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  • Pilot lost arm while landing

    A pilot lost control of a passenger plane after his artificial arm became detached as he was coming in to land, an accident report has said.
    Shortly before beginning to land the Dash 8 aircraft, the 46-year-old had checked that his prosthetic lower left arm was securely attached to the clamp that he used to fly the aircraft, with the latching device in place.

    The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report said the captain had disconnected the autopilot and was manually flying the aircraft.

    However, as he made the flare manoeuvre - a stage of the landing shortly before touchdown - "his prosthetic limb became detached from the yoke clamp, depriving him of control of the aircraft".

    While he had thought about getting his co-pilot to take control, the time available and the challenging conditions meant his best course of action was to move his right hand from the power levers on to the yoke to regain control.

    "He did this, but with power still applied and possibly a gust affecting the aircraft, a normal touchdown was followed by a bounce, from which the aircraft landed heavily," the report found.

    The AAIB reported that the captain had said that in future he would be more cautious about checking the attachment on his prosthesis as he may have dislodged the latching mechanism.

    He also said he would brief his co-pilots about the possibility of a similar event and that they should be ready to take control at any time.
    A pilot lost control of a passenger plane when his artificial arm came off as he was landing in challenging conditions, according to an accident report.


    I'd never really thought about it, but I guess I'd would have assumed that flying a passenger aircraft was probably something that required two arms, surely the controls may need a certain amount of force or dexterity that most prosthetic arms probably aren't up to? Probably not something that most checklists cover!

    Fortunately in this case the result was 'armless.

  • #2
    Well the guy *did* have two arms... just one was attached better than the other!

    I do have to say that while I'm very much in favor of trying to make accommodations for handicapped people whenever possible (/practical), it is a little surprising to see someone with that handicap flying a commercial passenger-carrying plane.
    Be alert! America needs more lerts.

    Eric Law

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    • #3
      Depends how likely it is to occur!

      Generally a condition that potentially impacts on your ability to fly would require the pilot to brief the other pilot on that issue. I thought it was a requirement of the condition on the licence, but in the UK, perhaps not!

      Pretty silly that he hadn't discussed it with the F/O, even if it wasn't a requirement, and that he didn't hand over to the F/O to complete the landing/go around. Thats more of the issue.

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      • #4
        Perhaps an added checklist item is needed here to make sure the pilot is 'armed' for landing.

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        • #5
          CVR transcript:

          HOT1: Oops.
          HOT2: Do you need a hand?

          --- Judge what is said by the merits of what is said, not by the credentials of who said it. ---
          --- Defend what you say with arguments, not by imposing your credentials ---

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          • #6
            "He would be more cautious before" .... sounds like he was complacent about the possibility that the device would or could come off, a comment that may not fare well during a grilling by the medical examiners who will surely look into this just as they would for any other medical incident like cardio or diabetic conditions.

            Perhaps it was something so simple as the loss of weight or a swelling going down to allow it to become loose and detach?
            Live, from a grassy knoll somewhere near you.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by guamainiac View Post
              "He would be more cautious before" .... sounds like he was complacent about the possibility that the device would or could come off, a comment that may not fare well during a grilling by the medical examiners who will surely look into this just as they would for any other medical incident like cardio or diabetic conditions.

              Perhaps it was something so simple as the loss of weight or a swelling going down to allow it to become loose and detach?
              It doesn't look that the his prosthetic arm ever became detached from himself, but from some yoke clamp. So more than a medical issue it seems like an engineering issue or a user's misuse.

              --- Judge what is said by the merits of what is said, not by the credentials of who said it. ---
              --- Defend what you say with arguments, not by imposing your credentials ---

              Comment


              • #8
                Ah ha, good point, thanks.
                Live, from a grassy knoll somewhere near you.

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                • #9
                  "While he had thought about getting his co-pilot to take control, the time available and the challenging conditions meant his best course of action was to move his right hand from the power levers on to the yoke to regain control."

                  The co-pilot should be able to take over at any point - one hears of pilots suffering heart attacks and other disabling ailments.

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