Helicopter and Plane Crash Lawyer
Plane Crashes
Plane Crash Which Killed DJ AM Caused By Underinflated Tires
Category: Plane Crashes
The National Transportation Board has concluded the 2008 plane crash which killed four people and left Travis Barker and the late DJ AM injured was caused by underinflated tires.
All four tires exploded as the plane raced down the runway for takeoff. The pilot (with only 35 hours in this plane) then tried to abort takoff, but due to sensors in the plane, that was impossible and the plane burst into flames after hitting an embankment.
Tires should be changed after eight days if proper maintenance has not been carried out. This Learjet's tires had not been checked for three weeks prior to the tragic flight. The investigation found operators of charter flights aren't aware of how quickly tires can lose pressure and that the FAA and Learjet Inc. didn't take aggressive enough action to fix a design flaw on this model of jet following a similar accident in 2001. Now that's a shocker!
Proper maintenance is crucial to flight safety - no item is too small when dealing with people's lives. NTSB Chairwoman, Deborah Hersman, stated, "This accident didn't need to happen."
The families of Travis Barker and Charles Still have settled with several companies over the accident and AM's estate settled a $20 million lawsuit in January.
Safety Reform Slow After Buffalo Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
On February 12, 2009, 50 people died in a fiery plane crash near Buffalo, N.Y. as a result of the pilots of the regional airliner making critical errors. Almost a year later, safety reforms have not been implemented even though Federal regulators and lawmakers promised quick action immediately following the plane crash.
The crash brought to light a safety gap between the major airlines and the regional carriers. Some of the concerns are fatigue among the pilots of low-fare airlines, long-distance commutes and inadequate training. Pilot performance has been a factor in three of the last six fatal domestic airline accidents involving regional carriers. Investigators have determined the cause of the Buffalo crash to be primarily the errors made by the pilots.
The Washington Post reports the National Transportation Safety Board is meeting to determine the probable cause of the N.Y. crash and to make safety recommendations, stating the safety issues raised by the crash go beyond the pilots' mistakes.
The House has passed legislation to force the FAA to strengthen regulations, but action has been slowed by unrelated Senate disputes.
This does not surprise Frieda. Of course, there is no reason why the FAA can't do the right thing and create the safety reform without being forced to do so by legislation. Then there are the airlines which could improve their safety training. Improving the safety of trusting passengers should be more important than risking lives in order to save money.
United Airlines Airbus 319 Landing Gear Collapses at Newark
Category: Plane Crashes
As the industry questions the cause of the landing gear malfunction at Newark Liberty International Airport, no injuries have been reported.
The passengers had to crouch down in their seats and prepare for a crash landing. The crew was able to bring the airliner to a safe belly landing and all 48 passengers and 5 crew members slid down emergency chutes to safety once the plane came to a stop. Some passengers report the landing was smoother that other landings they have experienced at Newark.
The trouble became apparent when Flight 634 from Chicago was on its descent to the Newark airport. The passengers were aware of trouble when the plane pulled up and started to circle the airport instead of landing. The pilot then announced there was a problem with the landing gear and they should brace themselves for a crash.
An investigation is underway.
Frieda is pleased to know there are pilots whose composure during an emergency saves lives. That being said, she eagerly awaits the results of the investigation - such as the maintenance history on the aircraft. Is this area one where the airlines cutting costs in an attempt to save money?
New Rules For Pilots After Buffalo Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
The House has overwhelmingly approved new rules for pilots of commuter planes operated by regional carriers. In response to the Cogan Air flight in February which killed 50 people when the plane's engine stalled and crashed into a house.
The bill would require these pilots to have at least 1,500 hours of flight experience (instead of the current 250) and would require the pilots to be trained to deal with flight emergencies. This last one has left Frieda speechless - why isn't being trained in flight emergencies already a requirement?
When the NTSB investigated the crash, they found numerous deficiencies in regulations covering regional carriers and made recommendations to the FAA. The FAA is not required to adopt the NTSB's recommendations, a policy that surprised Rep. Louise Slaughter. The House legislation would eliminate the possibility the FAA would "shelve" these recommendations. The FAA not acting on recommendations from the NTSB - shocker!
Under this legislation, the FAA would have 90 days after final enactment of the bill to establish a national database of pilot licenses and safety records for airlines to use for hiring purposes. The FAA will have one year to update and to implement a new rule on number of hours a pilot can work in order to reduce pilot fatigue. Passengers who book flights on the internet would also be advised if a flight segment is being flown by a regional partner or by a major carrier.
When lives are at stake, it amazes Frieda that the FAA is so lax in their regulations and safety standards. Why do we need the House to propose a bill to force the FAA to do what it should be doing all along - being a safety advocate for us, the passengers who trust the airline industry with our lives each time we board an aircraft? Why does it take a tragedy to bring light to deficiencies that shouldn't have been allowed to exist at all?
It seems the bottom line for this industry isn't our safety afterall.
Plane Crash Caused By Pilot's Blackout
Category: Plane Crashes
A fatal plane crash in Indiana on Wednesday is thought to be caused by the 43-year-old pilot suffering from hypoxia - a lack of oxygen. The plane was a single-engine propeller M20M Mooney registered to David Eyde, who has ownership interest in Eyde Co., a Lansing-based real estate development company.
Pilots flying F-16s were sent to intercept the erratically flying plane, and reported the plane crashed on its own. Pilots must use oxygen when flying above 12,500 feet for over 30 minutes in order to prevent hypoxia. Controllers in Indianapolis reported the plane had been circling with the pilot slumped over in the seat at about 25,000 feet. A pilot can become incapacitated at that altitude in only 3 minutes. Air traffic controllers in Minneapolis had given the pilot permission to fly at 25,000 feet, suggesting the pilot knowingly flew to that altitude and then lost consciousness.
In 1999, the plane carrying pro golfer Payne Stewart crashed killing Stewart and four others as a result of everyone on board losing consciousness from lack of oxygen after a loss in cabin pressure.
Airlink Crash Is Second For Pilot
Category: Plane Crashes
The SA Airlink plane crash in Durban (South Africa) earlier this month which critically injured four people is not the first for Captain Alistair Freeman.
In 2005, he crashed his twin-engine Britten-Norman Islander charter plane into a Durban house. The house was empty at the time, but all six on board the plane, including two children, were injured. Pilot error was listed as the probable cause for that crash. He had only six hours experience in this type of aircraft at the time of the crash.
On Heritage Day, an aircraft piloted by Freeman crashed into a field at a school shortly after takeoff, trapping all three crew members in the wreckage and injuring one person on the ground. Airlink CEO Rodger Foster is insisting Freeman is a competent pilot, stating the company has a good idea of what caused the crash, but is waiting on the analysis of the black boxes for confirmation.
Charlotte Businessman Dies in Cirrus SR22 Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
Skipper Beck, a prominent business owner in Charlotte was killed around 7:00 a. m. on Sept. 11 when his single engine Cirrus SR22 crashed in Rock Hill York County Airport. Eye witnesses stated the plane had mechanical problems shortly after takeoff and crashed as he was trying to return to the airport, catching fire upon impact. The Cirrus SR22 G3 Turbo was valued at $525,500.
The plane was registered to Beck Management Group of which Beck was the CEO. The management group had interests in several ventures including the auto business, aviation, and sports. Beck was co-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats.
According to one account, the SR22 by Cirrus Design is extremely popular among purchasers of new aircraft and has become the world's best selling single engine four seat aircraft. It is a high performance more powerful version of the Cirrus SR20 with larger wings, larger fuel capacity and a 310 horsepower engine. Unlike most other high performance aircraft (except the Cessna 400) the SR22 has a non-retractable landing gear. It is also equipped with CAPS - the Cirrus Aircraft Parachute System - parachute which lowers the entire aircraft to the ground in an emergency.
Deadly Arizona Midair Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
According to the FAA, one student was killed on Wednesday south of Phoenix when two small planes were involved in a midair collision. The single-engine Cessna 150 was registered to Christiansen Aviation in Delaware and operated by a Phoenix area flight school. The passenger, another student, was airlifted to an area hospital.
The pilot of the second plane, a single-engine Piper Cherokee, registered to Oxford Training Center Inc., was able to land safely about two miles from the Cessna's crash site. No one on board were injured.
The FAA and the NTSB are investigating the incident.
Five People Killed in Tulsa Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
What was to be a fun filled weekend in Dallas turned tragic for a doctor, his wife, his two children, and a family friend when his single engine Piper Saratoga crashed in West Tulsa on Saturday.
According to the NTSB's preliminary report, the plane struck a guy-wire supporting a 600-foot-tall radio tower in the center of Chandler Park in West Tulsa. The report states the plane struck the cable approximately 150 feet above the ground and about 1,500 feet from the tower. The wreckage was found almost 100 yards from the initial impact on the ground with a 300-foot-long section of the cable in the wreckage.
The plane took off about 10:35 a.me. from Jones Riverside Airport and crashed 7 minutes later.
Further investigation is needed to determine the cause of the crash and will take several months to complete.
Black Boxes Recoverd from Yemenia Airways Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
The second of two black boxes from the June Yemenia Airways Airbus A310-300 which crashed in the Indian Ocean has been found one day after the first black box was found. Both the voice recorder and the data recorder will be sent to experts in Paris to recover the contents with further analysis taking place in Moroni.
Investigators hope the recorders will help them determine the cause of the plane crash which at this time remains unknown.
A teenage girl was the only survivor of the plane crash and her mother perished. Chief investigator, Mohamed Ali Abdu told Reuters that "bodies remain in the wreckage and recovery operations continue." Deep-water recovery specialists aboard the U.S. crewed EDT ARES ship recovered the black boxes and six bodies. There were 153 aboard Yemenia Flight 626 from France to Comoros.
Air Traffic Controllers Suspended After Hudson Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
ABC News reports the FAA have placed two air traffic controllers on administrative leave and has begun disciplinary proceedings following the Hudson River Plane crash last weekend. The investigation found the controller handling the plane was on the phone when the midair took place. His supervisor was the second to be put on leave because he was not in the building as required.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association does not agreed with the FAA's decision, calling the suggestions the controllers were in any way responsible for the midair "absurd" and "insulting."
In what the New York Daily News calls "inappropriate conversations", it reported controller from Teterboro Airport was on the phone with his girlfriend as he guided the plane to the Hudson corridor on another channel. He was still on the phone when he handed off control of the plane to the Newark airport which monitors low flying traffic on the Hudson.
The FAA says it has no reason to believe the employees actions had anything to do with the accident, but cited their behavior as "unacceptable."
An amateur video of the collision shows the two pilots couldn't see each other due to blind spots. Critics are calling for more restrictions for flights in this crowded corridor of the Hudson River.
Missing Plane's Debris Located In Indonesia
Category: Plane Crashes
Debris of a Merpati Nusantart Airlines plane missing since August 2, has been found in a mountainous region in Indonesia. The fate of the 16 people on board is still unknown. Helicopters will take rescuers in to search for survivors.
The De Havilland Twin Otter DH-6 aircraft, a prop plane, left the capital of Papua province bound for Oksibil, a remote town in a mountainous region.
Blacklisted Merpati airlines remains on the European Union's list of prohibited airlines. According to the Transport Minister, last year Indonesia passed a law that forces carriers to make significant investments to improve safety and ensure only people with industry experience can manage airlines. In July of this year the prohibition on PT Garuda Indonesia, the nation's largest airline, and three other Indonesian airlines was removed by the EU after "significant improvements" had been made by the nation's civil aviation authority.
Merpati is still blacklisted from Europe.
Pilot Killed When Plane Crashes Into Control Tower
Category: Plane Crashes
Bangkok Airways Flight PG266 skidded off the runway while landing on the tourist island of Koh Samai, killing the pilot and injuring seven passengers.
According to the Department of Civil Aviation, bad weather with heavy rain and wind caused the plane to skid into an unmanned control tower. The tower is now being uses as part of a fire-fighting station.
Sixty-eight passengers, two pilots, and two crew members were on board the ATR-72 twin-turboprop. The nationalities of the passengers are not known at this time, although most are believed to be tourists with at least two Britons among them. The injured were taken to local hospitals and there were reports some had broken legs, but there were no critical injuries reported.
Survivor of Yemenia Plane Crash Leaves Hospital - Black Box Located
Category: Plane Crashes
The young girl who was the only survivor of the plane crash last month has left the hospital where she has been treated for burns and a broken collar bone. She was thrown from the plane and in what has been called a miracle, was found hours later clinging to a part of the wreckage.
Yemenia Airways Flight 626 - an Airbus A310 - crashed in the sea on June 30 as it approached the airport on the Comoros Islands. Passengers flew on an Airbus A330 from Paris and Marseille then switched to an older Airbus A310 in the capital of Yemen. Demonstrators against the airline alleged the older plane wasn't safe. The girl's mother was among the 153 people who died in the plane crash.
On July 5, French navy ship located the "black box" flight recorders at a depth of about 3,200 feet. Although the probable cause of the crash is thought to be bad weather, the flight recorders will hopefully give investigators clues as to what actually caused the plane crash.
US Air Force Jet Crash In Afghanistan Adds to the Rash of Crashes in that Country
Category: Plane Crashes
On Saturday, July 18, a U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagle plane crashed in eastern Afghanistan, killing both men on board.
The F-15 Eagle is a two-man highly maneuverable all-weather tactical fighter.
At the time of the crash the jet was conducting military operations in the region and there is no evidence that hostile fire was involved. The crash will be investigated by a board of officers.
This month has been a bloody one in Afghanistan. CNN states there have been 50 military deaths so far - the highest so far.
A fighter jet crashed in southern Afghanistan on Monday - the fourth wreck in three days. The crew members were able to eject safely from this crash.
On Sunday, July 17th, a civilian helicopter crashed on takeoff, killing 16 on board.
A military helicopter made a hard landing, also on Sunday, injuring some of those on board.
Five people were killed when a helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday.
On July 6, two crew members from Canada and one soldier from England were killed when their helicopter crashed during takeoff in the province of Zabul.
Number of Recent Airplane Crashes Is Troubling
Category: Plane Crashes
The president of the non-profit Flight Safety Foundation, Bill Voss, stated "if we continue at this pace, we'll be turning the clock back 10 years on safety".
Mr. Voss was referring the recent rash of jet plane crashes which could push the accident totals to numbers not seen since the 1990s. So far this year, 11 major crashes have been reported world wide. This includes the Russian built Caspian Airline jet that crashed in Iran which killed 168 people, the Air France Airbus A330 crash which killed 228 people, and the Yemenia Airways plane crash in which 152 people were killed. According to one source, about 629 people have died in commercial airline crashes so far in 2009 - which is more than all of last year and the first annual rise since 2004.
The Flight Safety Foundation says if this trend continues, there could be at least 20 major crashes in 2009 - the most since 24 jet crashes in 1999.
The statistics are staggering since air safety is supposed to be improving by the minute. It will be interesting to learn the causes of these crashes - could they have possibly been avoided as the Buffalo crash in February?
Plane Crash in Iran Kills All Aboard
Category: Plane Crashes
153 passengers and 16 crew members are feared dead after a passenger aircraft crashed in northwestern Iran, July 14. The Caspian Airlines Flight 7908 was traveling from Tehran to Yerevan in Armenia and when it crashed in farmlands 16 minutes after take-off.
There is speculation the pilot may have been trying an emergency landing following technical problems. An eye witness said the plane exploded on impact.
This is the first fatal plane crash for Caspian Airlines since it was founded in 1992. The aircraft was made by the Russian company Tupolev in 1986 and leased to Caspian in 1998. Iran has a questionable history when it comes to air safety with many of its deadliest plane crashes involving older Soviet-designed planes.
This latest crash for the Tupolev 154 planes is the eighth fatal accident in the past 10 years. Since 1971, Tupolev 154 has had 54 crashes resulting in the deaths of 2,602 passengers and 258 crew members.
Pieces of Flight 477 Plane Crash Sent to France
Category: Plane Crashes
Investigators hope to find clues as to what happened to cause Air France Flight 477 to crash on June 1 when they study the 600 plus pieces of wreckage being sent to France. All 228 people on board were killed when the Airbus A330 ran into severe thunderstorms, but the cause of the crash is unknown.
Preliminary reports suggest problems with the plane's speed sensors were a factor. The plane hit the ocean intact at a high rate of speed and belly first.
Among the parts being sent to France from Brazil, is a nearly intact tail, and engine cover, uninflected life jackets, seats and kitchen items. Brazil lead the search efforts, but France is handling the investigation of the crash. The material will be examined at a Defense Ministry aviation center in the town of Toulouse - the headquarters of Airbus. Conducting the investigation will be French accident investigators and judicial police.
The chairman of Air France-KLM told the shareholders at a recent meeting that the company would do whatever it takes to find the cause of the crash, "even if it is uncomfortable for the airline."
Search Continues for Yemenia Airways Flight 626 Crash Debris
Category: Plane Crashes
The search continues for debris and bodies from the Plane crash of Yemenia Airways Flight 626 with little success. Once the black boxes are located, officials expect that to change. A few parts and one young survivor who floated for 13 hours in the dark ocean have been found after the June 30 crash.
On June 30 a Airbus A310 with 153 people on board left Paris and crashed into the sea in bad weather near Madagascar as it approached the airport on the Comoros Islands. The control tower was notified the plane was coming into land, then lost contact. There is no information at this time as to the cause of the crash.
This was the second Airbus crash in about four weeks. On June 1 an Air France Airbus 330 crashed into the Atlantic off the coast of Brazil, killing all 228 people on board. Fifty-one bodies and large pieces of debris have been recovered, but officials are still looking for the black boxes.
No Debris from 447 Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
According to ABC News, despite earlier reports that debris from the Air France plane that disappeared on May 31 has been found, no debris has yet been recovered.
Brazilian military officials have said the debris that has been found is not from the missing Airbus. Debris found so far included a cargo pallet which is now said not to be the type that was on the Air France flight, according to the Associated Press.
"No material from the flight was removed," Brazilian Air Force Gen. Ramon Cardoso said. "What we saw was debris that belonged to some aircraft that were left behind because we have a priority on the search [for] bodies. But so far, no piece of the aircraft has been found."
Cardosa also says the oil slick was "too much oil" to have belonged to 447. The authorities still believe they have located some of the plane's parts but have not yet pulled them out of the ocean.
To know what happened to this flight, it is crucial the plane's voice and data recorders - known as black boxed be found. Time is a factor - they are equipped with a device that emits sound to help in their recovery, but that sound will continue for only 30 days.
Military Jet Crashes in California
Category: Plane Crashes
The second plane crash from Edwards Air Force Base in California happened on Thursday when a T-38 Talon went down nine miles north of the base. The military jet with two crew members on board was on a training mission. Neither the fate of the crew members nor the cause of the crash are known at this time.
On March 25, an Air Force F-22A Raptor crashed north of the base, killing a test pilot for Lockhead Martin Corp., a prime contractor for military planes.
NTSB Releases Probably Cause In Colorado Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
Two people escaped injury in February when the single-engine plane crashed while attempting to take off at Centennial Airport in Colorado. Centennial is one of the busiest general aviation airports in the country.
The pilot was 8-10 feet in the air when the wind caught the plane and caused it to crash nose first onto the runway - the landing gear appeared crumpled. The airport was reporting 40 mph wind gusts at the time of the crash.
The NTSB's probable cause report determined the pilot failed to maintain control during taxi and the gusty winds as a contributing factor.
Plane Crash Victim Survived Two Helicopter Crashes
Category: Plane Crashes
Dayton National Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio, was the final resting place of a Vietnam War veteran who died in the February crash that killed 50 near Buffalo, N.Y.
The veteran had twice survived being shot down in helicopters while serving in Vietnam. What a horribly turn of events. In Vietnam, he knew the enemy, was shot at, he survived. Back home, where he thought he was safe, his life was lost due to cost cutting policies by an airline he trusted. It took almost three months for his remains to be identified and shipped home.
His daughter is angry after hearing testimony last week in front of the NTSB. To have a father return from hazardous duty fighting a war, only to die due to pilot fatigue and incompetence.
Plane Crash in Buffalo - Are Regional Jets Safe?
Category: Plane Crashes
This is a question raised by The Buffalo News and one that should get our attention.
Last week the NTSB held hearings on the deadly crash in February of Flight 3407 near Buffalo. It was a bad week for Continental Connection flight using Colgan Air - the information gleaned from the hearings caused a congressional bipartisan outrage.
Continue reading "Plane Crash in Buffalo - Are Regional Jets Safe?"
Captain Faulted in Buffalo Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
The captain of the Buffalo plane crash in February that killed all on board was essentially not capable of flying that plane.
It is now being reported by the Wall Street Journal the captain had flunked numerous flight tests during his career and was never adequately taught how to respond to the emergency that led to the plane's fatal descent, killing 50 people. He was never trained how to prevent the plane from going into a stall - in fact, he did just the opposite of what he was supposed to do. He had only 109 hours experience flying the Q400 - an extremely short time by industry standards.
Plane Crashes That Changed History
Category: Plane Crashes
Flying in a commercial airliner is very safe - more than 30,000 flight took off daily in 2007 with only one disaster. When tragedy does happen and a plane crash happens, investigators sift through the wreckage and exam the cockpit recorders - everything in their power to answer the question we all ask. . ."WHY?"
Through these investigations, crucial safety improvements are made that make each flight a bit safer for us. Here are some of the flights that made a difference in aviation today.
Plane Crashes Into School Yard
Category: Plane Crashes
Wednesday morning the children of Villa de Paz Elementary School in Phoenix, was surprised to see a plane crash into their playground. There were no injuries and no damage to the school.
The flight school single-engine Cessna 152 was flown by a flight instructor and a student. The FAA reports the instructor reported engine trouble and was trying to return to the air field, but didn't think they could make it back and decided to land in the school's field. The plane apparently hit a chain-link fence surrounding the school and crashed with it's nose stuck into the grass.
Small Plane Crashes at Camp Pendleton
Category: Plane Crashes
Federal inspectors are still investigating the cause of a small plane crash on March 7 at Camp Pendleton in California. The pilot, known to be safe and conservative, was flying to Mexico for dinner when his plane crashed with two passengers on board near a helicopter pad at the base.
According to witnesses, the Cessna seemed to be having engine trouble before it crashed, sustaining most of the damage on the right side and losing its tail on impact. One passenger has been released from the hospital, one remains in critical condition, and the pilot's condition has been upgraded to fair.
The NTSB will release a preliminary report in a few days.
NY Plane Crash Investigation Reveals More Information
Category: Plane Crashes
Since the investigators have been able to get onto the site of the devastating plane crash outside Buffalo, NY they have been able to recover the steering column, propellers, and parts that protect the tail from icing. It took only seconds for the Colgan Air aircraft to fall out of the sky but those few seconds were full of fear for those board the plane with its violently pitching and rolling before dropping to the ground killing all on board and one person on the ground.
Although the NTSB states there are just so many unknowns in this plane crash, it could be months before the actual cause can be determined.
Icing is thought to be the cause, but this has not been confirmed. Pilot error could also be a cause since the plane was on autopilot when it crashed.
Continue reading "NY Plane Crash Investigation Reveals More Information"
Stunt Man Dies in Florida Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
A nationally known stunt pilot was one of two people killed Monday when the single engine plane he was flying crashed in Dade City, Fl. The MX-2 aerobatic plane was owned by the pilot, Paul Lopez, and crashed shortly after take-off.
Lopez routinely practiced his aerobatics over the orange groves in the area and the neighbors often watched him perform. On the day of the crash, one witness is quoted as saying, "He did two loop-de-loops then leveled off. Then he went straight up in the air, over the cloud and came back down. He started spinning and went straight down. The plane just burst into flames. They didn't have a chance."
Another witness said it sounded like Lopez cut the engine and couldn't restart it when he cut the engine to do the spin and dive maneuver.
The NTSB plans to release their preliminary report, based on an investigation bythe FAA, in about 10 days.
50 Perish In Buffalo, NY Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
Last night ended two and a half years of crash free aviation in the US. At about 10:20 pm ET time Continental Connection Flight 3407 carrying 49 passengers and crew crashed into a home in Clarence NY just 5 miles from Buffalo Niagara International Airport. One man in the home was killed while his wife and daughter escaped the home with minor injuries.
How to Survive a Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
Ben Sherwood, author of The Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science that Could Save Your Life, has written some tips to save your life if you are ever in a plane crash. These tips come from interviews with people who have survived a plane crash and what he learned after attending the FAA's cabin evacuation course.
Here are the six tips.
1. Pay attention. The first three minutes of a flight and the last eight minutes need your attention - 80% of the incidents happen during these times. Listen to the safety briefings from the flight attendants - they could save your life.
NTSB Releases Transcripts of Flight 1549
Category: Plane Crashes
Shortly after takeoff on January 15 from LaGuardia airport, the US Airways Airbus A320 pilots radioed controllers to advise them they had hit birds and requested to be cleared for an emergency landing and were turning back to LaGuardia. They got clearance, but then told the controllers, "We're unable. We may end up in the Hudson."
Then they were cleared for Teterboro - and again they told the controllers "We're gonna be in the Hudson." Contact between the two was lost.
Two helicopters in the area saw the plane go down into the Hudson River, one radioed "I got him in sight right next to the USS Intrepid mid-river." The crew and all passengers survived.
Today the NTSB released the transcripts from that flight and voice recordings.
Famous Plane Crash - "The Day the Music Died"
Category: Plane Crashes
On this date in 1959, a 13 yr. old newspaper boy in New York cut open his stack of papers he was to deliver that morning to read that three stars of Rock 'n' Roll perished when their small chartered plane crashed in Iowa after taking off in the early morning hours. The boy was devastated, later stating he felt like someone had punched him in the face.
Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper were on the "Winter Dance Party" tour and had been battling freezing bus rides from town to town when Holly decided to charter a plane. The bus rides were so cold, Holly's drummer had already been hospitalized with frostbite. The Big Bopper had the flu and didn't want to spend another frigid night on the bus and asked a young singer by the name of Waylon Jennings if he could take his place on the plane. Richie Valens had a bad cold and asked a guitar player if he could have his seat. So the passenger list of this fateful flight was set. During a snow storm the inexperienced pilot, who wasn't qualified for night flying and apparently disoriented, flew the plane into the frozen ground at 12:55 a.m. killing all three musicians and himself.
Fans continue to visit the crash site, particularly on the anniversary of the plane crash that will always be remembered. Their legacies live on.
That 13 year-old-paperboy who was so stricken by the news of the deaths of these artists was Don McLean who later wrote the song "American Pie" which captured the nation's feelings of sorrow and loss on that February morning in 1959.
Helicopter and Vintage Plane Crash In Texas
Category: Helicopter Crashes
A vintage war plane giving an air ride in uncontrolled airspace, ( a space in which pilots depend on common radio frequency to communicate with each other), over an air park in Texas collided with a flight school helicopter on Saturday afternoon. There were no fatalities.
The owner of the helicopter, Anything's Possible Aviation, stated the pilot ot the chopper made two radio calls while lifting off but was hit from behind by the plane. A video camera on the plane recorded part of the crash and the FAA hopes there is enough footage to determine who is at fault.
Well, I guess anything is possible, but Frieda doesn't think this is exactly what they meant by the name!
Plane Crash/Helicopter Crash - Do I Need A Lawyer?
Category: Plane Crashes
Frieda has been writing about helicopter and plane crashes for some time now and she wondered just how and when one would know they needed an Aviation Attorney - or if one is needed at all. So, after doing some research, Frieda offers the following guidelines to help you.
The tragedy of a plane crash or a helicopter crash is devastating - whether you are personally involved or have a loved one who is injured or killed in an aircraft accident. It puts people into positions and situations they never ever expected to be in and presents circumstances they never expected. While in the midst of shock, personal heartbreaking decisions have to be made as well as legal ones. What does one do in these overwhelming circumstances?
Continue reading "Plane Crash/Helicopter Crash - Do I Need A Lawyer?"
US Airways Gives Passengers of Crash $5000
Category: Plane Crashes
Learning it could take months and months to return luggage to the passengers of Flight 1549 and warning some of their possessions will be unrecoverable, US Airways has sent each passenger $5000 along with an apology. In addition, the airlines has reimbursed the passengers the cost of their tickets. Both of these gestures are very thoughtful on the part of the airlines, but Frieda wonders just how much a ticket from LaGuardia to the Hudson river costs? Hmmmmmmmmmm. . .
The reason for the delay on returning luggage is that nothing can be returned to the passengers until the NTSB recovers and releases the items. They first have to recover the items, then weigh them in their current state, then dry them for eight days, and then weigh them again - this takes time. In the meantime, New Jersey State Police believe they have found the plane's left engine by using sonar, but there is still too much ice on the river to lower a camera to confirm the object is the engine.
Wildlife Strikes and Plane Crashes
Category: Plane Crashes
A "bird strike" is a common threat to aircraft safety and although the fatalities to civil aircraft are quite low, the bird strikes do cause damage to the aircraft when the birds hit the windscreen or are ingested into the engines - causing an annual damage of about $400 million in the U.S and an estimated $1.2 billion worldwide to commercial aircraft. While birds do pose most of the threat (97%), other wildlife hit planes during take-offs or landings including deer, coyotes, and alligators resulting in well over $600 million of US civil and military aviation and over 219 people have been killed worldwide as a result of these wildlife strikes according to the FAA.
Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Diane Spitaliere said: "Bird strikes do happen from time to time."She said there have been few major accidents due to bird strikes, "and not in many years -- not like this one. ... It's more common in general aviation, smaller aircraft."
Ms Kay called birds "a definite Achilles' heel" for aviation.
The following are some facts about the dangers birds pose to aviation.
* Damage by birds and other wildlife striking aircraft annually amounts to well over $600 million for US civil and military aviation and over 219 people have been killed worldwide as a result of wildlife strikes since 1988.
* Birds have posed a danger as long as people have been flying. The first recorded bird strike was by Oliver Wright, who wrote in his diary that his plane hit a bird, probably a red-winged blackbird, over Ohio in September 1905.
* Birds are not the only wildlife problem for aircraft but they do account for 97 percent of wildlife strikes. Other animals that have hit planes during take-off or landing include deer, coyotes, bats and alligators.
* Waterfowl (31 per cent), gulls (26 per cent), and raptors (18 per cent) represented three quarters of the reported bird strikes causing damage to US civil aircraft, 1990-2007.
* Over 760 civil aircraft collisions with deer and 250 collisions with coyotes were reported in the United States, 1990-2007.
* BirName
Plane Crash on the Hudson - Flock of Birds Not Guilty?
Category: Plane Crashes
We've all heard about what is being dubbed "Miracle on the Hudson" where last week a US Airways Airbus A320 was so skillfully 'landed' on the Hudson river shortly after takeoff, saving the lives of all on board. The pilot had reported a 'bird strike' - the definition per Wikipedia is when there a collision between an airborne animal (usually a bird or a bat) and a man-made vehicle, especially an aircraft. So far the bird strike has been nailed as the cause of the plane crash. However, further investigation has added an new twist to the saga of this crash.
Passengers traveling on the same route and on the same aircraft two days prior to the January 15th crash, report hearing a series of loud bangs - complicating the investigation of the crash. CNN has quoted the passengers as saying that after a the series of loud bangs, the flight crew told them the plane would have to make an emergency landing, but the pilots were then able to restart the engines and the flight continued. Then two days later the plane made an emergency landind into the Hudson River. A passenger on that fateful flight emailed CNN stating the following: "About 20 minutes after take-off, the plane had a series of compressor stalls on the right engine. There were several loud bangs and fire coming out of the engine. The pilot first told us that we were going to make an emergency landing, but after about five minutes, continued the flight to Charlotte." Then the pilot announced they were going to make an emergency landing at the nearest airport, but only a few minutes later they were told there was a stalled compressor and they were going to continue to Charlotte, according to the passenger and his email to CNN.
The scenarios of the two flights of the same plane sound just too similar. Were the engines checked thoroughly after the loud bangs almost calling for an emergency during the first flight? Was this totally the fault of a flock of geese or the lack of maintenance by US Airways or both? According to the FAA, planes often hit birds without the plane's engines being damaged.
At this time the official explanation of the crash is that both the engines stalled after running into a flock of geese which forced the pilot to make the newsworthy landing into the Hudson river. Investigators will take the plane and engines apart piece by piece and some reports say the investigation could take up to a year to finish. Hopefully they will also take into account the report of the passengers and the crew of the flight only two days earlier. Lives were at stake - it is truly a miracle all onboard Flight 1549 survived. The question remains on just why their lives were in jeopardy in the first place.
Plane Crash Has Coroner Asking For Tougher Saftey Standards
Category: Plane Crashes
The coroner's report following a single-engine plane crash in which three were killed, calls for tougher safety standards - requiring terrain awareness and warning systems on board. This plea mirrors numerous recommendations by the Transportation and Safety Board earlier this year.
In January 2006, a plane carrying seven passengers crashed a Sonicblue Airways single-engine Cessna 208B Caravan into trees just short of a logging road in Canada, killing the pilot, one passenger, and a three year old boy. The reports urge Transport Canada to adopt the tougher standards for single-engine planes on instrument flight rules over mountainous territory. Single-engine planes are at risk when the pilot can't see where the plane is flying because they don't have the second engine to keep them airborne.
Among other recommendations, the coroner asked that child restraint in vehicles be applied to children when they fly on aircraft - referring to a crash in 2007 where a three year old survived because of an approved car seat when the two adults died. Perhaps this three-year-old would have survived if he had been properly restrained.
Failed Flaps Cause of Fatal Madrid Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
Wing flaps not opening are said to be the cause of Spain's worst plane crash in 25 years - the Madrid plane crash in which 154 people perished. A newspaper, El Pais, stated a preliminary investigation has concluded at this point in the investigation the pilot was not aware the flaps had not extended because an alert system did not do what it was supposed to do - alert the pilot. The horn that is supposed to sound to alert the pilots the flaps had not been set, did not sound. The flaps are needed to generate the lift the plane needs to gain altitude and to fly.
We do know the temperature gauge on the MD-82 also overheated and that was disconnected - this is not thought to be indicated in the problem with the flaps. However, the first attempted take off was cancelled due to the gauge indicating an overheating problem. The technicians removed a fuse from the circuit and, the temperature returned to normal, the plane went back to the runway and to the fateful takeoff. The "black box" information showed the plane had gotten to about 40 feet before alarms warned it was stalling - the tail hit the runway and the plane crashed into a ditch. This is consistent to the eye witness reports who said the plane took off but stalled within seconds.
As the investigation continues, Spain's interior minister has declined to make a comment until the final report, stating:
"In my experience, an accident doesn't happen for a single reason,"
Plane Crash Kills Three
Category: Plane Crashes
A single engine plane, thought to be a Cirrus SR22 carrying three people crashed in Wisconsin Thursday night killing all on board. The plane had left Milwaukee earlier that evening and was trying to land at Lakeland Airport in northern Wisconsin, close to the Michigan border. The FAA and NTSB are investigating the accident.
The SR22, by Cirrus Design, is a high performance single engine four seater made from composite material. With a larger wing, larger fuel capacity, and more horsepower that the SR20, this aircraft is very popular choice for new aircraft purchases and has been the world's best selling plane of it's type for several years. Unlike most high performance aircraft, it has a fixed landing gear and is probably best known for being equipped with CAPS - an emergency parachute capable of lowering the entire aircraft to the ground in an emergency.
In looking into the safety stats for the Cirrus aircraft, Frieda was surprised to find them to be unimpressive when compared to the accident rates for General Aviation. With the "newness" of its fleet of general aviation planes, the CAPS system, and all the state of the art design and mechanics, Frieda thought perhaps their safety rating would be higher - at least it's not lower! So now the question arises - is there anything the industry can to raise the safety level of the general aviation aircraft?
A single engine plane, thought to be a Cirrus SR22 carrying three people crashed in Wisconsin Thursday night killing all on board. The plane had left Milwaukee earlier that evening and was trying to land at Lakeland Airport in northern Wisconsin, close to the Michigan border. The FAA and NTSB are investigating the accident.
The SR22, by Cirrus Design, is a high performance single engine four seater made from composite material. With a larger wing, larger fuel capacity, and more horsepower that the SR20, this aircraft is very popular choice for new aircraft purchases and has been the world's best selling plane of it's type for several years. Unlike most high performance aircraft, it has a fixed landing gear and is probably best known for being equipped with CAPS - an emergency parachute capable of lowering the entire aircraft to the ground in an emergency.
In looking into the safety stats for the Cirrus aircraft, Frieda was surprised to find them to be unimpressive when compared to the accident rates for General Aviation. With the "newness" of its fleet of general aviation planes, the CAPS system, and all the state of the art design and mechanics, Frieda thought perhaps their safety rating would be higher - at least it's not lower! So now the question arises - is there anything the industry can to raise the safety level of the general aviation aircraft?
Deadly Plane Crash Near Mount Everest Kills 18
Category: Plane Crashes
Sixteen tourist are among the 18 killed on Wednesday when a Yeti Airlines DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter crashed and caught fire after snagging one of its wheels on a security fence during landing. Lukla airport is well known among travelers for its fantastic scenery, nail biting landings, and, yes, its occasional crashed. As if this wasn't enough, if one doesn't stop the aircraft in time, there is a drop of several hundred feet at the end of the runway. Although little more than runway carved into the side of the Himalayas with an altitude of 9,200 feet, it is an important "jumping off point" for those so inclined to begin their hikes to Mt. Everest base camp which takes several days.
The airport has visibility of only 1,310 on a good day - just enough for landings. This fateful day the pilot - who was the only survivor - tried to land in foggy weather.
Another Plane Crashes While Fighting Wildfire
Category: Plane Crashes
It was at least the third time a twin-engine P2V for Neptune Aviation of Missoula, Montana, crashed while fighting a wildfires. The company, which is under government contract, lost 2 men in 1994 and two others in 1998.
On Monday an air tanker being used to drop retardant on the wildfire in the Sierra Nevada crashed shortly after takeoff from Reno-Stead Airport, killing all three crew members on board. It was their last flight of the day. The plane which was full of fuel and retardant burst onto flames when it went down and a witness reported the aircraft lost a wing or part of one engine prior to catching fire and crashing. The plane was built in 1962 as an anti-submarine bomber for the Navy.
The FAA and NTSB are at the scene of the crash.
Five Americans Killed in Plane Crash in Guatemala
Category: Plane Crashes
Five Americans were among the ten people killed on Sunday when their single-engine plane crashed in Guatemala. They were all on a humanitarian mission to help the people of Guatemala. One family from Wisconsin was on their way to help build houses for a village close to the Caribbean coast as part of CHOICE Humanitarian, a group based in Utah. The daughter survived with only cuts and bruises, her mother is badly burned, but her brother and father were killed in the crash.
She told reporters that about 10 minutes before the crash, the engine of the Cessna Caravan just stopped and the plane coasted. "We tried hard to land in a field but we overshot." The pilot did call in with engine trouble about 45 minutes before crashing.
The plane was operated by Aero Ruta Maya airlines.
Another Spanair MD-82 Forced to Land
Category: Plane Crashes
On Sunday, August 24, another Spanair MD-82 jet had to make an unscheduled landing because of problems with one of its turbines. Flight JK565, with 141 passengers on board, was only an hour into the flight from from Barcelona to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands when it was diverted to Malaga for the landing. The flight was then cancelled - Spanair claims this was not an emergency landing. Whether or not it was an emergency would raise questions as to the flying readiness of Spanair's aircraft especially after the Wednesday deadly crash that killed 154 people. Whatever the reason, Spanair officials were cautious in landing the plane and protected not only the airline but the 141 passengers who are grateful they are safe and who enjoyed a night's stay in a local hotel, courtesy of the airline.
So far only 55 of those who perished in the earlier plane crash have been identified and authorities are waiting on DNA tests on the rest.
World's Deadliest Plane Crashes on Takeoff
Category: Plane Crashes
The deadly plane crash in Madrid this week is the country's worst since Dec. 7, 1983, when a jet liner got lost in fog and taxied into a Boeing 727 and killed 93 people. The deadliest takeoff crash in history occurred March, 1977, when a KLM 747 crashed into a Pan Am 747 on the runway in the Canary Islands, killing 583.
Since 1977, there have been only 15 others including the latest one in Spain. Now, I know what you're thinking - ONLY 15!, but wait a minute. . .that's 16 listed as the deadliest takeoff crashes by MSNBC out of thousands & thousands of takeoffs everyday - multiply that x365 days a year x31 years. Just a reminder we hear about the tragedies, but not the successful takeoff taking place all over the world everyday. That said, Frieda is giving you the list of the others.
After the KLM crash in 1977, came an American Airlines DC-10 crash in May of 1979 after an engine fell off at O'Hare Airport in Chicago, killing 273.
Then came:
Nov. 28, 1979 - Air New Zealand DC-10 crashed into Mt. Erebus, 257 dead.
May 9, 1987 - Polish IL-62M crashes into a forest near Warsaw, Poland, 183 dead.
Aug. 16, 1987 - Northwest Airlines MD-82 crashed at Detroit airport, killing at least 156.
Jan. 30, 2000 - At least 169 die when Kenya Airways Airbus A310 crashes into the Atlantic, 10 survived.
July 25, 2000 - World's first Concorde crash occurred when an Air France Concorde crashed into hotel after taking off from Paris.
Oct. 8, 2001 - At least 118 died when a Cessna 525A collided with a SAS MD-87 in heavy fog in Italy.
Nov. 12, 2001 - American Airlines Airbus A300 crashes into the ground at JFK killing at least 265.
May 4, 2002 - EAS Airlines BAC1-11 crashed into a crowd of people in Nigeria, killing 154 from the plane and on the ground.
July 8, 2003 - A Sudan Airways Boeing 737-200 crash kills 115.
Jan. 3, 2004 - Flash Airlines Boeing 737-300 kills at least 148 when it crashed into the Red Sea off Egypt.
Sept. 5, 2005 - Mandala Airlines Boeing 737-200 crashed in Indonesia, killing 145.
May 5, 2007 - A Kenya Airways Boeing 737-800 crash kills 114.
Frieda hopes with all her heart one day with all the new technology being developed and the public insisting on the safest air travel possible, airline crashes will be almost non existent - until that time, we know the odds are still on our side.
Madrid Jet Overheating Before Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
An air intake valve in the front of the plane under the cockpit was found to be overheating before the jetliner's first attempted takeoff - remember the hour delay in takeoff. One way to fix the problem is to allow the technicians to "de-energize" the probe - - or in layman's terms "turn the probe off". Once this was done the plane was cleared for it's second takeoff attempt - the one ending in a deadly fiery plane crash. Spanair spokesman, Mr. Mendoza, stated the intake valve "is not on the list of equipment that has to be functional for a plane to take off . . .turning off such a device in these circumstances is an acceptable procedure. . .the plane was eventually cleared by company technicians." Were they not concerned at all about what was causing the overheating? If something is overheating, there is a reason, and for the 153 people including 17 small children and 2 babies who went to their fiery deaths, it is so so sad another choice was not made in this situation. Obviously the old saying "where's there's smoke, there's fire" holds true - in this case, "where there's heat, there will be a fire".
The cause of the crash is not known, black boxes have been recovered (one is damaged), and experienced pilots state that even without the probe working, "the plane would not fail to the point of causing a tragedy." El Pais, the Spanish newspaper said one of the engines failed and may have caught fire during takeoff.
This is, of course, all speculative until the investigators release their findings. However, Spanair has confirmed another MD-82 had to make and emergency landing on Saturday due to problems with both engines.
One Spanish couple missed the flight because they were 3 minutes late checking in. They were two of the lucky ones.
MD-80 Series Involved In 11 Serious Plane Crashes
Category: Plane Crashes
Last year American Airlines was ordered by the FAA to ground its fleet of the MD-80 series aircraft - all 300 of them in order to inspect a hydraulic wing. Only two of the fatal crashes for this plane have been attributed to something other than a failing of the aircraft itself - one caused by an air traffic control misunderstanding and the other, a passenger lit a fire on the aircraft.
In November of last year, 54 people were killed in a plane crash in Turkey - the cause is unknown. In September, a plane crashed in Thailand while trying to land in a heavy rain. In 2000, 88 people died in an Alaska Airlines crash which was blamed on poor maintenance of the aircraft. Then there was the crash in which the American Airlines pilot overshot the runway in bad weather and the one in Detroit caused by the crew's failing to carry out standard safety procedures.
None of the crashes seem to be the fault of the aircraft itself and with nine crashes in 20 million flights, the MD-80 series is still considered among the safest in the sky.
The MD-80 series aircraft is the second most popular commercial jet aircraft in the U.S. - Boeing 737 ranks first. Travel agents have reported the questions from passengers on the type of plane being used for their travel have increased although many don't makes changes to their plans. The fact the MD-80's fatal crashes have not been caused by reoccurring problems physical problems with the aircraft is good news.
In 2000, it was reported the horizontal stabilizer is the focus of the investigation of the Alaska Airline's crash and some believe pilots concerned about this are overheating the motors of the stabilizers by repeatedly testing them before takeoff. On December 10, 2002, the NTSB released its findings of the crash, once again showing there was not a generic fault with the aircraft itself.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was a loss of airplane pitch control resulting from the in-flight failure of the horizontal stabilizer trim system jackscrew assembly's acme nut threads. The thread failure was caused by excessive wear resulting from Alaska Airlines' insufficient lubrication of the jackscrew assembly.
"It's a short-haul workhorse, similar to the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320," said a pilot. "Overall its safety record is similar other mainstream aircraft."
John Strickland, an airline transport consultant, added: "It's been manufactured from the early 80s to the end of the 90s and is well regarded around the world with a very good reputation for reliability."
With comments like this, it seems we'll see the MD-80 series around for quite sometime.
Deadly Madrid Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
It's surprising there were any survivors in a Spanish airliner crash earlier today at Spain's busiest airport - Madrid's Barajas. Spanair Flight JK5022, headed for the Canary Islands, sped off the runway, crashed, burned, and broke into pieces. This is in the height of the European summer vacation season and 175 people were on their way to a wonderful vacation off the coast of West Africa when disaster struck, only 26 people were reported to have survived.
The cause of the crash is not yet known, but we do know the flight was delayed an hour due to technical difficulties. Finally it was able to lift off a fraction before crashing near the end of the runway. Whether the technical problems played some part in the deadly plane crash is questionable. It is reported the bodies were so hot police and rescue could barely touch them and the wreckage looked nothing like a plane.
A survivor of the crash, said there was a loud explosion as the plane was taking off and they could see the fire. ". . .and then it was not even a minute or so they heard (something) blow up". A reporter from Spain's ABC newspaper stated, "They were landing, like, little by little -- it was not like they (fell) down suddenly".
The plane was a Boeing and according to a Boeing spokesman, "We stand ready to provide technical assistance", and will send at least on person to help in the investigation once they receive an invitation from Spanish authorities. The U. S. NTSB is also sending an investigation team to Madrid because the aircraft is an American made McDonnell Douglas MD-82.
This was the first fatal accident at the airport - which handles 40 million passengers a year - since December 1983, when two Spanish airliners collided while taxing for takeoff, killing 93 people.
Air Force Jet Crashes
Category: Plane Crashes
At this time the fate of two pilots who crashed in the U.S. Air Force F-15D Eagle jet is not known. The jet was assigned to the 65th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base when the crash occurred about 11:30 Wednesday morning. The jet was taking part in an Exercise Red Flag combat training mission
Started in 1975 by General Robert Dillon (commander of Tactical Air Command) to better prepare our forces for combat, Red Flag is a realistic combat training exercise involving the air forces of the U.S. and our allies and is conducted on the huge bombing/gunnery ranges at Nellis AFB, Nevada. All four of our military services and their Guard/Reserve components participate in to Red Flag exercises each year. Air forces of other countries participate in one or more designated coalition exercises annually. As of 2004, Red Flag has provided training for over 400,000 military personnel and over 600,000 hours of flying time.
Seventy- Seven Year Old Killed in Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
This short blog is not so much about aviation as it is the human spirit and Frieda thought it was worth mentioning. It's the all too frequent story about a small single engine plane crashing and killing the pilot, cause unknown. In this instance it was a 77 year old man who crashed southwest of Chicago.
Mr. Johnson loved everything about flying - it was his life long dream to get his pilot's license. So, Mr. Johnson waited until after his three children were grown to take flying lessons and once he got his pilot's license, he made use of his it every chance he had by renting planes for recreational use at a local airfield. So you ask, what's so unusual about this story? It's the fact Mr. Johnson didn't let his dream die - he achieved his dream of getting his pilot's license two-and-a- half years ago at the age of 75!
Thank you, Mr. Johnson for reminding us it's never too late to go after one's dreams.
NTSB Rules Pilot Error in Fatal Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
On August 14, 2006, a 1966 Piper Aztec operated by Spring City Aviation, Inc., in Waukesha, Wisconsin crashed as it attempted to land at the Chippewa County International Airport in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, killing all four people on board. Witnesses report seeing the plane turn left back toward the airport at almost a 90 deg. angle before it crashed nose first into the ground adjacent to a prison fence. The lack of major damage to the fence and the almost no lateral ground damage, indicates a near vertical impact which resulted in a post-impact ground fire in which the majority of the aircraft was destroyed.
Killed in the crash was Spancrete executive, Daniel Nagy, 2 company employees and the pilot. Spancrete is a located in Waukesha which provides precast and pre-stressed concrete for structures worldwide and was founded by Nagy's grandfather. According to the NTSB report, Nagy was getting flight instructions from the pilot at the time of the crash. It goes on to state Nagy didn't stay in control of the plane while circling to land and didn't abort the landing when he should have.
Congo Plane Crash Kills 21
Category: Plane Crashes
On Tuesday, April 15, a McDonald Douglass DC-9 crashed into a market district in the city of Goma. At least 21 people were killed in the crash - far less than the initial 79 reported fatalities - but all 21 are believed to be killed on the ground when the jet failed to lift off.
The Congo has one of the world's worst air safety records - the worst offender in the air accident rate in Africa which is six times worse than the rest of the world. The European Commission has banned all operations of Hewa Bora Airways due to concerns over the carrier's safety standards. The airlines was allowed to operate a single aircraft under special arrangements, but this has been withdrawn. Hewa Bora joins eight other airlines fully banned in the European Union.
Hewa Bora airlines was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Barumba, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Canadian Company Loses 5 More In Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
Needless to say, family-owned A.D. Williams Engineering is in shock after losing 5 more of it's employees in a plane crash on Friday - 5 months to the day after losing two others in a plane crash. On Friday, four men and one woman were killed when their Piper Malibu 46 went down 140 miles SE of Edmonton, Alberta, on their way to a meeting in Winnipeg. It is reported Reagan Williams, the president was killed along with the company's CFO, another company official, and two contractors.
The founder of the company, Allen Williams, Reagan Williams' father, was killed on October 28, 2007, when his Cessna 172 crashed in British Columbia. This story made headlines because, although Mr. Williams and the company's CFO died, his 3 year old granddaughter, Reagan's niece, survived and was found hanging upside down in her car seat, which her grandfather had secured inside the plane - some called her the "miracle baby".
The NTSB said the aircraft was experiencing difficulty and was erratic before it disappeared. There is some speculation the plane began to break up before it went down because a piece of wing was found over 3 miles from the crash site.
After being devastated in October when the company lost it's founder and chairman, it pulled together to get on its feet and now it is faced with another tragedy.
Plane Crashes in Montana Snow - Pilot Sends Life Saving Text Message
Category: Plane Crashes
An 18 year old student pilot probably saved his life by sending a text message which stated, "I've crashed and I am alive," then he made a phone call to let authorities he was with the plane, he was cold, and had a sore shoulder. It's understandable he was cold because he not only spent the night in temperatures close to zero, he then hiked about a mile in waist-deep snow, wearing shorts and tennis shoes. A doctor at the St. Vincent Healthcare emergency department stated he was "absolutely amazed" at how well the youth endured the crash. "He is an extremely fortunate young man", the doctor went on to say. Frieda agrees - wearing only shorts while flying over such terrain should not be permitted. While teaching these kids to fly, they should also teach them to carry proper survival gear in case of a crash. This young man was able to "keep his wits about him" and survived.
The pilot was on a training flight to Powell, Wyoming when his single engine plane crashed in the Pryor Mountains about 40 miles south of Billings and about an hour after he took off from Billings. The pilot is a student at Rocky Mountain College where student flights were canceled again on Thursday, but classes and simulator fights continued.
He was released after being treated for frostbite, cuts, and a bruised kidney. He was an extremely fortunate young man, indeed.
NTSB Releases Preliminary Report on Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
The Cessna 172S crash that killed three Florida State Atlantic University researchers on March 13, may have been flying too low, too slow and too overloaded, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
The pilot was co-owner of Kemper Aviation and had almost 3,000 hours of flying experience - so why did a supposedly knowledgeable pilot take off in a plane carrying 1,138 pounds when it is designed to carry only 860 pounds?
According to witnesses, the plane made several passes before the "nose dropped and the tail went straight up" before the plane spun into the ground. Apparently the pilot had tried to recover by giving the engine more fuel - the throttle was at the highest power setting when the inspectors found the wreckage.
All operations have been suspended by the school and the FAA is investigating the company's operations and maintenance procedures. This Cessna had it's engine overhauled in December during the last maintenance update. An overhauled engine would not compensate for almost 300 pounds of excess weight.
Flight School Under Investigation After Plane Crashes
Category: Plane Crashes
The Cessna 172 Shyhawk went down in a field last week killing a Nova Scotia ornithologist and three other men. As sad as this is, it is the third crash for the flight school since October that has killed eight people. U.S. politicians want Kemper Aviation shut down, but Akerman's father is not so sure this is the right way to proceed. Stating, "I am not one of those that wants to blame people and point fingers", he wants more information about the crash that killed his son. Killed with Akerman was the pilot - one of the company's co-owners and two graduate students. The younger Akerman was on contract with Florida Atlantic University to research migratory birds and ornithologists have to follow the birds.
"As I understand it, the university chartered that company because it would make those kinds of flights," Jeremy Akerman said. "And those kinds of flights are, by their very nature, very risky because you have to fly at low altitudes and you have to make very, very sharp turns, which is always a risky business."
However, a former inspector general for the U. S. Transportation Department says Kemper should have been shut down long ago - the crashes were so preventable with warning signs everywhere, and the number of crashes Kemper has had is "astronomical" according to this source. The company trained two of the 9-11 hijackers - a fact that has nothing to do with safety standards and the investigation into the latest crash.
Plane Crash Raises Airstrip Location Safety Questions
Category: Plane Crashes
A well-known Charlotte business man was killed Thursday morning when his plane crashed dangerously close to houses in Weddington, N.C. The pilot planned his landing to be at a private airstrip but crashed in a residential backyard - just short of the runway. Frieda wonders why in the world a runway is that close to homes & children. It makes no difference which came first - the runway or the houses - this should not be allowed. Although freak accidents can happen anywhere, there should be a perimeter around the airstrip within which absolutely nothing can be built.
The NTSB will be spending the next few days trying to determine why this plane crashed. The homeowners, although saddened by the pilot's death, are terrified and worried about their own safety and feel very blessed none of the houses were hit during the crash. According to the NTSB, runways located in subdivisions are getting more and more popular - they're called "flying communities". Flying your private plane into these "flying communities" is just like driving your car into your neighborhood and parking in your garage - in fact, most of the planes have their own garage.
Okay, they are getting more popular, some neighbors apparently purchase their homes in these "flying communities" for the convenience of being close to their planes - but what about safety? Are there zoning commissions or something that can protect people from their own hazardous indulgencies?
Taskforce In Place Following Plane Crashes In California
Category: Plane Crashes
Thirteen people have died in six plane crashes in the area so far this year. Following two fatal incidents within a month - a midair collision that killed five and a crash that killed three - the mayor of Corona, CA. formed an Airport Safety Taskforce to assess the safety of Corona's Municipal Airport. The taskforce, made up of nine members including pilots and city and business leaders, met for the first time this week. The first meeting concentrated on the airport's flight pattern and the measures in place not to make sure all pilots follow it. The panel will meet twice a month, have a presentation about the airport by the FAA in March, and release its findings in June.
Corona Municipal Airport is unique in that it has a FAA code of AJO, but no IATA code (International Air Transport Association) - most U.S. airports use the same three letter location identifier code for both. It serves Riverside County, California, and is a public airport which has about 158,000 aircraft operations a year (up from 68,000 in 2004) - all general aviation. The airport has come under criticism lately because it has no operating control tower.
Number of General Aviation Plane Crashes High
Category: Plane Crashes
California areas of San Bernardino and Riverside counties have had six plane crashes with 13 deaths in the first eight weeks of 2008. That's a lot - especially to the families and loved ones of those who perished.
It is expected pilot error will be involved, since has been a contributing factor in 85 percent of all general aviation plane accidents in the last decades. The reason is that private pilots don't have the flight hours commercial pilots have therefore they lack the experience. While commercial pilots fly about 75 hours a month, private pilots fly about 100 hours a year - some only 40-50 hours.
When pilots don't fly often, they are more apt to make a mistake which can be deadly. Also a lot of the privately and municipally owned airports don't qualify for a federally staffed control tower - although this is not a magical solution. There is not much the guys in the towers can do when there is a mechanical problem, emergency, or when the pilot doesn't do what he is supposed to do like turn the heater on that keeps ice off the carburetor during landings.
In recent decades the number of plane crashes has dropped from about 4,000 to 1,500 per year but the accident and death rate per 100,000 flight hours have not dropped accordingly. Is there an answer to this? Should private pilots have more required hours - or perhaps not be allowed to fly without a refresher flight with an instructor if he hasn't flown within a certain time period? Frieda doesn't know the answer, but she's saddened by all the general aviation incidents, crashes, and deaths that flood the aviation airways.
Lufthansa Incident in Hamburg
Category: Plane Crashes
During a landing attempt in a brutal winter storm in Hamburg, Germany, a Luftansa Airlines Airbus A320 scraped its wing on the ground. Video of the incident shows the aircraft teetering as it tried to land - "just as we were about to land, a gust of wind pressed the left wing towards the ground" stated a Luftansa pilot.
The plane pulled up immediately and landed successfully on the next time around. There were no injuries and no structural damage to the plane which is already back in service - the damage was to the left winglet and minimal.
Frieda questions why the plane attempted landing in such bad treacherous weather. All involved are very lucky there were serious injuries.
Runway Incursions Continue
Category: Plane Crashes
Dulles International Airport was the scene Sunday of another runway incursion. Around 6 p.m. two United Airlines jets, an Airbus 319 with 92 passengers and an Embracer 170 carrying 66 passengers, touched wings on the taxiway as they were preparing for departure. No one was injured in the mishap but air traffic was halted while emergency crews investigated and pried the aircrafts apart. The Airbus passengers were transferred to a twin engine Airbus 320 to complete their travel plans to Albuquerque, but the passengers on the Embracer were taken off the aircraft and would have to complete their travels on Monday. United Airlines representative, Jeff Kovick, stated, "Safety is our No. 1 priority. We will assist in the investigation into this incident".
A week ago, two US Airways planes were evacuated at Reagan National Airport when the wings of an Airbus A319 and an Express regional jet clipped as they were waiting their turn for takeoff. The Express jet, carrying 21 passengers, was taxing toward the runway when its wing clipped the wing of the Airbus and was lodged there. All 63 passengers were taken by buses to the terminal where they were booked on later flights.
We are so fortunate no one was injured in these two incursions - how long will our "luck" hold out? When will something be done to avoid a major tragedy?
Stealth Bomber Crashes
Category: Plane Crashes
It is the first crash of the $1.2 billion B-2 bomber since taking it's first flight in 1989 and it happened on Saturday at Andersen Air Force Base on the island of Guam. Both pilots ejected and are in good condition.
There are 21 stealth bombers and all are based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, but several have been rotating through Guam since 2004 - along with B-1 and B-52 bombers - to boost the U.S. security presence in the Asian-Pacific. The bomber was one of three taking off on their last flight out of Guam after a four month deployment, when it crashed shortly after take off. The one B-2 that had taken off prior to the crash was brought back and all were being kept at the Air Force Base.
The B-2 is an "multi-role bomber" and has been used in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Because of its blend of stealth technology and highly efficient aerodynamics, it is able to deliver large payloads at great distances.
Stealth technology is also known as LOT (Low Observability Technology) and it's goal is to make aircraft, ships, and missiles invisible to radar infrared and other detection measures. With the stealth bomber this is done in two ways: 1) shape the airplane so radar signals are reflected and 2) have the airplane absorb radar signals. Most airplanes with their round shape are great aerodynamically, but are also a great radar reflectors - meaning that no matter where the radar signal hits the plane, the signal bounces back to its source. However, the stealth design, with its all flat surfaces and very sharp edges, radar signals are reflected away from the aircraft at an angle and not back to the source of the signal. Secondly, the stealth is treated so they absorb radar energy - thus giving off a radar signature of a small bird. The only time these two techniques don't work for the bomber is when it banks - there will be a moment when a panel will perfectly reflect the radar signal back to its source.
A board of officers will investigate the crash.
No Survivors In Venezuelan Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
On Thursday, a plane carrying 43 passengers and 3 crew members disappeared about 400 miles southwest of Caracas, Venezuela. The plane has departed from Merida Airport for what was to be an hour and 45 minute flight, but was reported missing about 30 minutes into the flight. The plane, a twin engine French made ATR 42-300, was owned by Santa Barbara airlines. which covers domestic routes in Venezuela. The ATR 42 is a twin turboprop, short-haul regional airliner built in Italy as well as France. The name "42" comes from the seating on the plane which can vary from 40 to 50. The "42" made its maiden flight in 1984 and is currently used worldwide,
When rescue helicopters found the wreckage, they reported it looks as though it was a direct impact - calling the aircraft "pulverized". The rough terrain of the Andes Mountains and bad weather will hinder recovery efforts. There were no survivors and no word on what could have caused the plane crash.
F-15 Pilot Dies After Mid-Air Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
Just a little over a month after almost all F-15 A- D jets were allowed back in service after the crash of an F-15C during a training flight in November, there is more sad news for the F-15C. While in a routine training sorte, two single-seat F-15C Eagles collided and crashed off the coast of Florida into the Gulf of Mexico during a training mission.
Both pilots ejected and were found by the coast guard about 3 hours after receiving the pilots' distress calls. The first pilot spotted was rescued by a local fishing boat and he was able to help locate the second pilot who did not survive the crash. The surviving pilot is in good condition at Elgin Air Force Base Hospital.
A "board of officers" will conduct the investigation to determine why the pilots weren't flying according to the general rule of 500 feet apart during training missions.
Second Lancair Plane Crashes in Portland
Category: Plane Crashes
A dermatologist was killed when the Lancair Columbia 400 single engine plane he was piloting crashed and caught fire at Portland International Airport on February 16 en route from Klamath Falls to Portland. The pilot was a former director of the Flying Physicians Association and an experienced pilot. Conditions at the time to the crash was foggy with visibility at a quarter mile or less, but it is not yet known if the weather was a factor in the deadly crash.
The Columbia 400, is a factory model of a kit airplane designed by Lancair International Inc and produced by Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing Co. The Columbia 400 is now shown on Cessna's Web site because the maker of Cessna, Textron, Inc, purchased Columbia last year.
The first Lancair plane to crash this month was a Lancair ES - a kit airplane, assembled by the purchaser which crashed on February 8th.. In that crash, all three men on board were killed when the plane went into an out of control spin and hit the ground - it was en route to Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Both crashes are under investigation.
Plane Crashes in Minnesota En Route to Missouri
Category: Plane Crashes
A 54 year old man from Sanger, Texas, bought a 1948 Cessna 140 in Wisconsin on Friday, February 8, and was flying solo to Fulton, Missouri - planning a stop in Iowa. A little after midnight the pilot lost contact with the airport in Rochester, Minnesota. His family called authorities when he was overdue and the search began around 2 o'clock in the morning.
The following morning a father and son went out to feed horses on a relative's farm in Grand Meadow, Minnesota - just like any other morning. After feeding the horses, the two men turned the horses outside - it was then they noticed an unusual large snow covered mound in the distance. Although they thought it strange, they didn't investigate, instead they went inside to visit with their family, but when they were ready to return home around 9 am, they thought it best to ride a couple of horses out to check out the unusual sight. As they approached the snow covered mound, they realized it was a small airplane - they had found the Cessna 140 and it's pilot - sadly, hours too late. A business card inside his wallet identified him as a pilot for American Airlines.
The FAA is investigating the plane crash.
Harrier Crashes In North Carolina
Category: Plane Crashes
The pilot, stationed at Cherry Point, was able to eject to safety before the AV-8B Harrier he was flying lost power and crashed east of Beaufort on February 13. The Harrier was one of three on a training flight when the reported laboring plane struck the ground nose-down before catching fire. The Harrier is a British made "jump jet" - meaning it is capable of vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) as well as forward flight when it functions as a typical fixed-winged aircraft.. It's used primarily by the US Marine Corps and the Spanish and Italian Navies. Although it is one of the most flexible aircraft ever made, it takes a high level of skill to fly - requiring skills more usually associated with helicopters than airplanes.
At this time there is no preliminary information on what could have caused the aircraft to lose engine power - the investigation is expected to take months.
Plane Crash Site Found in California
Category: Plane Crashes
Four people flew from Chino Airport to have lunch together at Bermuda Dunes Airport on February 2 - that was the last day they were seen. Searchers have been looking for the plane since it disappeared about 6 miles east of Banning and say the loss of radar contact is not usual in that area because of the topography of the San Gorgonio Pass (aka Banning Pass) which cuts between the Dan Bernardino Mountains on the north and the San Jacinto Mountains on the south and is one of the deepest passes in the 48 contiguous states.
On Saturday, February 9, the searchers found wreckage of the four seat Cessna 340A in an area that's become known as being a "magnet" for plane crashes and on Sunday after taking more than three hours to reach the debris they found remains from at least one of the people on board the plane. The debris was scattered over more than 300 square yards and was at an elevation of 4,000+ feet. Melting snow which created muddy conditions hampered the search teams. The search will continue in hopes of finding the bodies of all four people who lost their lives on February 2 returning from having lunch together.
Oregon Plane Crash Kills Three
Category: Plane Crashes
Apparently all three men were killed instantly when their small plane crashed into a cornfield in Western Oregon on Friday. There were no indications the plane tried to land - witnesses reported hearing the plane engine sputter and then saw it go into an out of control spin and hit the ground. A local meteorologist said flying conditions were not good that day and the pilot could have been maneuvering through rain and snow that might have put a layer of ice on the plane's wings
The plane, a home built four-seat Lancair ES which is classified as a low wing experimental aircraft, disappeared from radar about 20 minutes after taking off from Salem around 10:00 am. en route to a hunting convention in Utah. FAA and NTSB investigators are at the scene of the crash.
CEO of Lancair International Inc. in Redmond, stated the ES, a "kit" plane which is put together by the purchaser, is about 25 feet long and has a 38 foot wingspan. According to Mr. Bartels, it is a popular and reliable model which has bee sold since 1993. Tim Ong, the company's GM, states out of a couple hundred of this model that have been sold, he believes this is the second fatality.
"It's got an extremely good safety record," Ong said.
Military Plane Crash In Poland
Category: Plane Crashes
Rescue workers are still looking for the "black box" in hopes of finding out what went terribly wrong in what is described as Poland's worst military disaster. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, this was a "huge loss for the Polish air force".
The plane was carrying four crew members and 16 passengers including a brigadier-general and a colonel who were returning from a flight-safety conference. The plane, a Spanish built CASA C-295M military transport, crashed and burst into flames in a forested area in northwestern Poland after clipping some trees on approach to the military airstrip.
The plane, piloted by "very good, experienced pilots" had landed at two other airstrips before the crash occurred and had not reported anything being wrong nor was there any other indication something bad may happen. All was routine - until disaster happened.
"Soldiers, husbands, and fathers have died, and that is the most tragic result of this catastrophe."
Number of Plane Crashes Down in 2007
Category: Plane Crashes
While preliminary estimates by the International Civil Aviation Organization show air travel increased by more that 3% in 2007, the Aircraft Crashes Record Office (ACRO) in Geneva states there was a 25% drop in deaths due to air crashes - the lowest in 44 years. According to this office, there were 985 deaths in plane crashes in 2007 - from data tracking all aviation accidents in which planes capable of carrying at least six passengers plus the crew are damaged beyond repair. According to the head of ACRO, the U.S. had the most accidents, with Canada being second, but states that since North America accounts for most of the world's air traffic, it would be expected to have the most incidents.
The worst single accident was in July in San Paulo, Brazil, when an Airbus A320 ran off the runway killing 187 on board and 12 on the ground - it is thought the pilot tried to abort the landing. Defining a major accident as a crash that destroys a plane, kills multiple people or kills one person and causes significant damage, the NTSB reports U. S. airlines did not have a single passenger fatality or major accident last year. The last year there were no major accidents pr fatalities in U. S. aviation was in 1998. In 1996, crashes killed 319 people including 212 passengers on board TWA Flight 800 on July 17. The Boeing 747 plane bound for Paris exploded shortly after takeoff from New York.
Although much remains to be done, safety experts attribute the safety of aviation in recent years to new safety equipment and more closely monitoring flight for early warning signs of danger - attempting to deal with safety problems before they become serious accidents.
Frieda hopes this much attention will be paid to our safety on the runways and with the problems of our air traffic controllers before a disaster of great proportions occurs - great strides need to be taken to heed all "the warning signs of danger" to "deal with the safety problems before they become serious accidents".
Mail Plane Crashes
Category: Plane Crashes
A twin-engine Beechcraft King Air 1900 with only the pilot on board and carrying about 4,200 pounds of U.S. mail crashed in rough seas a few miles from Lihu'e Airport on Monday, January 14. The Coast Guard, which reported winds of nearly 30 mph and 15 foot waves at the time of the crash, are searching a compact debris field - which indicates a violent impact - to recover the pilot, but due to the conditions, it is doubtful he survived the crash.
The wreckage was not found for four hours - a rescue delayed partly due to the fact the plane was reported to have landed safely. Attempts to find the missing plane were hindered by the early morning hour of 5 a.m. when the plane is believed to have disappeared from radar and the fact it was flying only 100 feet above the ocean when the normal altitude would be 1,500 feet. This was a routine mail cargo flight between Honolulu and Kaua'i which usually takes about 30 minutes. The plane was tracked at the first part of the flight by the FAA station at Honolulu, but because the control tower at Lihu'e doesn't open until 6 a.m., the pilot was told to make a visual approach to the field and to follow an Aloha Airlines Boeing 737 flying ahead of him, then to contact the FAA when he landed. It was at this time Honolulu followed standard procedure and stopped tracking the plane by radar. Efforts by the FAA to contact Alpine officials in Honolulu and Utah when the pilot didn't contact them on landing, failed because no one answered the phones. The mistaken safe landing report happened when the FAA contacted the pilot of the Boeing 737 to inquire if the mail cargo plane had landed - the pilot mistook another Beechcraft King for the Alpine Air cargo plane and reported it had landed safely. It was only when Alpine notified the FAA the plane was missing the Coast Guard was called and the search began - debris from the crash was found about two hours later just before 9 a.m.
The plane was owned by Alpine Air, headquartered in Provo, Utah, which is subcontracted by Postal Service contractor Corporate Air to fly mail to several destinations in Hawaii. According to a Postal Service spokesman, some of the mail was recovered - 45 bags which are not waterproof - and will be delivered if the mail is salvageable.
The FAA and the NTSB are examining the debris to determine the cause of the plane crash.
Illinois Plane Crash Leaves 3 Dead
Category: Plane Crashes
A single engine four seat Beechcraft was on it's final approach when it crashed in Sangamon County, Ill. on Thursday. The plane was seen doing loops in the air - witnesses assumed it was in trouble rather than doing stunts for entertainment - then they heard the crash. The crash coincided with reports from the control tower a plane had disappeared from radar.
When emergency crews reached the crash site, the plane and it's propellers were submerged in mud and they were unable to remove the wreckage. Since the crash didn't cause a fire or other secondary damage, it appears the three men on board were killed on impact.
The FAA is investigating the crash including who owned the plane, it's final destination, and expects the investigation to take several months to complete.
Restaurant Owner Dies in N.C. Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
The co-owner of the popular fine-dining Mayo's Ristorante in downtown Statesville, N.C. was killed Wednesday morning when his AeroCanard single engine fixed winged crashed into a wooded area at the end of the runway as he was attempting to take off. The pilot, a certified private pilot, died on impact in his home-built experimental aircraft which was the type that is manufactured from a kit.
Witnesses stated they knew the pilot was in trouble when they saw the plane flying just over the tree line and it appeared the pilot was going to jump out of the small cockpit before the plane slammed nose first into the ground.
This is the second fatal crash in this area since last fall. On October 27, 2006, a small private plane - a Cirrus SR22 single engine with four seats - crashed just short of the Statesville Regional Airport. The pilot and his sister survived, but her husband and their mother perished in the crash. Statesville is less than an hour north of Charlotte, N.C.
The FAA was notified and will be investigating the crash.
Utah Plane Crash Kills Three
Category: Plane Crashes
The cold and rugged terrain of the Black Mountains of Utah is where a Bonanza low-wing, six-seater aircraft ended it's flight on Tuesday night killing all three people on board. Rescue teams could not begin immediately because of the darkness and the treacherous terrain. According to the Iron County Search and Rescue commander: "If this was a rescue mission, we'd have everybody and their dog up, but it's dark and so cold it's not worth risking other people to go up and get the bodies tonight. That's done fairly often in these type of plane crashes."
It seems the plane skipped as it crashed - bouncing at least one time before coming to a stop on a ridge at about 7,000 feet altitude in temperatures in the low double digits. Although the names of the deceased are not being released, it is known the pilot had 40 years experience - he was last heard from around 8:30am when he called to ask for an update on the weather conditions, just an hour before he was scheduled to land at St. George Airport. Search and rescue began looking for the aircraft around 2pm, but it wasn't until about 7:45pm when the Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter found the wreckage.
Planes Collide and Crash in the Everglades
Category: Plane Crashes
About 3 p.m. on Saturday, a Piper aircraft and a Cessna 152 collided in mid-air and crashed into the Everglades. It is believed only the pilot was onboard the Piper but it is not known how many were onboard the Cessna since the pilot did not file a flight plan.
Although rescue efforts were hampered on Sunday due to the mucky waters of the Everglades and the ever present alligators, major sections of the planes were by found floating in the waters by units from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, NTSB, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commision.
Continue reading "Planes Collide and Crash in the Everglades"
Plane Crash in Turkey Kills 56
Category: Plane Crashes
A MD-83 Atlasjet crashed into a rocky mountain shortly before it was to land in Isparta after taking off from Istanbul about an hour earlier. Conversations prior to the crash between the pilot and the control tower did not indicate any trouble with the aircraft which carried 49 passengers and 7 crew members.
Although the cause of the crash isn't known at this time, the airline's chief executive has ruled out technical failure and the weather and visibility were good at the time - stating, "The pilot saw the airport and informed the tower that it was inbound. The plane then disappeared".
This was the first fatal crash since Atlasjet, a private airline, was established in 2001. The governor of Isparta stated the crash site was not on the plane's regular flight route - "it is impossible to understand how the plane " ended up there.
Among the dead, was a 6-week old baby accompanied by his mother and grandmother en route to meet his grandfather for the first time.
Small Plane Crashes In MN - Four Dead
Category: Plane Crashes
Faribault Municipal Airport was the scene at 3 p.m. Sunday of a fiery deadly crash that killed all four on board. Although there were wind gusts up to 20 mph when the Cirrus SR22, registered to Mayo Aviation in Aberdeen, S.D.crashed, it is not certain at this time if the gusts were a factor in the crash. The four seat personal aircraft was equipped with a parachute that deploys from the back of the aircraft, but it was not used in this instance. The aircraft burst into flames and scattered debris across the air field when it crashed causing the airport to shut down for the rest of the night.
Faribault Municipal Airport is a publicly owned airport located roughly 50 miles south of Minneapolis and has an average of 51 operations a day - 87% of those being local general aviation and 12% transient general aviation.
Since 2002, the NTSB reports the SR22 manufactured by Cirrus Design Corp. based in Duluth, has been involved in 17 accidents resulting in 35 deaths. A Cirrus spokesman declined comment until after the FAA investigation is complete.
Experimental Balloon Crashes Killing Two On Board
Category: Plane Crashes
Two members of a group attempting to set a world record endurance and speed record ended died Friday when their experimental helium balloon crashed in Colorado on Friday. Their balloon balloon hit power lines and separated from the basket - the balloon continued on and the basket dropped about 65 feet to the ground. It is unknown if the two men were eletrocuted or died due to the fall. However, one fact is defininety known - the men died doing what they loved.
Co-Founder Uninjured In Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
Ron Joyce, co- founder of Tim Hortons, was uninjured when the Bombardier Global 5000 jet in which he was a passenger crashed during landing last weekend in Canada. According to the Mounties, it seems the wind of the jet hit the runway causing the plane to spin before stopping at the end of the runway. The jet carried eight passengers and two crew members - no injuries were reported from anyone on board.
Tim Hortons is a chain of stores founded in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario and quickly grew into the largest quick service restaurant chain in Canada specializing in fresh coffee, baked goods, and home-style lunches. In 1995, the company was brought to the United States when it merged with Wendy's International with locations in Michigan and continuing in states mainly in the northeast.
Civil Air Patrol Plane Crashes
Category: Plane Crashes
A Civil Air Patrol plane crashed this week into Mount Potosi in Nevada - the two people on board the Cessna 172 are presumed dead. A Las Vegas police air unit flying in the area found the crash moments after it happened. This CAP plane was the second one the same night that disappeared from radar - the other one, a Beechcraft Bonanza was found to make a successful emergency landing southeast of Jean.
The Civil Air Patrol is defined as a "Congressionally chartered, federally supported, non-profit corporation that serves as the official auxiliary of the U. S. Air Force" and was founded Dec, 1, 1941 to allow private pilots to help in civil defense efforts.
Today, CAP has eight geographical regions with 52 wings - one for each state and offers a variety of services. In emergency situations it aids in ground search and rescue, disaster relief, counter-drug, and is a growing force working with homeland security. In the aerospace arena, the CAP educates its members and the public in aerospace education, supporting around 200 aerospace workshops for teachers at 100 colleges/universities around the country. Through studies and other activities, the CAP Cadet Program inspires our young people to become leaders and good citizens.
It's not known why the Civil Air Patrol was flying in this area southwest of Las Vegas.
Survive A Plane Crash - Sit In The Safest Seat
There has been a long time myth that it doesn't matter where you sit on a airplane - Boeing states "one seat is as safe as the other", FAA states "there's just no way to say", and Airsafe's comment is "there is no safest seat". According to Popular Mechanics, these "expert" opinions are not based on hard data.
P.M. has investigated this question and says, "We're safest in the back of the plane." After nearly 200 passengers died in a Brazilian incident, PM studied 36 years of NTSB findings and seating charts and tells us to move to the back, in fact, the further back we sit, the better our chances - about 40% better. Now, that's an inconvenient concept for travelers who want to be as close to the front as possible - it's quieter, it feels less cramped, and we're off the planes faster if we have to make a connecting flight.
Continue reading "Survive A Plane Crash - Sit In The Safest Seat"
Plane Crash in Reno Kills Pilot
Category: Plane Crashes
The FAA continues to investigate the crash of a single engine experimental plane at Reno's Stead Airport which killed the pilot. Although the pilot has not been officially identified, friends say he was 56 year old experienced pilot, Pat Gleason.
Gleason was licensed as a commercial pilot who could fly single and multiple engine planes and was a flight instructor until 1992. He purchased the F1D experimental single-engine Formula race-style plane manufactured by Kevin Kelly in 2003 after it had won air race competitions. It is believed Gleason was performing aerobatics when he crashed in the plane he named "YEEHAA".
In September three pilots died within four days in plane crashes at the Reno National Championship Air Races.
Helicopter Crashes, Plane Crash Kill 10 in Sao Paulo
Within two hours, three helicopters crashed in or around Sao Paulo, killing three and injuring five. The first helicopter was carrying four people when it crashed into a main thoroughfare killing a woman and child immediately - the pilot died later in a local hospital. About twenty minutes later, a second chopper went down on a golf course, injuring its two passengers. The third helicopter crashed less than two hours later - the three on board survived, but were critically injured.
Sao Paulo is Latin America's biggest and most populous city in the southern hemisphere is located in the southeastern part of Brazil. With a population of over 11,000,000 in just 588 sq, miles, it's usually very "traffic choked" so it's easy to see why using a helicopter is the favored mode of transportation - being known for it's very large helicopter fleet.
These helicopter crashes follow a deadly plane crash on Sunday which killed 8 people and completely destroyed four single family homes in Sao Paulo. The Learjet 35A, owned by Reali Taxi Aereo, crashed into a heavily populated neighborhood not long after taking off from a small airport in Sao Paulo bound for Rio de Janeiro. The cause of the crash is not yet known
Plane Crash Near Reno Kills Pilot
Category: Plane Crashes
Unable to recover from a stall while practicing a maneuver, a plane crashed north of Reno on Friday. Not much is known about the pilot - his skills, flight hours, or background at this time, but they do know he was based at Stead airport. The FAA and NTSB are on the scene investigation the crash site.
This is the area in which Steve Fossett's plane disappeared in September after taking off from a Yerington air strip. The area has had other plane crashes this year - six prior to the one on Friday. In September, three pilots were killed during the Reno Air Races within four days - one due to a mid-air collison, one when his jet crashed along the runway, and the third when his biplane crashed shortly after takeoff for a practice run. These were the first fatalities in five years for the 44 year old Reno Air Races. Three other fatal plane crashes ocurred in February, May, and August.
Number of Plane Crashes Increase
Category: Plane Crashes
Everyday Frieda reads about more and more plane crashes - especially smaller planes and general aviation (all flights not involving the military or scheduled flights). She wonders why there are so many often involving fatalities. Todd Curtis, a flight test engineer in the Air and a flight test engineer at Edwards Air Force Base sheds some light on the increase in plane crashes.
Secure Seat Belt Saves Toddler Life In Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
While the family of Allen Williams mourns his loss, they are grateful the experienced pilot took great care to make sure his granddaughter's child car seat was secured properly in the plane and she was properly buckled in before he took off in the Cessna 172 this weekend. Williams and a colleague were both killed in the Sunday plane crash - three year old Kate was the only survivor - hanging in upside down in her car seat for five hours before being rescued. She is now home with her parents with only a bump on her head, a black eye, and a couple of stitches.
"Following the accident, our first concern was for Kate. Now that we have her home, the full impact of losing our father and grandfather is really starting to sink in."The Cessna is a proven plane used often to training pilots The plane crash is under investigation.
Plane Crashes Into Canadian Apartment
Category: Plane Crashes
One person - believed to be the pilot - died last week when a twin-engine, six-seater Piper Seneca crashed into the ninth floor of a suburban apartment building in Vancouver, Canada.
Witnesses reportedly told television reporters the engine of the aircraft was making an unusual noise prior to the craft crashing into the apartment. The apartment is located in a densely populated residential neighborhood and although many residents of nearby apartments were evacuated in order to clean up the aviation fuel, only two other injuries were reported.
Canada's national transportation authority will be investigating to determine the cause of the plane crash.
Second Ultra-Light Plane Crashes
Category: Plane Crashes
Monroe County Ohio Sheriff's Department finds itself investigating the second ultra-light crash in only four days. The pilot is fighting for his life in a hospital after his plane took a nosedive and crashed on Monday. Witnesses say seeing the ultra-lights flying in this area is nothing unusual, but seeing one go down was very disturbing. The plane had reached almost 200 feet when he tried to make an emergency landing, but something went very wrong and the plane sheared through tree limbs before crashing - neighbors rushed to the scene to do what they could for the pilot. The Sheriff's deputies state the pilot was lucky - he was wearing his helmet and seatbelt at the time of the crash.
On Friday, September 21, another ultra-light plane crashed in the same area killing the pilot - his homemade gyrocopter malfunctioned and took a nosedive in the ground.
The cause/causes of either crash is not known at this time. This is a sport meant for leisure - Frieda can only imagine the freedom and peacefulness that comes when one is alone in the plane in the air. Frieda also wonders what can be done to make this sport safer - it is very risky. Could it be that knowing the risk involved is part of the excitement?
The FAA is investigating.
Kentucky Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
What was to be a test flight for a plane that had mechanical problems turned deadly on Saturday for the 80 year old pilot. The pilot left Grayson, KY, and was trying to land at the Ashland Regional Airport when he had problems and crashed into the Ohio River. His last message to the airport was that he was going to have to "put it in the water" due to the problems he was having. A nearby fisherman tried to dive in to save the pilot but was unable to do so - his body was recovered later by authorities.
The FAA will investigate the plane crash.
Small Plane Crashes Into Popular Restaurant
Clayton is a quiet small town about fifteen minutes from North Carolina's capital city, Raleigh, and contributes to the state's legend for world famous bar-be-que. This quietness was shaken early Friday morning when a small plane - a 1947 fixed wing Navion - crashed into the front of McCall's BBQ and Seafood Restaurant, killing the pilot.
The general manager of the restaurant was in his office when the crash occurred and said the blast blew him back in his chair, the ceiling fell down, fire was falling from the ceiling. Ten employees were in the kitchen preparing to open for the lunch crowd when the crash happened - people were in their cars waiting to go inside. As an employee said, "It could have been so much worse." A matter of minutes later this would have been a massacre with the dining room full of customers.
Three Die In Washington State Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
A single plane registered to a Montana oil and gas exploration company went off the radar Thursday as it was making its second approach to land at an airport about 60 miles north of Seattle. Attempts to locate the plane were unsuccessful - officials at the airport contacted other airports, thinking the pilot has re-routed to another landing strip - a practice not uncommon for small planes - and also tried to reach the pilot by cell phone with no success.
Agencies then began searching the area and found the plane crash about two hours after it was last seen on radar. Although heavy fog was in the area the pilot did state he could see the runway despite the fog - visibility was a quarter of a mile with a cloud ceiling of 100 feet - it is not known if weather played any part in the crash.
The FAA and NTSB are on the scene to investigate the crash.
Medical Plane Crashes, 5 Dead
Category: Plane Crashes
A single mother who worked as a ski instructor for the disabled in the winter and her 15 month old daughter were among those killed when a medevac plane crashed Sunday in New Mexico. The plane was en route to the University of New Mexico Hospital when it crashed almost immediately after takeoff with the baby (the patient), her mother, the pilot, a paramedic, and a nurse on board. The nature of the child's illness nor the cause of the crash are not known at this time although there were reports of thunderstorms earlier in the evening in the rugged mountainous where the plane went down.
The King Air E-90 twin engine turboprop was built in 1975 by Beech Aircraft and was owned by Las Cruces-area Southwest Medevac, which has been in business since 1994. This is the first crash for the company that has 17 airplanes and helicopters and is a major provider of medical flights in southern New Mexico and Texas.
"We've never had anything like this before and hope to never have again," said Rob Campion, a company spokesman.
Float Plane Crashes Killing One
Category: Plane Crashes
Three adults and two children were aboard a float plane when it crashed in Kezar Lake in western Maine yesterday. Although there no details at this time, we do know one person was killed.
Frieda has not heard the term "float plane" before - are they different from "seaplanes"? Well, Frieda looked into this and this is what she found.
The word "seaplane" is used to describe two types of air/water vehicles: the floatplane and the flying boat.A floatplane has slender pontoons mounted under the fuselage. Two floats are common, but many floatplanes of World War II had a single float under the main fuselage and two small floats on the wings. Only the "floats" of a floatplane normally come into contact with water. The fuselage remains above water. Some small land aircraft can be modified to become float planes.
In a flying boat, the main source of buoyancy is the fuselage, which acts like a ship's hull in the water. Most flying boats have small floats mounted on their wings to keep them stable.
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Plane Crashes Onto California Beach
Category: Plane Crashes
The FAA and NTSB have taken over the investigation of a plane crash onto a private Santa Barbara beach. The Santa Barbara Airport officials report they received a call of distress from a pilot stating he did not think he could reach the runway in time to land but did not state the problems he was having. A few minutes later, fire crews reported the Cessna 172 single engine plane had dived nose first into a private beach with its tail was leaning against the cliff and leaking fuel.
The pilot was suspected of having suffered spinal injuries and was taken to the hospital. The passenger was uninjured.
The Cessna 172 is a four-seat, single engine, high-wing plane. More Cessna 172s have been built than any other Western airplane and probably the most popular flight training aircraft in the world. Over 40,000 have been built since the first production models were delivered in 1956.
Pilot Killed When Plane Crashes Into Cranberry Bog
Category: Plane Crashes
The state of Massachusetts aeronautics inspector found nothing wrong with the airframe or the engine and a spokesman for the state's Executive Office of Transportation stated there appeared to be no preexisting damage to the aircraft. So just what happened to make the single-engine, one-seat ultralight plane piloted by the 63 year old pilot crash about 40 yards from the runway into an adjacent field?
Although the Cranland Airport was opened about 50 years ago as a private airfield for crop dusters servicing the surrounding cranberry bogs, it is now privately owned and open to commercial use. The pilot was flying under "visual flight rules" and there were no air traffic controllers on duty at the time of the crash so there are no eye witnesses.
The cause of this crash is under investigation - this is truly a time when the plane will have to do all the "talking".
EAA's 55th Celebration Ends, Air Show Plane Crash Kills One
Category: Plane Crashes
"The World's Greatest Aviation Celebration" has ended. As participants are preparing for next year's AirVenture, some participants in this year's celebration are grieving the loss of life of loved ones.
A North Dakota man known around the world for restoring WWII military fighters has been buried in a midified propeller crate after a funeral service at Fargo Air Museum, which he is responsible for helping to create. Gerald S. Beck, 58 years old, was killed when the P-51D Mustang he was flying clipped the body of a plane already on the runway, rolled over it, and then burst into flames. Beck and another Mustang were landing after participating in an air show when the accident occurred. A witness stated that in formation landings the second plane usually lands first, but the lead plane was already on the ground when Beck attempted to land.
In another plane crash, a Washington State man was killed when his homebuilt 2005 Glasair Sprotsman 2+2 crashed and burst into flames at a airfield close to EAA. The experimental category kit model was to be used as a demonstration model for Glasair at AirVenture. The crash was caught on video which has been turned over to the NTSB.
Amateur Built Plane Crashes - Two Die
Category: Plane Crashes
Meaning no disrespect at all, only serious concern of the number of small plane crashes resulting in deaths that come across my desk, Frieda sometimes feels like saying, "Yep, there goes another one."
As I've said before on this site, the thrill of building one's own plane and then flying it can be known only by those who have done it and imagined by the rest of us. However, so often this thrill ends in tragedy. Every day there are too many reports of small plane crashes - both commercially and personally built - Frieda wonders what can be done to make flight safer for this population of aviators.
On June 25, two people were killed in Colorado when their single-engine 11 year old amateur-built plane crashed and burned near the Greeley-Weld County Airport. Witnesses report the plane appeared to have mechanical problems, it then appeared the pilot lost control of the aircraft, and then nose-dived down to the ground - clipping a power line on the way. The plane immediately burst into flames.
The cause of the crash is not yet known.
Plane Crashes - Medical Transplant Team On Board
Category: Plane Crashes
Within a few minutes of lifting off the runway at General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the pilot of the Cessna Citation jet carrying an organ transplant team issued a distress signal. The jet took off around 4 p.m. beginning it's 42 minute flight to Michigan carrying not only the transplant team, but also organs for a critically ill patient. The team in Michigan was notified to cease preparation of the patient for the transplant when the health officials learned of the crash.
Around 4:20 p.m. the Coast Guard found what they thought was the aircraft. No survivors have been found.
Anytime life is lost it is a tragedy - hopes and dreams are shattered. This is true not only for the family and friends of those who lost their lives in the plane crash, but for the family of the patient awaiting the life saving transplant. Frieda can't imagine waiting and praying for a donor organ for a loved one, knowing a match has been found and one is on it's way, only to learn it isn't going to happen after all. It must be devastating for that family in Michigan. We don't know which organs were donated nor the circumstances under which the donations were made, but Frieda is sure this family must also be devastating for the donor family - the sacrifice they made to give someone not only a better life, but perhaps life itself, is not going to happen.
Our hearts weep for all who have been affected by this tragedy.
Sky Diving Adventure Ends Tragically When Plane Crashes
Category: Plane Crashes
Saturday, May 12, was a beautiful clear sunny day and perfect for sky diving. An engaged couple in their mid twenties were to participate in tandem jumps in which they would be attached to their instructors who would control the parachute that would carry both to a safe landing on the ground.
That didn't happen. Shortly after takeoff the Cessna 182 crashed and burned killing all five on board. This Cessna is a common model used for sky diving, believed to be in good operating condition, and piloted by someone experienced with over 500 hours of flying time and who had a commercial rating. So what went so terribly wrong? The NTSB hasn't made a determination as to the cause of the crash at this writing, but it is reported the plane made a sharp 180 degree turn at about 500 feet before plummeting to the ground.
NTSB Determines Cause of Pro Baseball Player's Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
On October 11, 2006, the Cirrus SR-20 carrying New York Yankee pitcher, Corey Lidle and his flight instructor crashed into a Manhattan high rise building, killing both men.
Investigating this crash was difficult because there was so little information available. Not only are cockpit voice recorders not required in small private planes but the global positioning device and cockpit display were too damaged to offer any information. The determination by the NTSB is that the pilot misjudged a narrow U-turn - banking the plane harder once in the turn or beginning the turn further east would have enabled the plane to safely negotiate the turn. As it turned out, the attempted correction in the turn caused a loss in altitude which drove the plane into the building.
According to investigator Lorenda Ward, "with the proper planning, judgment and airmanship, the 180 degree turn was possible".
Although there is no proof as to who was piloting the plane, the NTSB has identified Lidle as the pilot in some preliminary documents. This is a vital determination to the pitcher's widow due to a exclusion clause in the pilot's benefit plan that prohibits him from "acting in any capacity other than as a passenger" in an aircraft incident. If Lidle was the pilot, his family's loss of benefits will be substantial.
Could this be yet another reason to require voice recorders in all airplanes - even the small privately owned ones?
Border Patrol Plane Crashes In Texas
Category: Plane Crashes
A 32 year old, ten year veteran of the Border Patrol was killed Wednesday when his plane crashed on a remote Texas ranch. The pilot was part of a specialized unit known as the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), formed in 2005, to consolidate pilots and aircraft from the U. S. Border Patrol and U. S. Customs. This unit has approximately 500 pilots and 250 aircraft stationed around the country and provides support to ground agents in search for illegal aliens and drugs crossing our borders.
The plane was a Cessna 182, a 4 seat, high performance, single engine light airplane first introduced in 1956, and the second most popular model for Cessna. Following crashes in 1998 and 1986, this makes the third Cessna crash for Border Patrol. Investigation is not yet complete for Wednesday's accident.
Air Show Ends In Tragedy When Plane Crashes
Category: Plane Crashes
In the final minutes of a Blue Angels air show Saturday (4/21/07) in Beaufort, South Carolina, one of aviation's most accomplished pilots lost his life when his F/A-18A Hornet crashed into a nearby neighborhood injuring eight people.
Lieutenant Commander Kevin Davis, 32 - a 2004 Top Gun graduate - was a decorated pilot with 2,500 flight hours and 200 carrier landings. This was his second year as a Blue Angel and his first year as a demonstration pilot.
Wanting to keep the public interested in naval aviation after World War II, Chester Nimitz, Chief of Naval Operations, ordered the formation of a flight demonstration team. The Blue Angels were born and performed their first flight in 1946. Since that time, they have performed for more that 427 million fans according to the Blue Angels official website. During these years, 23 have been killed in air shows - impressive, given the speed and proximity of their performances. Two were killed in Georgia during a training flight in 1999 - prior to this incident, the last crash was in 1990 and the last fatality was in 1985 in Niagara, NY.
In 2006, the Angels performed before 15 million people and in 2007 they will perform in 66 air shows at 35 different sites in the U.S.
More Small Plane Crashes
Category: Plane Crashes
Not intending to belabor the point made in our article of April 11, every day Frieda checks her sources to find more small planes - known as general aviation aircraft - have crashed resulting in fatalities.
This morning there are three - three that have been reported - how many others are there? A single engine experimental plane crashed in Lakeland, Florida killing two men from Ohio. It is not known if they were flying in for the annual Sun & Fun Fly-In - the plane crashed one block from the airport. In Rockbridge, MO. the long time municipal judge from Mountain Grove was killed and his passenger injured. In Volney, NY, two people are presumed dead in a small plane crash - no details are available at this time.
Frieda is fully aware of the pure joy of flying these small "general aviation" aircraft and the convenience they offer -her concern is how to make them safer, the pilots more aware, whatever it takes to reduce the crashes/fatalities of this sector of aviation.
Second Plane Crashes Next To Catfish Restaurant
Category: Plane Crashes
On March 17, the passenger of a Beechcraft Baron 58 was killed when the landing gear failed causing the plane to crash and catch on fire. On Sunday night (4/15) a Cessna 182 Skylane flying from McKinney, Texas crashed injuring three of the four people on the plane.
These accidents happened on a turf runway next to McGehee Catfish Restaurant near Marietta, Oklahoma. The runway was officially closed for construction and had recently been plowed - the dirt was still too loose to support a plane so the nose gear dug into the soil, flipping the plane over onto its top. The told Oklahoma Troopers at the scene he "didn't see" the markers on the runway showing the runway to be closed.
Flying from Texas to Oklahoma for catfish - BOY, that must be some catfish!
Pilot Killed When Home-built Plane Crashes
The body of a man, presumably the pilot, was found Thursday, April 12, in the woods of northwest North Carolina. The plane, an expermential home-built plane, traveling from Carolina Beach to Danville, Virginia crashed just 12 miles from its destination.
Frieda had just reported in an article dated April 11, that small planes have the highest rate of fatalities - of those, we are curious as to what precentage of these small planes are home-built. While on one hand Frieda can understand the puritan avaitor wanting to build his own aircraft and then to fly his creation - on the other hand, well, we know the risk. One of the problems home-built aricraft may face was found in 1991, when the NTSB issued a concern about a combination of propeller blade & engine causing fatigue cracks which led to fatal crashes. In June 2003, a pilot was killed when his home-built airplane crashed - a result of the pilot's cognitive and motor skills due to his carbon monixide intake. Carbon monoxide detectors are being put into an increasing number of general aviation aircraft - hopefully all small aircraft will soon be fitted with this low cost life saving device.
Small Plane Crashes Have Highest Rate of Fatalities
Category: Plane Crashes
According to researchers at Johns Hopkins University, general aviation flights account for most of the crashes, injuries, and deaths in U.S. aviation. In fact, the risk is 82 times greater than for major airlines. General aviation flights include small private planes and business jets including use for recreation, emergency medical services, firefighting, sightseeing, traffic reporting and other purposes.
Researching data from 2002 to 2005, general aviation was found to make up 91% of all U.S. aviation crashes and 94% of all aviation deaths. Factors that may contribute to this is that the smaller planes aren't able to withstand the impact forces thereby protecting those on board and they haven't made the improvements major airlines have in the last years - such as seat strength, etc. The FAA and NTSB have been urged to do more to improve safety of small airplanes.
NTSB Celebrates 40 Years
Category: Aviation News
On April 3, 1967, an airplane with eight passengers and one pilot took off from Lexington, Ky. Shortly after, something went very wrong - the aircraft crashed, killing all aboard. A "go-team" from the 2 day old NTSB was sent to the scene to launch an investigation. Since that date, the NTSB has sent it's "go-teams" (a small unit of specialists) to investigate over 130,000 aviation accidents and thousands of ground accidents in it's 40 year history. On April 1, 2007, it will be 40 years since the NTSB split from the Civil Aeronautics Board.
FAA Named In Fatal Plane Crash Lawsuit
On July 18, 2004, five people died when a single-engine Piper PA-32-R Saratoga crashed at Wheeling-Ohio County Airport in West Virginia. The NTSB's Probable Cause report states the cause was, " the pilot's failure to maintain terrain clearance while executing an instrument approach. A factor was the night instrument meteorological conditions."
The families of four of those killed have filed lawsuits against the FAA and the pilot - citing negligence. Part of the lawsuit against the FAA claims the FAA knew in June of 2004 the ILS at the airport was not working properly due to a signal reflection caused by the installation of a new ILS antenna. "ILS" stands for Instrument Landing System and is an instrument approach system to provide precise guidance (both laterally and vertically) to an aircraft approaching a runway. By the definition of ILS, it would seem a malfunction in this system at an airport would be extremely hazardous for any aircraft depending on instruments to land safely and could indeed cause a pilot to fail to "maintain terrain clearance".
Icing Contributing Cause In Another Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
In February, 2005, a corporate jet owned by Circuit City crashed while on instrument approach landing to refuel in Pueblo Colorado, killing all eight people aboard.
It is being reported that the fatal crash is being blamed on the pilots because they were flying the Cessna Citation C-560 too slowly for the conditions - icing. Well, this isn't quite the whole story - the NTSB report includes issues beyond the pilots.
Continue reading "Icing Contributing Cause In Another Crash"
Fiery Airplane Crash On Runway In Wisconsin
Category: Plane Crashes
It's good to report there were no serious injuries when two cargo planes collided and burned on Mitchell International Airport taxiway last night. The crash caused quite a large fireball which was put out quickly, but caused the airport to close for half an hour. Involved were a Cessna 402 and a Beech 99 from Freight Runners Express Incorporated of Milwaukee which were hauling freight that was to be shipped by UPS.
The cause of the incident has not been reported.
Frieda wonders how this could have happened.
Fewer Commercial Crashes in 2006
Category: Plane Crashes
Gathering data from several official sources, including the International Civil Aviation Office, ACRO reports 156 fatal commercial crashes worldwide in 2006 - 22 less than in 2005. Good news for the aviation industry. . .worldwide, but not necessarily here in the U.S.
Aircraft Crashes Record Office (ACRO), is an independent organization was founded in Geneva in 1990 to gather data on air disasters around the world - the criterion used for this report is an accident involving an aircraft capable of carrying 6 or more passengers plus the crew. This report states 1,296 people lost their lives in commercial aviation crashes in 2006 - and 11% decrease from 2005 - even though 2006 air travel increased by 4% according to ACRO.
Closer to home, ACRO reports around one third of the fatal air crashes happened in North America - 45 crashes in the U.S. - bringing the U.S. airline deaths to 142 in 2006 - almost double the 75 deaths in 2005. While the larger commercial passenger jet crashes receive more headlines and press coverage, it is interesting to note these account for only about one fourth of the deaths. Three fourths of the deaths in 2006 involved the smaller propeller-driven aircraft.
With the number of deaths doubling in 2006 and three-fourths of those deaths being in smaller aircraft, Frieda wonders why. Do we know the causes of these crashes? Would requiring flight data recorders in these smaller planes assist officials in their investigation and lead to more lives being saved rather than being lost?
Memorial for Plane Crash Victims
Frieda just realized she has never fully understood the significance of memorials to civilians who lost their lives in tragedy - they weren't heroes, who knowing risked their lives for the greater good of man - they were victims of an unexpected event. Not fully understood, that is until now.
Normally when we lose a loved one, in some cases we have time to "prepare" for the loss (if one can ever prepare for such and event), and once the death occurs, we can see and be with that person at the funeral visitation and lastly at the funeral. Then when all that is over, there is a final resting place - be it in a cemetery or in an urn. All these events are designed to help us accept the unimaginable and when we need to "be" with that person , we know where he/she is - we have a place to mourn, to talk with them, or simply just to be with them. Families of plane crash victims don't have any of these "rituals" to help them cope with their loss. Now the families of the passengers of the ill-fated American Airlines Flight 587, have a long awaited place to mourn.
Five years after AA Flight 587 crashed into a Queens neighborhood, killing 260 people on board and 5 on the ground, a memorial - a curved wall with all the 265 names on it - will be dedicated today. The memorial wall has windows and a doorway so one can view the Atlantic Ocean - there are also benches, trees and flowers. The wall also bears a quote from poet Pedro Mir: "Despues no quiero mas que paz/Afterwards I want only peace"
Now the families do have a place to mourn and hopefully they will find peace at last.
Disaster Training for Plane and Helicopter Crashes
Frieda could not resist reading about the "crisis management course " in Mr. Crouse's article dated 10/17/06. It makes so much sense and would appear to be invaluable.
The program seems to fall in line with "make plans before a disaster occurs" so that when chaos prevails, we can remain relatively calm and go with our plan of action. This is similar to what we are told by the fire department to protect ourselves in our homes - plan your escape routes/strategies before the fire happens. It's very difficult to think calmly in the middle of a disaster - know your plan beforehand and your "trained mind" will take over.
How many times have we been in a shocking situation - perhaps an unexpected death of a loved one - and had someone beside us helping to guide us through?
Well, this is what HAI (Helicopter Association International) is doing with "Coping with Crisis 101- Managing an Aviation Disaster Course".
Continue reading "Disaster Training for Plane and Helicopter Crashes"
Cory Lidle's Plane Crash is Third Crash Death For Baseball
Category: Plane Crashes
Cory Lidle's plane slammed into a 50 story skyscraper on October 11, 2006, killing him and his flight instructor. Lidle felt very comfortable with his abilities as a pilot and reassured everyone there was nothing to worry about - "I'm safe up there" he had said. One of the features making him feel safe was the plane's parachute, designed to allow the plane to go down slowly when the plane is in trouble in the air. Because the cause of the crash is yet to be determined, it is not known if the parachute could have been used in this situation. Lidle is one of three baseball players to die in a plane crash.
Continue reading "Cory Lidle's Plane Crash is Third Crash Death For Baseball"
Another Small Plane Crashes
Category: Plane Crashes
What was to be a great fun vacation for four good friends turned tragic Thursday morning when the Cessna single-engine plane crashed in Georgia - three are dead and one is in critical condition at the hospital.
Stockbridge, Georgia - southeast of Atlanta - was the scene of the crash. Although the plane crashed in a residential area, very close to a driveway and short distance from the Berry Hill Airport runway, there are no injuries reported on the ground. It appears the plane hit power lines during take off causing the crash, but the official cause will not be known until the NTSB and FAA complete their investigation.
Planes Crash . . .People Die Who Cares?
Category: Plane Crashes
Frieda had no idea what intelligent title to give to this entry, because I am totally perplexed, stunned, disgusted, ashamed, and very saddened over what is happening with our country in general, including the aviation industry - to which I will devote my thoughts today since aviation is the focus of this blog.
Comair Plane Crash - Flight 3272
Category: Comair Plane Crash
Comair Plane Crash - Flight 3272
The headline from the Cincinnati Enquirer reads
FAA gets main blame for Comair crash
-----------------------------------------------Comair pilots didn't receive icing information FAA gets main blame for Comair crash
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On January 9, 1997, Comair flight 3272 left Cincinnati only to crash an hour later on approach to the Detroit Metro Airport - killing all aboard.
The conclusion reached on Thursday by the NTSB - after their 19 month investigation - was the FAA failed to set adequate safety standards for icy conditions. Much of the NTSB's report was on how important new information issued about icing conditions in late 1995 and 1996 was never communicated to the pilots, although Comair was also cited for failing to establish "unambiguous" guidelines for flap configurations and airspeed in icing conditions.
Comair Regional Jet Crashes In Kentucky
Category: Comair Plane Crash
What has been referred to as the "safest period in aviation history" came to an end early this morning when a Comair regional jet crashed shortly after take off. Comair is a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines and is the first major crash since an American Airlines flight crashed in Queens, N. Y. killling all 265 on board and 5 people on the ground.
Flight 5191, carrying 47 passengers and 3 crew members, took off from Lexington, Kentucky for Atlanta when the disaster struck at 6:07 a.m. Sunday just a mile from the airport. The only known survivor is in critical condition at the University of Kentucky hospital.
The cause of the crash is not yet known but there was light rain at the time of take off. There was a fire after the crash and we do know the plane was found to be mostly intact. Those on board are thought to have died due to the impact or from the "hot fire" aboard the craft.
The incident is being investigated by the FAA and the NTSB.
Comair Lawsuits Coming After Plane Crash?
Category: Comair Plane Crash
In the US's worst domestic aviation accident in nearly five years, a Comair commuter jet crashed at 6:07 AM this morning after taking off from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky. Flight 5191 crashed in a field less than one mile from the runway. The plane involved in the accident was a CRJ-200 regional jet. Most of the passengers were expected to connect to other flights out of Atlanta.
Continue reading "Comair Lawsuits Coming After Plane Crash?"
Digital Radar Could Reduce Plane Crashes In Mountains
A digital airport surveillance radar, known as ASR-11, is thought to be able to reduce plane crashes in the mountains of Utah. The problem occurs when planes are under 8,000 feet in Utah Valley and enter into what is called the "radar shadow" making it impossible for the air traffic controllers to see them.
Continue reading "Digital Radar Could Reduce Plane Crashes In Mountains"
Airline Safety Threat:Lithium-Ion Batteries?
With the recall of millions of lithium-ion batteries for Dell laptop computers, it is worth looking at the danger they pose when aboard the very same airliner you and I might be flying. It seems everyone before me and behind me in the security check point lines has a laptop computer. No, I don't own one - thought I wanted one - but now, don't think so. With the concern of hijacking in the air, carjacking on earth, my neighbor's dog biting me too many times in my backyard - now I'm supposed to come into my safe home and hope my laptop doesn't burn me up? Nope, Frieda doesn't think so - Santa, you can forget the laptop computer. Okay, so having made my own personal decision - let's get back to the aircraft you and I will board one day - the one that will hopefully not crash because of a battery.
Continue reading "Airline Safety Threat:Lithium-Ion Batteries?"
Wiring Reversal Causes Crash - 2 Killed
Category: Plane Crashes
Federal Officials have determined an incorrect connection from the control stick to the wing flaps caused the crash of the Spectrum 33 twin engine jet in Spanish Fork, Utah, killing both men aboard.
EAA Will Review Safety Procedures After Fatal Air Crashes
Category: Aviation News
The EAA will await the NTSB investigation results before considering changes in safety procedures. EAA President Tom Poberezny stated. The EAA says regardless of the occurrence of an accident, it constantly revisits safety. "Safety is our number-one priority," he said.
According to Poberezny, meetings are held year-round to establish safety procedures, and every suggestion and comment is looked at and taken very seriously. "Whenever there's an accident, the question of safety comes up," he said. Further, Poberezny claims that changes are, in fact made on an annual basis becuse the situation is a dynamic one. But any proposed changes must be carefully evaluated to ensure they would in fact enhance safety, he said, since changes do not always beget safety.
Very Light Jet Controls Misrigged Causing Jet Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
The NTSB reports that the controls of a Very Light Jet, a Spectrum 33 prototype that crashed on July 25 in Spanish Fork, Utah, were misrigged. "Specifically, the linkage was connected such that left roll input from the side sticks would have deflected the ailerons to produce right roll of the airplane," the report says. The jet entered a right roll almost immediately after takeoff. The roll went to about 90 degrees right wing-down at the time of the wing's impact with the ground. Both crewmen died.
Continue reading "Very Light Jet Controls Misrigged Causing Jet Crash"
Passenger Death in Oshkosh Airplane Taxi Accident
Category: Aviation Safety
Sadly, a passenger in an RV-6 homebuilt was killed when a WWII Grumman TBM Avenger overtook the RV-6 from behind while taxiing at the Oshkosh airport. The Avenger--a taildragger --was in queue for departure when its prop sliced into the RV . The victim, Gary Palmer, 63, of Nepean, Ontario, was president of the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 245 in Ottawa.
Fatal Plane Crash At EAA Grounds
Category: Plane Crashes
A homebuilt airplane with a Washington State couple aboard crashed Sunday when it landed short of the runway killing both people aboard. For 30 years Whittman Regional Airport's control tower has been the busiest in the world when the EAA AirVenture is in town. For eight days in July, Oshkosh, Wisconsin welcomes hundreds of thousands of aviation enthusiasts for the most exciting week of their lives.
Faulty Wiring Cause of Airplane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
Faulty wiring has been identified as the cause of the 1998 crash of Swissair Flight 111 which killed 229 people when it crashed off Nova Scotia. New technology may help to prevent this.
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BRS Parachute Not Used In Small Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
In an article on May 9, 2006, entitled "Lives Can Be Saved In Air Crashes", we talked about the Ballistic Recovery Systems parachute which is credited to saving lives in small plane crashes. Why did this experienced pilot not use it?
Continue reading "BRS Parachute Not Used In Small Plane Crash"
Pilots Killed When Plane Crashes In Heavy Fog
Category: Plane Crashes
A plane carrying five people including the pilot and co-pilot crashed in Long Island Sound on Friday while attempting to land in Groton, Connecticut.
Continue reading "Pilots Killed When Plane Crashes In Heavy Fog"
Icing Ruled As Cause of 2004 Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
After years of warnings about the dangers of ice on aircraft wings, (which has seemingly fallen on deaf ears), the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined yet another crash was caused by snow and ice. This time it's the crash of the chartered jet in November, 2004, which took the life of 14 year old Teddy Ebersol - son of Dick Ebersol of NBC.
Alaskan Mid-Air Kills Five
Category: Plane Crashes
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the April mid-air collision of two small planes in Alaska. The FAA and the Cessna company join the NTSB in trying to reconstruct the accident by carefully examinationing the wreckage of the Cessna 170B and the Cessna 172 - both 1955 models - down to studying paint transfers in an effort to determine impact sites.
CRASH KILLS AVIATION LEGEND
Category: Plane Crashes
We have lost another aviation hero--a giant.
He was featured in Tom Wolfe's book "The Right Stuff" and in the movie with the same title that followed. He was the first man to fly a plane at two times the speed of sound. He was revered by his peers as an adept engineer and test pilot whose test piloting in the 1950's is considered to have cleared the way for the space program of today. He was enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1983.
Scott Crossfield's life ended at age 84 when he met strong thunderstorms in northern Georgia as he was flying to his home in Virginia from a speaking engagement with graduating cadets at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama.
His prowess and legacy, although not common knowledge among the general public, is most secure among his peers. A bright shinning star in the field of aviation now shines from the skies he loved so much.
NTSB Gives Probable Cause on Hendrick Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
This week, the NTSB determined that the probable cause of the crash of a Beech King Air operated by Hendrick Motorsports was the flight crew's failure to properly execute the published instrument approach procedure. The Board also listed as a contributing cause the crew's failure to use all navigational aids to confirm and monitor their position during the approach.
Continue reading "NTSB Gives Probable Cause on Hendrick Crash"