Well, at least the Giants are playing six games in NYC

[howard]

Cause these images will decrease my trips home. I don't know if I get more anxious on foggy days, or on clear days like today when you see nothing but water until the last few seconds.

At least two dead, 61 injured in Boeing 777 crash at SFO

ETA: Mercury-News Slideshow

[sancarlos]

Sad news. Gives me pause, considering how often I take off or land at SFO.

[howard]

I think this is the first ever fatal crash of a commercial flight at SFO, so we've got that going for us. And a fuck of a lot of people survived this, like 190 so far accounted for out of ~307 passengers and crew.

ETA: That's 190 who evacuated; 82 of those hospitalized, 10 taken to SF General, the closest trauma center, those ten are all listed in critical condition. They are stating now 60 unaccounted for. But CNN is butchering the numbers, and on Fox they can't count, so don't really know.

Edit: 307 on board, not 330 as I typed.

[degenerasian]

I think Fox has the advantage here since they can draw on the local affiliate KTVU.

CNN is useless, this afternoon Don Lemon kept hyping the crash like it was PPV, kept calling a DR. "Mr." (Howard would have strangled him) and kept reminding me that San Francisco was an American city.

[howard]

The KTVU crew can count. Up to "2". But they are televising the Giants' game.

[howard]

307 onboard; 291 passengers, 16 crew.

181 transported to hospitals; 49 serious injuries, 132 lesser injuries.
123 not hospitalized, alive and well in the airport terminal.
2 fatalities on site.
1 person unaccounted for.

Unfuckingbelievable so many survived, and literally walked away. That is what I call good news.

[brian]

You guys (sancarlos and howard) have flown into that airport waaaay many more times than me but it always freaks me the hell out. I do not like airports where the runway starts at the end of the ocean (other airports I don't like -- Boston, San Diego, Washington National (not at the end of the ocean, but you scrape the top of buildings taking off and landing)

[degenerasian]

The old Hong Kong airport landing had me nearly pee my pants in the 90s.

end of the ocean and between buildings.

[sancarlos]

The old Hong Kong airport landing had me nearly pee my pants in the 90s.

end of the ocean and between buildings.

I flew in and out of it once, and I agree. You could just about wave to people on their balconies as you came in for landing.

[The Sybian]

I once saw a show on the worst airports for take off and landing. They showed a full landing from the cockpit view. San Diego was the worst by far, IMO. 5 story parking garage right before the landing strip, and planes seriously buzz it on landing. The worst airport landing I've personally experienced is Mexico City. You see the mountains and a black cloud of smog stuck over the city, then you dive bomb the runway. The landing was an insanely steep angle, and the noise from the wing deflectors was a defining whine. It feels like a death spiral and a really fast approach. I must not have been paying attention when I flew into SFO.

[DC47]

The San Diego approach was a big surprise to me back in the early 80s. I thought there wasn't much around there. Dessert and such. Cactii. Nothing like the compressed urban airport situations in Boston and NYC's LaGuardia, for example. Wrong.

Landing in just about any mountain valley can be exciting. I had a fun one going into Aspen one winter. Nothing like having zero visibility for a while in a snow storm, then catching a glimpse of a rocky mountain. Towering above you. I imagine adding a third world setting to a mountain valley airport could up the excitement a notch or two as they may be a little more forgiving about runway siting.

[brian]

St. Maarten's airport is right next a beach. Pretty sure I wouldn't be too comfortable hanging out there.

[Keg]

I once saw a show on the worst airports for take off and landing. They showed a full landing from the cockpit view. San Diego was the worst by far, IMO. 5 story parking garage right before the landing strip, and planes seriously buzz it on landing. The worst airport landing I've personally experienced is Mexico City. You see the mountains and a black cloud of smog stuck over the city, then you dive bomb the runway. The landing was an insanely steep angle, and the noise from the wing deflectors was a defining whine. It feels like a death spiral and a really fast approach. I must not have been paying attention when I flew into SFO.

Lets not forget about the stench once you land in Mexico City. Smells like burnt tires.

[The Sybian]

St. Maarten's airport is right next a beach. Pretty sure I wouldn't be too comfortable hanging out there.

Yeah, that is unreal. I've seen that airport on the Travel Channel. People hang out at the fence on the end of the runway and get blown back by the wash of the planes coming in.

Here's a decent clip:

[howard]

Pretty lame excuse:

Asiana pilot says he was blinded by light prior to crash

[A_B]

Pretty lame excuse:

Asiana pilot says he was blinded by light prior to crash

He's trying to wrap this up like a douche.

[rass]

Very good.

[sancarlos]

Kind of hard to believe it happened, but it did! What a (racist) prank played on KTVU, Channel 2 in San Francisco/Oakland.

[Gunpowder]

I think Fox has the advantage here since they can draw on the local affiliate KTVU.

CNN is useless, this afternoon Don Lemon kept hyping the crash like it was PPV, kept calling a DR. "Mr." (Howard would have strangled him) and kept reminding me that San Francisco was an American city.

Hell, Buffalo was an All-America City twice.

[Gunpowder]

Kind of hard to believe it happened, but it did! What a (racist) prank played on KTVU, Channel 2 in San Francisco/Oakland.

Hahahahahahaha no. NO! That is awesome.


As to the above posts, I was told that only certain pilots with a set amount of experience are allowed to land large planes in San Diego.

[degenerasian]

Anyone who's listened to some of the prank calls on Howard Stern knows how bad these stations are at checking sources. They're all in a rush to be first with the story, and get a scoop. Easy pickings for pranksters.

[DSafetyGuy]

Article about the responders.

[degenerasian]

Revenge!

It looks like a Korean news agency is having some fun at KTVU’s expense. After the landing gear failure of the Southwest flight at LGA they showed this graphic with American pilot names “Captain Kent Parker Wright”, “Co-Captain Wyatt Wooden Workman”.

They even went as far as making up fake names for people to interview. Flight instructor “Heywood U. Flye-Moore” and skeptical passenger “Macy Lawyers”.