AA597 Unsafe gear emergency landing KSJC

[semperflyer797]

Audio clip for American Airlines Flight 597 which had an unsafe gear on final and made an emergency landing at KSJC.  Some of the audio from NorCal approach was lost but the rest of it is there.

Here's a link to the track log and graph:

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAL597/history/20160114/2133Z/KPHX/KSJC/tracklog

Here's the Aviation Herald link also

http://avherald.com/h?article=492784aa&opt=0

The only thing, and call me a pessimist if you must but, I don't understand clearing an aircraft for take off while there is an emergency aircraft on a 5 mile final for that runway.  Apparently the pilots of the AA might have been thinking the same thing when they re-verify that they are cleared to land.  God forbid something happen to the aircraft taking off, although crash rescue would have already been standing by, and you now have an aircraft with an emergency you have to send around and most likely to another airport.  Although I'm not familiar with the Airbus systems, I'd guess that after a manual extension of the gear you wouldn't raise it back up and thus they'd be flying around in a half dirty configuration.  Now they'd have to go to another airport and crash rescue there as well as other air traffic would have to be prepared to accept a flight which they weren't expecting to have to deal with.  I guess I just don't see the point in making the other flight just a little bit later all things considered.  

Kudos to the Gulfstream crew who probably had to execute a high speed abort which they weren't expecting.

Glad everything worked out OK in the end but mark my words, one day there will be an incident or accident that happens because somebody couldn't wait just a few more minutes and it's probably going to cost lives that otherwise didn't need to be lost.

[flyflyfly]

Kudos to the Gulfstream crew who probably had to execute a high speed abort which they weren't expecting.

The Gulfstream must have been still at rather low speed since they came to stop before taxiway Juliet - which is where they were told to vacate. Also AVherald reports a low-speed abort. Well done by the Gulfstream crew anyway.

The only thing, and call me a pessimist if you must but, I don't understand clearing an aircraft for take off while there is an emergency aircraft on a 5 mile final for that runway.

I agree, that's not optimal. But there's two major factors to consider: first, KSJC has two identical, parallel runways available. Assuming that 12L was not blocked by construction etc, there was still an alternative available - even if 12R got blocked by something else. And, more importantly, controllers ask for the reason of the emergency (unsafe gear indication in this case). I'm absolutely sure that the other a/c had not been cleared for takeoff if AA597 had reported a flight control problem, a fuel emergency, hydraulic issues, smoke in the cockpit - or anything else that could have impacted their ability to fly.

[semperflyer797]

@flyflyfly

I went back and listened to the original audio to get a timeline on the Gulfstream which was a G-IV.  In real time from when the pilot acknowledges "no delay" until they respond to the take off clearance canceled it's about 38 seconds.  From their "no delay" until when I reasonably think they would have reacted to the "cancel clearance" but didn't verbally respond it's about 28 seconds.  I went back and listened to the ground freq to listen for their taxi route but couldn't find it.  Looking a the airport diagram I'm assuming they left from intersection M as had several previous departures.  If that's the case, from M to J, and given the elapsed time, I would guesstimate their ground speed to have been 45-55 knots if not greater.  Not anything too horrible but still an unexpected event given the "no delay".

I agree that the gear issue wasn't necessarily a serious danger to the safe flight of the aircraft and given that they had declined a fly by to double check the gear, the declared the emergency was out of an abundance of caution.  Also having listened to some of the other audio, runway 12L was in service, and being used by several aircraft immediately preceding the incident.  I still feel like this is an all too common occurrence of ATC feeling pressured to get an aircraft out before an emergency aircraft potentially closes the field for a period of time, and I feel this is what can one day lead to devastating results.  I know time is money when it comes to the airlines but it's hard to get either back should the worst happen.  Again just playing devils advocate to all the what if's, which I could go on about further but I think this dead horse has been beaten enough.