As part of its ambitious documentary series "Curiosity," Discovery Channel crashed a Boeing 727 passenger jet Friday in the Sonoran Desert in Mexico to study a "serious, but survivable" plane crash, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Richard L. Aboulafia, an aviation consultant at the Teal Group in Fairfax, Va., said the possibilities ranged from "something pretty benign," like a lit cigarette or a coffee machine left on, to a serious flaw in the plane's new electrical system, which includes other innovative components besides the batteries.
He says the only real reason pilots are likely to make such a manoeuvre is if there's a serious problem on the plane which makes them decide to divert to a different destination, to get the aircraft on the ground.
Goldsmith is currently in the midst of his third appeal of his general discharge from the military for the "commission of a serious offense" — missing his plane to the Middle East after his suicide attempt.
Popular Mechanics, for example, published a piece a year ago, after the loss of MH370, asking, "Could plane cockpits be too secure?" According to the article, "some pilots"—probably glad today they weren't named—"scoffed at the idea that a locked cockpit is a serious concern, noting that planes are programmed to fly safely and even land on autopilot in the unlikely event both pilots nod off".
Her agenda here, she told reporters aboard her plane, included "a serious discussion with the Afghanis about how to build a stable economy" as well as "helping Afghanistan root out" the opium-poppy trade.
Apparently partway through the roughly six-hour flight, the American Airlines plane suffered a serious plumbing issue after some idiot tried to flush a diaper down the toilet, NBC affiliate KPNX reports.
Given the poor condition of the industry, Mr. Yermishin's fondness for planes is a serious, even poignant liability.
"We made a bet that Hagerty's the last guy on the plane," Richard Kind, '83 ("A Serious Man"), said.
