Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch
I wish I could find it, there was an interview on CTV news this morning with an aviation consultant, and he theorized that the turn to starboard was a normal flight path to orientate the plane to its destination. He also questioned the turn as back to the airport as it wouldn't make sense because it wouldn't put the plane on a clear landing path.
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All I'm pointing out is that the plane will initially turn in the direction where there is the most drag. That's just physics. Assuming catastrophic engine failure, the plane will initially turn in the direction of that failed engine. What the pilot does after that to correct, I do not know. If I remember my third year aerodynamics course, an engine loss below a critical speed (which changes according to altitude, temperature, and ice) is a terminal failure, especially if the pilot attempts to turn and the aircraft stalls in the turn.
There are two other airports he could have turned to. Maybe he was trying that?