I was in an aborted takeoff!

bluechargeboy

So we were ripping down the the runway in a CRJ-200, which is a small plane so picks up speed fast. Just at the point I am expecting us to take off, the pilot has slammed on the brakes and we come to a halt, emergency-stop style.

An adrenaline surge seemed like the right thing to do.

You're kind of waiting for a collision or a fire, but then (after what seemed like hours but was probably 30 seconds) the pilot came on the intercom and said they weren't happy with the readings. I was OK with them not taking off if they weren't happy…

I could smell burning rubber which didn't help, but I imagine that was from the tyres.

I later found out that an engine generator had gone wrong. A white van came and they fixed it or decided it was good to go. Can't say I enjoyed the flight though!

I always have left my shoes on until we reach cruising height, in case something goes tits up at takeoff.

So next time you're on a plane and ignoring them when they tell you where the exits are, this is why they tell you!

Strat_a_tat_tat

Not fun.

Glad you lived to tell the tale.

stickyfiddle

Good to hear the pilot went for caution over arriving on time!

I fly a fair bit (28 flights this year and counting) and am always amazed how many people get mega-comfy/fall asleep before takeoff. The first and last 5 minutes of a flight I always try and be super-alert (counting number of rows between me and exits, etc). You never know what might happen but I don't wanna die if it does!

ICBM

I was in one a long time ago, although the abort was from a bit earlier in the take-off run than I think yours might have been. I think it was in a 737, but I can't remember for sure. Still quite alarming as it actually happened, but I was happy enough to take off half an hour later in the same plane once the fault - which they said was just a bad sensor reading - had been identified.

Pilots don't have any more wish to die than anyone else, so you can be quite sure that if they aren't happy with the readings then they won't go, and if they go afterwards then they are.

It's always worth paying attention to the safety drill though, no matter how many times you think you've heard it before.

scrumhalf

Aborted take-off in Miami a few years back. Just about to lift the wheels and we screeched to a halt. Pilot comes over the intercom and says "there's a light on on the display that shouldn't be on. I don't like that, and if I don't like that we aren't going anywhere".

Not as trouser-browning as an aborted landing at either Heathrow or Gatwick, we were pretty close to the runway and suddenly shot up again. Pilot: " there was something on the runway that shouldn't have been there".

Jalapeno

Glad you're ok.

Been on an aborted landing before, that was pretty brown corduroy moment as well.  We came down through cloud/fog to be seeming to land in Luton airport's car park !  Full power, stick the nose up - next thing you know we're diverted to East Midlands, and end up at Manchester !

randomhandclaps

stickyfiddle said:

I fly a fair bit (28 flights this year and counting) and am always amazed how many people get mega-comfy/fall asleep before takeoff.

This is so true.  For around 4-5 years I flew back and forth to Scotland from London at least once a week.  Virtually every panic or scare surrounded the pre-take-off or take off itself.  I also used to have both flying and gliding lessons when I was younger and again most incidents surrounded take off and landing.  People seems to obsess about the plane crashing mid-flight, in which case you could probably do fuck all to aid yours or your family's survival, but for Christ sakes stay alert in those bits where you could.

The worst incident I had was a minor fire (if such a thing exists on an aircraft full of explosive fuel) whilst they were refuelling - people were just out of it then in full on panic mode when had they paid attention like the rest of us the could have calmly disembarked.

bluechargeboy

They work these planes hard too, especially the domestic flights in the US, and the likes of Easyjet etc. Quick turnarounds, refuel, pick up the empty crisp packets and then back into the air!

ICBM said:

Pilots don't have any more wish to die than anyone else, so you can be quite sure that if they aren't happy with the readings then they won't go, and if they go afterwards then they are.

Yup! When we finally took off there were some maintenance guys on board too so I assumed it would be fine! I overheard the flight attendant saying they hadn't replaced the generator but they were going to fly lower and take it easy.

richardhomer

I have a friend who's a commercial airline pilot. I cannot for the life of me understand how he does it - I am a very nervous flyer. There is no reason why - I've never had any bad experiences - I just don't enjoy it.

I suspect an experience like yours would stop me flying for the rest of mine life - even if it's illogical....

bluechargeboy

Well I had to go straight to another flight to get back across the Atlantic so I had to suck it up! I get seasick on boats.

Emp_Fab

Nitefly

scrumhalf said:

Not as trouser-browning as an aborted landing at either Heathrow or Gatwick, we were pretty close to the runway and suddenly shot up again. Pilot: " there was something on the runway that shouldn't have been there".

We had one of those in Paphos in May this year - coming in nice and steady and suddenly we're off and climbing again - we were halfway to Limassol before he came round and tried again.  They never said what was wrong, but there's a lot of military stuff around there, isn't there?

Brown trousers indeed!

stickyfiddle

Just remembered I was in an "abrupt landing" once. About 2001, in Tanzania, in a little twin prop carrying maybe 8 people. Tyre went pop on touchdown, big rattling noise as the wheel quickly bent itself to buggery and the plane ground to a halt way earlier than expected. Noone hurt, great fun

Hopefully that'll be the only "bad landing" story I'm able to tell for a long time!

ICBM

Emp_Fab said:

[Youtube]

I've seen that before. Even with the massive foreshortening from a very long telephoto lens - ie the planes weren't *that* close to each other - it's worrying given what could have happened if it had been in fog or possibly at night.

There was a similar one at Heathrow a few years ago as well, not sure if anyone filmed it.

Emp_Fab

There's nothing to a 'missed approach' as they're technically called.  Quite routine if a pilot thinks he can do a better job if he has another go (last minute gust of wind lifts the plane a bit and means touching down further than planned / (s)he screwed up the approach a bit etc).  No different from making a mess of reversing into a parking space and deciding to pull out and have another go.

All airports have charts that detail what aircraft should do in the event of a missed approach (e.g. climb to 2000ft on runway heading, turn right 180, whatever).

As far as the aborted takeoff is concerned, there are three key speeds as you're hurtling down the runway - V1, Vr and V2.

V2 is the minimum speed that the aircraft can suffer an engine failure and still safely climb out.

Vr is the speed at which the plane is 'rotated' - i.e. the pilot lifts the thing off the tarmac.

V1 is the 'point of no return' - if an emergency occurs below V1, the pilot can abort the takeoff safely.  After V1 is reached, no matter what happens, you're either going to fly or crash, because there just isn't enough runway left to stop on.

I've never discovered what happens if you get an engine failure between V1 and V2.

Emp_Fab

ICBM said:

Emp_Fab said:

[Youtube]

I've seen that before. Even with the massive foreshortening from a very long telephoto lens - ie the planes weren't *that* close to each other - it's worrying given what could have happened if it had been in fog or possibly at night.

There was a similar one at Heathrow a few years ago as well, not sure if anyone filmed it.

There was the world's worst ever crash at Tenerife too in 1977 when KLM's Chief Pilot Jacob van Zanten impatiently took off in fog and hit a Pan-Am 747 that was taxiing down the runway.  

Bogwhoppit

My mini once stalled at the traffic lights - water in the points I think ?

bluechargeboy

Emp_Fab said:

As far as the aborted takeoff is concerned, there are three key speeds as you're hurtling down the runway - V1, Vr and V2.

V2 is the minimum speed that the aircraft can suffer an engine failure and still safely climb out.

Vr is the speed at which the plane is 'rotated' - i.e. the pilot lifts the thing off the tarmac.

V1 is the 'point of no return' - if an emergency occurs below V1, the pilot can abort the takeoff safely.  After V1 is reached, no matter what happens, you're either going to fly or crash, because there just isn't enough runway left to stop on.

I've never discovered what happens if you get an engine failure between V1 and V2.

I believe we could have gone for it but decided not to, just one engine running a bit dicky.

Emp_Fab

I was once driving a large van and the guy in front of me slammed his brakes on when the traffic lights started to change to red as he was just a few yards from them and I couldn't stop in time and I shunted him across the junction.  Oops.

bluechargeboy

A friend of mine drove into a van and ended up with a set of ladders through his windscreen, which gave him pause for thought.

Things I have had to avoid in the road: mattress, metal garage ramp, cows, sundry small mammals, man carrying Xmas tree (at night, his white jeans saved his life).

chillidoggy

I thought planes landed themselves these days?