Boeing

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    Plane Crash Investigation Reveals Cause

    On April 29, we reported the National Air Cargo flight that crashed when it’s load shifted and the plane stalled. Federal investigators and Boeing experts went to Afghanistan to to assist in the investigation.

    On Jun 2nd 2013, the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation of Afghanistan investigation announced officially that it was the weight of three armored vehicles and two mine sweepers 80 tons––of shifting cargo that caused the plane to crash.

    The wiring in the back of the plane was cut by impact with the cargo, leaving the pilots helpless to control the plane.

    There were no survivors.

    As a result of the April Crash, on May 17, 2013 Boeing issued the following SAFO:

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    Brazilian Air Force Jet Engine Catches Fire


    On May 26, 2013, a FAB Força Aérea Brasileira Boeing KC-137 (707-324C) developed problems during takeoff from the airport in Port au Prince, Haiti, bound for Manaus. The flight was making a takeoff run when its engine caught on fire.

    The plane veered off the runway, with the landing gear broken off.

    Twelve crew and 131 passengers were bound for a peacekeeping mission in Haiti. No one was injured.

    The official statement came from Air Brigadier Kanitz Marcelo Damasceno, Head of the Center of Social Communication of Aeronautics

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    Domestic Squabble and Bomb Threat on Pia Flight


    Flight Aware
    On May 24, 2013, a Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 777-340ER was en route from Allama Iqbal Int’l to Manchester when a stewardess told the Captain Nadeem Sufi that a passenger had threatened to bomb the plane. Sixty miles east of their destination, the pilot diverted to Stansted Airport with a British fighter escort.

    Mr. Mohammad Shafqat and Ms. Ammara Ashraf had been fighting with eight family members, and when the argument escalated, the two were taken into custody and then released.

    During the domestic fight, two men who approached the cockpit were also arrested aboard the plane, handcuffed, and taken into custody to the police station at Stansted. The case is being treated as a criminal rather than terror case.

    There were 11 crew and 297 passengers aboard.

    Although the Pakistani High Commission blames the pilot for making a decision that puts PIA in a bad light, we believe that the fact that because Captain Sufi landed the plane without injury or loss of life, then he made the right decision.

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    Stormy Weather Leads to Emergency Landing in Tocumen

    On May 21, 2013, a Copa Airlines Boeing 737-7V3 a flight from Guayaquil, Ecuador landed in the rain at Tocumen International Airport in Panama.

    The plane skidded off the runway, and sustained damage getting mired in soft ground.

    Engine 2 sustained damage as the right engine impacted soft ground

    The plane was towed to the gate.

    107 passengers were aboard the flight, and none of them were seriously injured, according to paramedic teams that responded to the accident. The incident also caused delays at the airport, forcing at least one flight to divert to another airport.

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    Emirates Emergency Landing in Singapore due to Turbulence

    On May 17, an Emirates Airlines Boeing 777-eoo en route from Dubai to Jakarta suffered turbulence while en route.

    Three crew and ten passengers were injured by turbulence over the Nicobar Islands.

    The pilots diverted to Singapore where they made a safe landing with 374 passengers aboard. The injured were hospitalized.

    The pilots arrived in Jakarta twenty hours late, after the unexpected stop-over.

    The injured were provided alternative flights.

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    UTAir Emergency Landing

    UTAir Boeing 757 flight UT5179 with 237 passengers and eight crew en route from Yekatarinburg to Anatalya had to divert to Moscow when it developed depressurization in the cabin. Oxygen masks deployed.

    The flight made a safe landing with emergency services on standby.

    No injuries were reported. Most injuries after an emergency landing occur when passengers disembark via slides. There’s no confirmation that passengers used slides or if they disembarked normally.

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    Cargo Boeing Crashes in Bagram


    Contact photographer Shawn Byers

    A National Air Cargo Boeing 747-400 on a cargo flight from Bagram to Dubai Al Maktoum crashed with 7 crew (including 4 pilots, 2 mechanics,) and cargo shortly after takeoff.

    The National Air Cargo Boeing 747-400 had just lifted off and was climbing when it crashed. The crash resulted in a fire.

    National Airlines President Glen Joerger was quoted saying that “This is a devastating loss for our family and we’ll work diligently with authorities to find the cause,” said Joerger. “Most importantly, our thoughts and prayers are with our crewmembers and their families.”

    The NTSB and Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority are investigating.
    video

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    Lion Air Compensation

    Lion Air is compensating the passengers of the plane that crashed in Bali on April 13. The 101 passenger (we don’t know if the 7 crew are included) is handing out $5600 to each passenger.

    Lion Air is working with Jasa Raharja, an Indonesian insurance company to cover the medical bills for five injured passengers. The insurance company is paying up to IDR 25 million ($2500) and the airline is covering anything in excess of that.

    Unofficial reports state the plane was flying low.

    Twenty-five people have yet to receive their compensation.

    The alcohol and drug tests of the crew, cockpit voice recorder, and the flight data recorder are still in process. No conclusions have been public on the cause of the accident.

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    Plane Hits Airbridge

    On April 22, 2013 at 10:30am, a Los Angeles-Sydney-Melbourne flight damaged its wing while on the ground.

    The United Airlines Boeing 747-400 was pulling into an air bay when it struck the airbridge of a parking bay at the airport in Melbourne.

    Passengers disembarked by stairs. There were no injuries but the plane required repairs.

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    Biplane Crashes in Santa Rosa California

    On April 20, 2013, a Boeing A75N1 Stearman took off from Petaluma airport and lost power at 2,000 feet before making a hard landing in a Santa Rosa vineyard near 6500 Jamison Road. Witnesses heard a plane flying low around 10 a.m..

    The pilot, Patrick Bell, circled looking for a place to land before finding the vineyard.

    The pilot was able to exit the plane under his own steam and although the plane flipped, Bell was uninjured.

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    FAA Approves Boeing 787 Battery System Design


    The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today took the next step in returning the Boeing 787 to flight by approving Boeing’s design for modifications to the 787 battery system. The changes are designed to address risks at the battery cell level, the battery level and the aircraft level.

    Next week, the FAA will issue instructions to operators for making changes to the aircraft and will publish in the Federal Register the final directive that will allow the 787 to return to service with the battery system modifications. The directive will take effect upon publication. The FAA will require airlines that operate the 787 to install containment and venting systems for the main and auxiliary system batteries, and to replace the batteries and their chargers with modified components.

    “Safety of the traveling public is our number one priority. These changes to the 787 battery will ensure the safety of the aircraft and its passengers,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
    “A team of FAA certification specialists observed rigorous tests we required Boeing to perform and devoted weeks to reviewing detailed analysis of the design changes to reach this decision,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta.

    To assure proper installation of the new design, the FAA will closely monitor modifications of the aircraft in the U.S. fleet. The FAA will stage teams of inspectors at the modification locations. Any return to service of the modified 787 will only take place after the FAA accepts the work.
    As the certifying authority, the FAA will continue to support other authorities around the world as they finalize their own acceptance procedures.

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    Emergency Sun Country Diversion to Detroit

    On April 18, 2013, on landing in Lansing Michigan, a Boeing 737 owned by SUN COUNTRY suffered an incident. Almost landing, actually. We presume gusty conditions.

    On approach, a wing struck the runway.

    The crew aborted the landing, and diverted to Detroit where they made a safe landing.

    There were no injuries reported and the degree of damage to the wing and the rest of the plane has not been released.

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    New Lion Air Boeing Carcass Cut in Two for Removal


    The Lion Air jet that crashed short of the runway in Bali is going to be cut into pieces for removal since the plane is too heavy to tow.

    The wreckage is sitting on top of a reef, rocking with the waves.

    The cockpit voice recorder was recovered by navy divers.

    None of the 101 passengers or seven crew were injured when the crew opted for a water landing. The pilot and co-pilot tested negative for drugs and alcohol

    Lion Air AKA PT Lion Mentari Airlines is banned from flying in Europe because of its safety record.

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    Smoke in Korean Air Boeing 787

    Korean Air Boeing 787 en route from Seoul to Los Angeles developed smoke in the cockpit and diverted to Tokyo where they made a safe landing

    There was also smoke in the galley.

    288 people disembarked, and took a bus to the gate. Emergency services were on the scene.

    Passengers were provided an alternate flight the next day.

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    NTSB Assisting in Lion Air Boeing Investigation

    In George’s Point of View


    As I stand here on the balcony of my Cancun suite snapping a video of a gathering far below on the beach, the force of the wind off the ocean nearly knocks me off my feet.

    Yes, my Air Crash Consultant mind is at work, even when I’m relaxing on a vacation.

    I can’t help but think of the Lion Air Boeing that came down on approach to Ngurah Rai Airport and cracked in two on impact with the ocean. It didn’t fall far in terms of being a plane. I have heard it was flying 100 feet below where it should have been, which makes me wonder if the same winds that are knocking me over contributed to the crash. Trust the investigation to uncover the truth of what made this brand new plane to be a write off. It’s still a miracle of engineering that there were no fatalities, and only 45 injuries, and of those, only five still hospitalized one day later.

    The NTSB is joining the investigation, important enough news that it is announced on a Sunday.


    The NTSB is sending a team of investigators to assist the government of Indonesia on its accident investigation of a Lion Air Boeing 737-800.

    On April 13, 2013 at about 3:15 p.m. local time, the airplane crashed on approach to Ngurah Rai Airport, due to unknown circumstances. There were no fatalities reported.

    As the U.S. is the state of design and manufacture of the Boeing 737, NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman has appointed Senior Air Safety Investigator Dennis Jones as the traveling U.S. accredited representative. Dennis Jones is leading a team of investigators specializing in airplane structures, systems, and survival factors, as well as advisers from the Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing.

    The investigation is being conducted by the Indonesia National Transportation Safety Committee which will release all information.

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    LionAir Flight Undershoots Bali Runway, 108 Aboard


    On April 13, 2013, a Bandung to Denpasar Lion Air Boeing 737-800 en undershot the Denpasar Airport runway and ditched in the ocean—literally falling from a height of 55 yards. All of the 101 passengers and 7 crew got out alive, but at least twenty people were injured.

    On impact, the plane broke in two. The brand new plane was delivered to Lion Air on March 28, 2013.

    Passengers were evacuated into rubber boats. The injured were taken to three hospitals. No serious injuries were reported.

    The pilot had 10,000 hours in the air.

    In George’s Point of View


    A plane drops 55 yards breaks in half and no one is seriously injured.

    Something happened. The investigation will do its best to pinpoint what exactly could knock out a plane with weeks of service. But with no serious injuries in a plane that is cracked in half, I have only two things to say: two best safety devices are 1) a well built plane and 2)a well-trained crew.

    We’re posting this only hours after it happened. So expect updates when more information is available. Initial reports can be prone to misinformation.

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    DATES FOR Boeing Battery INVESTIGATIVE HEARING

    The National Transportation Safety Board announced today that its two-day investigative hearing into the Jan. 7 battery fire aboard a Boeing 787 at Boston’s Logan Airport will be held on April 23-24 at the NTSB Board Room and Conference Center in Washington, D.C.

    The hearing will focus on issues relating to the design, testing and certification of the battery system.

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    Bird strike Leads to Emergency Landing at Lagos Airport

    On March 28, 2013, a Royal Air Maroc Boeing 737-800 en route from Lagos to Casablanca spent ten minutes in the air after a bird strike on takeoff.

    126 were aboard when ten minutes into the flight, there was a bird strike that disabled an engine. The plane circled for about forty minutes to burn off fuel before attempting a return.

    Pilots returned to make a safe landing at Murtala Muhammed Airport

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    Boeing Solution Discussed by CEO Jim McNerney

    At the US Chamber of Commerce’s aviation summit, Jim McNerney, the CEO of Boeing, said the expects the technical solution being tested now will resolve the 787’s battery system’s problem and return to flying soon.

    The Dreamliner was grounded January 16.

    Video Below

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    Lot Airlines Temporary Boeing Fix


    Pending solutions for the incidents involving the aircraft’s lithium-ion battery produced by Tokyo- based GS Yuasa Corp, while waiting for Boeing 787’s to come out of hibernation, from April 12 to the end of May Lot Airlines is leasing an Airbus SAS from Portugal’s Hi Fly. The A330 flies 18 in business and 288 in coach.

    Lot purchased 8 eight 787s, and has received two, one of which is Warsaw, and the other stranded in Chicago.

    If Dreamliner operations remain suspended beyond that date, the lease can be extended

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    Sriwijaya Runway Overrun

    On March 27, a Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 en route from Medan to Padang had a runway overrun when landing at Padang at 18:00.

    The plane came to rest past the end of the (8860 feet) pavement.

    The Sriwijaya Boeing that skidded and closed the runway at Minangkabau International Airport on Wednesday 3/27/2013 has been successfully evacuated and moved across the airport apron.

    Minangkabau Airport flight activity is now running normally.

    There were no injuries when the aircraft registered as PK-CLJ skidded off the runway.

    The number of passengers aboard was not released.

    src: http://www.indo-aviation

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    First findings: Sunwing Diversion Due to Fumes not fire

    Re: Preliminary findings regarding the Sunwing Flight 326 at 6:32 from Ottawa to Varadero with 170 passengers

    The smoke passengers saw coming from the air vents of the Boeing 737 was vapor from excess de-icing fluid. The smell described by the passengers was similar to engine coolant. Oxygen masks did not deploy.

    The pilot returned to the runway at 7:00 a.m. No smoke or fire was found (obviously) because the vapor was not smoke at all, but evaporating coolant that had gotten into the plane via a vent.

    The investigation is ongoing.

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    FAA Approves Boeing Certification plans

    Although the Federal Aviation Administration approved Boeing Company’s certification plan for the redesigned 787 battery system, after thoroughly reviewing Boeing’s proposed modifications, the National Transportation Safety Board said Boeing didn’t inform investigators about what it planned to say in the March 15 briefing in Tokyo, which is “inconsistent with our expectations.”

    On March 15, Boeing reps provided their own analysis and conclusions regarding the NTSB investigation but they apparently signed paperwork that “must refrain from providing opinions or analysis of the accident.”

    The NTSB was not amused.

    Boeing plans to demonstrate that the system will meet FAA requirements but they are also concerned with damage control.

    The certification plan is the first step in the process to evaluate the 787’s return to flight and requires Boeing to conduct extensive testing and analysis to demonstrate compliance with the applicable safety regulations and special conditions.

    The Jan. 7 fire in Boston was composed of three-inch flames on the front of the connector’s battery box.

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    Southwest Flight Diverts to Indiana

    A Southwest Airlines Baltimore to Las Vegas flight 441 (Boeing 737-700) diverted to Indiana when an electric odor developed in the galley.

    Pilots made a safe landing in Indiana at 8:45 pm. No fire was found.

    None of the 134 aboard were injured.

    The Southwest 441 flight was rescheduled.

    On March 14, a Southwest flight out of Las Vegas had a faulty cargo fire indication which caused them to return to Las Vegas for an emergency Landing.