Boeing 727 Fails to Properly Land at Tuscaloosa Airport - Kalitta Charters Flight 9720

[@travelwithtony5767]

Your crash sequences are unmatched by similar channels on YT.

[@jrimpau]

Yes, they certainly are quality videos! I also like how they have the planes flying off into the sky at the end, even if the plane has crashed and smashed into smithereens.

[@jeanneewaseck6635]

He sure did smell smoke - that was his career going up in flames.

[@nynphose]

actually working for another airline making more money now funny right?

[@JJ-bv2gp]

😬😬😬

[@wayback75]

I am an old 27 mechanic and if memory serves me there are 3 inspection covers over each landing gear whereby you remove the cover and can inspect the landing gear to ensure it is over center meaning it is down and locked and at night there is a light switch on the FEs panel. These inspection covers are easy to access. In this video, there is no mention of them. They wound up writing off a beautiful airplane.

[@GarthWatkins-th3jt]

Yes, it angers me. How few 727's in service and the jackass pilot sent this one into the ground forever. What a selfish prick. Even I know the situation called for a go around and I'm not a pilot....smh

[@BobBono-d1n]

Not only is there inspection holes. There is a crank to manually lower the gear. He also had a mechanic onboard. Poor piloting by the Captain.

[@davedave5787]

All comments aside that worn out plane needed to be scrapped years ago folks 😡

[@voyaristika5673]

I know. It felt like a sad ending to the plane.

[@jugheadjones5458]

If I was the First Officer I would’ve felt like turning to the captain after they stopped and said “You effing idiot.”

[@klyvemurray]

CVR indicates that was EXACLY what the first officer said! And the flight engineer, too

[@chuckinhouston9952]

“Captain, here’s a number to call: 1.800.ass.whup.”

[@pcwillie2855]

In addition if i had the been the F/O I would have cycled the gear whether he liked it or not and if it still was showing red and he still wanted to land i would take the contols and go around, then get the emerg. checklist out go throught the procedures and verify its down before you land ! What an idiot, 'fing is right on the capts. part but as a a F/O your ass is still on the line.

[@alantorrance6153]

Paying attention to the landing gear lights is one of the first things you learn when getting your type-rating on a retractable gear plane. So, yes, that captain was an "effing idiot". Maybe he wanted to "go out" with a smash hit.

[@cameraman655]

F/Os have that right and ultimately, the responsibility of doing just that. This isn't the 1960s when the 4-Striper was God of the flight deck.

[@peterdaba6651]

As a retired Airline Pilot having a lot of hours in 727's and 737's a big hint that the Nose gear has gone down is hearing the Air noise when the gear doors open and as in 727 and 737 the nose gear is almost directly below the cockpit .But without 3 green one would want to abort the landing till you checked if the gear was in fact down. but those who think all older pilots are prone to these types of mistakes is untrue and unkind . One bad pilot don't make all of us bad.

[@Pipercito]

A totally unrelated question but since you flew the 727 . Could a 727 fly out of John Wayne or is the runway too short?

[@eucliduschaumeau8813]

This might be a stretch, but maybe the Captain wanted to retire both the plane and himself in the most dramatic way possible. People can be complicated, plus the plane had to be at the end of its useful life anyway. With 57,932 hours and 42 years in service, that plane had to be near retirement.

[@peterdaba6651]

@@Pipercito John Wayne airport has a 5700 foot main Runway so yes a 727 or 737 could use That airport but would not be able to Carry a full load . LaGuardia airport in NYC with it's 7000 foot runways had DC -10 and L-1011 flying out but could Only fly as far as Dallas or Chicago Due to weight fuel/passengers .

[@Pipercito]

@@peterdaba6651 Thanks for the reply . I fly out of Santa Marta Simón Bolívar Airport (5500 ft) several times a year. Enjoy the take off as the A320 rotates at about 25 seconds. I thought that was pretty quick until I just saw this video of 737-800 at John Wayne rotate at 18 seconds. kzbin.info/www/bejne/opSopYBuiZWhaac

[@paulsz6194]

It also makes sense at why all the wheels might not deploy when engines are at idle speed and flaps/ slat are deployed at the same time- not enough hydraulic pressure to run all surface controls at the the same time. Surely an experienced captain would have known these idiosyncrasies of the B727 and cycled the landing gear again?

[@paulboulter7823]

Captain refused to believe his instruments & now the B727 stretch is reduced to soda 🥤 cans!😫

[@ronduncan9527]

After a long career like that a pilot can feel and hear when the nose gear comes out!

[@pastorjerrykliner3162]

I was a passenger on a United 727 (into Denver, Stapleton) that had to go around because of an unsafe gear indication. The Nose Gear indicator light bulb had indeed failed. It was night...just like this story. But you know what? We went around and cycled the gear several times. And the RED light wasn't lit, just that the GREEN "down and locked" hadn't displayed...every single attempt. Which led the pilots to do a fly by the tower so that they (the tower) could illuminate us with a spot-light to see if the gear was down or not...which it was. Point being, it wasn't uncommon for those lights to fail, but you never assume that it's "just" a blown bulb.

[@Cl4rendon]

"It wasn`t down" Had me laughing.

[@RossPayne]

Yeah, I was surprised the copilot didn’t say “no shit.”

[@bigB6flyer]

Capt.Obvious 🤣

[@garywalters3007]

well, it wasn't not up

[@miked5539]

That was a BFO: blinding flash of the obvious.

[@Andrew-sv6zq]

I like your high quality videos. The graphics are incredible!

[@MPCFlights]

Thank you very much!

[@TheMaximac]

All of my trainees did a practice tower fly by to simulate the event of gear failure or any uncertainty. Can't believe the captain didn't consider it...Superb reconstruction by the way...

[@psalm2forliberty577]

Right but being it was after dark the Tower personel couldn't see to verify gear down or up status, right ?

[@psalm2forliberty577]

Right but being it was after dark the Tower personel couldn't see to verify gear down or up status, right ?

[@TheLitehart1]

Lordy, when I realized the plane & the captain had over a century between them I didn't have the greatest vibes lol! Your vids are so easy to watch and totally engrossing. I never fail to be impressed by the smoothness & detail of these productions. That last shot was a sad ending to the career of such a longstanding, trustworthy plane. Thanks for this!

[@bbigjohnson069]

A Kalitta 747-200 used to always come in to LAX about 10:30 PM. I knew it was him bc he always went over at 3000 not 3500-4000. One night it was 2200 scared the hell out of me.louder than F--- Im 14 miles from LAX.

[@danieljorge746]

It's really interesting the attitudes that end up colliding in the cockpit over important decisions that have to be made regardless if it's cargo or souls.

[@Mainbusfail]

In each of these incident videos, I always find myself sad for the aircraft because your format makes the aircraft the main character. Well done

[@TheLitehart1]

Oh good! I'm not the only one that actually has feelings for the plane! I find myself loving their beauty, grace and power.

[@jamessimms415]

@ 10:52…no sh*t Sherlock. I live in Tuscaloosa & remember this event. It was carrying parts for the Mercedes Benz plant outside of Tuscaloosa. Currently @ 6500’, the main runway is being extended in the future to 7700’ . Normally, the biggest planes using TCL are B-757, B-737, or A-320 football charters in the Fall. AF1, utilizing the B-757; have used TCL a couple of times in the past.

[@Inkling777]

This wasn't just a plane that had to be totaled. The runway probably had to be closed to inspect for debris.

[@SKYKOP1972]

This was no accident. Or fortunately depending on how one looks at the facts. It certainly was a tragic unnecessary end for both the Captain and a most beloved and admired airplane with over four decades of service. Thank God the Captain's inexcusable actions didn't lead to 4 crew deaths. Possibly a completely preventable crash. Good video.

[@johnwhitmore5408]

The most dangerous people in the skies are high time, arrogant, Captains.

[@robertcharlessceats3647]

Yes, no finer example than the KLM 747 captain at Tenerife in 1977

[@chrisstromberg6527]

Works both ways unfortunately, look at American Airlines Flight 1420 Litttle Rock for example!

[@lilibethdoherty295]

Having Driven a Cab 22 Years and Transporting Flight Crews every single Day these Pilots seem to have a Disdain for others they work with. They are not just Grumpy they seem to be very Unhappy and Arrogant people. The young Navy Pilots just have a very Antagonistic mean streak and are not well mannered at all.

[@grahamstevenson1740]

@@chrisstromberg6527 I put some blame for that on the scheduler too. It was a risky flight plan, looking at the weather.

[@bonotheist]

Don't forget, they are almost always White, too.

[@WendyKS93]

From watching videos such as this I have learned that the fault often lies with the extremely experienced Captain. Over confidence, ego and complacency are often to blame. Even with CRM, First officers still do not assert themselves and speak up or even takeover when they should. It's as if they are still afraid to.

[@thesagefoxbat]

Yes. One starts to feel really super at around 500 hours from ab initio! Happened to me!

[@stephencoogle2732]

Thank you for these great videos. Very thorough and interesting

[@mikedriggers3635]

These ego maniac captains, I don't get it. This could have been catastrophic. I'm not riding down with them. Fire me later, but I'm alive.

[@malcolmwhite6588]

Back in the day as a private pilot, you could often get a ride in the jumpseat of commercial airliners been with a few captains when they’ve given a briefing before the checks are read they have said to the first officer “I’ll be handling the take off and I want you to immediately speak up. If you see anything you are not happy with or that differs from the items we have briefed with the aircraft “ which Plants in the first officers head a total authority to intervene to the captain and formalises that process, so that it will be automatic for him or her

[@daktarioskarvannederhosen2568]

@@malcolmwhite6588 vvitch items?

[@milesaway3699]

A non nose gear landing isn’t really that big of a deal. Sure they could’ve gone around and cycled the landing gear up and then attempted to lower it again but if the nose gear was malfunctioning a nose gear up landing was inevitable.

[@daktarioskarvannederhosen2568]

@@milesaway3699 tipi yaya

[@daktarioskarvannederhosen2568]

@@milesaway3699 madame perquacky

[@Dan_Bender]

Lack of CRM in a Kalitta bird. Shocker...

[@roxanneLPM]

Beautiful plane, such a shame it ended it's days like that 😢 Also aren't the pilots supposed to read the incident log for any recent issues as part of the pre-flight assessment? Assuming it has been noted in there he would have seen the same incident 2 days ago and that it was resolved by cycling the gear. Or did he read it but just assumed that was a faulty switch too?

[@TheRealNatNat]

I guess that poor old 727 never flew again after that one..

[@robertclark9]

That’ll buff right out. Just ask the Captain, he’ll tell ya. 😂

[@johnpollard4158]

Legend has it, the pilot has since accrued 40,000 more hours in the 727 flying for Aero Sucre.

[@DLRPyro1]

10 bonus points for bringing Aero Sucre into the chat 😂😅🤣

[@jimeditorial]

@@johnpollard4158 I think at that carrier, MTOGW is just a suggestion

[@taproom113]

LMAO !!! GOALLLL 🤣

[@craigwalters]

What a tragic way to end a career. After all his years of flying, this is the memory that will stick with him the rest of his life

[@geeewiz2231]

There's a press to test button for all the lights, Excellent offer from FE to recycle and great choice by FO and FE to Go Around. What was he thinking?

[@jrimpau]

Why does the sink rate warning come on when they are landing? Is it tied to the gear position?

[@dominic9028]

When I was captain i always told my FO to "Let me know if you see me doing something dumb"

[@psalm2forliberty577]

Hmmm automotive parts from Laredo Texas (near Mexico) to Tuscaloosa Alabama ? The largest Automotive plant in those parts is the Mercedes-Benz Automotive International USA plant, in Tuscaloosa County, near Vance AL. It employs like 4,000+ Alabamans & is where my 2002 MB ML500 was built. They now build all MB SUVs + Crossovers + C Class cars there. I bet that's where these parts were headed.

[@BillieClose]

I. enjoy ur videos very much. I subscribed long ago, 'Like' always & comment frequently. Happy New Year!

[@christophersenn1304]

Thanks!

[@MPCFlights]

Thank you Christopher!

[@analucrecialinares5948]

Thanks for this content I am a follower of yours in Spanish, both channels have a good descripción of eventos and proper language usage. Best regards from Guatemala.

[@fxsrider]

I like the content and the way it is presented! Subbed!

[@MPCFlights]

Welcome aboard!

[@grahamstevenson1740]

Did Kalitta Ait have a CRM programme ? Ignoring the suggestions of the F.O. and F.E. was absurd. Cycling the gear would likely have fixed the problem.

[@jimeditorial]

Don't understand why the FE didn't use a flashlight and the cockpit floor inspection window to confirm the nose gear

[@wayback75]

Exactly, and the mechanic in the jump seat should have checked it out,,

[@Inkling777]

That inspection might involve a go-around and that takes time. Many an accident on landing happens because one or more of the flight crew are too eager to get down and off the plane. Of course what happens to them is worse than any short delay.

[@carel20081]

The captain was an idiot....

[@ellisonlowrimore7751]

Arrogant!

[@JohnShields-xx1yk]

Captain says, " it wasn't down ", wow, that's a great assessment

[@timothylegg]

let's just call him Captain Obvious

[@irasemamendez95]

The most time of flying some captains have, they becomes so confident ,they only cause accidents, at least in this case was not fatalities

[@robertsnorrason2494]

3 warnings from the first and second officers, as well as a clearly unstable short final = recipe for disaster.

[@roxanneLPM]

Confirmation bias is dangerous!

[@JackieontheTrunk]

I like this - simple, to the point with specific transcripts. And the music is nice. Too bad about this ol' 3 hole - didn't deserve this. A follow-up would be to see previous incidents with this former captain - a tiger doesn't change its stripes.

[@tangobear3536]

He's now flying for Air Banana Republic. Left Kalitta Charters off his CV.

[@divingfe]

He WAS flying for Air Banana Republic........ That's not the first time for these types of problems for Connie!!!!!!

[@claytonsanders508]

I would have said to the Captain, eff you, you fool you almost killed all of us!”

[@michaelbedinger4121]

Perhaps the captain, with all his flying hours and experience, thought he knew better than the others. He had good resources ( mechanic, flight engineer ) but failed to take advantage of their expertise. Perhaps it was time for him to retire. Great video, thank you very much. 😊

[@hairmetal2]

IF not engine fire suppression ,how not have upper inter wing foam suppression that could SPAY OUT WHEN fire to help ones exit a plane on fire on the ground ?

[@pmatthewroy]

"it wasn't down" haha

[@57silverwings]

Surprised he didn’t try to taxi it off the runway. Manually cranked the gear down on the old 3 holer more than a few times. Get the hand crank out and start turning. Works great.

[@genehorne1956]

You're gonna need a bigger jack.

[@cogitoergospud1]

This might be the dumbest actions of a captain I have ever seen.

[@THELIFEOFPRICE]

mannnn all the warnings over and over and over from the plane and the rest of the crew. at what point does the co pilot or flight engineer over ride the captain and say NO WE ARE NOT LANDING WITH ALL THESE WARNINGS - WE ARE GOING AROUND!?

[@rogerlee3941]

No excuse for that!

[@stevesebek7962]

definitely the captain , don't want to be flying with ! at least he didn't kill everyone !!!

[@Torontotootwo]

Plane retired and dismantled. Captain retired, reputation dismantled.

[@auntbarbara5576]

Great job, thank you!

[@megadavis5377]

It baffles the average mind...Why? And where is he now?

[@chuckinhouston9952]

He’s a greeter at our local Walmart.

[@dodahspeak]

An excellent example of poor airmanship all round and lousy CRM. I also blame the F/O and Flight Engineer for their lack of assertiveness. This Captain was not fit to command an airplane. A fine example of CRM at its worst.

[@malcolmwhite6588]

Hundred percent instead of actually troubleshoot shot it They should’ve realised it was a physical problem -if it was just a light out Generally you would not get any horns or alarms because the limit switches are all met if the light is out and it is a mechanical problem, then you would get the horn.

[@wayback75]

Don't forget they had a mechanic on board and he should have spoke up.

[@sheilasembly-crum8447]

What a shame. The 727 seemed like it had been a fairly good airplane despite its age.

[@robr2389]

Indicators are like fuses and circuit breakers folks. They're a safety check. That aircraft was telling them things weren't okay.

[@michaelwilcox5045]

That's why he was flying for the freight dogs... couldn't get hired by a major thank god with people onboard.

[@lrparrish227]

I prefer the freight flying one passengers any day.

[@Bren39]

@@lrparrish227 Both have pluses and minuses. I think I would like the fact that you only have to deal with other pilots - no FAs and pax. much more relaxed - go to lav anytime - eat anytime. But the night flying - no thanks. Also, if I was a young pilot - i would not plan on staying at these cargo airlines. Automation or single pilot will come sooner than you think.

[@sarge6870]

I'm sure the pilot retired along with this plane. They both had too much flight time for their air frames to handle!

[@alshotrodsandratrods8780]

Does it take a lot of effort to recycle the landing gear? Don't you just flip a switch or push a button? He had time to recycle it and was told he should do it.

[@thomaslembessis6803]

Big lever on f/o panel. Pull it out and up, then off, then down

[@arinerm1331]

Zero troubleshooting should be considered a criminal act. Seriously, how much trouble would it have been simply to cycle the gear?! I also note that he landed with a 10-knot tailwind instead of asking for a reverse-angle letdown. What a goober!

[@gregbarnlund4102]

...typical for Kalitta. Why am I not surprised?

[@robertclark9]

“It wasn’t down”….YA THINK! 😂 😂😂

[@finnmacs]

Emm... My bad it wasnt down...lol had me in tears

[@Inkling777]

This is why airlines often have a policy that if either pilot calls for a go-around they go-around. No debate. No, "I'm the captain. I make the decisions." Recycling the landing gear might have fixed this problem

[@ksmeowmy8743]

Ouch-should have gone to a go-around as soon as the alarm sounded.

[@MilesNauticus]

Excessive confidence of the captain.

[@flyingtigerline]

I did social work inside a state prison for 15 years. We had precisely the same problem there..... in spades.

[@Bren39]

What? Nose gear problems?

[@MeaHeaR]

Conn Airé

[@flyingtigerline]

@@Bren39 Yes indeed !!! Actually, reporting problems to supervisors who then ignored them.

[@LauraSchendel-ko1qk]

As a flight attendant, I can say from experience that the 727 was the most miserable plane to work. It went on forever and the galleys had a lot of sharp edges and created a lot of on-the-job injuries. I did a happy dance when my airline sold them!

[@divingfe]

Maybe that is the way your outfit configured them..... too bad.

[@LauraSchendel-ko1qk]

@ True.

[@gastankbassgtb3894]

I'm guessing the captain was not offered a 709 ride from the FAA.

[@davidburke709]

Aww heck - the pilot was probably just a Bama fan eager to get to T-town.

[@donna7633]

Would the outcome be any different if he went around 🤔

[@thomaslembessis6803]

Possibly, they were extending the landing gear , and ,at the same time, were extending flaps. Both of these work off of the System A hydraulic system (powered by pumps on the #1 and #2 engines)

[@RedneckSpaceman]

A 727? That recently?? OIC..private charter plane!?

[@Xxxx-d4z]

ANOTHER UNQUALIFIED CAPTAIN

[@RedneckSpaceman]

Defective Plane as well!!...still, the Captain screwed up, badly!! Even a most inexperienced Captain would insist on getting some type of visual verification. Do a Fly-By and have the People in the Tower take a look! Even w/o Binoculars, it would be very easy to see if the nose gear was down or not!! Even the Janitor up there emptying the trash cans could see!!

[@dgriffin6074]

The captain's comment reminds me that years ago a teacher said to me "you're a master of the obvious".

[@fuffoon]

I wonder what el capitan was feel in his stomach as he slid down the runway. 😮

[@mach37]

Absolutely no effing way I'm going to watch a video with a title like this one.

[@cameraman655]

Alabama has airports…?

[@feloniouscraphammer]

Yassuh we sho does

[@cameraman655]

@@feloniouscraphammerDamn, who knew…? The last I heard the didn't even have paved roads…

[@mebeasensei]

Does y he copilot get in trouble for not following any protocols about taking over when a captain is clearly violating the norms?

[@mebeasensei]

Mnn..I wondered that too. It's a small cargo charter thing. Maybe that has something to do with standards? I was also surprised that teh co-pilot, at 46, had only 150 hours in it? May that too? The presence of an engineer too? A very experienced engineer? Would take a lot of balls for an inexperienced 46 year old co-pilot to do it I would think. Perhaps he thought the captain was gonna try some touch n go thing?

[@MikeX3000]

Surprised there were no sparks on the runway when nose touched down. Does that normally happen that way?

[@MilesNauticus]

There must have been.

[@paulw4310]

If it was merely an indication, the gear horn wouldn't have sounded. Immediately upon not getting 3 greens, I do an annunciator light test. With that said, even if it was the bulb, it required a go-around. Ideally, the FO should've taken the controls and did a go-around. He would've had everything on his side in a meeting with the company or the feds. The "smell of smoke" was a really flimsy dodge since it was never mentioned on the CVR...and it MOST CERTAINLY would've been...guaranteed!!!

[@valdez57700]

Brave old bird ! 🕊🐦🛬✈

[@libertyone5853]

A Captains famous LASt WORDS AS A PILOT.."yeah, shoulda"!

[@danferguson2724]

or "oops"

[@321ssteeeeeve]

“It wasn’t down“ he said. Two separate subsystems warned him, the indicator system and the ground proximity sensing system fed through a series of NLG interlock switches and sensors warned him. For this to be an “indication problem” at least 3 separate parts would had to have been all malfunctioning at same time. Thank God I’m not a pilot, I would have probably done similar things through biased logic fallacies lol

[@DonaldLittle-d7i]

‘I got it ?’ ., no tower fly by to see if it’s down ? Not even doing the flash light-view port thing ? Wouldn’t those persistent alarms nag you enough to second guess your flimsy., arrogant assumption ? Did he feel lucky when the mains touched down ? Was he slowly riding the nose down hoping that gear was down ? I wonder if his eyes got wide when the nose was coming down much further than it ever had.., that must’ve felt like a long way down !!! Fortunately, nose wheel up landings usually only result in throwing a shower of sparks and maybe a longer stopping distance. The pilot is either a hero.., or a boob that gets canned.

[@redbird444]

Captain (after the engines are shut down): Oh well, so much for that job. I wonder if Piggly Wiggly is hiring?

[@azzir325]

Tough to believe an experienced crew would make such a rookie mistake.

[@richardcline1337]

It WASN'T the crew, it was the dumbass, arrogant Captain that refused to listen to the other pilots! He alone is to blame!

[@divingfe]

F/O inexperienced- but he tried. The F/E hadn't enough cojones.

[@miket2120]

It'll take full throttle to taxi the plane now.

[@cslan4]

What a bonehead pilot because of him the jet was scraped and cued of killed all them ,when there is no 3 green go around and try to check it out specially when al the warning balls go off WTF!!!!! Oh by the way another great video!!

[@Nivola1953]

This was 2019, in the USA, where authoritarian power, should not be tolerated. Yet here is another case of “I will respect my elders/superior at the cost of my life” main cause of a crash. This is probably the only problem that continues to repeat in aviation, typically the recommendations following the investigation will include something related to “improve CRM” (Crew Resources Management), still after so many accidents, there continues to be more coming for the same reason, the FO doesn’t dare to stand up to the as*hat in command and prefer to die than take effective actions or even speak up, in many cases.

[@flyerbob124]

Capt is fired or should be. First officer should also be gone for not being more aggressive.

[@forrestrota3894]

That captain is no Captain.

[@ecliptix5436]

This pisses me off. I spent a lot of time on 727 freighters and I don't like seeing one of the few still alive going down like that because of an idiot. FO should've been fired too for not straight up calling a go around.

[@divingfe]

And, especially the "no-balls" E/E.

[@geoff1201]

There old pilots, and bold pilots, but no old, bold pilots.

[@RatPfink66]

and no old, stupid pilots.

[@jourwalis-8875]

42 years old!!

[@auntbarbara5576]

3:23 Check! ✔

[@paises_unidos_del_sur23]

Emmmm Is it me or does this channel look a lot like a channel called mauricio pc

[@DebbieMurray-t1i]

Why is this flight beingtreated badlyand is the complaining party a licensed commercial pilot if euth the BTSB?

[@rufusryland9903]

The ex-Captain is probably checking baskets leaving WalMart!!!

[@BigEightiesNewWave]

Never read the manual, do not deploy gear at idle.