Unlocking Disaster Part 3 - Air crash investigation/Mayday

A Boeing 747 operating as United Airlines Flight 811 from Los Angeles to Auckland is above the Pacific Ocean when part of the RH forward fuselage rips off. An electrical short circuit caused the cargo door lock mechanism to fail and the cargo door was blown open by the force of the cabin pressurization. Nine people are ejected from the aircraft; some are still strapped to their seats. The Boeing 747 safely lands at Honolulu without any more loss of life.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Boeing
• 747
• operating
• as
• United
• Airlines
• Flight
• 811
• from
• Los
• Angeles
• to
• Auckland
• is
• above
• the
• Pacific
• Ocean
• when
• part
• of
• RH
• forward
• fuselage
• rips
• off
• An
• electrical
• short
• circuit
• caused
• cargo
• door
• lock
• mechanism
• fail
• and
• was
• blown
• open
• by
• force
• cabin
• pressurization
• Nine
• people
• are
• ejected
• aircraft
• some
• still
• strapped
• their
• seats
• The
• safely
• lands
• at
• Honolulu
• without
• any
• more
• loss
• life

[stormbreezemidnight]

why do they say for example, "811 heavy". what does the heavy stand for? does it mean that the aircraft is still packed with fuel. and if yes, at what percentage are ou too overweight to land?

[AirCrashMayday]

The "Heavy" on the callsign means that it is a Large aircraft ex: dc-10 , md - 11 , 747 , 757 , 767 , 777 like those planes are " Heavy " planes . it doesn't matter how much fuel is on the plane

[contemporaryjack]

first to comment and first question. Where is part 4?

[AirCrashMayday]

it's there

[tealmarlin]

Aviation is Like Women, when everything is going great, its the best thing in the world, but if something goes wrong, Look out!

[cs925]

I think the Pilot summed it up best; There but for the grace of God, go I. It is the sheer skill and heroics of flight crews that give me the residue of faith I have in the Airline industry. May the victims rest in peace. Thank you for posting!

[multiIFR]

@stormbreezemidnight if a plane is over 300, 000lbs its called heavy

[o0portal0o]

Falling for 4 minutes? Just a horrible thought. :'-(

[FallenxriseN]

Looking at how big the hole was gives me chills.

[SAMCAMJAIK1]

I'm not afraid to die because when I do I know i'll be in paradise with God!

[FLT111]

Unfortunatly Captain Cronin is no longer with us today, he passed away from a fatal heart attack on the 7th of October 2010 at the age of 81.

[skydiver1112003]

Heavy aircraft also create higher levels of wake vorticies off their wingtips, most often when they're flying clean without flaps or spoilers, requiring further seperation between aircraft when on final approach.

[Franicvos]

Good flight crew that was calm to handle the situation.

[juutuuberi]

"Heavy" means that this aircraft is in the heavy wake turbulence category.

[Kaitlynzxk]

May David RIP he is a great people