Accident aircraft return to service

MikeD

MikeD

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Here's an odd thing I was thinking of today as I was researching various materials for one of my upcoming Aircraft Accident Analyses. What's everyone's opinion on a commercial aircraft involved in an accident with fatalities being put back in service? The question stems from back in college my first year, when the United 811 (N4713U) accident occurred with the cargo door tearing off inflight and numerous passengers being blown out and fatally injured prior to the aircraft being recovered back to PHNL due to Capt David Cronin and his crew's experience and professionalism. One of the fallouts from that accident was criticism of United Airlines' decision to repair the aircraft and place it back into service, giving it a new N-number (N4724U). It flew for more years with United before being sold to Air Dabia as C5-FBS, eventually being removed from service and placed in storage at the former Plattsburgh AFB in 2000, and scrapped in 2004.

Opinions on United's decision (or any airline) to return the aircraft to service, or should it have been scrapped since it was "that plane that the people died on" vis-a-vis public relations purposes?

Photo: United 811 damage 25 Feb 1989 (I like the old United livery)
 

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I don't think most of the general public would even be aware of it after it's all fixed up. I just don't see with that much damage how the a/c could ever be fixed to the point of pre-accident condition. I think it's more of a safety concern than a PR one but, I am no engineer.
 
Discovery had a segment on a large aircraft repair team that pretty much came to the plane and fixed it. On the show i believe they replaced the rear pressure bulkhead, and fabricated some new composites for it.

pretty crazy. Airplanes are one of those things, where it seems that if the money is right, anything can be fixed. Honestly, I have no issue with it, to me it would be like closing a sidewalk that somebody was murdered on or something like that.
 
Are you kidding? The public can't remember what happened five minutes ago.

Wait...what are we talking about?
 
Wouldn't bother me a bit. If it's deemed airworthy, I'm going.
 
About two years ago, I flew a 182 that was in a fatal accident in the late 60's or early 70's. I really did think it was kind of creepy sitting the same seat, flying it out of the same airport as the pilot who was killed in it.

Alex.
 
I think it's just fine as long as they repair it to Part 25 standards. It's unreasonable to expect them to write off an airplane just because someone was killed. Just look at the numbers. The general public has been buying tickets on United.
 
MikeD said:
Here's an odd thing I was thinking of today as I was researching various materials for one of my upcoming Aircraft Accident Analyses. What's everyone's opinion on a commercial aircraft involved in an accident with fatalities being put back in service? The question stems from back in college my first year, when the United 811 (N4713U) accident occurred with the cargo door tearing off inflight and numerous passengers being blown out and fatally injured prior to the aircraft being recovered back to PHNL due to Capt David Cronin and his crew's experience and professionalism. One of the fallouts from that accident was criticism of United Airlines' decision to repair the aircraft and place it back into service, giving it a new N-number (N4724U). It flew for more years with United before being sold to Air Dabia as C5-FBS, eventually being removed from service and placed in storage at the former Plattsburgh AFB in 2000, and scrapped in 2004.

Opinions on United's decision (or any airline) to return the aircraft to service, or should it have been scrapped since it was "that plane that the people died on" vis-a-vis public relations purposes?

Photo: United 811 damage 25 Feb 1989 (I like the old United livery)
Click to expand...
oh man, I was on that plane on the same route a few weeks before that happened.

If the airframe can be repaired I see no problem with returning to service
 
Not that anyone was killed, but I always scratch my head a little bit when I fly N470ZW. It was the plane that crashed in PVD a couple years ago. Whenever I do my walk around, I look at the left wing, and say wow I can't believe this wing was completely broken off the airplane and I am about to fly it. I couldn't imagine flying a plane like the 747 of United's.

Talk about crazy, what if they repaired the US AIR plane that went into the Hudson? I don'tthink they are going to but if they did, that would be weird.
 
N286WN

I don't hear calls to tear-down every house in which someone has died unnaturally. I figure it would be correct to have the same regard for vehicles.
 
What about that airliner in which the captain died of natural causes a few weeks ago? If you are going to scrap all planes that had people die in them, then shouldn't that one be scrapped too?
 
N18040 said:
What about that airliner in which the captain died of natural causes a few weeks ago? If you are going to scrap all planes that had people die in them, then shouldn't that one be scrapped too?
Click to expand...

The original question concerned an aircraft involved in an accident being rebuilt.....a major accident like UA 811. Not someone simply dying aboard.

Now, answer that. :)
 
Yeah I would have no problem with flying an aircraft that had been damaged in an accident as long as it had been returned to an airworthy status.
 
N18040 said:
Yeah I would have no problem with flying an aircraft that had been damaged in an accident as long as it had been returned to an airworthy status.
Click to expand...

Same. Back in college we had a 172 that successfully landed following a midair. Bent wing, pounded-in dented fuselage. Rebuilt, and flew better than when it was undamaged!

The 811 jet was just one accident where there was major damage, and people were accusing United of trying to hide which plane it was due to the N-number change following the repairs.
 
We can't build a shrine every time some one dies. Get over it people we aren't that important and we all die. The world moves on even if you aren't.
 
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