Thrust Reverser's?

Question

This is kind of a funny, thought, Have there been any cases in Aviation, of thrust reverser's being deployed in mid-air?

Answer 1

Yes, there have been incidents of TR deployment inflight.

Such use is not permitted in jet airliners as doing so often results in loss of control. However, some aircraft are approved for TR deployment inflight as a means to expedite their descent. An example is the C-17 Globemaster.

The most notorious inflight TR deployment accident was Lauda Air 004- http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19910526-0

See these reports on inflight TR accidents-
http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19610711-1
http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19961031-0

Answer 2

Yes, there have been many cases of thrust reversers being deployed in flight either by pilot error or accident (aircraft problem)..however many modern aircraft make it impossible for the pilot to deploy in flight (but accidents can still happen).

In addition some aircraft are specifically designed to deploy in flight for rapid descent/decceleration such as the USAF C-17A but these reversers are sometimes designed differently than usual types.

Have a look at the Wikipedia link below.

Answer 3

Yes, Lauda Air lost a Boeing 767 that way. Lauda Air 004 out of Bangkok International for Vienna had an in-flight thrust reversal at 4000 feet and broke up with the loss of all on-board.

Niki Lauda (retired F1 driver) investigated the accident himself, determined the cause, tested his theory on a simulator in England and announced his findings to the press. The official report agreed.

I've met one pilot who used to engage thrust reverse just before touchdown to prevent the aircraft from 'floating'. Interesting but not something I think is normal, certainly not something I ever saw our test pilots do.

Answer 4

In the late 70's one thrust reverser was deployed in flight by a 737 landing at Cranbrook BC the result was a low altitude U turn into the ground. All aboard died.
Not all that funny

Answer 5

As a matter of fact, the shuttle astronauts use a Gulfstream II that is highly modified to practice the steep shuttle approaches. They've removed the clam shell reversers and installed cascade reversers and they deploy them in flight to give the same glide angle that they use in the actual shuttle. I've tried that in the simulator a few times and it works fine. 250 knots, no flaps and full reverse and the Gulfstream takes on the aerodynamic characteristics of a coke machine.

There has been a number of inadvertent deployments in flight and we practice that in the simulator too. Sometimes we can't get it stowed so we have to land with one deployed. Not really a problem since with the engine at idle it's pretty much like a single engine landing.

Answer 6

Absolutely.

There may have been an occasional incident of it happening unintentionally, I'm not sure.

But the DC-8 used them on 2 of the 4 engines as I recall to allow for steeper descents if you wanted to get down in a hurry.

Also the specially-modified Gulfstream airplane that NASA uses to train Shuttle pilots uses reverse to provide for an ultra-steep descent that resembles that of the space shuttle.

Answer 7

It's a rare incident. By design there is a "squat switch" that keeps the TR from deploying until the landing gear is supporting some of the weight of the aircraft.

Answer 8

You cant deploy reverse thrust during flight.

Answer 9

Yes, a C-5 Galaxy crashed due to one deploying during flight.

Answer 10

Ok now i'm old but DC-8's could and did deploy TR's in flight to slow down to land at smaller airports or to stop going sonic