A small stunt plane crashed in Winchester, New Hampshire, on July 13th.
Authorities said the wreckage of the two-seater plane was found in a heavily wooded area near Warwick Road.
The pilot, who was the only one aboard, was killed in the crash. He was later identified as 65-year-old John Everson of Danielson, Connecticut.
The cause of crash is being investigated.
A Myanmar military plane crashed into Andaman Sea near the city of Dawei, Myanmar, on June 7th.
The plane, carrying one hundred and twenty-two people, had disappeared from the radar around thirty minutes after it took off from Myeik, Myanmar.
Among the occupants were soldiers and their family members.
Authorities said they have found the wreckage and at least twenty-nine dead bodies.
The cause of crash is being investigated.
Egyptair Flight MS804 (AKA EgyptAir Flight 804) was a Paris to Cairo flight that ended in the Mediterranean on May 19, 2016. Sixty-six people lost their lives: three security crew, fifty-six passengers, seven crew.
Egyptian authorities published a progress report on 28/06/16 that the BEA repaired the recorders. On 17/06 that the Technical Investigation Committee of the A320 accident studied FDR data as well as performing time correlation between FDR and CVR data and cockpit voice recordings before the occurrence of the accident where the existence of a “fire” was mentioned. That report did not determine the reason or location where that fire occurred. Smoke was reported during the flight in the bathroom and the avionics bay.
The investigation has been fraught with controversy. On 22 May, 2016, M6 (French TV) reported that a pilot told Cairo air traffic control about smoke in the cabin, and the pilot consequently made an emergency descent.
On May 20th 2016 The Aviation Herald received information from three independent channels, that ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System) messages with following content were received from the aircraft:
No sooner did the report come out that the Egyptian Civil Aviation Ministry dismissed it as false.
One truism I have found in accident investigation is that it takes time to find the truth. Another is that facts can be misleading. Reportage from official sources moves slowly; reportage from commercial, so-called “news,” or social sources is frequently speculative, unsourced, or purely imaginary. Sometimes it is actually correct. It is difficult to tell the difference. Contradictions are a frequent finding, such as this:
How does a close reader respond to a statement that “traces of explosives were found WITH human remains?” A close reader finds more questions. With the remains is not ON the remains. But it could be either way since we are dealing with languages. In English, WITH the remains could mean a bomb was floating in the water near the bodies, or ashes, or gasoline or TNT residue. And what constitutes near? Inches? Miles? It all is relative. Or if the original report is loosely translated, did the original document use a preposition such as ON the remains? And then, there are the forensic questions. Were explosive remains washed off of bodies that were submerged in the ocean?
If the case goes to court, the court will want to know if something failed on the plane, and if so, what it was. Manufacturers of failed components are considered responsible parties. No matter what the cause, international treaty determines carrier responsibility to the victims of the crash.
The determination of failed components provides additional responsible parties. The discovery of a bomb would make airport security one of the potential responsible parties. In addition, international treaty provides guidelines for what carriers owe to the families. (Which treaty is involved depends on which treaty/treaties the involved country/countries are signatory to. If it sounds like it can get complicated, you are correct.)
It has been nearly a year since the accident, and though some things may be believed in the court of public opinion to be one way or another, questions remain unanswered. How grievous and how difficult for the families that must wait so long to find out what brought about this tragedy that took their loved ones.
A small plane crashed at Barrow County Airport in Winder, Georgia, on February 16th.
Barrow County Emergency Services Captain Scott Dakin said the airport employees spotted the wreckage while coming back after the lunch break. “When they came down the road they did see the plane in the wood line just along the road here… They called it in, upon our arrival we did have a small fire that was handled by our guys,” he said.
Two people were killed in the crash. They were identified as Shannon Ewing, and his nephew, Henry Ewing.
The accident is being investigated.
Pakistan International Airlines flight PK-661 crashed in Havelian, near Abbottabad, Pakistan, at around 4:45 pm on December 7.
The Avions de Transport Regional ATR-42-500 flying from Chitral to Islamabad, Pakistan, crashed due to the failure of its left engine. The plane had lost control with the radar shortly before it hit the ground.
The wreckage caught fire right after the crash.
There were 42 passengers and 6 crew members aboard at the time. All of them were killed.
The black boxes have been recovered and handed over to Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
The investigation is underway.
A Cessna 182 crashed on the side of Interstate 90 while trying to land at Rock Creek Airstrip, Missoula County, Montana, on August 28th.
The plane was carrying History Channel star Darrell Ward and his co-pilot at the time.
Ward was on his way to begin filming a documentary about the recovery of plane wreckage.
Both people aboard lost their lives.
The crash remains under investigation.
A float plane crashed near Ketchikan on the shoreline of a lake in Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, on August 15th.
According to sources the plane wreckage was located on the Island, after which the pilot was rescued by the MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter.
One person aboard was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
The Egyptair Airbus A320 known as flight MS-804 that departed May 18th from Charles de Gaulle airport and disappeared over the Mediterranean in Egyptian airspace apparently has been found. Jun 15th 2016 Egypt’s Civil Aviation Authority reported that the “John Lethbridge” identified A320 wreckage locations. Currently the area in question is being mapped, part of the planning process of wreckage recovery.
Fifty-six passengers and ten crew died in the wreckage.
* Update: Black boxes both recovered.
Egypt’s announcement:11
Egypt’s announcement:10
Egypt’s announcement:9
Egypt’s announcement:8
A small plane crashed near Navasota Municipal Airport, Texas, on February 28th.
Authorities said the wreckage of the single-engine Cirrus SR-20 plane was found in a wooded area southeast of the airport.
All four people aboard the plane, including two adults and two children, were killed in the crash.
The plane was flying from David Wayne Hooks Airport in Houston at the time.
The FAA and the NTSB are investigating.
A small plane crashed at the Discovery Bay Golf Course near Port Townsend, Washington, on September 28.
Authorities said the plane, carrying 2 people, went down just a mile west of Jefferson County International Airport.
Both occupants of the plane were injured. Emergency responders had to extricate them from the wreckage before shifting them to Harborview Medical Center, Seattle.
The cause of crash is not clear at the moment.
A small plane crashed in Riegelwood, North Carolina, on the night of September 11.
The Cessna 172 was heading from Bolton to Wallace when it went down. North Carolina Wing Civil Air Patrol dispatched two aircrafts that found the wreckage at 1:15 a.m. on September 12.
The pilot, who was the only one aboard, was killed in the crash. He was identified as Gene Pierce, 76, of Duplin County.
The cause of crash is not clear at the moment.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Interior confirmed that a Malaysia Airlines plane en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed in the Ukraine near the Hrabovo village at Torez, near Shakhtersk, 25 miles from the Russia border in a location where Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian rebels have been in conflict.
None of the 285 passengers or 15 crew is reported to have survived. It is being reported that the plane was shot down by a BUK surface-to-air missile but Ukrainian rebels deny involvement. The plane was at 33000 feet when it disappeared from radar.
The wreckage was seen on the ground at 17.10. The plane involved was Boeing 777-200, registration 9M-MRD.
The flight plan has been released:
(FPL-MAS17-IS
-B772/H-SDFGHIJ3J5M1RWXY/LB1D1
-EHAM1000
-N0490F310 ARNEM UL620 SUVOX UZ713 OSN UL980 MOBSA DCT POVEL DCT SUI L980 UTOLU/N0490F330 L980 LDZ M70 BEMBI L980 PEKIT/N0480F350 L980 TAMAK/N0480F350 A87 TIROM/N0490F350 A87 MAMED B449 RANAH L750 ZB G201 BI DCT MURLI DCT TIGER/N0490F370 L333 KKJ L759 PUT R325 VIH A464 DAKUS DCT
-WMKK1137 WMSA WMKP
-EET/EDGG0017 EDWW0023 EDUU0036 EPWW0052 UKLV0135 UKBV0153 UKDV0225 URRV0255 UATT0347 UTAK0411 UTAA0432 UTAV0507 OAKX0518 OPLR0601 OPKR0616 VIDF0631 VABF0725 VECF0747 VYYF0926 VOMF0930 VTBB1013 WMFC1051 REG/9MMRD PBN/A1B1C1D1L1O1S2 SEL/QREJ DOF/140717 RMK/ACASII EQUIPPED)
A NOTAM is a notification issued to pilots before a flight, advising them of circumstances relating to the state of flying.
Did Malaysia not have NOTAM, like the FAA NOTAM below?
B0447/14 (Issued for EISN PART 1 OF 2) – POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS SITUATION UKRAINE AIRSPACE, PARTICULARLY
OVER
CRIMEA, THE BLACK SEA, AND THE SEA OF AZOV.
DUE TO THE POTENTIAL FOR CONFLICTING AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL (ATC)
INSTRUCTIONS FROM UKRAINIAN AND RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES AND FOR THE
RELATED POTENTIAL MISIDENTIFICATION OF CIVIL AIRCRAFT, IRISH
AIRCRAFT OPERATORS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO AVOID, UNTIL FURTHER
NOTICE, THE AIRSPACE OVER CRIMEA, THE BLACK SEA, AND THE SEA OF
AZOV, WITHIN THE FOLLOWING LATERAL LIMITS:
454500N 0345800E-460900N 0360000E-460000N 0370000E-452700N 0364100E-
452242N 0364100E-451824N 0363524E-451442N 0363542E-451218N 0363200E-
450418N 0363418E-445600N 0363700E-443100N 0364000E-424400N 0361600E-
424700N 0340000E-424800N 0304500E-434100N 0303200E-441500N 0302400E-
444600N 0300900E-455400N 0322500E-454900N 0324700E-455400N 0330600E-
455600N 0332700E-455900N 0332900E-THEN ALONG THE CRIMEA BORDER TO
454500N 0345800E.
UNILATERAL ACTION TO ESTABLISH A NEW SIMFEROPOL (URFV) FIR THAT
INCLUDES BOTH UKRAINIAN SOVEREIGN AIRSPACE OVER THE CRIMEAN
PENINSULA AND INTERNATIONAL HIGH SEAS AIRSPACE MANAGED BY UKRAINE
CONTRADICTS INTERNATIONAL LAW AND ICAO ANNEX 11 STANDARDS.
END PART 1 OF 2. 01 JUL 08:45 2014 UNTIL 01 AUG 00:01 2014. CREATED: 01 JUL
08:56 2014
B0447/14 (Issued for EISN PART 2 OF 2) – UKRAINE NOTAM A0528/14, PUBLISHED 28 MAR 20:14 2014, REJECTS NOTAM
A0907/14 PUBLISHED BY THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION. UKRAINE CONTINUES TO
PROVIDE AIR TRAFFIC SERVICES (ATS) IN THE AIRSPACE DESCRIBED IN THE
PARAGRAPH ABOVE AND RUSSIA IS ALSO PROVIDING ATS IN THAT AIRSPACE.
FURTHERMORE, UKRAINE NOTAM A0520/14, PUBLISHED 28 MAR 16:59 2014,
CREATES A PROHIBITED AREA OVER THE CRIMEAN PENINSULA FOR OPERATIONS
BELOW FL290, AND UKRAINE NOTAMS A0524/14 AND A0569/14 CLOSE VARIOUS
ATS ROUTE SEGMENTS. RUSSIAN FEDERATION NOTAM A0912/14 REJECTS AND
DIRECTLY CONFLICTS WITH UKRAINE NOTAMS A0520/14 AND A0524/14.
CONSEQUENTLY, THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR CIVIL AIRCRAFT TO RECEIVE
CONFUSING AND CONFLICTING ATC INSTRUCTIONS WHILE OPERATING IN THE
DISPUTED AIRSPACE.
OPERATIONS ARE NORMAL IN ALL OTHER UKRAINE FIRS.
HOWEVER, IRISH OPERATORS FLYING INTO, OUT OF, OR WITHIN LVOV (UKLV),
KYIV (UKBV), DNEPTROPETROVSK (UKDV), AND ODESSA (UKOV) FIRS, AS WELL
AS AIRSPACE IN SIMFEROPOL (UKFV) FIR THAT IS OUTSIDE THE LATERAL
LIMITS OF THE AIRSPACE OVER CRIMEA, THE BLACK SEA, THE SEA OF AZOV
DESCRIBED IN THE FIRST PARAGRAPH OF THIS NOTAM, SHOULD REVIEW
CURRENT SECURITY/THREAT INFORMATION AND NOTAMS.
THE CONTENT OF THIS NOTAM SAFETY WILL BE RE-EVALUATED BY 30 JUN 2014.
END PART 2 OF 2. 01 JUL 08:45 2014 UNTIL 01 AUG 00:01 2014. CREATED: 01 JUL
08:56 2014
Malaysia Airlines Media Statement:
Media Statement : MH17 Incident
Released at 12:30am/18 July 2014
Malaysia Airlines confirms it received notification from Ukrainian ATC that it had lost contact with flight MH17 at 1415 (GMT) at 30km from Tamak waypoint, approximately 50km from the Russia-Ukraine border.
Flight MH17 operated on a Boeing 777 departed Amsterdam at 12.15pm (Amsterdam local time) and was estimated to arrive at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 6.10 am (Malaysia local time) the next day.
The flight was carrying 280 passengers and 15 crew onboard.
More details to follow.
-end-
