Stuck in Rodchester

[A1TAPE]

We all know how the EXJ47 flight ended, a six hour nightmare for pax and crew. BUT if you were PIC, what would you have done. You contacted company 30 times with no answer, you are 50 yards from the terminal.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/22/business/22air.html

 

[Deleted member 27505]

Ok, I'll bite. What was the chain of events that led you to this 2009 article?
Sincerely,
Curious in Rochester.

p.s. one of my personal minimums rules: never land any airplane in Rochester after 2100.
p.p.s. rule revised and updated: never land any airplane in Minnesota after 2100.

 

[A1TAPE]

I think I read about it in the archives on here somewhere. Also why does Rochester get such a bad rap? and MSP is a hub so it should be fine after 2100. Other airports such as SWF and HPN are also accommodating to late night ops.

Personally what I would have done is assert my authority as PIC and get those people off. I would most likely send someone to get a portable stairs or something to get the pax off and find a way into the gate. If it was a CRJ even better, integral airstair built into the door. But I would tell those Mebasa agents to do something or get out of the way as we are deplaning one way or another. I also would have looked in the AFD to find the phone number for the Rochester airport manager or duty number and call it and inform them of the issue and to send someone right away that or expect to see a RJ parked in the middle of the ramp with the parking brake on.

 

[Screaming_Emu]

Rod Chester would be a pretty good stage name.

 

[Deleted member 27505]

Rod Chester would be a pretty good stage name.

Niiiiice!

Also why does Rochester get such a bad rap? and MSP is a hub so it should be fine after 2100. Other airports such as SWF and HPN are also accommodating to late night ops.

I can't help myself! I'm a Cheesehead!

Minnesota and Wisconsin are like Israel and Palestine; Chile and Peru; Norway and Sweden... you know, folks who are so similar to one another that they have to kill each other to demonstrate they're different.

 

[deadstick]

Signature is 24/7 and, since there are some intl flight for Mayo, I’d bet they have a means to deplane a 145.

 

[A1TAPE]

Im suprised the flight crew didnt just throw the mebasa crew to the wayside and get in the terminal on their own. Its NOT mebasas terminal its the airports. Also signature could have been a resource. Since the 145 is low enough they could have deplaned without airstairs by how they do it during evacs just at a slower pace then walk to the terminal and swipe inside somehow or use a jetbridge for access.

 

[milleR]

Im suprised the flight crew didnt just throw the mebasa crew to the wayside and get in the terminal on their own. Its NOT mebasas terminal its the airports. Also signature could have been a resource. Since the 145 is low enough they could have deplaned without airstairs by how they do it during evacs just at a slower pace then walk to the terminal and swipe inside somehow or use a jetbridge for access.

“Meh-SAH-bah”

 

[A1TAPE]

“Meh-SAH-bah”

OKaaayyyyy but WWYD?

 

[poser765]

Six hours stuck in a 145 on the ramp. I'm getting out. The pax are welcome to come with me. If I'm in the back...there is a pretty good chance I'd be evacuating under my own initiative.

 

[A1TAPE]

And how do you intend to get into the terminal? climb a jetbridge?

 

[poser765]

And how do you intend to get into the terminal? climb a jetbridge?

1. Who cares? I'm off the bloody airplane.

2. Are there people in the terminal? Law enforcement on the field? I'm pretty sure if I unload 50 people onto the ramp in a sterile area how they get into the terminal will quickly become someone else's problem.

2a. There are very few ramps I've been on that don't have some sort of unsecured door on ground level to get people out of the elements.

 

[deadstick]

Not considering the FBO makes me wonder if the CA and FO went to the airline right out of college at 190-ish hrs without ever having another flying job. They had the institutional thinking (must have jet bridge...) engrained early on and can’t think beyond the GOM or what they’re told specially to do.

 

[BobDDuck]

Not considering the FBO makes me wonder if the CA and FO went to the airline right out of college at 190-ish hrs without ever having another flying job. They had the institutional thinking (must have jet bridge...) engrained early on and can’t think beyond the GOM or what they’re told specially to do.

In 2009, chances are the captain had a least a few years in RJs prior to moving to the left seat, and had seen more than their share of irregular ops/random parking spots, to not be too glued to looking for a jetway.

 

[milleR]

In 2009, chances are the captain had a least a few years in RJs prior to moving to the left seat, and had seen more than their share of irregular ops/random parking spots, to not be too glued to looking for a jetway.

And yet it happened.

The far more interesting take away from this is why they did what they did.

I think many of us have experienced the regional hell of “every door is locked” “there’s no opps people” “wtf, dispatch is going to voicemail” “WHERE IS THE VAN”

But the give it up, let’s sit on the plane solution makes no sense to me at all. Hell, call 911 and have the sheriff come out and open the terminal.

 

[deadstick]

In 2009, chances are the captain had a least a few years in RJs prior to moving to the left seat, and had seen more than their share of irregular ops/random parking spots, to not be too glued to looking for a jetway.

That’s possible, too. I was basing my post on a few CA’s who upgraded and got an ATP with the ICAO PIC aeronautical experience limitation. They went from Fly U to the right seat.

 

[Autothrust Blue]

"Y'all came to the wrong damn neighborhood with that deathstar on your tail." - DGS or whatever they were at the time.

 

[Autothrust Blue]

Signature is 24/7 and, since there are some intl flight for Mayo, I’d bet they have a means to deplane a 145.

Yeah, I'd give up and go full GA, and expense it, should the occasion arise. We're getting off the airplane at some point.

 

[JEP]

Signature is 24/7 and, since there are some intl flight for Mayo, I’d bet they have a means to deplane a 145.

you would think so. I used to see themm quite a bit when flyign from KFCM to rochester......

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

The PIC lacked the intestinal fortitude to do the right thing, which was to get everyone off. It was incidents like these why we have the 3 hr "tarmac" DOT rule.


I question some of the stuff I've seen/heard out there and wonder how some guys got their ATPs? Like the crew in Vegas that blew a slide because the company told them to blow it now in order to save themselves from hitting the 3 hr limit. If the airline's operation fell apart that bad that the 3 hr rule is gonna be violated, then open up the checkbooks. I would never blow a slide on my plane to save a company some $$$$.