POTENTIAL WING STALL BEHIND KATHMANDU PLANE CRASH
Why in the news?
- A Bombardier CRJ200 jet crashed after taking off from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport on July 24, with Captain Manish Raj Shakya as the sole survivor.
- A five-member panel is investigating the crash, but findings are not expected soon. Initial video analysis shows the plane steeply banked right before the crash.
Unusual Attitude
- The plane’s excessive right bank led to an ‘unusual attitude,’ a deviation from normal flight positions.
- Such attitudes often cause aerodynamic stalls, where the aircraft loses lift and begins to fall unless corrected swiftly.
Source: IE
Stalls and Wing Stall
- Aircraft wings generate lift within specific angles of attack (AOA). Exceeding the critical AOA causes airflow separation, leading to a stall.
- Wing stalls occur when one wing stalls before the other, causing a sharp roll. Correcting a wing stall involves pushing the nose down and using the rudder, which is difficult at low altitudes.