[SimonS1]

Doesn’t sound too clever. Pitot tube covers not removed and a heavy landing on return which damaged the nosewheel, blocked the runway and forced other planes to divert.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5987121/Malaysia-Airlines-questioned-following-emergency-landing-Brisbane.html

[esselle]

It’s the Daily Mail.

They create sensationalist copy as a natural instinct. Turbulence gets reported as the aircraft “plummeted”, passengers were “terrified”, etc etc.

Why should pitot tubes ever be covered in the first place?

[capetonianm]

They are covered to prevent ingress of foreign objects, cleaning fluids, rain, snow, dust, insects, small birds, and so on, which would affect the accuracy of the measurements they provide.

They are usually only covered on longer stopovers rather than on turnrounds.

P.S: It’s not just ‘plummeted’, it’s ‘plummeted towards a crowded shopping centre/school/shark infested ocean …..’!

[SimonS1]

[quote quote=878482]It’s the Daily Mail.

They create sensationalist copy as a natural instinct. Turbulence gets reported as the aircraft “plummeted”, passengers were “terrified”, etc etc.

Why should pitot tubes ever be covered in the first place?[/quote]

I think you will find it across most of the media, primarily Australian TV. That the plane hit the deck hard is not in doubt – it hasn’t flown since.

[FDOS_UK]

[quote quote=878482]Why should pitot tubes ever be covered in the first place?[/quote]

To stop things like this happening

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birgenair_Flight_301

[MartynSinclair]

[quote quote=878500]small birds[/quote]

Is there a bird small enough.. the opening is the size of a pin head…???

[CathayLoyalist2]

In the case of Birgenair 301 the tubes were not covered as they should have been. This Malaysian flight the tubes were not uncovered. If that is the case which flight deck member did the walk about and missed it and which ground crew missed it?. Then there was the Air France flight from Rio where the pitot tubes froze as a result of flying through a storm and the flight deck crew did not follow what I read is a basic procedure in events like that

[capetonianm]

I have seen some pitot tubes on Soviet era Migs that have an angled opening and you could get your little finger in there. I have been told that some birds will attempt to nest in there, whether true or not I don’t know, I admit that on reflection it seems unlikely, but they could push twigs and leaves in there.

[FDOS_UK]

[quote quote=878597]In the case of Birgenair 301 the tubes were not covered as they should have been.[/quote]

Yep, which is why they should be covered if leaving the aircraft for more than an hour or two.

I rejected a take off in a lightie when the airspeed never went alive and subsequent investigation found a dead insect in the tube, even with a cover on.

If that is the case which flight deck member did the walk about and missed it and which ground crew missed it?

No excuse for it, but if it was at night and they were under pressure to go, I could understand how it was possible for confirmation bias to ‘see’ what the observers want to see.

[johnnyboy69]

At Brisbane airport the pitot tubes have to be covered as there is a danger of mud wasps nesting inside. They can build a nest in as little as 20 mins. There was an incident involving Etihad a few years ago.

Small but dangerous …

[canucklad]

A bit more balanced report from ABC …..

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-25/malaysia-airlines-flight-emergency-plastic-covers-left-on-probes/10035646

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andrew.gill

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