The big question: was there foul play involved in the crash of the Mexican governmental airplane that resulted in the death of José Luis Santiago Vasconcelos, Miguel Monterrubio, Arcadio EcheverrÃa, Norma DÃaz, Ãlvaro Sánchez, Gisel Carrillo, and several people in the vicinity of Paseo de la Reforma?
The Mexican government is at war against the drug cartels and apparently the drug cartels had put a price on the head of Vasconcelos. The problem of figuring out the truth is exacerbated by the citizenry’s distrust; the Mexican government is not exactly known for disclosure. In fact, if the facts prove this was indeed an accident, how will people ever be convinced of it? Because no sign of any explosives were found in the wreckage; and the presumed cause of the crash is that the Lear Jet was adversely affected by turbulence from a large Boeing jet in front of it.
What: Learjet 45 flown by the Mexican government
Where: Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City
When: 04 NOV 2008
Who:Passengers included:
Why: At 18:45, although the aircraft was instructed to switch to the Tower frequency which the pilot acknowledged but never contacter Mexico Tower. The Learjet then crashed on the Avenida Reforma and caught fire. Several cars were destroyed and at least five people on the ground were killed.
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See the original at Aviation Safety net
Contact photographer Harro Ranter
Update:Thursday investigators found the “black box” voice recorder; the data recorder with navigation information was recovered on Wednesday. The boxes will be examined in the US. Rumors abound that the crash was not an accident.
Information released (In Spanish):
What: Learjet 45 flown by the Mexican government
Where: Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City
When: 04 NOV 2008
Who:Passengers included:
Why: At 18:45, although the aircraft was instructed to switch to the Tower frequency which the pilot acknowledged but never contacter Mexico Tower. The Learjet then crashed on the Avenida Reforma and caught fire. Several cars were destroyed and at least five people on the ground were killed.
United States investigators have been called in to help quell the rumors that the flight was sabotaged by drug cartels. Two investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration began working at the crash site on Tuesday night and the NTSB sent a team to investigate. Due to a history of government cover-ups, Mexicans don’t believe the Mexican government will tell the truth about the cause of the crash.
Click to view full size phot
Contact photographer Enrique C. Rivera
What: Learjet 45 flown by the Mexican government
Where: Mexico City
When: 04 NOV 2008
Who: Mexican Interior Minister Juan Camilo Mourino, Deputy Attorney General Josi Luis Santiago Vasconcelos and Miguel Monterubio Cubas, the director of social communication.
Why: At 18:45, although the aircraft was instructed to switch to the Tower frequency which the pilot acknowledged but never contacter Mexico Tower. The Learjet then crashed on the Avenida Reforma and caught fire. Several cars were destroyed and at least five people on the ground were killed.
United States investigators have been called in to help quell the rumors that the flight was sabotaged by drug cartels. Two investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration began working at the crash site on Tuesday night and the NTSB sent a team to investigate. Due to a history of government cover-ups, Mexicans don’t believe the Mexican government will tell the truth about the cause of the crash.
Eight are confirmed dead. 40 have been hospitalized. 1800 locals were evacuated. Sabotage has not been ruled out, because Jose Luis Santiago Vasconcelos, the deputy attorney general was a key player for years in Mexico’s army-led war on drug cartels. Mourino was 37, married with three children, and a rising star in Mexican politics.
What: ex-military Gazelle helicopter en route from Stratford-upon-Avon to Yeovilton in Somerset. The helicopter was co-owned by Rod (Rick) Praskey and fellow flying enthusiast Christopher Evans. Christopher Evans was NOT aboard.
Where: in open grassland about 800-900 feet high – one of the highest spots in Gloucestershire, crashed in a field at Langley Hill Farm in Winchcombe, near Cheltenham.
When: Noon Nov 1
Who: Two men (both West Midland company directors) and a woman; Pilot Rod Paskey, aged 55, from Fazeley, near Tamworth director of Dekko Exclusive Gifts, Laurence Bailey an executive of Cunningham Cash Registers. The 27 year old woman’s name has not been released.
Why: poor visibility is conjectured to be part of the cause of the crash. It had been flying in heavy mist. No survivors, no cause known yet. The helicopter was described as a wreck of mangled metal. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is investigating. Post Mortem examinations were due to be carried out Tues Nov 4
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer John R. Beckman
What: Lear jet en route from the north-central city of San Luis Potosi to Mexico City
Where: in the street street in an upscale business district in Mexico City
When: Tuesday Nov 4 during rush hour
Who: Eight people killed , including Mexican Interior Minister Juan Camilo Mourino, former Deputy Attorney General Josi Luis Santiago Vasconcelos and Miguel Monterubio Cubas, the director of social communication. Forty people on the ground were injured.
Why: The vice president of the national civil aviation rescue committee is quoted as saying, “It could have been anything, from mechanical failure to sabotage.” It appeared that something happened to the plane in the air before the plane nosedived straight into the ground.
What: ex-military Gazelle helicopter en route from Stratford-upon-Avon to Yeovilton in Somerset
Where: in open grassland about 800-900 feet high – one of the highest spots in Gloucestershire, crashed in a field at a farm in Winchcombe, near Cheltenham.
When: Noon Nov 1
Who: Two men and a woman
Why: poor visibility is conjectured to be part of the cause of the crash. It had been flying in heavy mist. No survivors, no cause known yet. The helicopter was described as a wreck of mangled metal. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is investigating.
What: Helicopter en route from Guatemala’s northern El Peten Province
Where: rainforest in the rural province of Verapaz, some 185 miles (300 kms) northeast of the capital
Guatemala City in northern Guatemala
When: Thursday
Who: Spanish businessman Virgilio Casado was piloting the helicopter along with fellow Spaniards Jose Luis Briz Mateo and Juan Calvo Torre. Carlos Sigfrido Hurtarte Rivas, a Guatemalan citizen, also died in the crash.
Why: Cause is under investigation but likely heavy winds and rain
After a search delayed by bad weather, the bodies arrived in Guatemala City on Friday. A local aeronautics official believes the helicopter ran into a cloud and lost orientation and control (by a pilot unaccustomed to flying by instruments.)
What: North Carolina based helicopter working to cut tree limbs and brush from a utility right of way
Where: Carroll Township, Washington County
When: Thursday, Oct 30
Who: Pilot.
Why: The pilot reports losing power precipitating forced landing. The unidentified pilot was conscious and alert when taken to the hospital by a medical evacuation helicopter
What: Airbus 320 en route from Manila to and Bacolod City
Where: Philippines
When: the flight landed safely at 5:37 p.m. local time
Who: Philippine Airlines pilot Alex Carvajal, 79 passengers
Why:Pilot suffered a stroke yesterday afternoon while he was at the controls. Co-pilot Donato Cabigo took over the helm and landed without incident. At the time, the pilot felt pain in his neck. The hospital termed it “a cerebrovascular accident” or a stroke
Video Courtesy of KSL.com
What: home-built airplane classified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as an experimental aircraft
Where: Cedar Fort
When: Tuesday just after 11 a.m.
Who: pilot, 62-year-old David Silfvast, from Salt Lake, and his passenger, 71-year-old David Edgerly both killed in the crash
Why: Under Investigation
There have been six deadly crashes in Utah since the middle of July killing 21.
What: 300-pound experimental aircraft taking off from Hiatt Airport
Where: neighborhood off Myrtle Drive in Thomasville, Davidson County
When: just after 5:30 p.m. November 1, 2008
Who: Pilot John Jones. There were no passengers
Why: The pilot walked away after the crash.
Friday, October 31 2008
It has been 12 years since 99 people died in the Tam Congonhas Fokker-100 accident.
On October 31 1996. TAM Transportes Aéreos Regionais Flight 402 set off for Rio De Janeiro and fell to earth minutes after take-off from Congonhas airport, spreading destruction on two building and seven houses, killing 99 people: 90 passengers, six members of the crew and three people on the street.
Inquiries of TAM and Fokker, (the company who manufactured the airplane) concluded that a malfunctioning relay caused he opening of the right reverser. In December 1997, the Aeronautics Report found TAM guilty and made Fokker responsible for imperfections in the airplane.
According to the Center of Inquiry and Prevention of Air Accidents (Cenipa) Report, during take-off, the reverser of the right engine of the Fokker-100 opened, and without any alarm, was set in motion, catching by surprise a crew in the command cabin that never was trained for this situation.
The report disclosed that on 28 of June 1995, the Fokker sent a letter claiming it was not necessary to train pilots for this type of emergency because it was impossible for the Fokker reverser to open during take-off.
The report says that a system changed altered the probability of imperfection in the system to one in ten million from one in a million.
One another factor helped to knock down the airplane: the contacts of a relay (controlling of electric circuits) that should have set in motion the alarm system. This relay, according to Douglas colonel Axe, head of the Cenipa, was found 13 days after the accident.
The human error that was the consequence of these other two situations: the lack of information on pane, caused by the burnt relay, and the lack of training for the situation by the manufacturer of the aircraft. According to report, the pilots had not followed basic recommendations.
According to colonel Axe, the pilots could have gained time if they had allowed the airplane to go up to stabilize, without “forcing the engine in pane because of the reverse.”
The Cenipa said that the only acknowledgment that the pilots had of the opening of the reverser was the brusque jib of the manual acceleration of the aircraft, then later when the airplane left the soil, the landing gear.
A computer animation showed how the pilots acted in a desperate attempt to discover what was occurring.
The tragedy timeline:
8h26m: The control tower authorizes the airplane to take off.
29 seconds: The airplane runs about 90 kilometers per minute in the track.
55 seconds: The airplane raises in flight. The reverse of right turbine opens and closes for the first time, without the pilot perceiving it.
70 seconds: The reverser opens for the third time and it does not close.
74 seconds: The Fokker stick starts to tremble and the airplane loses height.
79 seconds: The Fokker inclines to the right, the wing striking a three story building . The airplane blows up. Ninety and nine people die.
8h27m.
Postado for Jorge Tadeu Da Silva
Apologies for any errors in translation
