I can honestly say I have at least a thousand hours in Embraer aircraft on FSX. I would like to say that I've made my share of mistakes, but no one has ever died on a flight of mine. I've put RJ's down in conditions where I was certain there was a risk of death, and bent the envelope far further that I thought I could and still made it home for dinner. Relative to the hours I've flown my "pucker factor" time is limited to a very small percentage of total. They say that flying is hours of sheer boredom punctuated by moments of stark terror. They say pilots earn their entire year's pay in just 10 minutes. Tonight I had an experience of the sort that shook me to my very core, in clear skies and calm weather, and I wanted to share it with the community.
While taxiing my E175 for departure on 27 at KBOS this evening, tower was a training controller and quite busy. There were several inbounders, several aircraft who didn't know where they were on the runway grounds, and two active runways. The gentlemen on tower had his hands full, and was genuinely handling the mess in a professional manner.
With three inbounders for our runway, tower had wanted to get us out quickly if he could. However, due to confusion elsewhere on the grounds we had to hold at D1 for a bit while a 738 came in ahead of us. Two were still behind and inbound just outside 5 mile finals for the same runway. Tower cleared us for a no delay departure and we tore into it. However on wheels up we encountered either wake turbulence from the 738 ahead of us, or their thrust reverser wash, or just a massive gust. Whatever it was, within seconds we were flipped inverted and augured the Embraer 175 straight into the ground.
I've been inverted in a regional jet only once before. At that time it was due to an entirely begnine situation at FLT240 where an aircraft ahead of us was glitched and center had asked them to pause. Not knowing exactly where the aircraft ahead was, we were inadvertently vectored into their wake and flipped inverted. At FLT240 I had time to recover, and while I'm sure the passengers knocked a few heads and quite a few drinks were spilled, we recovered and landed safely.
Tonight however our wake encounter was at a few hundred feet and climbing off 27. We completely lost control, went inverted, and had this been a real world situation we would have been on the national news in a giant metal and dirt smear at T/O thrust on the airport grounds complete with a 10,000lbs of Jet A fireball, billowing black smoke, and 100% fatality.
I have to confess that this was an astonishing experience. I'm sure we've all crashed an airliner on FSX in good fun before. However in this case it was during a professional flight, by an experienced pilot, and was in the state of mind in which I was operating with deadly seriousness, in a high intensity environment. Certainly not an environment where I was anticipating to expire. But isn't that always the way it is. When you least expect it, and all that...
They say that the emotion expressed by professional pilots as they crash isn't that of stark terror, but is instead of absolute bewilderment. As in, the pilot is completely baffled and astonished by the fact that they have no idea what the F**K their aircraft is doing as it bores a hole into the ground. I now know that feeling in a way that has truly shaken me to the core. The only expression I can share with you as to what I felt as my Embraer tailed over and cratered is exactly that - - bewilderment and astonishment. There was no time to react, no time to try to understand what was happening. The only thing I could think of in the 3 seconds before we buried the ship into the dirt was that the autopilot had somehow kicked in and was taking over. The only control I could grab was "AUTOPILOT DISENGAGE" just to be sure. But it had no result... and we were a spectacular fireball in just 3 seconds.
The gentlemen in the tower I'm sure intended no calamity. He was training, it was busy, and of course this is just FSX. Certainly I have no animosity towards him. I will just say that the experience provided me a new insight into the emotions and reactions that unfortunately must sometimes occur in the aviation community. And while we are all here to experience what it is like to be a pilot in the most realistic environment we can generate on our desktop computers, this is one experience and emotion that I have never felt before and will confess that I don't want to feel ever again.
Friends, this evening I'm dead. And so are 74 loved ones and crew on board my aircraft. UAL421 to Syracuse ended in a horrific fireball and 500 foot smear across the airport grounds this evening and I'm having difficulty expressing the emotions.
All because of a hasty departure, a busy environment, "get-there-itis", and a little jet wash.
Re: Moments of Stark Terror
by Chickiee88 » Fri Jan 06, 2012 3:12 am
I was flying my 757 right behind you on
approach. I was on a 2nm final, and I heard tower tell you to line up
and wait. I started to freak out a bit. I'm watching my company 757 roll
out on the runway, while you sat about 1 and 1/2 miles ahead of me,
sitting stationary on the concrete. Finally, I hear no delay departure
from Tower, but at this point, I was sure I would have to go around. At
200 feet, you were rolling about a third of the way through your takeoff
roll, when I heard tower frantically call for a go-around. Except it
wasn't for me. It was for a SWA jet on the perpendicular, as there would
have been an incursion with you. I then begin to purposely fly a bit
above G/S, to buy some time. As I'm flaring, I finally see your wheels
pick up off the ground, but within seconds, I watched the aircraft flip
up and over, and make a short nosedive just short of the Boston Harbor.
I thought it was a glitch for sure, but now I'm somewhat shocked to read this. I now know what it's like to have a front row seat to an airliner disaster. I'll echo your earlier words when I say I would prefer not to repeat the experience. Please accept my sincerest condolences on the loss of your PAX and crew.
I thought it was a glitch for sure, but now I'm somewhat shocked to read this. I now know what it's like to have a front row seat to an airliner disaster. I'll echo your earlier words when I say I would prefer not to repeat the experience. Please accept my sincerest condolences on the loss of your PAX and crew.
