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WTF? (**NSFW**)


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To paraphrase... Original poster blamed the load team for downloading their jet nose-first. (C.G. shifted beyond aft limit.)

How else would they download it? It doesn’t have a ramp like the C-5. Everything goes in through the front.


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Move the aft load forward before you off load the front stuff.  Put the heavier stuff in the middle.  Tailstand.  Etc.

Fair enough. I figured the load plans would usually be such that this wouldn’t be necessary.


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3 hours ago, 17D_guy said:

For not non-flyer, because the perspective is difficult, I'm assuming it's a cargo aircraft and the load shifted all back?

What may be the issue is the forward belly freight.  When the load team doesn't communicate well, they may end up with freight on the main deck aft of the CG.  The guys unloading the forward belly (forward of CG) do that too quickly and eventually gravity wins.  I've seen this happen a few times.  I was working at another cargo carrier (before FedEx) on a layover in Anchorage.  My Captain called me and said "turn on Fox News".  So, I do and there's the aircraft we're supposed to take to Taipei in 18 hours at LAX looking just like that 747.  "Ah..yeah, I guess our ANC layover just got a bit longer."  6000 lb pallet of stuff that was half-way to the door rolled back during the tilt and almost killed a guy who dove out of the way plus did big time damage to the aft bulkhead and a/c structure.

Most cargo outfits have a tailstand, a weight cart attached to the nose gear or a strap running through the nose gear anchored to eye-bolts in the concrete during loading/unloading to avoid this.  The 777F has the main deck door aft of the wing, so all the main deck freight is loaded and unloaded from front to back.  Pretty much impossible to put one on the tail doing it that way (but you'll still never see one of ours without a strap or weight cart).

Edited by JeremiahWeed
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22 hours ago, ihtfp06 said:


How else would they download it? It doesn’t have a ramp like the C-5. Everything goes in through the front.


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747 freighters have a main cargo door on the left side, aft of the wing. In my experience, nose loading/unloading was a rare event used mostly for outsized cargo. Might be more prevalent at different operators though. 

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22 hours ago, ihtfp06 said:


Fair enough. I figured the load plans would usually be such that this wouldn’t be necessary.


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You’d be surprised at how little aerodynamic/CG thought goes into load plans at freight operators. It’s usually based on what needs to come off the airplane first. I’ve seen some seriously eyebrow raising stab trim settings as a result. Never seen anything blatantly out of CG but fuel savings is pretty much a joke the way the airplanes are often loaded. 

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5 hours ago, Prozac said:

You’d be surprised at how little aerodynamic/CG thought goes into load plans at freight operators. It’s usually based on what needs to come off the airplane first. I’ve seen some seriously eyebrow raising stab trim settings as a result. Never seen anything blatantly out of CG but fuel savings is pretty much a joke the way the airplanes are often loaded. 

On the MD-11, it got some pretty consistent attention.  It has a 13K fuel tank in the stab.  Once airborne, with the fuel system in auto, it will pump 13K back there if there's room and CG allows which will move the CG aft.  It'll put it right at the aft limit for most of the flight if it can.  Makes a big difference in fuel consumption.  But if someone porks away the load, it's not difficult to negate that capability.  Most operators don't plan for tail fuel management and tend to use pessimistic burns just for CYA.  Certain issues can deny TFM and if the fuel load is counting on it and it fails, you will land short on some of the longer flights.

Another factor is an emergency and rapid descent to landing early in the flight.  If the descent is fast and slats come out early, a large portion of that 13K may be trapped back there.  Can make the landing kind of sporty if the guys flying haven't experienced a significant aft CG.

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If I remember right, that was a fuel tank vent that was left capped.

That’s what the article says. It also says the jet was holding 120,000 gallons when the rupture and spill happened - 804k lbs sure is a lot for a 141.


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1 hour ago, MooseAg03 said:


That’s what the article says. It also says the jet was holding 120,000 gallons when the rupture and spill happened - 804k lbs sure is a lot for a 141.


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I didn't read the article, just remember the picture. Happens more often than you think. The 141 could hold about 155,000 pounds of fuel, wish I could remember more important shit than that.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Except the shadow on the lowest A400 is facing the wrong way...


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It appears to me that the shadow on the lower jet is the fuselage and lower vertical stab of the top jet. It’s probably the telephoto compression making them look much closer as the article states.


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Looks like a typical recovery into Bagram to me.
Bagram Tower: Antonov6969, hold short runway 3, traffic on three mile final.

Ivan: Bagroom tower, I read you! Cleared for takeoff!

Bagram Tower: Antonov 6-9-6-9, negative! Hold short, runway 3, landing traffic is on 2 mile final.

Ivan: Yes, traffic in sight, Antonov 6969 is taking off! Happy morning tower.

Bagram Tower: Fighting Falcon 55, go around, traffic taking runway is ....
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