AA flight from Phoenix to San Antonio suffers extensive damage in hailstorm

Photos show damage to American Airlines plane from hail storm following emergency landing

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2018/0...y-landing.html

An American Airlines flight en route to Phoenix from San Antonio on Sunday made an emergency landing in El Paso due to “damage sustained by weather” during the flight, Fox 4 News reported.

Flight 1897 left San Antonio International Airport at 6:57 p.m. and landed safely at 8:03 p.m. MT, the airline confirmed.The Airbus A319 had 130 passengers and five crew members.

http://a57.foxnews.com/images.foxnew....jpg?ve=1&tl=1

Well, I can imagine that was quite a tense landing with no forward view... But for a second, imagine this is your first solo flight in an engineless aircraft, a sailplane. You only have one shot at landing and right before final you fly through some rain, which completely fogs up the canopy... No passengers and no damage but a blind landing. It was exactly what happened on my first solo flight.

There are two options, either you become scared and do nothing or you don't even notice that you take all the necessary/appropriate actions...

Is that dirt on the nose?

Hail did that?

That must be some killer hail.

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Originally Posted by luctor-et-emergo

Well, I can imagine that was quite a tense landing with no forward view... But for a second, imagine this is your first solo flight in an engineless aircraft, a sailplane. You only have one shot at landing and right before final you fly through some rain, which completely fogs up the canopy... No passengers and no damage but a blind landing. It was exactly what happened on my first solo flight.

There are two options, either you become scared and do nothing or you don't even notice that you take all the necessary/appropriate actions...

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http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/779...x1-940x940.jpg

Watch in Real Time as American Airlines 1897 Tries to Escape a Hail Storm From Hell

Combining weather map with flight tracking reveals the rambling path an American Airlines plane flew as it tried to escape a horrible hail storm.


https://s26.postimg.cc/royt45809/hai...1528296272.jpg

The incredible pictures of the plane's destroyed nose captured the world's attention. Meanwhile, though, observers on the ground captured another wild visual: the flight's meandering real-time path as pilots tried to navigate around the worst of the monster storm.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/fli...m-flight-path/

@Danke , do something!

Why didn't they route south, around the bulk of it, into clear air to the south?

Distance and fuel?

Or are there issues crossing into Mexican airspace?

https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod...1528208586.png

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Originally Posted by Anti Federalist

@Danke , do something!

Why didn't they route south, around the bulk of it, into clear air to the south?

Distance and fuel?

Or are there issues crossing into Mexican airspace?

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Hard to say from the little information I have. Maybe his mistress was waiting for him in Phoenix.

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Originally Posted by Danke

Hard to say from the little information I have. Maybe his mistress was waiting for him in Phoenix.

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His?

Check your privilege.

Might have been LGTBQ2PXYZ

On the pro airline pilot forum the current speculation is that there was radar attenuation going on... basically the radar reading in the cockpit was inaccurate because the storm was soooo bad

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Originally Posted by Matt Collins

On the pro airline pilot forum the current speculation is that there was radar attenuation going on... basically the radar reading in the cockpit was inaccurate because the storm was soooo bad

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My flight experience is almost all VFR GA, so I have not fussed with any instruments to any great degree other than the standard six pack.

This is possible on "S" band marine radars, but I figured onboard aviation radar would be much higher frequency, less prone to attenuation and "clutter".

What is that brown stuff on the nose of the plane?

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Originally Posted by Anti Globalist

What is that brown stuff on the nose of the plane?

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Part of the thunderstorm that got stuck.

http://a57.foxnews.com/images.foxnew....jpg?ve=1&tl=1

Good thing this Airbus has a side window that opens.

Attachment 6009

O.K. in all seriously. If I was flying that route and saw that weather on my radar, I'd fly way north to avoid it. If I didn't have the fuel to continue, I'd divert to another airport to refuel. I would never get close to a thunderstorm like that, once a Captain I was with choose to pick his way between some cells that made me uncomfortable, he was ultimately right and nothing came of it.

However, I am very conservative and as an old fuck, I tell a not so conservative stick mate, no, we are going to go well around it. Just the other day, we had already seated the passengers. I said lets seat the fight attendants too as it looked as it was going to get bumpy. The captain looked surprised, but later thanked me as it ended up being pretty bad for anyone not seated with seatbelts on.

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Originally Posted by Anti Globalist

What is that brown stuff on the nose of the plane?

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Yeah, I'd have to surmise from the shape of the damage to the cone and the dirt residue, that cone damage was not caused by hail or ice.

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Originally Posted by Brian4Liberty

Yeah, I'd have to surmise from the shape of the damage to the cone and the dirt residue, that cone damage was not caused by hail or ice.

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Could be a tumbleweed.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Danke

O.K. in all seriously. If I was flying that route and saw that weather on my radar, I'd fly way north to avoid it. If I didn't have the fuel to continue, I'd divert to another airport to refuel. I would never get close to a thunderstorm like that, once a Captain I was with choose to pick his way between some cells that made me uncomfortable, he was ultimately right and nothing came of it.

However, I am very conservative and as an old fuck, I tell a not so conservative stick mate, no, we are going to go well around it. Just the other day, we had already seated the passengers. I said lets seat the fight attendants too as it looked as it was going to get bumpy.

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Where did you seat them?

Quote:

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The captain looked surprised, but later thanked me as it ended up being pretty bad for anyone not seated with seatbelts on.

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I bet he did.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Danke

O.K. in all seriously. If I was flying that route and saw that weather on my radar, I'd fly way north to avoid it. If I didn't have the fuel to continue, I'd divert to another airport to refuel. I would never get close to a thunderstorm like that,

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Good ADM

This is why one should always fly 757 and 767s through storm-cells, they are invincible enough to slice through the worlds tallest buildings and completely bury themselves under solid earth.