Page 10 - Flight Instruments News Today

Right now. >> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news with lester holt." good evening. the summer of dangerous encounters between planes and threats controlled from the ground has seen one more. it happened just this afternoon. a very close call between a drone and an airliner on approach to new yorks kennedy airport with 159 people on board. it happened in the most critical phase of the flight. the plane low, traveling around 190 miles an hour, setti...

>> delta 407. >> yeah, about a mile back there was a drone flying just under the southwest side of this abandoned airport here. >> what altitude would you say that was? >> i would say probably about 100 feet below us. just off the right wing. >> reporter: just 100 feet below an aircraft is considered a very close call. normal separation between an aircraft should be at least 1,000 feet. the tower quickly notified other pilots. >> jetblue 958, use caution for this arrival. the one thats ahead of ...

>> the pilot scrambles to get the motor started. seconds later the engine starts up. >> once he got the plane going again, it was happy times with me. >> but the happy teams dont last. before the brothers can relax, the motor cuts out again. >> you just keep hoping get it started. come, on man. get it start. he looked a little frantic up there. >> this time the pilot cant restart the engine. >> can i see the color. i can see people walking on the sidewalk down there. get it started. desperation ...

We worked really hard. >> mazur says taplin was worried about leaving the safety of base camp. >> everything started shaking. you know, the mountain was falling down all around us. we got a radio call from base camp, our staff that said base camp had been wiped out and we couldnt find our friend. like an hour later, they found his body. >> reporter: he was one of at least 18 killed at base camp. many others were injured. but most survived. thanks in part to the extraordinary efforts of this swis...

Tells us how it unfolded. >> reporter: sky west flight 305 was flying normally at 37,000 feet when the pilot suddenly decided he needed to get down fast. flight radar 24 reports the plane descended 24,000 feet in a matter of minutes. passengers say flight attendants first thought they had a sick passenger on board but then said there could be a cabin pressure problem. >> as we were told to keep breathing we suddenly go into a nose dive. that rapid descent was incredibly scary. really felt like w...

Now have hard evidence that co-pilot andreas lubitz, a man with a history of depression and suicidal thoughts, deliberately crashed the plane. alone at the controls, the pilot locked out, he changed the altitude setting from 38,000 feet to just 100 feet. and adjusted the autopilot repeatedly to increase speed. information extracted from the battered flight data recorder, which was torn apart during the crash. the empty housing found days ago. the recorder itself just yesterday. discovered almost...

>> the call his dad, cleve joiner, makes to 911 sets in motion a massive rescue operation. six national guard and air force helicopters are on their way, but theyre hours away. of the six people still alive in the crevasse, three are badly hurt and need medical attention. and then all of a sudden, the sound of chopper blades through the thin mountain air. >> when you hear a helicopter, you hang so much hope that your friend is going to get off the mountain and get to a trauma center and be okay....

Sun shines on a stadium where a baseball game between the fairbanks gold panners and the anchorage bucks is under way. in addition to baseball tonight, the stadium complex is housing soccer and track and field events and its filled with fans. >> theres a lot of events going on. theres a lot of people outside that day. >> back in the plane, ron and mark cross the cook inlet and enter anchorage air space. >> the suns hitting on anchorage. all the buildings have the reflections. probably the pretti...

>> the suns still up. its still july so its land of the midnight sun. perfect alaskan night. >> 40 miles away, the midnight sun shines on a stadium where a baseball game between the fairbanks gold panners and the anchorage bucks is under way. in addition to baseball tonight, the stadium complex is housing soccer and track and field events and its filled with fans. >> theres a lot of events going on. theres a lot of people outside that day. >> back in the plane, ron and mark cross the cook inlet ...

If you have visual references if its daylight clear of clouds you use the natural horizon. otherwise use your flight instruments. recovering from a stall is something all pilots practice. you might not know most airplane pilots have not stalled an airliner not intentionally. our flight simulators are not programmed to practice a full stall. ive had a chance to go the airbus factory in france to fly with test pilots and especially with airbus under controlled conditions stalled the airplane. some...