Shadowing Practice: Aviation English Photo Description: Runway Excursion - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Welcome back to another photo description video.
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The subject for today is going to be runway excursions.
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I'm going to first start out by pointing out details of this photo and then give my own photo description.
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I'll also include some relevant topics for discussion.
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So, here we go.
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So the aircraft is sitting partially submerged in the water.
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Behind the aircraft we can see the end of the runway and tire tracks leading to the water's edge.
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The aircraft itself seems to be a narrow body type, most likely a Boeing 737.
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And that's just because of the shape of the fuselage and winglets, and the design of the windscreen.
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Now let's start from the tip of the aircraft.
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The front part of the nose is missing.
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This part is referred to as either the nose cone or radome, since it houses the aircraft's weather radar.
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Obviously it's not normal to fly without a nose cone, so it may have sheared off during the accident the accident, but since there are no cracks or dents,
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it was most likely removed or disassembled after the event occurred.
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Just behind the flight deck, we can see both forward emergency exit doors are open and the emergency slides have been deployed.
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While the slide on the aircraft's left side is inflated, the slide on the opposite side is deflated.
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The emergency slide could have been punctured by a sharp object or maybe it just didn't inflate properly to begin with.
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Moving further back, we can see three people standing over the right wing
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while another person is stepping out from the overwing exit door.
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Since the four people don't appear to be dressed as crew members, I would say that they're most likely either accident investigators or government officials.
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It also looks like these individuals made it from the shoreline to the aircraft via
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that yellow raft floating just below the right wing.
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Now let's zoom out and look at the fuselage.
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From this point of view, it appears to be intact as there are no signs of dents, cracks, or major separation, especially
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if we compare it to other photos such as this Caribbean Airlines 737 or this Kalita Air 747.
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So the lack of any major structural damage leads me to believe
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that the aircraft impacted the water at a fairly low speed
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and hopefully there were no major injuries to the passengers or crew of this flight.
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Surrounding the aircraft I see this long orange floating rope.
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I don't know with certainty what it's used for but
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if I had to guess I would say
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that maybe there's a net underneath
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and this net could be used to contain debris from the aircraft such as pieces of the wing
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or landing gear it could also be used to contain toxic chemicals such as fuel oil
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or hydraulic fluid and prevent them from spreading
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and causing environmental damage now let's turn our focus to the
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background of this scene here we see multiple vehicles parked on
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the runway in grass including two fire rescue vehicles on the
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left side of the photo there are also multiple people standing
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on the shoreline looking towards the aircraft some of them are
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wearing reflective clothing in order to be more visible some of
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these individuals are also wearing a helmet known as a hard
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hat to protect their heads these individuals may be news reporters safety inspectors
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or members of the airport fire rescue team another part that's worth mentioning is
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that light in the upper right side of this photo this
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type of bright light known as a flood light is used to illuminate large areas at night
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so this event probably occurred at night
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and the floodlight was used to illuminate the scene
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and help the airport fire rescue team to safely approach the aircraft there are some other clues
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that make me believe this event occurred quite some time after this photo was taken. For example,
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there are no lights from the fire rescue vehicles nor does anyone really seem to be in a sense of panic.
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Alright, so now that we've gone over this photo, I'm going to provide my own photo description as well as talk about any topics
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that may be discussed in the ICAO English test.
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Alright, here we go.
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Alright, so in this photo I see a narrow body aircraft, possibly a Boeing 737 that is partially submerged in the water.
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This is clearly the result of a runway excursion since I can see part of the runway in the background
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and the tire tracks leading to the water.
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It looks like the airplane was safely evacuated because I can see at least two emergency evacuation slides that were deployed.
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There's an orange line surrounding this airplane which is most likely there to prevent environmental damage by containing any debris
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or hazardous fluids from the aircraft.
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I see three or four people, possibly accident investigators, standing on the right wing of the aircraft
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and it looks like one of them is stepping out of the emergency exit door.
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They probably traveled from the shoreline to the aircraft using
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that yellow raft that's sitting just below the leading edge of the wing.
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Standing on the shoreline behind the aircraft are few more people.
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Some of them are wearing hard hats and reflective clothing, so they may be accident investigators or news reporters.
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There are also a few trucks and vehicles parked in the grass and on the runway, including two fire rescue vehicles on the upper left side of the photo.
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I don't really see a sense of urgency among the individuals near and around the airplane, so I think this runway excursion happened well before this photo
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was taken it also probably took a decent amount of time
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to set up those orange cones around the runway edge
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and to remove
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that radome from the fuselage the floodlight at the upper right hand corner of this photo makes me believe
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that this event occurred at night
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so what could have caused this accident well like many accidents there's usually no single cause
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but rather a number of contributing factors I can't tell if this occurred during takeoff or landing,
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but the aircraft may have encountered some type of wind shear or convective activity.
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If so, the pilots may have encountered stiff crosswinds or a tailwind
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which would have greatly increased the stopping distance on the runway.
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If storms were over the airfield, then the water on the runway from the rain would have certainly decreased the braking performance of the aircraft.
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And speaking of braking performance, it's also possible that one of the braking mechanisms malfunctioned, such as the wheel brakes,
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speed brakes, or thrust reversers.
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We can't see if the thrust reversers were deployed in this photo since the engines are submerged, but it's clear that the speed brakes are not deployed.
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But they may have been retracted before the aircraft was evacuated.
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It's also worth noting the numerous professions involved in this event, such as the pilots, flight attendants,
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air traffic controllers, and fire rescue.
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Each has a unique role and I'd say the most important trait is good communication.
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Since the captain is a pilot in command, he or she has full authority and responsibility of the airplane and everyone in it.
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If I was the captain of this flight, I would immediately notify air traffic control of the situation and request that they send fire rescue.
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I would also state the number of souls on board.
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My radio call would sound something like, Tower, November 123, we just went off the runway and into the water.
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We're partially submerged and have 150 souls on board.
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We need you to send fire rescue.
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Usually, the first officer makes all the radio calls while on the ground, but since this is such a critical situation,
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I would just speak to ATC myself to make sure the proper information is communicated.
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Next, I would direct the first officer to run the evacuation checklist.
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This would ensure that the engines are shut off and the airplane is safe before everyone exits.
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I would give the signal to evacuate and tell the passengers and flight attendants where we should all meet up.
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Ideally, this would be a location that's far enough and safe enough from the crash site.
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In this case, I would choose the runway edge.
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I would then go back to the cabin and help facilitate the evacuation.
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I would make sure that all the emergency exit doors were opened and the slides were deployed.
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I would also make sure that every passenger and crew member safely exits the airplane.
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Before exiting the airplane myself, I would try to take a few documents with me that could help the fire rescue team and the investigation.
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These documents would include the final passenger count,
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the aircraft's maintenance logbook, and the cargo report in case we had any hazardous materials in the cargo hold.
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Now, as a first officer, my job would be to back up or assist the captain with his or her duties.
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For example, I may communicate with the flight attendants while the captain is coordinating with air traffic control.
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Once the evacuation has started, I would then go back with the captain and help the passengers exit the airplane and ensure that the slides were deployed.
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I would also consider taking a fire extinguisher with me in case a fire broke out.
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As a flight attendant, I would probably be incredibly stressed
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and startled from the airplane leaving the runway and hitting the water so suddenly.
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Nonetheless, I would have to keep my composure
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and remain calm as I tell the passengers to release their seatbelts and get out.
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I would also remind them to leave their luggage behind as it could slow down and prevent others from evacuating.
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As a tower controller in this situation, one of my first responsibilities would be to notify airport fire rescue.
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I would relay the number of souls on board told to me by the flight crew.
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Depending on the size, the entire airport may be closed altogether.
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My next task would be to close the runway by redirecting arriving and departing traffic.
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I would instruct any approaching aircraft to go around.
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I would also need to coordinate with other air traffic control sectors to reduce or stop the amount of arriving flights.
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So that's my brief discussion on this photo and if you like this video please hit subscribe.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Aviation English Photo Description: Runway Excursion”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: aircraft, photo, runway, rescue, airplane. This video has 121 sentences and 1759 words to shadow. The speech runs for 10:18. The speaker talks at a natural 171 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| runway noun | /ˈɹʌnweɪ/ | A defined, narrow section of land or an artificial structure used for access. |
| airplane noun | /ˈɛɹˌpleɪ̯n/ | A powered heavier-than-air aircraft with fixed wings: a fixed-wing aircraft with at least one engine or electric motor. |
| deploy verb | /dɪˈplɔɪ/ | To prepare and arrange (originally military unit or units, i.e., to array troops) for use. |
| brake noun | /bɹeɪk/ | A device used to slow or stop the motion of a wheel, or of a vehicle, usually by friction (although other resistive forces, such as electromagnetic fields or… |
| shoreline noun | The divide between land and a body of water. | |
| submerge verb | /səbˈmɝd͡ʒ/ | To sink out of sight. |
| evacuate verb | /ɪˈvæk.ju.eɪt/ | To leave or withdraw from; to quit; to retire from. |
| attendant noun | /əˈtɛndənt/ | One who attends; one who works with or watches over someone or something. |
| evacuation noun | /ɪˌvækjuˈeɪʃən/ | The act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety. |
| excursion noun | /ɪkˈskɜː.ʃən/ | A brief recreational trip; a journey out of the usual way. |
| fuselage noun | /ˈfjuːzəˌlɑːʒ/ | The main body of an aerospace vehicle; the long central structure of an aircraft to which the wings (or rotors), tail, and engines are attached, and which… |
| investigator noun | /ɪnˈvɛs.tɪˌɡeɪ̯.təː/ | One who investigates. |
| cone noun | /ˈkoʊn/ | A surface of revolution formed by rotating a segment of a line around another line that intersects the first line. |
| partially adverb | /ˈpɑɹʃəli/ | To a partial degree or extent, incompletely. |
| floodlight noun | A projector of a bright beam of light for use in theatres and studios; a flood |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| back up verb | To move backwards, especially for a vehicle to do so. |
| break out verb | To escape, especially forcefully or defiantly. |
| get out verb | To leave or escape. |
| go around verb | To move or spread from person to person. |
| go back to verb | To stem from; to originate in. |
| go off verb | To explode. |
| go over verb | To look at carefully; to scrutinize; to analyze. |
| point out verb | To identify among a group of similar subjects, or in a scene where the subject might not be readily seen or noticed, with a gesture of the body. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | if I had to guess I would say |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is referred · was most likely removed · have been deployed |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have been deployed · we've gone · has started |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 13 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, can't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: thrust /θɹʌst/, nonetheless /ˌnʌnðəˈlɛs/, altogether /ɔl.tuˈɡɛð.ɚ/, underneath /ˌʌndɚˈniθ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: evacuation /ɪˌvækjuˈeɪʃən/, excursion /ɪkˈskɜː.ʃən/, fuselage /ˈfjuːzəˌlɑːʒ/, partially /ˈpɑɹʃəli/, shear /ʃɪɚ/
- Long words — get the stress right: evacuate /ɪˈvæk.ju.eɪt/, evacuation /ɪˌvækjuˈeɪʃən/, investigator /ɪnˈvɛs.tɪˌɡeɪ̯.təː/, illuminate /ɪˈl(j)umɪneɪt/, coordinate /koʊˈɔɹ.dəˌneɪt/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like runway, airplane, deploy.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.