The takeoff warning horn was blaring away in the cockpit because they had all 4 engines at full power. The aircraft computers thought they were trying to takeoff but it had not been configured properly (flaps/slats, etc.) Then one of the ADAT crew decided to pull the circuit breaker on the Ground Proximity Sensor to silence the alarm.
This fools the aircraft into thinking it is in the air.
The computers automatically released all the brakes and set the aircraft rocketing forward. The ADAT crew had no idea that this is a safety feature so that pilots can’t land with the brakes on.
Not one member of the seven-man Arab crew was smart enough to throttle back the engines from their max power setting, so the $80 million brand-new aircraft crashed into a blast barrier, totaling it.
The extent of injuries to the crew is unknown, for there has been a news blackout in the major media in France and elsewhere. Coverage of the story was deemed insulting to Moslem Arabs. Finally, the photos are starting to leak out.
I’m sure they can salvage the engines. Remind me never to fly on this carrier.
Found by Trevor Pressman.
what about getting that OpenID plugin for WP.org?
I already have two WP id’s and don’t really need another.
Nice piece of race-bait. Seems to be something DU is especially fond of. Too bad the story isn’t true.
Does’nt matter, our petrol prices are paying for it!!!!!
This plane had not been delivered yet, the test crew were probably French doing final predelivery tests. Sorry lads, but it was unlikely that were were any Arabs on board. Nice to see we’re all doing our own little bit to start a race war here, well done.
JOHN… You are a big disappointment to your people…
Get the real story
* 15 November 2007 – An A340-600 was damaged during ground engine testing at Airbus’ facilities at Toulouse Blagnac International Airport. Six days prior to the airplane’s planned delivery to Etihad Airways, the plane pushed itself up a sloped concrete wall, suffering severe fuselage damage. The cockpit section was severed and fell to the ground from a height of about 15m atop the wall. Five people on board were injured, three of them seriously.[27] The aircraft was written off.[28]
This does seem like a bonehead mistake, but what does the race of the maintenance crew have to do with it? I once had an Arab doctor down in Florida, and I miss him; he was the best GP I’ve ever had.
And their food is delicious, even if the rumors are true, and falafel does get you on some stupid list of terror sympathizers.
Envy of all those dirty bean eating people with their good digestion and health, I guess.
Hey! How about tuning down the stupid racist comments?
There are NO evidence that the story was buried. It was widely covered and you can find plenty of links to this incident, including BBC and TF1 in France. There is also NO evidence that “arabs” are involved in this incident. The airline staff was not conducting the test, a third party contractor was involved, and you have no idea whether any of these people were arabs.
John, I listened to your rants often and there are sometimes funny, sometimes over the edge. But this is plainly stupid on your part.
Makes you wonder how those other 19 Arabs – WITH NO TRAINING IN BIG AIRLINERS – were able to hit the WTCs THE FIRST TIME ??? Curious …
Good God, John, the reason you didn’t hear about it is because nobody got killed and it happened in France. Such stories don’t penetrate here.
And you simply reiterate the completely unsubstantiated “fact” — stated without any kind of citation by a *right-wing* website — that the story is being suppressed because it can be seen as an insult to Muslims?
Remind me not to rely on Dvorak for “journalism”…
What the hell Muslims and Arabs have got to do with this Crash? Why these stupid Americans always talk from their asses? In case you bird brains out there didn’t know, most of these middle east airlines are run by American and British management, the pilots are not even local Arabs. So quit farting around and use your dumb American brain before you start blasting others.
What about the Iberia A340-600 crashed by the Spanish Flightcrew in Quito only ONE week prior to this incident. Was that also a coverup ? Is it because they were Caucasian ? There was one slight difference though – they had 330 passengers on board !!!!!!
FAIL.