Is an airplane crash ever considered a good crash?

Question

When?

Answer 1

Depends who is on board.

[insert political joke here]

Answer 2

While I was in the Air Force we had an axiom, If you can walk away from it then it's  a good landing.

Answer 3

when it is damaged and the pilot can overcome the damage to have a controlled crash (less damage than the plane 'falling' into the ground...  and when  people live that otherwise would not have...

Anytime damage is done to the aircraft and no harm comes to the pilot or passengers :)

due to the cost of airplane parts... I would be more apt to say that there is NO SUCH THING as a good crash... only better and worse crashes :)

unless you are a movie buff or sadistic person - then the faster harder hitting more death and more firey explosive the better ;)

Answer 4

Absolutely!  Do some research on Capt. Al Haynes.  He was the capt. on United flight 232, a DC10 that lost all 3 hydraulic systems.  He was able to "crash land" the plane in sioux city, IA and 184 people lived.  The fact that anyone lived that was aboard that plane is amazing.

Answer 5

Any crash that can be walked away from is a good crash!

Answer 6

Every time a Navy aircraft hits a carrier deck it is a crash.  When the pilot walks away it is good.  When they can use the plane again it is great.

Answer 7

I would say Nope but maybe a crash could be a learning experience if everyone survived i guess even if they don't survive they  can learn from what happened in that particular crash, but no crash  is a good crash unless simulated without people in it to learn from it!

Answer 8

when everybody on board can walk away from the crash.

Answer 9

i dont think you could consider any crash a good crash---you could say  "it could have been worse" --anytime you damage property or people is not good

Answer 10

When it crashes..!

Answer 11

Every regulation that the FAA has is written in someones blood (unfortunately). In the sense that something, good or bad, is learned from every airplane accident.

Answer 12

well to start with no crash is really good. But with top class pilots who no what they are doing crashes can be controlled and the fatlity is low. Many crashes have seen every person aboard survive.

Answer 13

"Any crash you can walk away from is a good crash!"

Answer 14

As person who performs aircraft accident investigation (crash investigation) I tend to find why the aircraft did crash.  There have been no accident sites I have been on we could not figure out what happened.

Aircraft crashes happen for two reason mechanical malfunction or pilot error.  Over the years engineers have worked out the mechanical malfunction and less than 10% of crashes involve mechanical malfunction.  That leaves a whole lot of room for pilot error.

This is why on every flight there is an aircraft preflight inspection and crew briefing accomplished.  We learn that skipping or short cutting the preflight or crew briefing results in a higher accident rate.  The biggest reason for accident is human factors.

Having said all of the above is a crash ever considered good?  I believe it is in my opinion.  Take the British Airline B-777-237 that crash-landed just short of the runway in England on January 17, 2008.  No persons died only 18 minor injuries exiting the aircraft.

The plane was using an instrument landing system (ILS) approach, which allows pilots to follow a set path and be guided in this incident towards runway 27L at Heathrow.  The jet was at a height of about 600ft (183 meters) and two miles (3.2 kilometers) from touch down when the engines failed to respond to a demand for increased thrust from its auto throttle.  After continued demands for increased thrust, and with the flight crew moving the throttle levers, the engines similarly failed to respond.  The aircraft speed reduced and the aircraft thus descended below the normal flight path.  It was then impossible to reach the runaway threshold.

The pilots had received no warning that the plane was losing power due to a problem with the aircraft's alarm systems.  They did not realize anything was wrong until they noticed that the plane was losing speed more rapidly than normal as it made its descent towards the runway.

Look at what we learned from that crash.  The fuselage held together being it was metal and composite design.  No fire because the fuel tanks were not damaged, fire suppression systems worked and all the emergency slides worked.  The crew briefing were followed by the pilots and cabin attendants.  The pilots used the emergency procedures and they worked as followed.  We learned crew training worked very well.

Now the engineering have a test bed aircraft to look at and improve on design as a result of this crash.  In this case the crash was a good thing because the pilots were well trained and got the stricken aircraft on the ground.  Now lots of answers will be answered about the design, crash failures, structural design, fuel/water mixture, foreign maintenance procedures or lack of.