On July 1, 1987, while I was on duty at Sicily Drop Zone, Fort Bragg, NC, a US Air Force C-130 crashed and exploded right in front of me. It was a horrifying day that I wrote about for one Memorial Day, "Courage, an essay for Memorial Day." There is news media video of the crash there since we had invited them to cover the joint training exercise.
So when I followed a link to the dash cam video of a Boeing 747 crash in Afghanistan, some buried feelings came back. I won't post the video here, but here is the YouTube link if you are brave enough.
Seven Americans died in the crash of the cargo 747, operated by a Florida-based company.
You can tell almost immediately that the plane's angle of attack is far too steep. Forward movement slows quickly since the engines cant't drive the plane upward so steeply. With insufficient airflow over the wings, lift disappears.
The 747 rolls to its right until its wings are perpendicular to the ground. It is is falling almost straight down.
Whether the pilot managed to right the plane or whether it did so uncommanded no one knows yet. Sadly, though, the plane has practically zero airspeed except toward the ground.
The horror:
Having attended a plane crash, I assure you that one is enough.
One report I read said that the plane took off for Dubai carrying vehicles and heavy equipment. A retired 747 pilot speculated that the cargo shifted to the rear, throwing the trim and center of gravity off so quickly the pilot could not correct. But speculation is all it is.
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