Wednesday, September 27, 2023

in 1988 Captain Carlos Dardano managed to glide a new Boeing 737-300 to a safe landing on a levee by New Orleans




Captain Carlos Dardano was the commander of TACA Flight 110 on May 24, 1988, over New Orleans.

With both engines flamed out while on approach, after flying through heavy rain and hail, Capt. Dardano together with FO Francisco Lopez, managed to glide a practically brand new Boeing 737-300 to a safe landing on a levee.

Not only were the 45 passengers and crew unharmed, but the aircraft was eventually flown out after an engine change.

The excellent airmanship and decisive actions of the flight crew resulted in a remarkable landing. 

The incident was said to be the first time a commercial airliner had ever executed a successful, deadstick (unpowered) landing away from an airport. 

The engine manufacturer subsequently modified the 737’s CFM56 engines to better handle hail and water ingestion, by reshaping the engine spinner cone and adjusting spacing of the fan blades to deflect hail away from the engine core, and adding more bleed valve doors to drain more water.

This feat is ever more remarkable given that, some years earlier, in 1985, during the Salvadoran Civil War, Capt. Dardano lost an eye when a stray bullet entered the cockpit of the DC-3 he was flying as he was taking off.

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