Slat hanging out during flight

There's a book called Airframe by Michael Chrichton that is about an investigation of an accident of an aircraft similar to a 747 in which the slats deployed in flight and cause a tragedy. I'd recommend the book to any of you guys, it is a good read. It is fiction but it's still pretty good.
 
I'm not a jet guy, but here's what I think...

The slat's purpose is to decrease the stall speed.It does create more drag in the process, so it might have caused some rolling or yawing, but I don't think it's a major problem because all the crew probably did was lower the speed to below the maximum speed where the slats could be extended (and altitude correspondingly). Then they probably just used aileron and rudder trim to keep it going straight. Just a guess. I wonder if it freaked any pax out.
 
If it was a 757, you'd be restricted to 240 knots. A 767, 250 knots. Can make quite an impact on your flight plan but if you got the fuel, I guess you could do it.
 
I think it's about 280 in the MD-88/90, but chances are, you'll have to land short because of the projected fuel burn with the extra drag and the potential inabilitiy to climb into the flight levels with that type of a speed restriction.
 
slushie said:
isnt there a reg that requires a landing ASAPracticable after failure of a system?
Click to expand...

Nope. Else there'd be airliners landing short of their destination every few seconds.
 
"isnt there a reg that requires a landing ASAPracticable after failure of a system"

Yeah, only one hydraulic system remaining, one source of electrical power remaining, engine failure in a two engine jet, a fire that can't be confirmed as out, or Capts descretion.
 
I'm sure it's just me - but the lighting on that looks really photoshopped. I'm sure it's legit, it is just a weird picture.
 
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