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Agricultural Embraer Crashes in Brazil


On January 5, 2013, a privately owned Embraer EMB Ipanema with only the pilot aboard was making an agricultural pass and spraying crops in Lucas do Rio Verde MT Brazil.

While cropdusting, the plane collided with a highway sign and the pilot lost control. Engine problems may have also been involved.

THe pilot’s plane struck a pole then impacted the field of soybeans, instantly killing the pilot, Rubens Fritsch. The plane is a total loss. (See photo)

His body was recovered by the firefighters who responded to the call at 11:00 a.m. Saturday.

The married pilot leaves no children. He was buried in Lucas do Rio Verde.

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    Billionaire Lost in French Helicopter Crash

    Chinese billionaire Lam Kok purchased a French vineyard, and boarded a helicopter with three others, including his son, the former owner who was flying the helicopter, and a translator, to take an aerial tour of the 65-hectare (160-acre) vineyards and surrounding grounds. Lam Kok’s and James Gregoire’s wives had declined to fly.

    Twenty minutes after the flight took off, the helicopter went missing.

    The helicopter, flown by James Gregoire, former owner of the vineyard, was missing but a witness came forward and told a mounted policeman that the helicopter had been seen falling into the Dordogne river, and people had been seen struggling in the water.

    Emergency helicopters, divers and a hundred foot officers converged on the scene, and were deployed to search. After dark, a helicopter with a searchlight joined the searchers.

    Lam Kok, new owner of the vineyard Château de la Riviere was head of the Hong Kong-based Brilliant group which plans to develop a tea and wine tasting center and hotel in Bordeaux.

    One of the bodies was recovered around midnight. Rumors are that the body is of Lam Kok’s twelve year old son. The search was halted overnight, but resumed on the morning of the twenty-first. The search has been hampered by strong currents in the river.

    Ironically, John Leprince, a former owner of the vineyard, died in a plane crash in 2002, not far from the crash site in the Dordogne. Combined with this crash, this means the last three owners of the vineyard were lost in aviation accidents.

    Read More…

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    Manila: Plane Crashes Neighborhood, Warehouse


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Jack Hannen

    What: Victoria Air Douglas C-47B Skytrain freighter en route from Manila to Palawan/ Puerto Princesa, Philippines
    Where: Villa Fidela subdivision in Las Pinas; abandoned warehouse
    When: Oct 17th 2009
    Who: 4 on board (7?)
    Why: After takeoff, the crew reported a mayday situation. After reporting engine trouble, they were returning to the airport. Witnesses say that the airplane began to “wobble” (roll left and right). The pilot was approaching runway 6 when plane lost altitude, went down in Villa Fidela subdivision in Elias Aldana village and struck a house and a warehouse. 14 houses were damaged and four on board were killed. Two houses by the warehouse caught on fire. The manifest states that 7 were on board but that is unconfirmed.

    The Victoria plane had been on a test flight. The same plane had encountered trouble at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) runway three weeks ago when its brakes failed.

    Published reports identify the dead as Jaguar Huane, flight captain and co-owner of the plane; Benjamin Rivera (another Victoria Pilot), Richard Sinaya, and a “Mr. Cedingan.”

    (Apologies for the audio quality of the video)


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    Survivors Have Rights Too


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Andrei Visan

    What is a life worth?

    It appears that Manx2 Airlines doesn’t think a life is worth very much. Manx2 denied an advance payment of more than £15,000 to cover the costs of a crash survivor (Cork Airport) to fly by aircraft from Cork University Hospital to the U.K. They are trying to shift responsibility to BCN.

    On the second approach to runway 17 the right wing-tip of the Swearingen SA-227BC Metro III hit the runway, flipping the aircraft upside down. The plane slid 190 metres along the runway and came to rest in the grass adjacent to Taxiway C when fuel tanks leaking fuel in the right wing caught fire.The leased plane crashed on Feb 10, 2011, killing 2 crew members, and 4 passengers. There were 6 survivors.

    After a horrific accident like that, you’d expect Manx to step up to the plate.

    When someone dies in a crash the question is asked: what is this life worth? You may not hear it in that many words, but it is there. The value of a human being, translated into dollars and cents. When someone survives a crash as 6 did in this instance, it is difficult not to see Manx’s petty delay tactic as a slap in the face.

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    Malaysia Moves Ahead with Formula One Race In Spite of MH370 Crash

    Formula one racing in Malaysia will be organized as planned, despite the Prime Minister’s confirmation about Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 crashing and killing all on board.

    However, the organizers have decided to scale down the planned activities considering the somber atmosphere after the MH370 tragedy. The weekend concerts have been cancelled as “a sign of respect to the families and next-of-kin of the crew and passengers of flight MH370.” The concerts featured pop star Christina Aguilera.

    Britain’s Mirror newspaper reported that Mercedes had planned to run “Come Home MH370” signage on all its W05 cars during the Grand Prix weekend. However, DPA news agency reports that Mercedes will now run the words “Tribute to MH370” on the cars at Sepang.

    Sepang circuit boss Razlan Razali said that the F1 race was planned a long time ago, and it cannot be cancelled, despite pressure from various sides.

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    UPS Flight 1354 Agenda and Media Logistics for Investigative Hearing


    The National Transportation Safety Board today released the agenda for the investigative hearing on the ongoing investigation into the Aug. 14, 2013 crash of UPS Airlines flight 1354, an Airbus A300-600, on approach to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Birmingham, Ala.

    The hearing will be held February 20 at the NTSB’s Board Room and Conference Center at 429 L’Enfant Plaza SW in Washington and begins at 8:30 a.m.

    Hearing witnesses, including representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration, Airbus, UPS Airlines, Independent Pilots Association and the Transport Workers Union will testify and answer questions from NTSB Board members, technical staff, and parties about non-precision approaches, human factors and flight dispatch issues. The agenda, list of panel witnesses, biographies and other related information is available at the hearing event page at http://www.ntsb.gov/news/events/2014/ups1354_hearing/index.html

    Investigative exhibits for the hearing will be placed in the electronic docket at the start of the hearing and will also be available on the hearing event page once the hearing begins.

    NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman will be available to answer questions from the media at the conclusion of the hearing. Additional details about the availability will be included in an advisory on Wednesday.

    Television coverage of the proceedings will be by network pool provided by CNN. Escorted cutaway for video media will be permitted for brief periods throughout the hearing. Still photographers will be permitted in the seating area of the Board Room and by escort to areas in front of the witness panels.

    Because of construction at and around L’Enfant Plaza, satellite and other media trucks will have to check in for parking and running cable through the construction zone. Please RSVP to eric.weiss@ntsb.gov by Feb. 19. Media access to the Board Room is available beginning at 7:30 a.m.

    A media room is also available with tables, chairs and an audio mult box. Generally-accepted media credentials will be required for access to the media room. In addition, a fully equipped overflow room has been established and will serve as a storage area for video equipment during the hearing.

    Seating for the general public in the Board Room is on a first-come, first-served basis. The hearing will be webcast live. Access to the webcast can be found at www.ntsb.gov.

    ===
    The National Transportation Safety Board has scheduled an investigative hearing on February 20 into the crash of a UPS Airbus A300-600 on approach to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Birmingham, Ala., on Aug. 14, 2013.

    The two flight crew members were killed and the airplane was destroyed when it impacted the ground less than a mile short of Runway 18. The cargo flight had originated from Louisville, Ky. Runway 18 was being used because the main runway at the airport was closed for repairs at the time of the airplane’s arrival.

    The one-day hearing will examine:

    Execution of non-precision approaches, including initial and recurrent training, adherence to standard operating procedures, and proficiency
    Human factors issues associated with effective crew coordination and resource management applicable to this accident, including decision-making, communication, fatigue and fitness for duty, as well as monitoring and cross-checking, policies, standard operating procedures, guidance, and training provided to UPS crewmembers.
    Dispatch procedures, including the training, evaluation, roles and responsibilities of UPS dispatchers and the limitations of dispatch-related software.
    The investigation is ongoing and this hearing will develop additional facts to support the investigation. The hearing will be held in the NTSB Board Room and Conference Center in Washington, D.C. A detailed agenda and a list of attendees will be forthcoming.

    Parties to the hearing will include the Federal Aviation Administration, UPS, Airbus, the Independent Pilots Association and the Transport Workers Union. The accredited representative from the French Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses pour la sécurité de l’aviation civile (BEA) will participate on the technical panels.

    The determination of the probable cause of the crash will be released when the investigation is complete. Just prior to the start of the hearing, the public docket will be opened. Included in the docket are photographs, interview transcripts and other documents.

    ____________________________________________________________________________________________

    NTSB public events are also streamed live via webcast. Webcasts are archived for a period of three months from the time of the meeting. Webcast archives are generally available by the end of the event day for public Meetings, and by the end of the next day for Technical conferences.

    If you wish to obtain a copy of NTSB meetings, please contact the NTSB Records Management Division at (202) 314-6551 or 800-877-6799. You may also request this information from the NTSB web site or write the following: National Transportation Safety Board, Records Management Division (CIO-40), 490 L’Enfant Plaza, SW,Washington, DC 20594.

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