New method of disembarking

[jb747]

I’m surprised this one hasn’t had a mention. The image of people on the wing, with luggage, is especially insightful.

Accident: American B738 at Colorado Springs and Denver on Mar 13th 2025, engine vibrations, engine fire after landing

Aviation Herald - News, Incidents and Accidents in Aviation

avherald.com

The lack of an off wing slide is interesting, and I wonder if that’s yet another Boeing exemption. The equivalent Airbus has them.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Maybe grandfathered? We are supposed to use the extended wing flaps to gracefully slide off the wing to the ground!

 

[p--and--t]

Erm! So many questions

Aren't the instructions NOT to open the over-wing exits if you can see smoke or flames outside the window?

If there is a fire, why would you stand on top of the fuel tanks?

 

[jase05]

If there is a fire, why would you stand on top of the fuel tanks?

How else do you get those selfies to upload to TikTok

 

[RooFlyer]

Juan Browne covered this:

Check out the diagram he shows where the height of the deployed flaps ( where are you Are meant to slide off) compared to the ground is about a body length.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Erm! So many questions

Aren't the instructions NOT to open the over-wing exits if you can see smoke or flames outside the window?

If there is a fire, why would you stand on top of the fuel tanks?

If the smoke and fire are on the other side of the aircraft, it can be a means to escape.

Also, if instructed by the crew, after they have done their assessment, it might also be an available exit.

 

[elanshin]

I think the bag problem here is a lot harder to figure out. The plane was actually already connected to the jet bridge so many PAX would've been already ready to get off. I'm not sure if dumping your bag in your seat would be faster or safer in this case.

But overall it'd be interesting to see if this is a commanded evacuation or uncommanded evacuation. (PAX sees smoke and engine on fire and does their own thing).

 

[jb747]

Maybe grandfathered? We are supposed to use the extended wing flaps to gracefully slide off the wing to the ground!

And that comes back to there being far too much grandfathering, though whether it's actually involved here, I don't know.

Check out the diagram he shows where the height of the deployed flaps ( where are you Are meant to slide off) compared to the ground is about a body length.

And note also, that the flaps are not deployed....

 

[MEL_Traveller]

And that comes back to there being far too much grandfathering, though whether it's actually involved here, I don't know.

And note also, that the flaps are not deployed....

The regulatory requirement - at least the FAA’s - is that any door sill 6 feet or more above the ground require slides. It was legacy… the 727s and DC9s plus subsequent variants didn’t have o/w slides. I think the DC10 was the only legacy jet that had over wing exits, and slides?

 

[elanshin]

And that comes back to there being far too much grandfathering, though whether it's actually involved here, I don't know.

And note also, that the flaps are not deployed....

I think Juan mentions an important point being whether this was a commanded evacuation or an uncommanded one given the direction of the smoke was blowing away from the coughpit and the PAX would've noticed it well before the coughpit crew.

 

[Captain Halliday]

This event got me wondering what the CoG is like on the 738.

We’ve seen images of a few ending up on their tail.

How many pax can you get on the wing before it tips?

 

[jb747]

This event got me wondering what the CoG is like on the 738.

We’ve seen images of a few ending up on their tail.

How many pax can you get on the wing before it tips?

I suspect, probably all of them. But it would solve the getting off problem.