2 Japanese among 150 killed in German plane crash

Horrible stuff. RIP to those lost.

Just in the wrong place ... at the wrong time ... so sad to hear of this plane going down!

(>_<) RIP

Damn, another airplane crash. Terrible for the family of the victims.

While the amount of planecrashes is going down each year I cant help but feel that the quality of flying is getting worse due to budgetcuts. Everything has to be cheaper.

Just in the wrong place ... at the wrong time ...

A friend told me this, but not sure if its true: "airbuses in general have a problem with their alt sensors and pitot tubes which causes the plane to misrepresent its true alt. Happened in AirAsia, Airfrance 447 from Brasil to France, and Im betting here too. Because the plane decended heavily just before crash. Tell-tale sign of incorrect alt reading, and then auto pilots tries to correct it."

Probably something like that, but scarily not just limited to Airbus planes. There's an as yet un-rectified problem with the radio altimeter on Boeing 737 800s that causes the radio altimeter to actually show that a plane is on the ground. This causes the auto throttle to set to a position that it should be just before landing and obviously, the plane stalls. This caused a Turkish Airlines plane to crash on approach in Amsterdam in 2009 and is a common problem that is usually rectified by the pilots disengaging the auto throttle (they couldn't in the 2009 crash as the plane was too low). As far as I know, it's still unresolved.

It's probably a problem with many planes, not just Boeing 737s, so in this case it's probably what happened; the engines went to landing mode or idle, then the pilot tried to lose altitude to increase speed to prevent a stall. Unfortunately, he was over the Alps, so went straight into a mountain.

A terrible accident though and RIP to all who died on the flight.

Another plane crash! Traveling by airplane is a bit like playing the death lottery these days! RIP and condolences to all the affected.

I'm German, my hometown is only a ten-minute drive away from the town the group of 16 students and their teachers came from. The pain and grief at this place of only 37k inhabitants is unimaginable.

My thoughts are with the families and friends of all passengers and crew.

I must be missing something. CNN reports one Japanese killed in tragic crash.

The reality for many commercial planes is that they have been in service for few decades and show it. The Airbus A320 was 24 years old, and was pushing the edge of an airplane’s lifespan. The fuselage is most susceptible to fatigue, but the wings are too, especially on short hauls where an aircraft goes through pressurization cycles every day. Just like a car, the older an airplane gets the more maintenance it requires.

FactorField is grieving with those who lost their loved ones in this tragic incident. Convey your feelings; we are paying attention.

No explanation nor justification can be offered to such a heartbreaking result. Lives were lost and with that our joy; we need to mourn. Above all we must commemorate the victims; the world needs to remember them. Open your heart, express your thoughts and feelings - we want to know, and never forget. Share a story, Commemorate, acknowledge; lament.

http://tinyurl.com/FactorFieldmournswithGermany