Heard the news yet? A two plane collided midair!

[Damaso]

UEBERLINGEN, Germany (July 2) - More than 50 Russian children headed for a beach vacation in Spain were among more than 70 people killed when their chartered Tupolev airliner slammed into a cargo plane over southern Germany, officials said Tuesday.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/...in513959.shtml

This freaked me out. I mean the sky is so wide, why would two planes collide into each other.

[onlinegs.com]

Originally posted by Damaso

This freaked me out. I mean the sky is so wide, why would two planes collide into each other.

Yes, I woundered the same thing, arn't they supposed to have radar to prevent this kind of thing? I meen these wern't two small aircraft, one was a 737 and I am not sure what the other one was. It is strange, I perhaps the visablity was poor and there radar wasn't working...I don't know.

[Damaso]

According to the investagator, the Russian pilot was given only about 50 seconds to correct his altitude. It said he also reacted after the second warning, about 25 seconds before the crash at 36,000 feet over Lake Constance.

[jgo]

all large aircraft have to stick to set air corridors, so they cannot just fly where ever they want. some are one way, some are two way (where the opposite directions fly at different heights as was the case here) in this accident, the russian airliner was at the wrong height.

according to bbc news
air traffic control ordered the russian aircraft to drop height 3 times, but was ignored until the last minute. the 757c was not told to change height (standard practise).

when the two planes got too close, the 757's radar kicked in and the 757 dived (as it saw no response from the russian aircraft). but then the russian plane had also started diving (unexpected by the other aircraft and atc) and the two collided.

note: the air corridors are in place to make atc easier, and to limit noise pollution. they are being/have been reviewed and some changed after september 11th to take planes further away from major cities/landmarks etc...

[iCEBERG2000]

this is 2 miles from where I was born, grew up and where my parents live.

[Subway]

Originally posted by iCEBERG2000
this is 2 miles from where I was born, grew up and where my parents live.

... and it seams like my country did the bad thing. (The control tower of the Zurich airport)

Fredi

[]v[orpheus]

I hate hearing about plane crashes.

[iCEBERG2000]

Originally posted by Subway

Originally posted by iCEBERG2000
this is 2 miles from where I was born, grew up and where my parents live.

... and it seams like my country did the bad thing. (The control tower of the Zurich airport)

Fredi

I think it is not 100% sure yet, but they appearantly took over the controlling. Confusing to think of what might have happened there the last 5 minutes....who tried callign who and why nobody responded.