Backup APU Saves US Airways Flight 529

I like to keep my blog private from my professional life, but sometimes you just have to brag! My employer, Honeywell, manufacturers APU's (auxiliary power units) for commercial jet aircraft. In the case of the dramatic controlled landing by US Airways Flight 529 on the Hudson River, this is what the Wall Street Journal had to say ...
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Backup System Helped Pilot Control Jet

"The generators that routinely provide electricity weren't available because they are driven by the aircraft's engines -- which weren't putting out sufficient power after apparently having ingested several geese. But the plane's auxiliary power unit -- made by Honeywell International nc. -- was operating during the descent and gave the pilot full use of the jet's flight-control system, according to a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board and other people familiar with the details.

Crash investigations determined that a so-called ram air turbine -- which can be used to regain hydraulic pressure when both engines stop working -- also was deployed before the touchdown, board spokesman Peter Knudson said Monday. It isn't clear whether the crew deployed the turbine, or whether it deployed automatically because of the emergency. The device consists of a small propeller that drops out of the bottom of the craft, and then drives a hydraulic pump and also supplies backup electricity at certain speeds to help operate the plane's flight controls."

Now back to my comments ... if the pilot had not been able to control the A320 jet (i.e. the flight controls), it would have been impossible to fly the aircraft.

Comments

[J Bracho]

Now having an APU" INOP " should be considered
a no go item

[Chris Green]

Woot for me! I am the one that works on all of the APU Controllers (Electronic Control Box/ECB) on this side of the world, so I am glad to know that an ECB I possibly worked on or modified was working at the time to control that APU! :)

[Jeffrey]

UTC has the ram air turbine, by the way. The APU did all of the hard work, though. :)

[GraemeThickins]

Awesome! Go, Honeywell!!

cheers,
Graeme
www.twitter.com/graemethickins
www.Minnov8.com