I just read this if anyone is interested
http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/...airfrance_investigation_050806?hub=topstories
Air France jet couldn't have stopped: TSB
CTV.ca News Staff
The Air France A340 Airbus that skidded off the runway at Toronto's Pearson Airport last week had no chance of stopping on time, says the lead investigator for the Transportation Safety Board.
Real Levasseur told reporters Sunday that because of how far down the runway the plane landed, combined with the heavy rain falling at the time, the jet had little chance of stopping.
"Under those conditions, I am pretty convinced that there was no way the aircraft was going to be able to stop before the end," he told a news conference.
Investigators have already said that Flight 538 landed "long" when it touched down last Tuesday before skidding off the runway and plunging into a treed ravine 200 metres away.
Levasseur says he believes the plane landed about 4,000 feet down the 9,000-foot runway. Under normal runway conditions, 5,000 feet would have been enough for a plane to stop in time. But the rain changed all of that.
"With the runway conditions that we had, the water on the runway, and the braking action, which was poor, my preliminary estimate is that at that point, there was no way that this airplane could have stopped before the end," Levasseur said.
Levasseur clarified that the brakes were likely working properly, but may have had trouble getting a grip because of the rain. "The brakes themselves are much less efficient on a wet runway than on dry runway," he noted.
The plane was also travelling slightly faster than normal for a landing, moving at a speed of about 148 knots with a tailwind (275 km/h), instead of the usual 140 knots (260 km/h).
Some have questioned if the aircraft hydroplaned -- meaning it skidded on a thin film of water -- on the rain-soaked runway when it attempted to land on Tuesday. But Levasseur said on Saturday that at this point in the investigation, he doesn't believe that happened.
Hydroplaning usually causes the water underneath a plane to boil, melting parts of the tire, but the tires didn't sustain much damage, he said.
The door controversy
Levasseur also clarified Sunday why the 309 passengers and crew exited the plane using only half of the plane's eight doors and emergency exits.
He says flight attendants decided not to open two of the doors because they saw a fire on that side of the plane and deemed it too dangerous.
But he noted that two other emergency slides also failed to deploy even though they are supposed to unfold automatically when the emergency doors are opened.
Two experts from the slide's manufacturer are on site at Pearson International Airport to examine why the slides and door didn't work properly. An expert from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board will join them.
The process of gathering information at the crash site is wrapping up, and the plane could be removed from the site as early as Monday, Levasseur says.
Information from the flight data recorder is still being assembled and the flight's captain should be well enough soon for safety board officials to interview him soon.
