's defensible, but that's not what you originally said. You said the claim wasn't true. It can still be true, even if the industry is not credible.

[textthing]

Well, I could quote what I said, but I'll paraphrase: I don't think it's true. And it may be true even if the industry is not credible, but I'll wait until some credible source comes up with some proof.

[Pro1331]

....but I'm pretty sure the average person still spends more time driving a car than, for example, flying on a plane.

[flyerholland]

yea but lets say in like ur driving time is 1000 hours on a car.. u have way more chance to die then 1000 hours on a plane

[kcy29581]

Even factoring that in, you're still far less likely to die on a plane.

[Pro1331]

Yes, it's unlikely. But if the same thing that happens on a car, happens on a plane, you're not just going to pull over, or tell the pilot to let you handle it yourself. You're a sitting duck then. Look mate, even if it's unlikely, at the end of the day, it's because airlines invest so much in maintenance and training. Thus, the fear that something could go wrong, and the concern for safety ...that is exactly what raises awareness and makes it unlikely.

[kcy29581]

You could say that about a lot of things, though. Whatever the reason is to make it unlikely, it's still unlikely and that's a good thing, right? :)

[Pro1331]

Yeah, you're right. I just get a bit paranoid sometimes. I do hope maintenance workers think exactly like me though.

But you're right. There are thousands of planes flying every minute, and almost nothing ever happens. I read in a statistic somewhere, that if the average man spent his entire life on a plane, flying. He would be 120 years old until a crash happens, or something like that. Thus, almost impossible.

[avidalocan]

At the end of the Blaming The Pilot episode I think he says "If someone randomly got on a plane anywhere in the world every day, it would be 26,000 years before he crashed. And he would probably survive the crash also." Obviously that doesn't mean flying 24/7, but it also alludes to the idea that statistically more than 50% of passengers and crew survive crashes. I didn't know it was that high.

[celticlofts]

Between the years 1983 and 2000 there were 568 air crashes in the United States alone. Of the 52,000 people involved 95% walked away. That's from the NTSB.

[sherribailey75]

greg feith is the MAN!

[RMJX1980X]

CONNIE