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Unknown object strikes Colombian A320 in cruise

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Colombian investigators are trying to ascertain the nature of an object which struck an Airbus A320 at cruise altitude in the country’s airspace. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

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BarnesUSA
The flying public will not see the humor in this reported incident. Any unexplained circumstance relating to flying is a serious matter; especially when there's evidence of a 20cm depression occurring while an aircraft is airborne at a very high altitude. I look forward in reading the summary of the report of investigation.
riesberg
Riesberg Mark -2
Perhaps not, but they will see the humor in how an adult can get thru life with absolutely no sense of humor. Relax and accept that there are other worldly life forms messing around in our airspace.
SRQSid
Sid Mann 22
There were earlier reports of geese doing loops and rolls so investigators are suspecting fowl play.
ysfsim
Ant Miraa 1
Lol nice
jkladd
Jon Ladd 1
Duck you! -- Good show. Loved it.
cageyfox
Meteor fragment? It wouldn't have to be very big to make a 20 cm depression.
Weather? Any thunderclouds / severe updrafts in region?
tomtreutlein
tom treutlein 1
There are ice meteors which enter earths atmosphere in large numbers daily. The big ones (house sized) tend to have sufficient momentum to heat up and blow up in the upper atmosphere. Small ones seem to be able to make it into stratosphere, with some making it to the earths surface.
mpmt06
Mark Thomas 5
You would think hitting "blue ice" at 480 knots would cause more damage than a 20cm depression in the fuselage. They're lucky it didn't puncture the hull and decompress! It would be very interesting to find out what it was, how can we follow up?
Rarra
Rarra 1
I'm friend of the copilot and i work for the same company.I will let you know the results.
joelwiley
joel wiley 1
Looking forward to your post.
MikeMohle
Mike Mohle 3
"Blue ice", perhaps?
whubbs
Wayne Hubbs 3
Am sure a drone will get the blame with laser lights on it😎
TEAMERICA
Dan Egelhoff 3
It's a shame how we always blame the Object for "hitting" the airplane. The one thing that we really know is that the Colombian A320 was doing 480 kts. We do not know the identity, speed or direction of the other possibly decimated object. So the A320 was flying way faster than his vision and ability to avoid a possibly innocent object just floating aloft minding it's own business. Now, if the dent was in the trailing edge of a wing, for example, you might have a case for something actually hitting the airplane at cruising altitude. But only after interrogating all of the ground personnel. Otherwise - The A320 "hit something".
davebartell
Dave Bartell 3
It's worth hearing the final report out. Consider the massive empty space at cruising altitude. Impact on "forward left hand side of aircraft" and a "20cm depression" suggests the object used its momemtum and not the aircraft. Questions point what kind of object would have enough mass and speed to dent an aircraft.
Moviela
Ric Wernicke 8
Maybe a ramper forgot a pastry he was warming on the heated pitot tube and it finally broke free at altitude.

Gives new meaning to the phrase "Take a flying leap at a rolling donut."
SmokedChops
SmokedChops 6
I don't care who you are, that's funny...(take a bow, Mr. Wernicke) brilliant, simply brilliant. And now my poor addled brain will spend it's day coming up with sketches of said pitot tube with said pastry impaled thereupon...
THRUSTT
THRUSTT 1
That would be an unheated pastry, since the tube's not heated on the ramp...
cjoe071855
I don't understand why the speculation about the nature of the object that struck the jet would include Canadian geese. At 35,000 ft., with very little oxygen, with air temperatures around -50 degrees fahrenheit, no goose would survive if it could not breathe or maintain body temperature.
joelwiley
joel wiley 3
You are correct, they could not survive without sufficient o2 or maintaing thermoregulation. However, there appear to be credible observations of birds up to that height. The birds did not read the books that say they cannot!
rvasic
ratko vasic 1
Canada geese fly in a distinctive V-shaped flight formation, with an altitude of 1 km (3,000 feet) for migration flight. The maximum flight ceiling of Canada geese is unknown, but they have been reported at 9 km (29,000 feet). Low flyover by five Canadian geese. - Wikipedia
Bobqat
Picturing a goose with supercharger and oxygen mask...
joelwiley
joel wiley 2
Visualize a teen aged gander saying "hey watch this!" ;-)
RHiggs
RHiggs 2
I'm surprised that only person considered the possibility of a wayward weather balloon. In my 34-year airline career, on two occasions I saw weather balloons pass close by with payloads apparently large enough to bring down an airliner. One would think a transponder would be required, but ATC had no knowledge of a balloon in their area.
roperweldon
Ron Weldon 2
Possibly small space junk. Interesting to know how much damage?
dsearls
David Searls 2
A bird. Here is a list of maximum recorded flight levels for different species: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_birds_by_flight_heights
jeroberts88
jeroberts88 3
Wow maybe it was the Lammergeier or Bearded Vulture, just think how high he could get if he would shave.
euronorb
euronorb 2
Some kids Christmas drone :)
RubenVillanueva
Could have been a migrating snow geese, I have had pilots report to me of seeing snowgeese at fl290 when I was in Alaska
ZX1100F1
David Aaron 1
It's pretty much going to have to be a bird, likely a goose, while they normally don't fly quite that high I'm sure that on occasion there is the adventurous sort that gets up there if conditions are right.
There isn't any other logical explanation, especially given the mention of a liquid substance.
bbabis
bbabis 2
A migrating fowl taking advantage of a nice tailwind and WHAM! Forgot to check his six.
THRUSTT
THRUSTT 3
Fowl asado o frito?
dbrosssr
I was in the AF in the late fifties and early sixties and have seen canadian geese at 35000ft.
JimHeslop
Jim Heslop 1
...Air Canada maybe?😜
Bobqat
I like the 'blue ice' hypothesis - small chunk, dinged the A320 as it fell; would explain the 'substance of unclear origin', too. Someone could check flight histories to see if somebody, er.. passed at a higher altitude?

Reminds me of a Seattle TV news reporter many years back, doing an on-scene story about a large chunk of 'blue ice' that punched a hole through the roof of a residence. Homeowner had put it a bag and into the freezer; reporter was holding bag up to camera explaining about 'blue ice', then wondered out loud why it was green...
jcwyer
John Wyer 1
Can't wait the see any follow up. I don't think it could be a bird at that altitude, but who knows? All the high flyers from previous post don't appear on the surface to be common to the area of the flight.
joelwiley
joel wiley 2
There is an asian goose that migrates over the Himalayan mountains. That is FL290.
TJKelly
Terence Kelly 1
Micro meteor
hortod1
dj horton 1
Some jerk with a homemade weather balloon and a GoPro
usrepeaters
Rob Palmer 1
Always a possibility. That is my thoughts about Malay 370; both pilots incapacitated, plane flew on without enough immediate damage to bring it down.
AlanBDahl
Alan Dahl 1
That's my 370 theory, something caused a windscreen to blow out and either sucked out or incapacitated the pilots. I figured it was bad maintenance but a bird would have worked just as well.
mitchbass
Mitchel Bass 1
X Files will get down to the bottom of this. were is Maulder when you reakly need him?
GlennMucklow
GlennMucklow 1
Could it be a meteor?
Jmkjjk
Jeff Kowal 1
Space junk returning for recycling
jhendrix
Jeff Hendrix 1
Looks like a Rüppell's vulture or Common crane can get that high
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_birds_by_flight_heights
I would think if they hit something metallic, it would puncture a hole in the aircraft.
209flyboy
209flyboy 1
This incident doesn't surprise me. I suspect that it was a piece of space junk that found it's mark. If this happened at high flight levels, what else could it be? There is so much trash orbiting this planet that eventually it will fall to Earth. I just hope it doesn't fall on my plane.
jcsjcs
jcsjcs 1
I would expect space junk to go right through the aircraft instead of just denting it.
magnusdw
Don Magnusson 0
I'd say it was a weather balloon. I hit one in my F-106 at FL390 doing Mach .93 over the Atlantic coastline, but no damage was incurred.
Belvdme
Belvdme -5
Someone that got too high on cocaine?

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