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-Short Attention Span Theater-
Qatar Airways pilot dies in flight
2010-10-14
Assistant pilot takes control after captain dies while flying aircraft from Manila to Doha.
Ooh! Ooh! I seen dis movie!
Posted by:Fred

#5  I just finished editing a book of memoirs of military veterans who live at Air Force Village in San Antonio. One of the veterans included the story of an F-106 from the 71st Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Malmstrom AFB in the 60ies - the pilot went into a flat spin, during a two-plane mock-combat, and the pilot (according to the memoirist, who was in the other AC) bailed out at 15,000 feet ... and much to everyone's surprise, the AC recovered, and landed all by itself in a snow-field, where a very surprised local sheriff found it, at the edge of the field with the engines still running. So, it can happen - an AC in the right sort of flight path, landing by itself.
Posted by: Sgt.Mom   2010-10-14 20:05  

#4  "A plane cannot land without human intervention, as it has to be set at the right speed and the flaps have to be set for the approach."

Now, wait a minute. I saw a made-for-TV movie back in the 1990's which show a modern jet landing itself after the flight crew died (it was on auto-pilot and something about the airport beacon caused it to know where/how to land). Dunno the name of the movie, but it starred Kate Jackson.

So it must be possible. The movies wouldn't lie, would they?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2010-10-14 14:14  

#3  "Qatar Airways said in a statement that its priority "remains the comfort and safety of its passengers and staff"."

Of course, getting the aircraft back in one piece to re-use it is a big plus also......
(remember kiddies, any landing you can walk away from is a good one, if you can re-use the airplane its a great one)

Posted by: USN, Ret.   2010-10-14 13:59  

#2  A plane cannot land without human intervention, as it has to be set at the right speed and the flaps have to be set for the approach.

Unless, of course, it's a US-made drone...
Posted by: Bobby   2010-10-14 05:59  

#1  One reason to have co-pilots.
Posted by: Bobby   2010-10-14 05:57  

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