Bombardier Q400? I'm flying on one...?

Question

I have to fly on one next month. I'm kinda freaking out. It is only my 2nd time to fly and the firsttrip was a harrowing experience; crosswind landing, the wings were popping up and down like a bird, the plane was tilted to the right then to the left, we were looking down at the ground then up at the sky, all passengers were yelling and I know they weren't all rookies! We diverted the landing then went way back up and didn't land for another 45 minutes.

So here I am, seven years later. I was looking at the Bombardier design and noticed the wings sit on the top of the airplane! The cabin hangs on them below and the landing gear is attached to the wings. It just looks like a disaster waiting to happen. Like the wind would rip the wings right off the top leaving the cabin to plunge straight back to earth. I found a video on YouTube where that actually happened with some huge plane spraying out a fire.

Anybody know anything about the design and safety record of topwing planes?

Answer 1

The whole Dash-8 seres (which includes the Q400) is a fantastically built and well-tested line or airplanes.  They are safe, efficient, and comfortable (when compared to most other regional aircraft).

Most trainers are built with that wing on top design specifically because it is much more inherently stable.  The weight hangs from the wings acting as a stabilizing force.  On lower winged aircraft, the weight is balanced above the wings.  This is not dangerous or difficult in any way, its just a little less stable.

(Stability is an aviation term with a very specific meaning...it may or may not correspond to your own personal definition of that word.  Essentially it means the tendency to resist changes in attitude due to control force or aerodynamic force and the tendency to either return to or divert from the previous attitude)

Have no fear when aboard a Q400, its a great plane.

Answer 2

relax , these things are built and designed in Canada and we are kinda paranoid about overbuilding things so enjoy no matter how weird it looks , the first monoplanes were suspect too !

Answer 3

The firefighting aircraft in question was a C130 modified military transport.

You're flying in an airplane that was built in the last several years and is not subject to the wear and tear that C130 went through.

I don't think you could find a database dedicated to the "record" of airplanes and use "high wing" as a query.

If you want to search the NTSB accident database, look for "Q400" and I think you'll find very few accidents. The airplane has not been on the market that long and it has all sorts of safety enhancements when it's operated by the airlines.

The NTSB database is at www.ntsb.gov/aviation and it focuses on US accidents.

Answer 4

High wing planes are plenty safe, I fly one 4 days a week. I have seen the video of the wings being ripped off of the fire fighting plane. Flying above fires can be very turbulent (hot air rises, and unevenly) There are air speed restrictions for planes that they should remain under in turbulent conditions (Va). The faster you go the more lift that can be generated, when the plane is exceeding these limits and experiences severe turbulence it can cause structural failures. The speed is actually lower the less weight the plane is carrying do to the more abrupt force that can be applied to the structure under sudden turbulence. The wings of the fire fighting plane rip off just after it releases its load of water. Thus significantly lowering its weight rapidly which lowers its maneuvering speed (Va) and making it more susceptible to an overload in lifting force causing structural damage.  Civilian air travel is very safe, the saying you are more likely to die on your way to the airport is backed up with real statistics.

Answer 5

Actually, top-winged planes are found to be inherently more stable than low-winged planes. The fuselage below the wings act as a kind of pendulum and help the wings stay level. Bombardier Dash-8s (100-Q400) have some of the highest safety ratings in the world. You probably had a very unfortunate set of circumstances, bad weather and an inexperienced pilot.

It will probably not happen ever again.

Also, the landing gear being mounted to the engine nacelle is an additional stabilizer; the fact that the landing gear is spread out as opposed to grouped together below the fuselage is a huge increase in stability. How stable would your plane be on the ground if it had the wheels grouped right next to each other under the fuselage?

Dash-8s are among the safest aircraft in the world. I wouldn't worry.