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On 1/9/2003 8:25:42 PM Trip Confirmed wrote:
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On 1/8/2003 9:17:51 PM flyin2low wrote:
The accident was caused by overloading the cargo bins (2) beyond a safe weight. Nothing had to shift anywhere to create this scenario. They plane merely rotated at V1 and kept on going until it stalled, and then the subsequent asymetric rolling and pitch moments did their deed.
The airlines have a program to "average" all bags loaded. USAir uses 24lbs/bag. Now we all know that most checked bags are nearly 40-70 lbs in reality. With small aircraft, it is very easy to go over the limit without filling the compartment up. Most rampers are not trained very well in this area and continue to load up until there is no more space. Then they will help the crew and cust service by lying about what the real bag count is, to get it out........
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I am a travel agent. It's not that the flying public doesn't already know, especially with the one decent ramp agent and his attempts to stop the flight before everyone died, and resulting publicity, but may I have your permission to send your post to EVERY client I have?
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flyin2low, you are being completely irresponsible to proclaim that you KNOW what caused the crash. You don't have anything more than an uneducated guess based on what?
News reports? Most of details that the media put out for most of the day was wrong., Your own opinion? How can you form an opinion that you call fact when you probably don't know the critical details that would allow you to form such an opinion.
Second, I disagree that most bags are 40-70 LBS, sure there are heavier bags than the 25 lb average bag weight, there are lighter ones also. That is why they call it AVERAGE bag weights. Tell me, since you seem to think you are an expert, how many of the 32 or so bags in the bin were planeside checked. Is is your belief that people walk about with 40-70 lb carryons? Unless you have factual information on the composition of bags in the aft compartment, you can't have a clue as to whether the compartment was severly overloaded.
Next the "small planes are easy to overload theory" We are only talking about 30 some bags here. Even if every single bag was 50% overweight, which I seriously doubt, we are talking an overload of approx 400 lbs. I don't know the balance details of the B1900, I admit that, but I don't think a 400 LB overload in the back, would cause such an aft cg that full nose down elavator and nose down trim couldn't lower the nose. It would probably decrease the longitudinal stablility enough to make the aircraft very pitch sensitive, but that works both ways.
Lastly, I am sure that bag numbers have been falsified, however it is my experience that it is a rarity, that if too many bags are scheduled for the flight, they go out on the next flight. I don't know too many pilots that would say load up the compartment and falsify the paperwork. That is not "helping" the crew as you contend. It is hurting the crew.
Your remarks seem to imply that underhanded or unsafe procedures are the norm, and I assure you they are not. At least not at my airline.
