In 2008, about 500 Beechcraft employees lost their jobs.
In 2009, Beechcraft is undergoing a $17 million expansion to its Little Rock facility where 900 people work. This was announced last October; however, there are still going to be company job cuts across the board. In a letter to employees, Beechcraft Chairman and CEO Jim Schuster said “As a result, we are forced to substantially decrease our 2009 production levels and take the painful step of reducing our workforce accordingly. We are in the process of finalizing our plans and will notify affected employees as soon as possible.”
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What: Beechcraft 55 Baron en route from Baytown TX to Sarasota FL Where: 28 miles east of South Pass in the Gulf of Mexico When: Sept. 20, 2012 Who: 2 aboard Why: After the International Emergency Response Coordination Center notified 8th Coast Guard District command center of a beacon alert, the search began.
Two men whose flight ditched were rescued after the Border Patrol spotted them adrift in the Gulf of Mexico. A Coast Guard MH-65C Dolphin helicopter was launched.
The pilot hit the water at an estimated 100 knots after the plane caught fire and the cockpit filled with smoke. The two men aboard survived the crash and three hours in the water.
Coast Guard helicopter pilot Lt. Becki Fosha said that “They had a limited time to bring the aircraft to the water and then they had about two minutes to get all of their survival gear together and get ready for a survival situation before the aircraft submerged…They had a GPS sport beacon. They had their current EPERB 406 beacon. They had floatation and survival equipment for just this kind of scenario…the men did a great job ditching the plane.”
Theodore Wright and Raymond Fosdick were pulled out of the Gulf and flown to Belle Chasse Naval Base. Fosdick was hospitalized at Ochsner Medical Center.
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A feline survivor has been found in the crash of the Beechcraft plane that killed Steve Davis, 60, and Wes Caves, 58.
Zuul the cat emerged from the construction site where the plane impacted residences. Zuul has suffered some minor injuries, but seems to have at least eight lives left.
What: Air New Zealand/Eagle Airways Beech 1900D from Gisborne to Auckland New Zealand Where: Gisborne When: May 8th 2011 Who: 9 passengers Why: Ten minutes into the flight, while flying over Opotiki, the pilots shut down an engine because of readings they were getting; and they announced to passengers they were going to make an emergency landing.
The pilots then returned to the airport. Everyone aboard clapped when the nineteen seat plane landed safely.
The engine of the Eagle Airways Beech was examined and no problems were found.
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What: Monarch Aircraft Group (fort Lauderdale Florida) twin-engine Beechcraft 18 cargo plane en route from Fort Lauderdale to Nassau Where: Nassau When: December 14, 2010 Who: 2 passengers aboard Why: The cargo plane was en route to Nassau’s Lynden Pindling International Airport when it vanished from radar.
It crashed in the Atlantic, north of Nassau. A man’s body has been recovered. A U.S. Coast guard helicopter and 3 Royal Bahamas vessels are searching for the missing passenger. Neither has been identified.
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What: Beech A36 en route from Kerrville Municipal Airport to Pearland Regional Airport, Houston Where: Bulverde, Texas When: Nov 8 2009 Who: Pilot Carlos McKinney Jr., 60, Dylan Lord, 13, and his 12-year-old brother, Brandon Why: The plane encountered thunderstorms en route, lost contact at 9,000 feet and disappeared from radar. Three fatalities were confirmed; and the pilot was reportedly the children’s grandfather.
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