Flying with no flight controls: Handling qualities analyses of the baghdad event

Abstract

This paper proposes a handling qualities analysis of Baghdad in flight turn back event. On November 22nd, 2003, a DHL Airbus A300-B4 suffers a missile hit while in initial climb. All hydraulic flight controls are almost simultaneously lost. The crew could only control the thrust of the two engines. After a remarkably short learning period, and despite the loss of a significant portion of the left wing, fortunately compensated by a significant fuel asymmetry, the pilots performed exceptionally well and manage to land the aircraft on the runway without any injury. After some explanations of the specific flight mechanics of a plane with no flight controls, the successful factors of the Baghdad flight are presented, and quantified. The specific aircraft configuration, speed, thrust and trim condition when the missile hit occurred, the flight control surfaces behavior with no more hydraulics and the forward CG position, the decision to extend the landing gear, among others, allowed this feat of airmanship. Had the initial flight condition been different, the possibility to control the plane back to earth safely would have been much narrower. Then the possibility to fly safely and land an aircraft without any flight controls is discussed, based on basic flight mechanics considerations. Copyright © 2005 by AIRBUS FRANCE SAS.