The April 9 emergency landing of Eagle Air/Air New Zealand Beech 1900D en route from Auckland to Whangarei, attributed to an open rear cargo door, has been blamed on untrained baggage handlers who did not lock cargo doors.
The hatch flew open on takeoff. See the link to a photograph of the open door posted on the NZ Herald
The doors tend to be left unlocked in case late bags come in; but that is not a good safety practice because a broken cargo door can smash the tail of the plane or worse.
What: 1968 Beechcraft Musketeer en route from Calexico to Torrance,
Where: Upper Newport Harbor, NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.
When: Nov 20, 2010
Who: Fatalities: 58-year-old Charles Alfred Chambers, 63-year-old Russell Urban of Palos Verdes Estate, 44-year-old Sean Kelly of Hermosa Beach.
Why: Sunday Pilot Chambers was flying from Calexico on the U.S. Mexican border to Torrance, but diverted to John Wayne Airport when experiencing a fuel shortage. The plane crashed into the water off Newport Beach. The plane was recovered Monday.
The British Airways Boeing 777 crashed on Jan. 17, 2008, in icy weather with 136 travelers and 16 crew members aboard.
The reason why it crashed is that the flow of fuel to both of the plane’s engines was cut off by ice that accumulated on prior flights in cold air at high altitudes. The plane was flying at minus 29 degrees Fahrenheit over Siberia.
These are the significant just-released details behind the FAA’s move to adopt new safety rules (Pilot procedures and in-flight throttle settings) regarding planes flying in cold weather. Fuel systems might even be changed to adapt to the problem of water (which accumulates in fuel) freezing inside the fuel system.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer George Canciani
What: Air New Zealand Boeing 737-300 en route from Auckland to Wellington
Where: Hamilton
When: May 8, 2011
Who: 101 aboard
Why: While en route, the pilots shut down the right engine. Low oil pressure is suspected to be the problem.
Passengers heard the right engine make an explosive noise. In the plane, passengers panicked as they dropped for several seconds—screaming, crying, praying, panic attacks.
The plane rolled right, then straightened.
After a few moments, the pilot came out and reassured the passengers, explaining that they’d lost an engine, but it was a routine procedure they practiced all the time and that everything was under control.
Pilots diverted to Hamilton, where they made a safe landing. As passengers exited, the pilot told them “this was the first time an Air New Zealand 737 had had a total loss of engine.”
Passengers were bused or rented cars to go back to Auckland and engineers examined the downed plane.
The Preliminary NTSB report is as follows:
On January 14, 2008, at 0508 Hawaiian standard time, N410UB, a Beech 1900C, was lost from radar over the ocean about 7 miles south of the Lihue Airport, Lihue, Hawaii, located on the island of Kauai. Alpine Aviation Inc., doing business as Alpine Air, was operating the airplane as an on-demand cargo flight under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 135. The airline transport pilot was killed, and the airplane was destroyed. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed. The flight departed Honolulu International Airport, Honolulu, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu, at 0443, and was destined for Lihue.
According to the operator, the pilot was making his first flight after coming off of a two day scheduled rest period. The purpose of the flight was to transfer mail to Lihue, and then the pilot was to return to Honolulu later the same day. The flight was scheduled to arrive at Lihue about 0515.
The Coast Guard indicated that debris from the airplane was initially identified floating on the ocean surface at 0848, approximately 11 miles south-southwest of the airport. The water depths in the search area were up to 800 fathoms (4,800 feet). Additional debris was identified and collected and then transported to the Coast Guard station at Lihue. The Coast Guard discontinued the search on the afternoon of January 15.
An Airport Duty Operations Controller was conducting an airport inspection while the accident airplane was approaching the airport. He recalled that he heard a pilot who identified himself as Alpine Air state that he was, “…landing 35 and 7 miles out.” Airport personnel reported that the runway lights, medium intensity approach lighting system with runway alignment indicator lights (MALSR), and precision approach path indicator (PAPI) lights for runway 35, were recorded as functional at the time of the accident.
The following weather conditions were reported at Lihue Airport at 0453: wind from 030 at 23 knots with gusts to 27 knots, 10 miles visibility, cloud layers scattered at 4,100 feet and overcast at 5,500 feet, temperature 20 degrees Celsius, dew point 13 degrees Celsius, and the altimeter setting was 30.13 inches of Mercury.
What: Beech 18 (N18R)
Where: near Opa-Locka Airport, Miami Gardens Florida
When: May 2, 2010
Who: pilot Harry Trauffer
Why: Right after takeoff, the pilot of the twin engine Beechcraft 18 cargo plane that was carrying household goods to the Bahamas radioed he was going down, before he clipped trees, crashed through a fence and 2 cars and into a residential yard. Neighbors were at home at the time of the crash, and witnessed it.
More than 90 Miami-Dade firefighters were on the scene. Although we saw reports that the fire only caused smoke damage to the exterior of the home, and that it did not strike the building, it is clear in the video that the house was breached by the plane, and there were several areas of the house that were on fire. The family is staying elsewhere and no one in the house was injured.
and was toxic while burning,
The pilot who was killed in the crash was 64 year old Harry Trauffer, who regularly flew clothing, bedding and auto parts to the Bahamas.
Near the accident site on 38th Avenue and 150th Street., the NTSB is holding a 3:00 PM press briefing conducted by NTSB Investigator-in-Charge, Todd Gunther
