Flight 3407 over Buffalo

The flight that went down in Buffalo with ice on its wings: the transcript of the final words in the cockpit predictably include presumably "SHIT" (alt. "FUCK") and "JESUS CHRIST." We are told that the co-pilot said, "I don't know anything about icy conditions or de-icing." And then the pilot said, "I've never been on the stick," meaning, I've never got this plane out of a stall with the stick, one assumes.

After these confessions, the plane stalled and wobbled twice and then made a bee-line for sea level on Elm Street.

But that is not so far in the released transcript I've seen. There is just normal sounding airline talk. What's on record however does however raise some questions, especially in light of the unprinted material released by NY1 above.

22:00:23.2

HOT-1

had a guy that worked in there. had an odd accent to begin with. and uh

College Station Airport is uh owned and operated by the university-- uh

the Texas A and M university.

22:00:37.8

later . . .

you know we had a a controller down in Houston. uh he was known as

Mister Happy.

21:58:37.7

HOT-2

oh yeah.

21:58:38.4

HOT-1

guy was just he was-- had a perfect personality for the being a controller.

he never let anything rattle him. and he just all just all bubbly type a type a

guy. he retired-- just to let you know how he-- how well respected he

was um he retired and he had they published where his retirement party

was. there was pilots from Continental Colgan pilots Chautauqua

Expressjet you know the main carriers there in Houston.

21:59:09.2

HOT-2

oh that's cool.

21:59:12.3

HOT-1

they all went to go see you know Mister Happy and everything but but

that's where I got the bent wing pencil jet.

21:59:19.6

HOT-2

it's where what?

21:59:20.6

HOT-1

that's where I got the bent wing pencil jet uh name from.

I was interested to find on line a commendation for Axe from Houston, who talked like that: "Bent-Wing Pencil Jets" for XRs. I wonder who left this note, who ERfly is?

HOT-1

it's-- it's like moms SUV or minivan. you know the soccer van uh you

don't have to fly with your hands and your feet. you just fly with your

hands.

21:44:59.2

HOT-2

yeah.

21:44:59.5

HOT-1

once you-- once you flip the auto-- uh the yaw damp on and autopilot on

it's solid as a rock.

and

21:45:05.2

HOT-2

works the rudders for you.

21:45:07.1

HOT-1

yeah it works rudders for you. it's all coordinated.

INTRA-AIRCRAFT COMMUNICATION AIR-GROUND COMMUNICATION

TIME and TIME . . .

and then earlier, also:

21:46:55.6

HOT-1

you know home with your husband to to take care of all that kind of stuff.

INTRA-AIRCRAFT COMMUNICATION AIR-GROUND COMMUNICATION

TIME and TIME and

SOURCE CONTENT SOURCE CONTENT

DCA09MA027

CVR Factual Report

Page 12-34

21:46:59.6

HOT-2

exactly yeah it's just gonna depend where we're at when that happens.

but I-- I mean I'm not-- I'm not in such a hurry to upgrade. I've got very

very very good connections at Alaska.

21:47:10.4

HOT-2

oh cool.

21:47:11.2

HOT-2

Alaska's the only major I'd want to go to.

21:47:13.2

HOT-1

yeah.

21:47:13.5

HOT-2

just because I don't want to commute my whole life...so um once I do

upgrade you know once once Alaska starts hiring I don't-- I mean I don't

necessarily have to have a thousand hours PIC. I need to have some PIC.

21:47:25.7

So: WHO wants to transfer to Alaska, a cold-weather region? And what led to the co-pilot being on the flight? What was all that talk about? Is it normal to screw up like this? Of course, one might say, what do I expect: "Executing proper maneuvers at the proper moment, but the technology appears to be failing." Best not to judge before getting all the facts. But aren't these the questions reporters should be asking?

OKAY, toward the end . . . we all know it got bad, but that's also on FOX NEWS. Sorry, I'm not a ghoul, there's no link.

Longtime readers (I think there are four of you) will know that I do not like to use the actual words and people in the news, but to write in a lax and undeniably annoying way using the wrong words so as not to be searched. Then I tried putting Ben Stein in a heading, and no one clicked up my counter (well, twenty people or so). Thus I learn I am writing a pebble stumbled upon once in a while like a wrong number. A private bulletin board . . .