Turbulence aboard a MESA flight

Italianaviator

Well-Known Member
http://www.azdailysun.com/articles/2009/05/20/news/breaking/doc4a1490ed1c5b2897441914.txt

Bumpy ride aboard Mesa Air flight sends three to FMC



By DAILY SUN STAFF
Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Three people aboard a Mesa Air flight were taken to Flagstaff Medical Center with minor injuries after the plane’s descent during rough weather today.

The twin-engine turboprop reportedly encountered turbulence during its approach into Flagstaff Pulliam Airport. Two seat belts failed, flinging passengers into a flight attendant, said Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson Ian Gregor. <script language="javascript" src="http://www.azdailysun.com/shared-content/adsys/creative.js"></script> <script language="javascript" src="http://adsys.townnews.com/global/capped.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> <!-- aCampaigns = new Array(); aCampaigns[801] = 100; aAds = new Array(); nAdsysTime = new Date().getTime()/1000; document.usePlayer = 0; if ((nAdsysTime >= 1231286400) && (nAdsysTime <= 1546905599)) { aAd = new Array('news+video1', '166037-1231369190', 'flv'); aAd[3] = '320'; aAd[4] = '240'; aAd[5] = ''; aAd[6] = '1'; aAd[13] = '0'; aAd[14] = 'http://adsys.townnews.com/storage/1/6/166037_thumb.jpg'; aAd[15] = 50; aAd[7] = 10; aAd[8] = 0; aAd[9] = 801; aAd[10] = 0; aAd[11] = 0; aAds[aAds.length] = aAd; } adsys_displayAd('http://adsys.townnews.com', 'azdailysun.com', aAds, aCampaigns); // --> </script><script type="text/javascript">document.embededAd = {itemUrl: 'http://adsys.townnews.com/91128393/creative/azdailysun.com/news+video1/166037-1231369190.flv', itemLink: 'http://adsys.townnews.com/c16243724/creative/azdailysun.com/news+video1/166037-1231369190.flv?r=', preRoll: '1', itemType: 'flv'}; </script> The plane landed safely at 2:04 p.m.

Two passengers and a flight attendant on flight 2804 were immediately taken to FMC, where all are listed in good condition, said a hospital official.

The FAA is expected to investigate the accident.



My question is how do seat belts fail? Or is it just that those passengers didn't have them on?
 
On Mesa? Likely.

Mesa is actually the official airline of failure. Just kidding, put away the torches.
 
That sucks. I wonder how many other seatbelts might fail.

Who was Mesa operating this flight for?

US Airways out of PHX.

If you look at the track on flightaware, there were definitely storms in the area when they came in. AZ storms are often pretty dry and don't look bad on radar, but will toss you just the same.
 
The question I have is what TURBOPROP does Mesa operate?

They used to have some Dashes. Although I don't know which certificate they were on. I was within a biscuit toss of going there as a street captain on a dash due to a late-onset case of SJS. Luckily, I had a rare flash of good sense and didn't show for the interview. They cancelled the program shortly thereafter due to a washout rate that was something like 85%. Phew!
 
Would it be the same Dash 8 in previous posts? I bet they just MEL'd the right engine and called it good! ;)

:banghead: I'm tired. I think its bed time, but then again I don't have to worry about NIFA kids walking around my aircraft all day. ;) j/k tell them to go away. :panic:
 
:banghead: I'm tired. I think its bed time, but then again I don't have to worry about NIFA kids walking around my aircraft all day. ;) j/k tell them to go away. :panic:
LOL! You have no idea what I have in plan for them today! I love how everyone on the ramp stops what they are doing to watch me taxi or start my engines.
 
LOL! You have no idea what I have in plan for them today! I love how everyone on the ramp stops what they are doing to watch me taxi or start my engines.
HAHAHAHA, don't run them away too much. Our mechanics are amazed and talking about the competition every time we get back in the evening. Seems to me that they make their own turbulence.
 
Flying into Flagstaff can be very turbulent...first time I went in there with Horizon, we got our butts handed to us...I think I have some pics still of the the thunderstorm we were flying around.
 

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Ah the PHX-FLG route. It's a pretty short ride on a normal day and you rarely go over 14,000. It's a fun little ride on a nice day!:) I wouldn't hesitate to agree that the seatbelts failed considering the current and previous state of MAG's maintenance program. Some serious penny pinching going on!:rolleyes:
 
Betchya a dollar they didn't have their seatbelts on.

Commuting to work in moderate turbulence a few weeks ago, I look down the aisle and I see the male end of some ladies seatbelt dangling on the side of her seat...
 
Seatbelt failed? Perhaps operator failure, the seatbelts on the Dash are pretty damn secure.

We have Dashes on the YV certificate and until recently 1900s on the ZV cert.
 
I was really surprised how many people couldn't operate seatbelts in the cherokee they're the same as every airliner I've been on.
 
They're just afraid to be in the plane with you and lost all sense of reasoning! ;)
 
That could definitely have something to do with it given the way their hands shake while trying to line up the tab and buckle.
 
"...how come all of my passengers have Tourette's Syndrome?" :)
 
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