In case anyone is following this, the real reason behind the Aug 25th 2010 crash of the Filair LET L-410 en route from Kinshasa Ndolo to Bandundu Democratic Republic of Congo has been published. A passenger had secreted an alligator in his duffel bag, when the alligator got loose, everyone ran away from it, which unbalanced the plane which caused the crash. Of the 18 passengers and 3 crew, there were only 3 survivors (2 people plus the alligator.) One of the survivors later died; and someone killed the crocodile with a machete. I wonder if the lone survivor is the one who owned the duffel bag. Somehow I doubt it.
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Dogs, cats board plane to sanctuary shelters to reduce local overcrowding amid LA County wildfires
More than 80 pets were flown out of LA this weekend in an effort to reduce overcrowding in local shelters due to the wildfires.
Edelsten Crashes Helicopter
What: Robinson R44
Where: Moorabbin Airport, Australia
When: Dec 15, 2009, 10am
Who: pilot
Why: Pilot Geoffrey Edelsten was on his first solo, when the helicopter yawed quite violently to the left, to the right and into the ground. He sustained minor cuts.
- FAA | News | press release
Press Release: FAA Proposes Civil Penalties Against Five Companies
FAA Proposes Civil Penalties Against Five Companies
WASHINGTON – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing to assess civil penalties ranging from $50,000 to $70,000 against five companies for alleged violation of the Federal Aviation Regulations or Department of Transportation Hazardous Materials Regulations.
$50,000 against Spirit Airlines, Inc., Miramar, Fla., for returning an aircraft to service, and then operating that aircraft on revenue passenger flights when it was not in compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations. The FAA alleged that Spirit failed to replace a faulty elevator aileron computer (ELAC) after the aircraft experienced an uncommanded pitch down of the nose while operating between Orlando, Fla. and San Juan, Puerto Rico on Aug. 21, 2009. Although Spirit’s maintenance program required replacement of the ELAC computer, the airline did not do so before flying the A321 on a revenue passenger flight the next day from San Juan to Fort Lauderdale, when the aircraft experienced another uncommanded pitch down.
$63,525 against Friendship Airways Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., an air taxi operator, for operating two Cessna 402 aircraft on 77 commuter flights in violation of its air carrier certificate and operations specifications. The FAA alleged that the two aircraft were not authorized for use for the flights between June 21 and July 21, 2008 because they were not listed on the company’s operating specifications for commuter service.
$50,000 against Fleet Aviation of White Plains, N.Y., an on-demand charter and air taxi company, for operating two of its aircraft on 251 flights between June 15, 2009 and March 19, 2010 when crews had not completed the emergency drills required by its training program.
$54,000 against Englund Marine Supply Co. of Astoria, Ore., for offering a package containing flammable gasses and liquids to UPS for transportation by air from Astoria to Rio Vista, Calif., March 26, 2010. The package was discovered leaking at Portland before it was loaded on an aircraft.
$70,000 against Coty, Inc., of New York, for offering a package containing perfume, a flammable liquid, to FedEx for transportation by air from Upland, Calif., to Covington, Wash., March 9, 2010. FedEx employees at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport discovered the shipment leaking.
In all instances of alleged hazmat violations, the materials offered were not properly classed, described, packaged, marked, labeled and in proper condition for shipment under the hazardous materials regulations.
Companies have 30 days from receipt of the FAA’s notice of proposed civil penalty to respond to the agency.
- Airbus | Crash | Lost | lost communication | missing | Yemen | Yemenia Air
June 30, Yemenia Flight 626
We remember on June 2009 when 152 people died aboard a Yemenia Airlines Airbus A310-300.
Yemenia Flight 626.
We remember.
The years pass and the headlines fade, but the families will never forget the loss of their loved ones, and neither should we.
The pilot was about to land on an airstrip in the Comores Islands when ATC lost contact.
The plane and all its passengers crashed into the ocean.
12-year old Bahia Bakari survived the crash, rescued after thirteen hours in the ocean, clinging to debris. She was and is a miracle.
The final report on Flight 626 concluded the crash was due to the crew’s inappropriate flight control inputs that led to an aerodynamic stall.
Crews inappropriate flight control inputs means pilot error. In this case, the pilot error was exacerbated by a nineteen year old plane in dubious condition, bad weather conditions (winds gusting to 64 km/h 40 mph; 35 kn) and a primitive airport.
Crashes like Yemenia should function like red lights. The only way they make sense is if when they happen, we stop and consider those who were lost, and investigate what went wrong. On behalf of safety, the aviation industry should mandate to use every atom of what is discovered to prevent future accidents. The industry in general, and the airlines in specific should make changes that will help prevent future accidents.
Pilot error means airlines like Yemenia are still having problems training pilots. Still problems in the cockpit. Sadly, conditions still exist for more accidents like this in Yemenia’s future.
Bolivian Air Force Plane Crashed in Santa Cruz; 2 Killed
A Bolivian air force plane crashed in the suburbs of Santa Cruz city in Santa Cruz province of Bolivia on November 28.
Authorities said the plane was on a training flight with an instructor and a trainee pilot aboard.
It appears that the aircraft was attempting an emergency landing due to some mechanical fault when it crashed, just 30 minutes after departing from El Trompillo airfield.
Both people aboard the plane were killed in the crash.
The accident is under investigation.