News: Added Links For Twin Commander and Facebook Pages

Login  |  Register

Author Topic: Thunderstorms  (Read 8827 times)

donv

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3220
Thunderstorms
« on: April 02, 2017, 02:02:51 pm »
This was very tragic:

http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2017/03/fatal-accident-occurred-march-25-2017.html

Seems to happen a few times every year. Be very careful around thunderstorms, and lines of storms-- sometimes you just can't get there from here, and the best thing to do is just to land and wait it out. Getting to your destination just isn't that important, in the big picture!

And, be well aware of the limitations of airborne Nexrad. That data can be 10-20 minutes old by the time you read it in the cockpit. That said, it's an incredibly useful tool, especially with the lightning depiction, but it has to be used as part of a mosaic of information, including your eyes and airborne radar (if you have it).

My personal view is that if I'm going to be so close to a cell that the age of the Nexrad data makes a difference, I'm probably too close!

So, be careful out there.

ghancock

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1152
Re: Thunderstorms
« Reply #1 on: April 03, 2017, 09:29:00 pm »
Beautiful family and hate they had to die.  I fly a good bit around storm cells but never through a squall line.  I would most definitely have sat down and let that blow through.  The sad part is they typically don't take long to go by, not sure why you'd want to try to fly through it.

Glenn
--glenn
You can't win an argument with an ignorant person,  they'll just drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

Adam Frisch

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1656
    • Adam Frisch FSF
Re: Thunderstorms
« Reply #2 on: April 03, 2017, 10:14:22 pm »
Very, very sad.   :'(

Without onboard radar this is madness to attempt. Looks from Flightaware if he'd just gone a little further up around, he would probably have had a more survivable outcome.
Slumming it in the turboprop world - so you don't have to.

Bruce Byerly

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 957
Re: Thunderstorms
« Reply #3 on: April 04, 2017, 12:09:17 am »
Just look at that flightaware track.   :o   Just horrible.  If it's representative, they had a couple min warning.  Ugh.  Lines like this one are not to be messed with unless you're burning Jet A and can see over them IMHO.  Actually with Nexrad, you have hours of warning as it's not like these fronts sneak up on us anymore.

SoCalDan

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 29
Re: Thunderstorms
« Reply #4 on: August 07, 2017, 01:58:17 am »
So very sad. Good points are brought up by all.

Airborne weather radar is an avoidance tool. I learned early on that it isn't for picking your way through cells, it's so you can avoid them completely.

In the heat of battle, it can be used tactically to make decisions relevant to what the weather very close to you is doing right now. If you're fortunate enough to have a stormscope, eve better. A cell that looks harmless and flyable on the radar but that displays electrical activity on the stormscope would be good to avoid. The best policy is to simply avoid them. ten miles for every ten thousand feet of development is a good start.

Airborne WX R/T units uses X-band frequencies that are not viable for distance beyond 120 miles.

This is where having Nexrad is useful. It is a strategic tool to make decisions about what will be happening later in your flight. It should never be used to pick your way through cells or a line. Weather changes too rapidly. I can't tell you how many times I've had to alter a decision about convective activity within ten minutes of my flight path.

Nexrad is a historical picture for planning purposes only. ("I'm going to land before Pocket City." or; "These cells that are ninety minutes in front of me seem to be dissipating, with no training on the upwind side. I'll continue and see if I exit this stratus at least fifty miles before I reach them, so I can verify that visually.")
"The way I see it you can either work for a living or fly. Me? I'd rather fly." -Len Morgan

JMA

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 470
Re: Thunderstorms
« Reply #5 on: September 07, 2017, 09:04:14 am »

Jeff Johnson

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 192
Re: Thunderstorms
« Reply #6 on: September 07, 2017, 12:12:04 pm »
Dude!

What an amazing flight.

Pilots must of had iron fortified balls on that flight

Holy cow!

donv

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3220
Re: Thunderstorms
« Reply #7 on: September 07, 2017, 03:11:28 pm »
I'm glad that they did it, and were able to make it work in a safe manner. Personally, I wouldn't have wanted to do it.

Sometimes you see an opportunity to make a trip work in a completely safe manner using a bit of creativity and hard work, and that's what it looks like they did. I bet the passengers on the outbound flight were glad to be on that airplane!

SKYFLYER

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 570
Re: Thunderstorms
« Reply #8 on: September 09, 2017, 02:03:53 pm »
One should note that they took a Boeing and not an Airbus.... Speaks heaps as to the quality and durability of the Boeing product.

donv

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3220
Re: Thunderstorms
« Reply #9 on: May 05, 2021, 05:37:58 pm »
Looks like another thunderstorm-turboprop accident, an MU-2 this time.

Stay safe in storm season!

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/257477