That's a reference to the Black Knight from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." King Arthur cuts an arm off, and he says, "'Tis but a scratch." He loses another arm and says "It's only a flesh wound." Then loses one leg, then another, still insisting that he can win the fight.
Mates, Airag at Bankstown in Sydney Australia can fix that, no worries!! Just bring it in and we will have it back in no time!! Nice bit of English wheel work, and a few rivets???
Charlotte?!!! Ok, within 40 miles of CLT there are plenty of "Redneck engineers" fully supplied with bubble gum, bailing wire and gauze pads. Fix 'er right up for ya
Its Crazy cause I took these pictures of 288 like a month before it happened.. http://flightaware.com/photos/view/2895689-b4ad551f7da9e147e71e4d4435587c8e170c32cf/user/ryan1549/sort/votes/page/2
I wonder if the root cause of the problem has been addressed. Find a better way to locate/identify parked aircraft. Surely there is Apple App for that!?!
From: http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=172788 Accident date Dec 1, 2014
An American Airlines cleaning truck #FR062 driven by a cleaning lead, entered the hard stand across from the Base maintenance hangar at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) with the intent of locating a specific aircraft (A321, N507AY) to conduct a scheduled clean. As was the station norm during night operations the driver angled towards the nose gear as they approached each aircraft to use the headlights to illuminate the aircraft number. After identifying N288AY, they accelerated towards the next aircraft but failed to clear the aircraft. Significant structural damage to the aircraft occurred when the right hand rail on the stationary platform cut through the aircraft fuselage aft of the radome and the box of the truck struck the radome. No employees were injured.
Toilets for the next 10 years and because he becomes to proficient at it, they may extend it for the rest of his working life. Poor guy, all because he had been up late playing poker the night before.
Other forums where aircraft engineer/mechanics have posted have said this is totally fixable. Not cheap, but when the $repair < $whole airplane, they will repair it.
Likely:
The ramp worker will have to take a drug test -- this will determine if the insurance company can get out of paying the claim or not. Then, will be likely fired.
Next, they will have to check the airframe to ensure it's true. The reports are that the cockpit door and main cabin door don't close properly. That indicates the frame is torqued somehow. They'll have to get that all back in alignment.
Then they will have to repair the pressure bulkhead (if that's what they call it when it's on the nose, rather than aft). These are not cheap, but they are possible to repair.
After those physical repairs are done, they'll have to check to make sure no hydraulics or avionics were affected... In that part of the plane, more likely avionics than hydraulics/control systems, but I'm not the expert there.
Lastly, patch the sheet metal that was ripped open.
All in all, it's a pricey repair, but not a write off.
Probably not a write off under normal standards but a big part will depend on how much it is insured for. In most cases, 60% of total value gets you a total.
True - but look at it this way. Plane's "new" price is $222M. About half of that is in the engines alone. That leaves $110M or so in the airframe. A repair like this is probably a 8 figure sum.
If they would have to pay out of pocket for more than they would make selling it for scrap, then yes, they'd scrap it for parts and move on.
Just a guess though. We'll wait and see what happens - will take a few weeks to sort out.
We don't have the details as to whether is is owned or was used as collateral along the way by USAir. There will be more to this than just the repair cost vs return on parting out plus insurance. If the truck was American owned and operated that is going to come up with the insurance company as well.
It will however be fun to follow this...I have some stock in American so it will be in the annual report.
While some may say fix it they like you have no idea what is involved fixing the area damaged. If you notice, by the way that thing that is kind of concave in front is the forward pressure bulkhead a major component of the fuselage. the way that the sheet metal that is torn and where that attaches is all very critical to the structure of the AC. Boeing did a repair on a rear pressure bulkhead some years ago and it corroded finally giving up killing everyone on board. Now with that being said I think let the experts deal with it and if it involves parting the AC out so be it. Any one involved in a repair is on the hook for it until they retire the AC.
You're right, but if you're thinking of the same incident I'm recalling, that repair job wasn't done according to the Boeing specs. The Boeing specs called for a single piece of metal, with 3 rows of rivets. The repair was done with materials that didn't meet that spec.
But, in the end, I agree - if there's a chance of it not being repaired correctly, sell the parts and run away with what you can.
JAL123 on 12 August 1985 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Airlines_Flight_123#Aftermath_and_legacy includes a rendering of how the repair should have been made compared to the actual repair.
I'm an Engineer working for a Major Airline. About 10 to 12 years ago we carried out a very similar repair to the one required here, but on a 747, after it rear ended a 777, new fwd pressure bulkhead & several new fuselage skins, this is perfectly do able. Our repair was successful and the aircraft has only just retired. Oh and by the way, tug driver was sacked on that occasion, after proving positive for alcohol.
Yeah, thanks for bringing up that old chestnut, thought I'd not heard it for a couple of minutes. Regardless of your opinion of either Boeing or Airbus, by the way I do prefer Boeing but probably for different reasons to your good self. I was referring to the capability of a group of qualified aircraft engineers carrying out a SAFE and legal repair that works.
The part market on this will be very strong Engines will be low cycle, along with landing gear etc.... Harvest it. Replace with a 787, which is what AMERICAN AIRLINES and US AIR should be buying anyway.
How did they value this at $30 million> That crate new costs over $100 million. Maybe the insurance carier has depreciated it considerably. If it is only 3 months old, maybe the air carriers should buy all their planes used.
As things go, this isn't exactly a difficult fix. I'm guessing that the cockpit plugs into the rest of the fuselage forward of the cabin door. So you order a new Cockpit plug from Airbus; maybe even with Wire harnesses/plumbing/etc installed (as new as the airplane is, there shouldn't be any problems with different configurations of equipment)
Remove the cockpit plug, then make sure the fuselage is straight (I've seen several airplanes that were "twisted" at the start of the repair, but straightened out when the damaged parts were removed.......and this is why you want aluminum airplanes, and not composite ones)
Aluminum airframe parts are cheap, compared to the engines/avionics/accessories
Heck, I'll trade them my 2007 Chevy Trailblazer SS, straight up. Not sure what I'd do with a 'banged up' A330 - maybe make a house out of it and move my family in.
Usairways outsourced this work to jet stream in CLT. As usual its all about the bottom line with them. Instead of paying their seasoned career ramp and utilities personnel a living wage, you know, the ones who actually know their aircraft types understand their equipment and surroundings in the AOA. Educated people who really valued the job they did and the people they served. They outsourced everything they could get away with to the lowest bidder. After all anyone can throw bags or clean a plane right? What they refused to add to the bottom line is the cost of constant turn over, poor attitudes, non existent work ethic, damaged equipment, pilfered and damaged bags, delays, pax claims and diminished customer perception. A knowledgeable Ramper would never have pulled up to this A330 in the first place when they were looking for A321 let alone accelerate while clearing an aircraft, with no guide yet. The "Lead agent" jet streams finest, promptly left the scene and his job.I really cant blame him, For what he makes and knowing he was going to to abused,humiliated and fired anyway.
the lack of good labor these days is huge. anybody is hired to drive around multi million dollar ´assets (planes)!!! probably the "harvard graduated" truck driver was texting his "burro" or "mama" down in Chihuauha!!!
Can totally confirm that! One of my colleagues brags about dealing drugs and bringing guns into the country when he was 18 yet he has airside security access!
I wonder if AA/US will be changing their operating procedures
"As was the station norm during night operations the driver angled towards the nose gear as they approached each aircraft to use the headlights to illuminate the aircraft number. After identifying N288AY, they accelerated towards the next aircraft but failed to clear the aircraft."
People look and think it's not much but there is much more to an aircraft surface tha is talked about at times. I remember as a teenager and one of my earliest flights; Friend invited me for a flight in his C150 out of a local pasture. He opened the door to the T hangar and naturally, I wanted to help get it out. He sensed this and said "Don't touch nothing". After we got airborne, he started explaining some of it to me and I started understanding, but it was kinda like, "REALLY?"
Extract from older management memo: "... and such portable units as you suggest would be at an unacceptable risk for theft, making it economically inadvisable. For the above reasons your suggestion-box submission to purchase hand-held lights for nighttime location of aircraft identification numbers is rejected. The vehicles in use are equipped with headlights and are sufficient for the task."
LMAO.......US American management in action......how the hell did we win WWII?
When I worked at one of the Wichita OEMs, the "TQM" program was in full swing. we soon found out that your TQM Team's report went to the round file, if it recommended that the company spend any money.
My buddy (a manager/supervisor) worked a team on "employee retention" They called several hundred people and interviewed them on their reasons for leaving.
The answers were:
1) Money 2) Money 3) Money 4) Benefits
Needless to say, the report and it's recommendations disappeared into a black hole.
The Imgur user actually got it wrong, it's actually 1.5 years old. http://www.planespotters.net/Production_List/Airbus/A330/1441,N288AY-American-Airlines.php
I just ran the N number on tracking at flightaware, and this plane is in revenue service.It is revenue service today, and is in Frankfurt. Like to know how much it took to repair this one. There was never going to be a total writeoff, so congrats to the repair guys/gals.
The $30 Million probably includes the scheduled revenue flights in the damage. But that's what you get for outsourcing a whole department and employees to go with, Don't train the new people the way they should be trained.Don't blame the driver, Get the Supervisors Ass. And the Company thinks they are saving Money.
If it is a total loss, that will be a whole lot of spare parts availablefor use and or resale. Done properly, the airline and/or insurer could possibly make a profit.
My knowledge of aircraft construction isn't great! But, might there be a joining place for the nose of the aircraft? Could you get a new nose and join it up, then salvage all of the flight deck components from the damaged nose and reuse them down the line?
Surely in this modern era a clearance proximity alarm can be fitted to all service vehicles. Let's do this PRO ACTIVELY rather than REACTIVELY after lives are lost.
I guess, I don't understand.. couldn't this plane have the front end stripped to the bare structure and replace the pressure bulk head there? Or is it cost prohibitive ? such a shame..
Really Ole Eskildsen? Pilot error? What an ignorant comment. The plane was parked at the gate with the jetbridge attached which means the plane was properly parked. Then a truck hits the plane and now its the pilots fault? Really?...
I always thought that Dutchmen are not quite as easygoing as we Danes. And not the least, those of us who grew up in a slum area (back then 70 years ago) of Copenhagen called Christianshavn.
And of course it isn't pilot error. How could it be, if the aircraft was stationary as the damage pattern clearly shows. Most unfortunate, as we all know, it is hard to justify ground collisions.
That plane is done. Keep in mind that the actual sales price is but a fraction of what the airframer says is the public list price. The insurance carrier will know the actual price paid, and will have an accurate price range for the repair. If the range is to wide, they will write a check and take the chassis for salvage.
Parker would do well to order a replacement that flies faster and higher, and has a greater return on investment. Boeing is the only place he can do that.