Quote:
Originally Posted by express705
dumb statement? i think not. your right, they were over an outer marker. and you are right again, usually 2100-2600 feet. i believe this airplane was at 2300ft, from what i read, at the time a "problem" occured. anyone can agree that prop planes fly lower and slower than jets. the lower you go, the more icing conditions you experience. the slower you go, the more icing builds up.
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There are only 2 situations a commuter turbo prop would be that low, a) takeoff b) landing which last time I checked jets go that low to when they want to go to an airport.
Yes, generally they are slower then jets. The Q400 has a ceiling of 27,000 ft and a max cruising speed of 414 MPH. Compared to 485 MPH and 35,000 ft( 37,000 ft with the 737-400 and 500) with the 737-200 through 737-500. Granted these are old models of the 737, but the Q400 isn't too far off the max cruising speed of 485 MPH. Obviously, they would be slower when taking off/landing.
Most likely, this is a the similar situation that happened to Flight 90( a 737) that went down into the Potomac River, but reversed( it sounded like this flight was descending for a landing).