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Least safe commercial jets

An Airline Ratings study points out these planes as the least safe commercial jets to fly: LET 410, Ilyushin 72, Antonov AN-12, Twin Otter, CASA. This might be one of those cases where certain facts can’t be separated. How can statistics separate the effect of the planes being flown in third world countries with the least safe airports? How can one separate the fact of the Twin Otter’s heavy usage in Nepal, home of some of the worlds most dangerous airports?

The same study indicates Boeing’s 777, 717, 787 and 767/757, the Airbus A380 and A340, the Embraer 135/145, and CRJ 700/1000 as the safest planes.

While 137 airlines were deemed safest, only these carriers score top marks for both safety and service: Air New Zealand, Asiana Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad, EVA Air, Korean Air, Qantas, Royal Jordanian, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic.

British Airways, Flybe, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa and Aer Lingus were considered safe but had lesser marks for service. The full spectrum of the rated airlines is located here: http://www.airlineratings.com/ratings.php

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  • Pilots’ union Denounces Five German AIrports

    According to Cockpit, Germany’s pilot union, some airports have “serious safety defects.”

    The union examined German airports comparing them to a strict set of standards, and came to the conclusion that Weeze, Memmingen, Lübeck, Zweibrücken, and Friedrichshafen failed safety standards on the basis of problems like bad lighting, inadequate taxi routs, etc…

    The better situated airports included Berlin Schönefeld, Düsseldorf, Leipzig/Halle, Munich, and Stuttgart.

    The Die Welt newspaper article has some quotes from the failing airports in response to the Cockpit, critique that sound a lot like whining.

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    NTSB INVESTIGATING NEAR MIDAIR COLLISION

    National Transportation Safety Board
    Washington, DC 20594

    September 23, 2010

    NTSB INVESTIGATING NEAR MIDAIR COLLISION OVER MINNEAPOLISINVOLVING COMMERCIAL JETLINER AND SMALL CARGO AIRCRAFT

    The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a near midair collision between a commercial jetliner and a small cargo aircraft that came within an estimated 50 to 100 feet of colliding near the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport (MSP).

    On September 16, 2010, about 6:49 a.m. CDT, US Airways flight 1848 (AWE 1848), an Airbus 320, was cleared for takeoff on runway 30R en route to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, carrying five crewmembers and 90 passengers. At the same time, Bemidji Aviation Services flight 46 (BMJ46), a Beech 99 cargo flight with only the pilot aboard, was cleared for takeoff on runway 30L en route to La Crosse, Wisconsin. Weather conditions at the time were reported as a 900-foot ceiling and 10 miles visibility below the clouds.

    Immediately after departure, the tower instructed the US Airways crew to turn left and head west, causing the flight to cross paths with the cargo aircraft approximately one- half mile past the end of runway 30L. Neither pilot saw the
    other aircraft because they were in the clouds, although the captain of the US Airways flight reported hearing the Beech 99 pass nearby. Estimates based on recorded radar data indicate that the two aircraft had 50 to 100 feet of vertical separation as they passed each other approximately 1500 feet above the ground.

    The US Airways aircraft was equipped with a Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) that issued climb instructions to the crew to avert collision. The Beech 99 was not equipped with TCAS and the pilot was unaware of the proximity of the Airbus. There were no reports of damage or injuries as a result of the incident.

    NTSB and FAA investigators conducted a preliminary investigation at the Minneapolis airport traffic control tower on September 18th and 19th and are continuing to review the circumstances of this incident.

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    Sao Paulo Crash Sunday Nov 4

    Reali Taxi Aero’s small executive Learjet 35 took off in the rain at 14:10 local from Campo de Marte Airport in Sao Paulo and crashed into a house in the Casa Verde neighborhood half a kilometre from the runway after taking off. Eight people died; the bodies of four men, three women and a baby were found in the plane wreckage.

    Three others were rescued, including Claudia Lima Fernandes, 30,who was badly burned, and an 11 year old girl.

    Other neighborhood houses had to be evacuated and are being evaluated for safety.

    Witnesses said that the jet, which took off from Campo de Marte for Rio de Janeiro, ploughed nose first into the houses when it seemed to attempt a return to the airport.

    This was Sao Paulo’s second large air tragedy this year. On July 17, a TAM Airbus crashed while landing at the Congonhas airport, killing 199 people.

    São Paulo is known for its large helicopter fleet. Businessmen often fly the vast city by helicopter to avoid traffic and security threats .However last Monday three helicopters crashed in Sao Paulo in two hours.

    Three people died. Five days earlier, after having mechanical problems, an air force plane crashed north of Sao Paulo, There were no casualties.

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    ALOHA AIRLINES Flight 243

    Aloha Airlines
    Photographer: Juerg Schmid

    NTSB Identification: DCA88MA054.
    The docket is stored on NTSB microfiche number 35379.
    Scheduled 14 CFR ALOHA AIRLINES, INC.
    Accident occurred Thursday, April 28, 1988 in MAUI, HI
    Probable Cause Approval Date: 06/25/1990
    Aircraft: BOEING 737-297, registration: N73711
    Injuries: 1 Fatal,7 Serious,57 Minor,30 Uninjured.
    NTSB investigators traveled in support of this investigation and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
    The Safety Board’s full report on this investigation is provided as Aviation Accident Report number AAR-89/03. To obtain a copy of this report, or to view the executive summary online, please see the Web site at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/publictn.htm

    FLT 243 EXPERIENCED AN EXPLOSIVE DECOMPRESSION AND STRUCTURAL FAILURE AT FL240 WHILE ENROUTE FROM HILO, HI, TO HONOLULU, HI. APRX 18 FT OF CABIN SKIN AND STRUCTURE AFT OF THE CABIN ENTRANCE DOOR AND ABOVE THE PASSENGER FLOORLINE SEPARATED FROM THE ACFT. ONE FLT ATTENDANT WHO WAS STANDING IN THE AISLE WAS SWEPT OVERBOARD. THE FLT DIVERTED TO MAUI AND A LANDING WAS ACCOMPLISHED. EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT REVEALED DISBONDING AND FATIGUE DAMAGE WHICH LED TO THE FAILURE OF THE LAP JOINT AT S-10L AND THE SEPARATION OF THE FUSELAGE UPPER SKIN BETWEEN STATIONS 360 AND 540. (SEE NTSB/AAR-89/03)

    The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:

    FUSELAGE,ATTACHMENT..FATIGUE

    The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:

    FUSELAGE,ATTACHMENT..SEPARATION

    Contributing Factors

    MAINTENANCE,INSPECTION..IMPROPER..COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL

    Contributing Factors

    SUPERVISION..INADEQUATE..COMPANY/OPERATOR MANAGEMENT

    Contributing Factors

    INADEQUATE SURVEILLANCE OF OPERATION..FAA(ORGANIZATION)

    Contributing Factors

    ACFT/EQUIP,INADEQUATE AIRFRAME..MANUFACTURER

    Pdf of official report http://bit.ly/16kpbVy

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    FAA Innovations

    The job of a controller is to keep planes at a safe distance from each other. The FAA has a new electronic air traffic control monitoring system that tracks controller error.

    The new system has revealed serious errors made by controllers have been underestimated. The new system is augmented by electronic surveillance and controller self-reportage.

    Controllers made 41 high risk errors out of a total 4,394 errors last year. That is two times the errors in 2010 and three times those in 2009.

    We should consider that of 132 million flights handled, 41 serious errors is a small percentage of error. Of course, it is only a good thing that the FAA is working on reducing errors.

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