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Uneven Reverser Deployment, Is It Normal?

n797mx From United States of America, joined Mar 2009, 96 posts, RR: 0
Posted (8 months 4 weeks 10 hours ago) and read 3167 times:

Today I was watching this video of an MD-11 landing and noticed that the reversers did not deploy simultaneously as normally seen on airliners. Is this a commonality in some cases, was the pilot doing this to correct for not being on center, or was he just clumsy and did not pull the reverser handles evenly?

The second landing is the one I am referring to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KB9bDUKFJY

Clear skies and strong tail winds.

9 replies: All unread, jump to last

XFSUgimpLB41X From United States of America, joined Aug 2000, 3952 posts, RR: 36
Reply 1, posted (8 months 4 weeks 8 hours ago) and read 3095 times:

That looked pretty even to me... within a second of each other.

Chicks dig winglets.

wingscrubber From UK - England, joined Sep 2001, 834 posts, RR: 0
Reply 2, posted (8 months 4 weeks 7 hours ago) and read 3041 times:

Yep #3 reverser seems to deploy a couple of seconds before #1, with #2 out of camera shot.
My theory: either the reversers were manually activated out of sequence (most likely) or, because each thrust reverser is powered by a separate hydraulic system, if engine RPM was higher on engine #3, it would have higher available flow from the hydraulic pumps, which could have opened the right hand TR more quickly.

Resident TechOps Troll

CosmicCruiser From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 2212 posts, RR: 16
Reply 3, posted (8 months 4 weeks 6 hours ago) and read 3008 times:

I think y'all are getting way too technical. I would say if you think about it or if you've ever held the reverse levers in your hand that it's very easy for the little fingers on no.3 to lift slightly before your other fingers pull #1 & #2. not a big deal. Also if the rpm were higher as one post suggests then the throttle would not be in idle and the reverser would not deploy. Sometime they can be a little more difficult than others in moving the levers.

longhauler From Canada, joined Mar 2004, 4280 posts, RR: 36
Reply 4, posted (8 months 4 weeks 5 hours ago) and read 2961 times:

Exactly, it's just a mechanical lever, and some are easier than others ... making one deploy quicker than the other. It is not normally a big deal. Heck, when you are dispatched with one reverser inop, you still use the other on landing or rejected take-off.

Never gonna grow up, never gonna slow down .... Barefoot Blue Jean Night

mandala499 From Indonesia, joined Aug 2001, 6180 posts, RR: 74
Reply 5, posted (8 months 4 weeks 4 hours ago) and read 2935 times:

Hey, you can land without reversers (it's not included in the dispatch landing calculations)... so, what's the big deal? And these guys were just pulling idle reverse, which is a "just in case" you need the reversers at full if something goes wrong.

Nothing to see here... move along...

When losing situational awareness, pray Cumulus Granitus isn't nearby !

tb727 From United States of America, joined Jun 2005, 1375 posts, RR: 4
Reply 6, posted (8 months 3 weeks 5 days 17 hours ago) and read 2569 times:

That's also why we wait until you have all the deployed lights illuminated before you pull anything more than idle thrust in reverse.

Start sequence, 3,2,1, make it so...

HAWK21M From India, joined Jan 2001, 31201 posts, RR: 58
Reply 7, posted (8 months 3 weeks 4 days 10 hours ago) and read 2280 times:

Quoting longhauler (Reply 4):
It is not normally a big deal. Heck, when you are dispatched with one reverser inop, you still use the other on landing or rejected take-off.

Exactly what I was thinking..............but a no go in rain though....out here.A monsoon SOP.

[Edited 2012-08-30 13:25:02]

Think of the brighter side!

CosmicCruiser From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 2212 posts, RR: 16
Reply 8, posted (8 months 3 weeks 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 2144 times:

We can go with one inop AND on a contaminated runway but with a big weight penalty.

I landed the other night with no. 2 inop. F/O was flying, had no problems.

B777LRF From Luxembourg, joined Nov 2008, 1006 posts, RR: 3
Reply 9, posted (8 months 3 weeks 2 days 22 hours ago) and read 1973 times:

Sticky lever.

If memory serves me right the reverser on no. 2 is delayed until NLG touch-down. She can be a tricky bird to land, and comes in a bit on the fast side. Not that I'd say no to having a go, of course.

From receips and radials over straight pipes to big fans - been there, done that, got the hearing defects to prove

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