Comments on: Weather and Air France 447 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2009/06/07/weather-and-air-france-447/ Same old blog, brand new place Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:56:07 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Doc Searls http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2009/06/07/weather-and-air-france-447/comment-page-1/#comment-176100 Doc Searls Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:51:57 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/?p=1692#comment-176100 Tony, that is the question in this case. Thunderstorms are normally avoided. Check out <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_France_Flight_447#Weather_conditions" rel="nofollow">the wikipedia entry for this flight</a>. Some writers are doing impressive work keeping up with the current state of affairs with the whole thing. Rather clearly the plane was either destroyed by extreme turbulence, or so beyond control that it fell into the sea -- a horror either way. What isn't clear is whether the pilots took a chance they should not have. I am sure that the information they had at hand (provided by advance reports and onboard avionics) gave them confidence that they could thread their way between thunderheads -- and that the storms grew around them, so they had no available path other than punching their way through the least awful thunderhead. Without the flight data and voice recordings we won't know. Even then it may not be clear. Investigations of crashes like these often (perhaps mostly) end up pointing to "pilot error." Given the fact that a plane flew into a thunderstorm and didn't come out, that's an easy conclusion to reach. Though it still might not be the right one. Tony, that is the question in this case. Thunderstorms are normally avoided. Check out the wikipedia entry for this flight. Some writers are doing impressive work keeping up with the current state of affairs with the whole thing.

Rather clearly the plane was either destroyed by extreme turbulence, or so beyond control that it fell into the sea — a horror either way. What isn’t clear is whether the pilots took a chance they should not have. I am sure that the information they had at hand (provided by advance reports and onboard avionics) gave them confidence that they could thread their way between thunderheads — and that the storms grew around them, so they had no available path other than punching their way through the least awful thunderhead. Without the flight data and voice recordings we won’t know. Even then it may not be clear.

Investigations of crashes like these often (perhaps mostly) end up pointing to “pilot error.” Given the fact that a plane flew into a thunderstorm and didn’t come out, that’s an easy conclusion to reach. Though it still might not be the right one.

]]> By: Doc Searls Weblog · Weather and Air France 447 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2009/06/07/weather-and-air-france-447/comment-page-1/#comment-175667 Doc Searls Weblog · Weather and Air France 447 Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:59:23 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/?p=1692#comment-175667 [...] Read more here: Doc Searls Weblog · Weather and Air France 447 [...] [...] Read more here: Doc Searls Weblog · Weather and Air France 447 [...]

]]> By: tony http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2009/06/07/weather-and-air-france-447/comment-page-1/#comment-175476 tony Tue, 09 Jun 2009 22:22:32 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/?p=1692#comment-175476 Will someone please tell me why pilots choose to fly through such turbulent weather. I fly often and it is not pleasant to feel a plane bounce around... even in mild turbulence. I know I would appreciate a pilot telling the passengers that we are turning around and going back, or simply taking a detour to another airport. Come on... safety first. Will someone please tell me why pilots choose to fly through such turbulent weather. I fly often and it is not pleasant to feel a plane bounce around… even in mild turbulence. I know I would appreciate a pilot telling the passengers that we are turning around and going back, or simply taking a detour to another airport. Come on… safety first.

]]> By: TedC http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2009/06/07/weather-and-air-france-447/comment-page-1/#comment-175190 TedC Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:29:04 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/?p=1692#comment-175190 Very interesting about the South Atlantic Anomaly. I though about that when I first heard where the plane went down. Such a high tech plane in such an electrically volatile zone. Our technology can only get us so far in this world, the rest is luck. The passengers are in our thoughts. Very interesting about the South Atlantic Anomaly. I though about that when I first heard where the plane went down. Such a high tech plane in such an electrically volatile zone. Our technology can only get us so far in this world, the rest is luck. The passengers are in our thoughts.

]]> By: Susan http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2009/06/07/weather-and-air-france-447/comment-page-1/#comment-174878 Susan Mon, 08 Jun 2009 02:20:11 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/?p=1692#comment-174878 It is a disaster for the Plane Crash Victims' Families. God rest them. It is a disaster for the Plane Crash Victims’ Families.

God rest them.

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