What Would Happen If The Pilot Accecdentally Opened the Reverse Thrust in midair?

Question

I know its unlikley, but what would happen??

Answer 1

First, it would not happen in flight (accidental pilot on T/R lever) as to deploy the reversers the throttle levers must be in idle position and only then the T/R handle which is connected in your throttle lever can be pulled to deployed.

The A340 on our re-currency course has made a third lock because (they say a reverser opened in flight). So in flight the first locks inhibit the T/R from deploying, the 2nd is mechanical (no hyd pressure ) and the third is another mechanical lock like a hook that must be unlock mechanically.

  If it do happen say mech. lock failure think one engine is pushing forward the other is pushing back. Its more than assymetry.

Answer 2

There is only one aircraft that the thrust can be put in reverese on purpose in flight, and this is a C-130. However this is turboprop, and the blade pitch angle is put into a reverse causing the aircraft to have a high rate of descent and a very short landing.

In a jet, depends on how the engines are configured and the number of engines, could cause an uncontrollable flight or major structual damage, but the chance of getting to happen in flight is almost impossible due to safety features like a squat switch

Answer 3

Not only is it "unlikely", it can't happen.  A safety interlock prevents the reversers from deploying in flight,  just as you can't shift your car's transmission into reverse at highway speed.

Answer 4

Depends on the aircraft type.  Some just shudder and shake a bit, and we actually did this in the sim on one jet I flew.  But, of course only one was deployed, as they don't allow multiple malfunctions in the sim.

Answer 5

Depends on the aircraft, some aircraft like the old DC-8 used reverse thrust on number 2 & 3 engines to slow down.

Other aircraft like the B-767 can become uncontrollable and crash or suffer major damage since they are not designed to handle reverse thrust during flight.

Don't worry too much, aircraft now have interlock controls that keep that from happening unless the aircraft is on the ground.

Answer 6

Not if the pilot's worth his salt...

And I don't know of a single pilot that would do such a thing, even if it were to be possible...  That would just be stupid.

Answer 7

Accidental operation is extremely unlikely as:

1.  It is a two step procedure, either in the throttle where you come back to idle then reach forward to grab the TR actuators or move the throttle through a gate.

2. On most* Turbo or Fan Jets the 'Weight on Wheel' switch must be activated.

If there was an inadvertent deployment, due to mechanical failure, at cruise, the air stream would probably prevent full deployment.

* The C-17A is one of the few aircraft designed to deploy TR in flight.  This can be done on all four engines, in flight, to enable, tactical, steep descent. (It would probably put 'white caps' in your coffee cup)

Many Propeller Aircraft have the ability to reverse thrust.  It's been two many years, 40+, since I was Air Crew on one that could so I don't remember the sequence.  We used it occasionally to back the aircraft, but I was only a sensor operator then and didn't know all that neat cockpit stuff yet. There is probably a safety interlock when the pitch control is moved through the 'beta', feather, range.

There have been several crashes due to inadvertant deployment.  Lauda Air, in Thailand, was one, http://www.rvs.uni-bielefeld.de/publicat...

TAM had one in Brazil, http://aviation-safety.net/database/reco... There's a video automation here, inclusive of instrument indications and voice recording.  You'll note, No. 2 engine comes back to idle when TR deploys, causing starboard yaw.  Then apparently the pilot advances throttle and things go to s**t in a hurry.

The only intentional deployment I know of was an apparent attempted suicide on a JAL DC-8, http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/view_...

The crash of Howard Hughes SF-11, propeller type, was due to reverse thrust. In that instances each engine had counter rotating propellers. An oil leak caused one to go into  reverse. Hughes chose to make an emergency landing on a golf course rather than feather the engine.  He would have make it if a couple of houses had not gotten in the way.

Answer 8

the plane would just shake very bad, but the reverse thrust wouldn't stop the plane.

Answer 9

during a plane landing just  before the plane touches down the pilot puts the engines in reverse thats what that big rumble is on landing. but if a pilot accidentally put the plane in reverse whilst cruising the engines may stall or on some modern planes it has a block like a car.

Answer 10

Ok, unless you have a squat switch problem..this will likely never happen...

However, to challenge some of the answers I have seen about what will happen if it does open....

Let me see some hands from people who have had a Dee Howard type T/R deploy on them in flight?....

I have, and in the right conditions...this will render your airplane uncontrollable...

We were at .76 mach in an initial descent into florida...when the primary and secondary locks failed on the right hand T/R...

It deployed....only partially...thankfully...However, this partial deployment caused us to lose almost ALL pitch authority...and alot of yaw authority was lost as well....during this mahem..we were able to determine what had happened and pull the throttles back...as we slowed to .72 and less the shuttering stopped....We continued and landed with it partially open...the autostow never pressured the bucket closed....anyway ...it could easily cause an accident...depends on the aircraft...the crew..and the time at which it happens......

.alot of people answering on here need to stop talking about cutting trees when you have never used a saw.......obviously..

Jonathan S

ATP-LRJET,HS-125

CFI/AGI