737 runs off runway at Midway Chicago

[wink]

I watched the show "Airline" last night, where the SW flight from Baltimore to Manchester, N.H. was diverted due to Wx at/below mins at Manchester. I found it amusing how the passengers were b!tching about it, and saying that the pilots could have landed in the weather, they have landed in worse, etc. etc. etc.

My question: Is it normal practice to take off at Baltimore, fly to Manchester, hold for a while, then divert all the way back to Baltimore (instead of landing somwhere closer to the destination)? Or does it have to do with Baltimore being a SW hub?

That will vary based on circumstance (local divert above mins), company policy and Captain's decision. I can say from lots of expereince on SWA jumpseats that it appears to be policy to return to departure point rather then divert to an open airport. I have seen this many times in the LA area. LAX below mins and they return to departure point rather then land in ONT under blue skies and bus the paxs. They would rather not bother with the hassle of arranging for buses, handling an aircraft at an airport on an off schedule operation, misconnected crews, etc. The return to departure and just try to accomodate the paxs on a future flight. I always thought that they didn't hang around long in holding waiting for things to clear up. They make a couple turns in holding and then return to departure point. Bottom line. It is usually cheaper to return under some circumstances and that is what SWA does regardless of what is better for that plane load of paxs. Hey, you get what you pay for!!

 

[KBayDog]

Thanks, Wink. If it's cheaper to return to the departure field, good on 'em. Like you said - you get you pay for. If you want to divert somewhere close and do the bus/taxi/hotel thing, fly an airline that does that.

Is each airline's diversion practice a "policy" that John Q. Public can research before the flight, or is it strictly circumstantial and decided at the time by the pilots/ops?

 

[A4sForever]

Is each airline's diversion practice a "policy" that John Q. Public can research before the flight...?

No .......... it all depends upon the circumstances.

 

[wink]

I was under the impression that the pilot 'greased' the landing, a no no with these kind of conditions. A4, Hal, when faced with these conditions is it better to come in a little low and put it down 'hard' potentially risking a clipped light rather than landing soft? Some pax said it was the smoothest landing they'd ever experienced.

No No. You would not come in "a little low". Fly the glide scope. That will give you all the runway you need if you do your part, to include planting it in the touch down zone (correct, no greasers), and getting the spoilers out and brake hard. If you have to duck under the glide scope you are not only exposing yourself to more risk but just validadting the fact that you believe the runway does not allow a suitable margin of error. If that is the case, go somewhere else. Remember, in very low viz, there isn't much opportunity to visually duck below the glide scope anyway. At the approach speeds of a 737 the time from break out at mins to the start of the flare is seconds.

 

[A4sForever]

Wink said it all and said it right. YOU NEVER ACCEPT ANYTHING OTHER THAN ON GLIDESLOPE/ON CENTERLINE./ON SPEED!!! If you're not there --- be working back toward it.

Speaking of which, some guys think it's "smart" to fly something other than a centered ball, on centerline, on speed at the ship. While this thread is not about the ship ..... you should always be working all the way ..... why would you accept anything less at the ship than you would at the field ???? At the ship --- EVERYTHING is tighter .... !! You wouldn't do it on any ships I waved .....

 

[HAL Pilot]

Fox News just said the the NTSB has released a preliminary report stating the pilot landed long. They said that combined with the tailwind resulted in the aircraft needing at least another 800 feet of runway if measured from the actual touchdown point.

So much for my earlier thrust reverser speculation.....

As A4s and Wink said - never accept anything but on glide path, on centerline and on speed.