Wheel falls off Colgan plane at Buffalo airport

[RamboLiberal]

Source: CNN

A wheel from the main landing gear of a Colgan Airlines passenger plane fell off and rolled away as the aircraft was landing in Buffalo, New York, earlier this week.

On Thursday night, The Toronto Sun posted a video of the incident shot by a passenger on the Q400 Bombardier -- the same type of plane involved in a fatal Colgan Airlines crash three months ago, also on approach to Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

The video shows the wheel touch down on the ground and then roll away, followed by metal parts that are meant to keep the wheels in place.

The plane was towed to the gate, where everyone on board "deplaned normally," said Joe Williams, a spokesman for Pinnacle Airlines, Colgan's parent company.


Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/05/15/new.york.tire.plane/index.html

[Muttocracy]

1. I'm about ready to cross "Continental Connection" flights off the list of possibilities.

[high density]

6. Someday maybe we'll learn that running regional airlines on "low bid" isn't a good idea

I will definitely go out of my way to avoid Colgan but I know there are other regionals that are run in the same shoddy manner.

[Muttocracy]

7. It's hard to tell who's actually running the local flights too

until you get on the airplane and they say, operated by such and such, everything looks like the national airline.

[MicaelS]

2. I predict Colgan Airlines

Will soon be out of business, one way or another.

[Whoa_Nelly]

3. The video

http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2009/05/14/9460296.html

[Sinistrous]

8. Curious.

That there was a passenger with a video camera aimed at the landing gear of that plane at that time.

Who takes videos of landing gear, for Pete's sake.

:tinfoilhat:

[regnaD kciN]

11. The Q-400...

...has its wing mounted on the top of the fuselage, unlike most passenger jets that have it underneath. Since the landing gear is built into the wing, it means that anybody pointing a video camera out the window while seated near the wing will show the landing gear as part of the view.

[Sinistrous]

12. Yeah, but

This video was zeroed in on the wheel.

[DeSwiss]

13. Maybe the video camera was pointed at the wheel....

...because the wheel from the same side of the same kind plane, fell off while landing in 2007 in Denmark.

Watch video: http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2009/05/14/9460296.html

[Robb]

17. What? That's why there's TWO wheels!

...It's not a design flaw, it's an example of victories in engineering! :rofl:

[krispos42]

4. 'The wheels on the plane go bouncing offf..."

♫"...bouncing off, bouncing off, the wheels on the plane go bouncing off, all day long"♫

[adamuu]

5. crazy! n/t

[LuckyLib]

9. Americans want cheap flights. You got 'em. Complete with the B Team at the helm.

Maintenance is outsourced, and employees on the ground aren't much above minimum wage. Airline companies have let go all the senior folks who cost too much, rehiring others at part-time, low wage, no benefits jobs.

How's that workin' for ya, America?

[BlueCollar]

15. American Airlines still does all heavy maintenance in-house...

They are the only US registered carrier still doing it.

[trof]

16. Yep. The Airline Deregulation Act.

Pretty fair discussion here, although they leave out all the pain, suffering, and upheaval that employees and families went through.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airline_Deregulation_Act

[regnaD kciN]

10. Wow...I bet the people around Buffalo-Niagra...

...really love that airline right now. :eyes:

[northernlights]

14. according to msm news yesterday

letters have been coming in from pilots (and ex pilots who quit over unsafe conditions) complaining about long hours, lack of pay, lack of qualifications for co-pilots in particular, lack of maintenance on the planes, punishment and being fired for refusing to fly due to unsafe conditions.

They blamed the corporations, the FAA and the American public.

I have one issue with blaming the American public. I have no memory of *ever* calling or writing to *any* airline "demanding" cheaper flights. Or even asking for cheaper flights. Or complaining about flying being too expensive. Actually, I was incensed when Ronnie went after air traffic control.

[bdab1973]

19. Pay and hours for pilots...

The hours are regulated...only allowed to be on duty while flying for so long, per FAA regulations. As for the pay, it varies from airline to airline, but first year pay is never really that great...part of the filtering system...pay increases rapidly after the first year for major airlines, and still increases fairly well at the regionals. Most regionals are often seen as stepping stones to the majors anyways...they pay low because they know most of their pilots will only stay with the airline for 5-10 years. Even then, most regional copilots make around $30K a year, which isn't rich, but it's not poor either. Regional captains make about twice that...and it's fairly quick to captain at a regional because of the turn over (although lately probably not so much since the majors aren't hiring currently).

[Hawkowl]

20. You're smoking crack

SIXTEEN HOURS is the limit for duty time! 12 hour days are common with only a required "rest period" of 8 hours. Not 8 hours of sleep, just eight hours off duty. I rarely sleep more than 6 hours in a hotel.

You are just plain making shit up about the pay at both the regionals and the majors--or just believe the propaganda of years past. I've been working as pilot for 16 years and as an airline pilot for 12. I would not recommend this profession to anyone. The working conditions are very harsh, the scrutiny by the Feds, company and public is continuous and the consequences of screwing up are fatal. The pay has been in a continual slide since the 1990's so that real wages of the modern airline pilot are about 30% of a 1970's or 80's airline pilot.

Nobody is upgrading and the most junior airline pilots at most majors were hired in about the year 1999.

You want an example? Captain Sullenberg who has been with US Airways over thirty years makes a measly $100K a year and has lost his pension years ago. His first officer has been with US Airways over 25 years and will probably never make captain.

[create.peace]

18. i have been taking the train.....