Sioux City Crash Essays - Aviation Safety, Sioux City, Iowa

Sioux City Crash INTRODUCTION Aircraft accidents can be a tragic thing. Some people may argue that all are avoidable. But when considering this statement, one must always remember there is an element that is in all accidents. Humans. Either through design, being flown by, or maintained by, humans are in all aspects of flying. As long as humans are in 100% control of an airplane there will be accidents. However, a good side to an accident is it is thoroughly researched by the NTSB. (National transportation and safety board). From a majority of those accidents, something can benefit aviation in general. Aviation can be benefited through design, training, or in this situation, re-evaluating current limitations to a safer level. The focus of my project is going to be on a particular accident that took place on July 19, 1989 when a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 aircraft crashed in Sioux City, Iowa. This particular type of aircraft, at the time of the accident, had been in production for about 18 years. The United Airlines jet was bound for Chicago when the tail-mounted engine broke apart and severed the aircrafts main hydraulic lines. Without hydraulics the aircraft wouldnt be able to maneuver. It would also have trouble slowing down for landing. This meant trouble for United Airlines flight 232 with 285 passengers and 11 crew- members on board. Statement of the Problem: A potential problem of complete hydraulic failure if the tail-mounted engine breaks apart. PAGE 1 Hypothesis Statement: My theory is this all could have been avoided. The actions taken after the accident could have been incorporated in the initial design of the aircraft. RESULTS On July 19,1989 a United Airlines DC-10-10 passenger plane took off Stapleton International in Denver Colorado. The plane was scheduled to make a quick stop in Chicago, Illinois and then continue on to Philadelphia, PA. After an uneventful hour of flight a loud thump was heard, followed by a shaking of the aircraft. The flight crew observed the tail-mounted engine had failed. (SEE FIGURE 3) While performing an engine shutdown procedure, the crew noticed that they didnt have any hydraulic pressure. They also noticed that the fluid level was at zero. The co-pilot tried to maneuver the airplane with no success. The crew then radioed to the air traffic controller that they needed emergency assistance to the nearest airport. Sioux City, Iowa was found to be the almost straight-ahead. The captain then briefed the passengers of the up-coming trials. It just so happen that there was a United Airlines DC-10 pilot instructor sitting in first class. He asked if he could be of any assistance and the captain asked him to see if there was any damage that the could see. The instructor found that the flight controls on the wings werent moving and that the horizontal stabilizer had damage to the left and right side. The horizontal stabilizer is the part of the aircraft that controls elevation and what is known as yaw. (Right and left turning) Now that they definitely knew they didnt have any flight controls the crew began to discuss what ways the aircraft could be maneuvered. PAGE 2 The instructor pilot recommended the use of engine power to maneuver the airplane. The idea seemed to work and being that all other options were few, the crew adopted this plan of action. When flight 232 was about eight miles from the airport they lowered the landing gear. To their dismay they learned from the air traffic controller that they were lined up on a runway that was closed for repairs. The captain elected to stay on course because of the difficulty to turn the airplane. The air traffic controller said that the runway was 3000 feet shorter but they shouldnt have any trouble landing due to the repairs. During the final approach the flight crew felt they were on course to make the landing. However they were a little faster than normal, due to not being able to lower the proper flight controls known as the flaps and slats. These two controls allow the airplane to fly at a lower speed. At about a hundred feet above the ground, the pilot reported that the nose dipped considerably and the right wing

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buy custom Media's Portrayal of Aging essay The media continues to be a powerful tool in the society to the extent of being considered a significant means of socialization. Although the media cannot dictate what the public should think, however it can show what the public thinks about. Coupled with the societies socialization process, outlook on life, upbringing and personal experiences, the media plays a crucial role in the way people view each other, especially the elderly. Although there are many forms of media, television has taken the center stage (Nussbaum 2000). TV has become the greatest source of news or information around the world. As a result, people have become accustomed to ideas, impressions, sounds and images that reflect a societys attitude towards aging. Medias portrayal of aging has changed over time, but in the recent decades, the media has portrayed the aging as a negative aspect in persons life (Nussbaum 2000). The current paper thus evaluates the medias portrayal of aging in the contemporary world. The p aper discusses how television has continued to portray aging in the world that seems to value a youthful generation. Older people have traditionally been viewed as a source of knowledge, and experience, but the media has portrayed them as a burden to society. Television has become an important platform for communicating the meaning and experience of aging from one generation to another. TV has played a critical role in shaping the agenda for discussing aging issues in the society. TVs portrayal of aging not only showcases a widespread ageism (discrimination or prejudice on the basis of a persons age) in the society, but continues to reinforce negative stereotypes (Nussbaum 2000). However, when there is an intention of portraying aging in a positive manner, the main aim is always to communicate anti-aging information. Negative stereotypes in TV are reinforced mainly through advertisements. For example, the online cartoon entitled Honesty on the Internet depicts aging very negatively. The commercial shows the elderly man and woman who appear to be out of shape sittng in their underclothes. Worse still is their conversation which gives the impression that old people must lie so as to make them appealing. The advertisement portrays the elderl y as unattractive people who cannot take care of themselves as evidenced by the cans of beer, junk of food and cigarette surrounding them (Nussbaum 2000). In May 2011, MSNBC showcased a report that depicted disconnect between American fashion magazines and their aging readers. Through the analysis of editorial and advertisement images used in the media, women over 40 years are sparingly used. This is despite the fact that there are approximately 23% of elderly readers (Harrington 2014). The broadcast also showed that even in magazines targeting the old, images and impressions made present thin, youthful, wrinkle-free ideal that is impossible to retain later in life. TV has thus portrayed aging as an undesirable stage in ones life, and one should go a great length to continue being a youthful person. The view of aging in such advertisement shows that any age-related physical appearance is highly unwelcome in the modern society and all means available should be evaluated to erase such changes. Many TV advertisements around the world have also continued to reinforce the idea that older adults must be super seniors. To communicate this message, many TV channels run advertisements that portray the elderly as wealthy, healthy people who have been able to defy aging. Such advertisement distorts the reality and only continues to present some negative stereotype in the society. There are two major theories on the medias impact of aging. The first theory is social learning theory, which proposes that younger generations are highly influenced by the content aired on the media. According to the social learning theory, the media can shape a young persons mind. A young person whose main source of information is television will end up assuming that aging is an undesirable stage in ones life. In the cultivation theory, content in most of the modern media can shape peoples perception of the world. With TV being the largest source of information, it bombards the views with various issuues related to aging. The presence of youth and middle class people only shows that the media has completely or to a great extent ignored the elderly. However, the elderly comes into the limelight when TV commercials want to portray a negative aspect of aging (Harrington 2014). A wide range of literature review confirms that the mass media has portrayed aging in a very stereotypical manner. A theoretical rationale on media portrayal of aging comes out of ethnolinguistic vitality theory, which has continued to emphasize the important role that the media plays as an element in groups, social influence and strength (Harrington 2014). Political power remains an identifiable figure in the media. The media, especially TV, has represented older adults political power as almost omnipotent. The media has portrayed groups such as AARP in Washington as very powerful, striking fear into legislators with threats of how their older constituents will vote based on senior-related policy issues (Harrington 2014). The AARP undoubtedly does exercise political power in Washington, because it is a respected authority seeking the recognition issues related to the elderly. The organization has the capability of mobilizing a large numbers of seniors on specific issues. However, when it comes to voting, it has been observed that the elderly do not vote as a block. Their voting or political attitudes are very diverse just like those of other groups in the society (Harrington 2014). In conclusion, the modern day media, especially TV, has continued to feature stereotypes that depict the aging through a lens of diminished and a declining value. As a result, the media portrays the elderly as a burden to society. The continued use of stereotype by media through the use of a negative language about aging has shaped, reinforced and made the society reflect or see aging as an undesirable phase in a persons life. Therefore, the presence of a single story or one-sided information about aging in television has distorted the reality of aging. The results of stereotyping have thus affected the entire society including places of work, households and healthcare provision. Buy custom Media's Portrayal of Aging essay