Preliminary report for Yeti ATR crash

[Boris Badenov]

My dad was 10

My dad was *counts on fingers* 41. Wait, what score wins?

 

[Wardogg]

My dad was *counts on fingers* 41. Wait, what score wins?

My currently alive grandmother was 45.

 

[Roger Roger]

My dad was *counts on fingers* 41. Wait, what score wins?

The thing is, you still look the same as you did back when you offered to let me stow away in the MU2 like 20 years ago.
There’s a portrait of Boris somewhere in an attic in Kentucky that’s looking older by the day.

 

[Boris Badenov]

The thing is, you still look the same as you did back when you offered to let me stow away in the MU2 like 20 years ago.
There’s a portrait of Boris somewhere in an attic in Kentucky that’s looking older by the day.

Should have taken me up on that, I could have introduced you to Satan and the Dark Arts. But also, we breed *really* late in my family, as a consistent rule, like my cousin-the-genealogist has made a pretty convincing case that we're a couple of generations behind other Murcans at this point. I'm hoping that I'll feature in the 23rd century version of "THIS DUDE'S FATHER WAS BORN IN PREHISTORY" clickbait.

 

[MikeD]

Way back when, DL almost lost a 767 off LAX due to someone turning off both engine switches…caused a big shift in the CRM culture at Delta, if memory serves me correct.

Then recovered a few hundred feet above the Pacific and flew on to CVG like nothing happened. Mid 80s I think, back when Delta had many high profile incidents and accidents. Now look at them today, to be that size and run so safely for decades is very impressive.

It was a number of incidents in a short timeframe that got Delta in the FAAs gunsights.

Delta Air Lines got their ops audited by an FAA Special Inspection in the late 1980s (1987), with numerous accidents and incidents occurring in a short timeframe...within about 3 years.

Delta was re-inspected in 1988, and had instituted major changes in the below noted deficiencies by 1989.

- The Delta L-1011 that get about 60 miles off course on the North Atlantic Track, passing just underneath a CAL 747.
- Delta 767 departing LAX where Capt shuts down both engines, luckily restarting them prior to ditching into the Pacific. Then continuing the flight to CVG.
- Delta jet wrong-airport landing, like has happened to other airlines, mistaking Frankfort Ky for Lexington.
- Delta jet landing on wrong parallel at CVG.
- Delta 191 landing accident DFW
- Delta 1141 takeoff accident DFW (post audit)

In part, the FAA's 1987 special inspection of Delta, which came about due to these incidents occurring in such a short timeframe, found items (at the time) such as "observed instances of a breakdown of communications, a lack of crew coordination, and lapses of discipline in Delta's cockpits." as well as a "...lack of organization, coordination, standardization and discipline in the cockpit that can be attributed to minimal guidance in the flight manuals and a lack of direction from those who develop, supervise and manage flight training and standardization programs"

Also noted by the inspection team were inadequate manuals and procedures, with a recommendation made that "Delta Air Lines study, develop, and publish specific crew duties for each crewmember. These functions should be placed in applicable manuals, and checking phases."

With regards to training, checking and standardization, it was observed that "on numerous occasions on which check airman conducted excessive training during check rides...." and that "Additionally, the 1987 special inspection team report noted that Delta's check airmen were not upholding a high level of standards on proficiency checks," and that "the team observed that orals are in general very brief, questions shallow, and the standard of knowledge low." The FAA Inspection team found documented cases of check airman failing to record unsatisfactory performances by Delta pilots. To the FAA, this constituted a violation of 14 CFR 121.401(c).

It was recommended that better documentation of unsatisfactory performance be maintained, and that "Delta's management needs to give serious consideration to the implications of tolerating minimum standards in training and on proficiency checks." Delta was also ordered to adopt many of Western Airlines’ training and checking practices; the airline they were acquiring at the time.

So basically, no one airline or operation is immune to problems or rough patches in their time. The best airline today, could've had a very rocky time before, and vice versa. Sometimes, the gyros need to be completely re-caged at an organization.

 

[MikeD]

Holy crap...did not expect that..

How does that even happen? Not even the same feel/motion even if your hand is in the wrong place. Not to mention 2 levers with the handles feeling completely different and the sudden changes in flight characteristics and sounds that are not flap related. Just wow.

Quite possibly reached for them in some sort of muscle memory reach while doing another task, And misjudged it. By the time of realization, there was likely some mental delay surrounding the shock of either “what just happened?” or “what have I done?” And by that time, too late for any reversal of that action to take any positive effect.

Sad part is, absolutely nothing wrong with the airplane.