G-YMMM @ LHR – Accident 17/1/2008 – Photos

Good selection of shots there. Did you see it happening or did you get there after the event ?

I see you have found fame! Photo #2: When did BA start putting
“Andrew Simpson 2008” titles on their planes ?

Yes, and the APU is the Auxiliary Power Unit. Essentially a small gas turbine engine that generally resides in the tail section of the aircraft to provide power to the electrics on the ground when the main engines are off (the brief flickering of the cabin lights you often see when taxi’ing for departure is the switch from APU to main power). It also provides compressed air to start the engines.

APU exhaust from the rear of the aircraft is the highly annoying cause of heat haze on many a taxi photo!

Paul

Thank you for that information Paul very useful 😎 I know what you mean now when the lights flicker when start taxing , I always thought thats when the engines are starting like when you start a car and the radio goes off.

Thank you for info I will now remember that 😀

All the best
James

..do you have the link Adam..I’ve hunted around but haven’t found the piece you might be referring to….

cheers

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-1301438,00.html

‘video of crash landing’; on the right. 🙂

The video of its approach on youtube is very interesting to watch, even if it is just a few seconds worth of footage.

..do you have the link Adam..I’ve hunted around but haven’t found the piece you might be referring to….

cheers

Is the APU the thing that looks like a flap behind the Tail thats open and also what is an APU? 😮 :confused:

Yes, and the APU is the Auxiliary Power Unit. Essentially a small gas turbine engine that generally resides in the tail section of the aircraft to provide power to the electrics on the ground when the main engines are off (the brief flickering of the cabin lights you often see when taxi’ing for departure is the switch from APU to main power). It also provides compressed air to start the engines.

APU exhaust from the rear of the aircraft is the highly annoying cause of heat haze on many a taxi photo!

Paul

The APU is started automatically when there is a engine failure. .

Is the APU the thing that looks like a flap behind the Tail thats open and also what is an APU? 😮 :confused:

All the best
James

So the APU door is open ? Did the crew start it as soon as they lost power ? Usually it is started after landing with flight director’s switched off and flaps fully retracted ? Does anybody know why it is open ?

Cheers

Jamie M

The APU is started automatically when there is a engine failure. It maybe that the engines never failed – it appears, according to the AAIB they didnt respond to increased power demands for whatever reason – but if a major lack of response from the engines automatically starts the APU I dont know. Different airlines have different operating procedures and so the point during the flight at which the APU is turned on by the crew differs.

The video of its approach on youtube is very interesting to watch, even if it is just a few seconds worth of footage.

So the APU door is open ? Did the crew start it as soon as they lost power ? Usually it is started after landing with flight director’s switched off and flaps fully retracted ? Does anybody know why it is open ?

Cheers

Jamie M

yes but a boeing 777 is now wrecked

so it is sad 🙁

What a sad day

atleast she got her 15 minutes of fame

so there is something good out of it

I tend to feel its not a sad day at all, Nobody was killed and this incident could have been much much worse.
Credit to the crew and thank god luck was on there side.

your pics just been on sky news mate. showing this thread.

Was it the one with the caption attached… “The plane was moving backwards and forwards in the sky!” 😀

your pics just been on sky news mate. showing this thread.

HELLO MUM!

….significant that the APU door is open perhaps…?

The crew managed to control the descent to a touchdown with wings level, on grass just over the perimeter fence at Heathrow, on the 27L extended centreline. The gear was down, flaps were set at about 20°, and the indications are that the crew had started the auxiliary power unit.

On touchdown the 777’s gear dug into the soft ground and separated. The aircraft came to rest at the threshold of runway 27L having made a short ground run of about 350m (1,150ft), probably because at touchdown the aircraft was close to its stalling speed.

When the main gear separated it caused considerable damage to the engines and the wings near the wing-root trailing edge.

The weather at Heathrow at the time was wind from 220° at 16kt (30km/h), broken cloud at 1,400ft (426m) and 2,000ft, temperature 11°C, dew point 9°C, with a warning that the wind might vary temporarily to 240° at 20kt, gusting to 32kt. The visibility was greater than 10km (6.2 miles).

source http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/01/17/220910/power-loss-caused-ba-777-crash-landing-at-heathrow.html

What a sad day

atleast she got her 15 minutes of fame

so there is something good out of it

Thanks for all your comments.

Seems i may have been too late with the watermarking… been told these shots have cropped up in at least two other places. 🙁

May I suggest you watermark them with your name in huge letters through the middle. They’re exactly the kind of images that may get stolen and used elsewhere!

Paul

Very good advice…

your pics just been on sky news mate. showing this thread.

A fantastic job, Mr Simpson. If only my random midweek trip to the airport had been 24 hours later!

It seems that the flight crew have done a great job on this. Judging by the various eyewitness reports coming in, the aircraft was stalling on approach, so this could have been much worse. Thank God there were only a few minor injuries!

Amazing photos. I wonder what the puncture in the fuselage skin, on the right hand side, in between the two rear doors is all about. Flying Debris?

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