Did Cargo Shift Cause Bagram 747 Crash? Straps That Tied Down 16-Ton MRAP Vehicles 'Broke Before Plane Plummeted To Earth' -- Daily Mail
* Six crew members identified as Michigan residents - Jamie Brokaw, Rinku Summan, Gary Stockdale, Michael Sheets, Brad Hasler and Jeremy Lipka
* Mr Hasler was married just two weeks ago - and had a baby on the way; Sheets was engaged and due to marry later this year
* Seventh victim, Timothy Garrett, was from Kentucky
* Taliban claimed responsibility for crash outside Bagram Airfield, but military says no insurgent activity was reported in area at the time
* Plane was owned by private company National Air Cargo
Investigators sifting through the wreckage of a Boeing 747-400 cargo plane that crashed in Afghanistan on April 29 have found that several of the straps used to tie down the 16-ton MRAP fighting vehicles broke after takeoff.
This has led to speculation that the massive armored vehicles shifted shortly after the civilian cargo plane took off from Bagram air base, sending it careering out of control.
Seven American crew members, all civilian employees of National Air Cargo, were killed in the crash. A passing motorist captured dramatic video of the plane plummeting to Earth on a dashboard camera.
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My Comment: It looks like someone goofed when securing the cargo .... and as a result 7 Americans died.
4 comments:
you dont "strap down" 14 ton trucks - you chain them down.
10 ton straps are not designed for heavy metal loads coupled with varying and sharp changes in the loads CG and moment.
straps are are also prone to fraying and rotting.
Thanks for your input walt
@walt; I concur. We use chains to tie down aircraft while underway, never use straps. I wonder if they had a qualified loadmaster...needless loss.
NTSB determined that even the SOP for National Air Cargo was not followed, let alone any type of FAA or Boeing requirements. Less than 1/2 of the number of straps were implemented per NAC and only approximately a third of the requirements set by Boeing. Additionally, Boeing went as far to say that only one (1) Cougar weighing 18 tons could be transported and there were 5 M-RAP vehicles in the bay. Those guys never had a chance with that load, basically. You have to view the whole report to believe the amount of insufficiency and negligence involved.
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