Are Turboprop Planes safe?

[joeysterr]

After reading the articles, not sure if anybody else did, if anybody give a...I was perplex. I don't have to take any turboprop I was just shooting the Breeze in the DR - Airlines section but thought I could get some opinions from actual travelers.

None of us work for TSA on NTSB, but having said that, you have received some opinions as far as the people who have used them while traveling, I believe the bottom line is if they weren't ultimately safe, they wouldn't allow them to fly.

And that's what I needed. Thanks group.

Still ain't gonna take them tho

[Jimmydr]

I flew them and never had any problems.

[3somefan]

If anyone has read my first trip report from Feb 2006, they heard the story about my one and only experience on a turbo-prop!!! It was a live changing event for me and I would never ever go on one again. That was possibly the scariest 45 minutes in my entire life and I honestly though we were all going to die!! Never again.

[MrHappy]

They must have some good acid in DR.

Nope, true story. Still got lots of witnesses around.

I guess you ain't got a clue about what it was like flying on Dominican airplanes in the seventies...

[greydread]

SAP commuter flight between Punta Cana and Santo Domingo is not to be missed. It's an 18 passenger turboprop that flies along the Southern coastline at 2,000'.

Fucking bee-oo-tee-full!

[BlueDevil]

I love flying in a turbo-prop aircraft.

[eldorob]

There as safe as anything else - it depends on the maintenance.

Marco once told me "I would never let a Dominican work on anything mechanical that I own, Never Ever" (dishwasher, mower, car, etc)

But think about it, when's the last time your travel agent told you about a Dominican Turboprop taking a nose dive? See, it must be safe.

[weyland]

Marco once told me "I would never let a Dominican work on anything mechanical that I own, Never Ever" (dishwasher, mower, car, etc).

Because they will wreck anything that is nice or new within seconds.

But the other side of the coin is that they have a genius for patching up ancient things (cars, TVs, etc) for a few pesos using any materials to hand and keeping them operating for decades after we would have scrapped them.

I guess the moral of that is, if you are flying Dominican, choose the most ancient biplane you can find.

[The Legend]

That's fucking funny .

[MrHappy]

What's Billy's favorite saying? A Dominican can break an anvil?

And it's true!!!!!

I am going through an experience right now with one. A new mechanic I'm trying. I've got an old forklift with a problem with the bushings where the tower pivots on the axles.

I asked this guy to take a look, and give me a quote to fix it. Jumped in my truck to go into town to pick up some stuff.

This is what I found when I came back......

[weyland]

This is what I found when I came back......


Click to see pic
Click to see pic

I can't see what you found, but whatever it was it has shrunk a lot.

[ElPlomero]

I used to fly commercial on them a couple of times per week.
No problems with them , though they are noisier than a jet. The landing tends to be very gentle but from 1k feet down they can be bounced around a little

Anything smaller than a large commercial prop forget about it - too many numbnuts think they know it all get a licence and then fly themselves and their friends/family into the side of a hill.

Very few numbnuts can afford a turboprop and except for a few exceptions (I would imagine) there's a fair amount of oversight over those who can.

All airplanes are pricey nowadays, but turboprops are just a little short of having a jet.

Even smaller ones like Beech King Air's are millions to buy.

[snowtreader]

Geez, am I the only one on this site that remembers when turboprops where unpressurized? They would give you chewing gum at take off and a blanket when the cold mist/vapor started rising from the floor.

[mikelodge]

They got some flight PR <-> DR with AA, the least. I have never been on any of them.

I don't know if I ever will, that is unless I found myself surprised in a connection(to any other destination) and then while walking the tube thing I see there's not reactors on the plane why will I do then?

My question was like who out of the multiple mongers here on isoc have ever been on turboprop plane? Where you scared?? crazy turbulence??? Sharing is caring

They are common here in the Midwest in and out of Canada for fishing trips and as someone mentioned they can glide. I would rather go down in one than a jet in daylight because most of those guys that fly them can put them down on a country road. They do ride rougher but some of them are close to the speed of jets. Go for it.

[JoeDR]

Guys, turbo prop planes are as good as the company that maintains them, like any aircraft. I have flown all over the Caribbean on dash 8 turbo props made by De Havilland Canada (DHC-8-311B Dash 8) on LIAT, here's their fleet.

http://www.planespotters.net/Airline/LIAT

There's lots of other equipment flying in the Caribbean, island to island. In the leeward islands you can hop for about $50 to $80 per hop, depending on where you are going. I have also chartered a private plane to take the same hop on occasion, for about $600, so its good value.

[fred757]

Guys, turbo prop planes are as good as the company that maintains them, like any aircraft. I have flown all over the Caribbean on dash 8 turbo props made by De Havilland Canada (DHC-8-311B Dash 8) on LIAT, here's their fleet.

http://www.planespotters.net/Airline/LIAT

There's lots of other equipment flying in the Caribbean, island to island. In the leeward islands you can hop for about $50 to $80 per hop, depending on where you are going. I have also chartered a private plane to take the same hop on occasion, for about $600, so its good value.

Dash-8's are fine but i read alot about Czech Let 410's crashing in south america and africa. solid eastern block plane that get flown in the wrong conditions or poorly maintained?
fred757

[JoeDR]

Dash-8's are fine but i read alot about Czech Let 410's crashing in south america and africa. solid eastern block plane that get flown in the wrong conditions or poorly maintained?
fred757

Holy crap, i see what you mean. I just checked the airline crash database, something like 10 crashes in the last 4 1/2 years. Africa (about 4 in the congo alone), Hungary, Peru, Brazil, a couple in Columbia..astounding record.

http://www.planecrashinfo.com/database.htm

I am not familiar with the Let equipment, but thanks for the info. I've flown lots of regional flights in small aircraft, and in my opinion, weather factors in lot of crashes and of course pilot error is a big factor also. Take that recent crash in feb. in buffalo for instance, of a Canadian made, turbo prop. After reading the reports, one must conclude that the pilot did not follow proceedure, put the flaps down in the wrong sequence at the wrong time, caused a stall and then did not successfully rescue the aircraft through a stall. Not only that, the co-pilot might have caught the flaps error, but did not express it (lack of experience). She just seemed surprised. Bad things happened very quick at low altitude, and instantly everybody was history. Pilot's last words, 'We're down'

I've done a fair bit of flying on small commuter aircraft, bush planes, and pontoon craft too, and thankfully always without incident. My favourite is the Beaver... and that's no joke!

[fred757]

Holy crap, i see what you mean. I just checked the airline crash database, something like 10 crashes in the last 4 1/2 years. Africa (about 4 in the congo alone), Hungary, Peru, Brazil, a couple in Columbia..astounding record.

http://www.planecrashinfo.com/database.htm

I am not familiar with the Let equipment, but thanks for the info. I've flown lots of regional flights in small aircraft, and in my opinion, weather factors in lot of crashes and of course pilot error is a big factor also. Take that recent crash in feb. in buffalo for instance, of a Canadian made, turbo prop. After reading the reports, one must conclude that the pilot did not follow proceedure, put the flaps down in the wrong sequence at the wrong time, caused a stall and then did not successfully rescue the aircraft through a stall. Not only that, the co-pilot might have caught the flaps error, but did not express it (lack of experience). She just seemed surprised. Bad things happened very quick at low altitude, and instantly everybody was history. Pilot's last words, 'We're down'

I've done a fair bit of flying on small commuter aircraft, bush planes, and pontoon craft too, and thankfully always without incident. My favourite is the Beaver... and that's no joke!

Patron jim
There was a Let 410 that crashed off of San Andres a few years back. it was the inter-island connection to Provencia(sic) isle.
A lot of these planes were bought in the early 90's for 50k-60k from the eastern block..
instant cheesy/tacky airline operation could be started for little money.
Maintenance doesn't just happen has to be planned and completed which doesn't happen in some areas of the world.

fred757

[MrHappy]

Holy crap, i see what you mean. I just checked the airline crash database, something like 10 crashes in the last 4 1/2 years. Africa (about 4 in the congo alone), Hungary, Peru, Brazil, a couple in Columbia..astounding record.

http://www.planecrashinfo.com/database.htm

I am not familiar with the Let equipment, but thanks for the info. I've flown lots of regional flights in small aircraft, and in my opinion, weather factors in lot of crashes and of course pilot error is a big factor also. Take that recent crash in feb. in buffalo for instance, of a Canadian made, turbo prop. After reading the reports, one must conclude that the pilot did not follow proceedure, put the flaps down in the wrong sequence at the wrong time, caused a stall and then did not successfully rescue the aircraft through a stall. Not only that, the co-pilot might have caught the flaps error, but did not express it (lack of experience). She just seemed surprised. Bad things happened very quick at low altitude, and instantly everybody was history. Pilot's last words, 'We're down'

I've done a fair bit of flying on small commuter aircraft, bush planes, and pontoon craft too, and thankfully always without incident. My favourite is the Beaver... and that's no joke!

Probably the last thing these guys said too.......

[sosuaman]

flown in them many times.. never had a problem .. still alive!
If it's your time it doesn't matter what you are doing or how your doing it
your time is your time..