Cause

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    Russian Chopper Crew Lost in Peacekeeping Mission

    UN Russian Mi-8 helicopter crashed at an altitude of 2,700 meters in the Democratic Republic of Congo killing four.

    The UTair helicopter was returning to Bukavu when it crashed 35 miles from its destination.

    The four crew members were Russian. The crew was en route between Shabunda and Bukavu when it hit bad weather.

    The crash occurred in mountainous terrain that is inaccessible, but it has been located. Forty rescuers are en route on foot. The helicopter was part of peacemaking mission MONUSCO.

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    Air France Crisis Over Mumbai


    photographer Sergio Cardona

    On March 11, 2013, an Air France Airbus A330 en route from Mumbai to Paris developed an engine problem. The pilot shut down the engine and returned to Mumbai.

    There were almost two hundred passengers aboard the flight. None of them reported injury.

    Passengers disembarked, and were provided accommodations as an alternative flight was provided.

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    Indigo Suffers Gusty Winds on Landing, Stops on Soft Ground

    On March 9, 2013 at 13:05 an IndiGo Airbus A320-232 with 40 aboard was landing from Chandigarh to Mumbai when the plane veered off the runway and destroyed runway lights. The plane was struck by a gust of wind which knocked it off course. No passengers were injured.

    The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is investigating.

    It took a couple hours to clean up the runway after the incident.

    In George’s Point of View


    It has been in the news several times lately that Air traffic control is not reporting their knowledge of gusty wind conditions on the runways.

    Let us hope that this is not one if the incidents in which Air Traffic Controllers forgot or otherwise neglected to inform pilots of dangerous landing conditions. Of course, we are very pleased that no injuries were reported.

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    Delta Bombardier Stuck in Texas

    On March 11, 2013, Delta Flight 4302/Pinnacle Bombardier CRJ-900 en route to Atlanta had a runway overrun at Houston-William P. Hobby Airport.

    There were 76 passengers and a crew of 4 when the pilot veered off the runway instead of taking off at 6″45 a.m..

    The plane’s gear became mired in soft ground. The pilot reported a communications problem but got stuck while taxiing.

    Passengers disembarked and were taken to the gate on shuttle buses and rebooked on alternative flights.

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    Plane crash in Argentina

    On March 9, 2013, a Salvador Gortari Beechcraft F33A Bonanza en route from Resistencia Paraguay to Pehuajo with 3 aboard was en route when it crashed on the border of Chaco. Three people were aboard and there were three fatalities.

    The wreckage was located crashed in a field near the town of Santa Fe Villa Guillermina.

    Salvador Gortari was aboard the plane.

    The alert was published the evening of March 8 when the plane went missing over Chaco Santa Fe

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    Continental Settlement Multiple Causes


    In the 2008 Continental Airline crash at Denver International Airport, although the crash was blamed on pilot error, pilots did not have all the facts. How could the pilots do anything but fail to make proper rudder adjustments when air traffic controllers didn’t bother to tell the pilots about a forty-knot crosswind.

    The settlement will be “several million dollars.”

    Some passengers were not injured, but they all have to remember that after they jumped from the wreckage, it burst into flames.

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    Missouri Emergency Landing


    A Learjet diverted to Saint Louis Missouri and made a safe landing after the pilot experienced problems with the landing gear. The plane was coming from Wooster Ohio.

    The pilot was forced to circle Cahokia airport after experiencing trouble with the landing gear, planning to land at Parks Airport in Cahokia but eventually landing in Lambert.

    The pilot performed a flyby for the tower to inspect the landing gear, and subsequently burned off fuel, and landed without landing gear.

    None of the eight people aboard reported injury. Emergency services were on standby, and passengers exited the plane normally, and were carried via shuttle bus to the gate.

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    Belavia Flight diverts to Samara

    A Belavia Boeing 737-524 en route from Astana to Minsk diverted to Samara.

    Pilots reported a problem in the fuel system. There were 92 passengers aboard, none of whom were reported with any injury. Passengers were assured they would be able to reach their destination.

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    Crashed Plane Located

    The missing Ace Air Cargo/Alaska Central Express Beech 1900 freight flight from King Salmon to Dillingham was located wrecked twenty miles from the airport in Muklung Hills.

    At about 9:15 a.m., an emergency locator beacon had begun transmitting a signal.

    The plane crashed in rough terrain in stormy weather. The two aboard were reported as fatalities.

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    Delta Birdstrike in Charlotte

    At 2 pm on March 7, 2013, Delta Airlines Airbus A320-211 #N314US Flight 130 was just underway from Charlotte Douglas International Airport to Detroit when it suffered a bird strike and left a trail of parts on the runway. None of the 130 passengers reported injury.

    The flight was towed to the gate.

    The flight was cancelled and takeoff aborted.

    Passengers disembarked and were provided an alternative flight with a four hour delay.

    Emergency services were on the scene, but there was no fire.

    Serial number 160
    Type 320-211
    First flight date 14/01/1991
    Test registration F-WWDZ
    Plane age 22.1 years
    Engines 2 x CFMI CFM56-5A1

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    Danish Air Survey Crash

    On March 6, 2013, a Danish Air Survey, BioFlight A/S Partenavia P.68 Observer was on a bird counting mission when it made an emergency landing at Copenhagen-Roskilde Airport. Two people were aboard.

    The hard landing and fire virtually broke the plane in two and sent a plume of thick black smoke up in the air.

    The plane crashed on approach and caught fire. A large number of emergency vehicles responded to the scene, according to Ekstra Bladet

    A “large number” of emergency vehicles, including fire and rescue services arrived on the scene.

    The crash is under investigation.

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    Russian Sukhoi Superjet Makes Emergency Moscow Airport Landing


    On March 7, 2013, an Aeroflot Sukhoi Superjet registration #RA-89009 was en route from Moskow to Nizhny Novgorod when the landing gear failed. The gear doors failed to close.

    Pilots returned to Moscow, and maintained a holding pattern till they landed at 16:52. Pilots made a safe landing at Sheremetyevo Airport.

    No injuries to the 84 aboard (77 passengers, 7 crew) were reported.

    The Sukhoi Superjet has also suffered engine failures. Less than a month ago, Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency suspended flights of four of the 10 aircraft Sukhoi Superjet due to failures in the system of the chassis and wings.

    Video Below

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    Goldminer Flight Crashes in Peru

    March 6, 2013, a flight chartered by Minera Aurifera Retamas SA to carry employees to a job, crashed. The flight had taken off at 6:28 a.m.. The Aero Transporte SA Beechcraft B200 King Air was en route from Lima-Jorge Chavez International to Pias Airport when it crashed near Matibamba Peru in Quebada Caipa.

    Nine people were aboard—2 crew and 7 passengers. There were no survivors.

    The crash site was difficult to access. The plane crashed during bad weather, and struck power lines. Victims bodies have not been identified.

    The passengers aboard the plane were listed as:
    Zavalaga Fernando Gutierrez
    Paredes Ivanne Gutarra
    Canchari Luis Lopez
    Emma Canqui Sagua
    Giancarlo Gilio Huertas
    Jaime Gonzales Torres (GESCEL Company)
    Paul Marin Moscoso

    The plane was flown by Jorge and Manuel Ledesma Wasse.

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    Global Jet Luxembourg Crashes After Takeoff-One survivor


    On March 4, 2013, a Global Jet Luxembourg Raytheon 390 Premier 1A en route from Annemasse Airport France to Geneve-Cointrin airport Switzerland had just taken off when it glanced off the roof of a residence and impacted a field in the municipality of Cranves-Sales right after takeoff.

    One unidentified passenger died. The pilot died in the crash. His fifteen year old daughter.

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    Alaskan Airlines Emergency Landing in San Jose


    An Alaskan Airlines de Havilland DH8 en route from San Jose to Boise Idaho developed a fire in the right engine and made an emergency landing when it returned to the San Jose airport.

    Emergency services were on standby. None of the 47 passengers or six crew reported any injuries.

    The odor of burned metal was in the cabin, but no fire was found. Passengers were provided alternatives.
    Video

    http://bit.ly/Zfu8Uz

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    Six bodies recovered in CAA Crash in Goma


    On March 4th 2013, a CAA Compagnie Africaine d’Aviation Fokker 50 cargo flight en route from Lodja to Goma crashed in a residential area at Lake Kivu.

    The incident occurred during bad weather under conditions with low visibility on approach to the runway. The crash impacted residences.

    Six bodies were recovered and three survivors reported. The six bodies were reported to be the crew, and the survivors were the three passengers.

    CAA is banned from flying within Europe.

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    Beech Crash in Tefe Brazil, no injuries

    On March 2, 2013, a Beechcraft 58 Baron in Tefe, Brazil crashed on takeoff six feet from the end of the runway.

    Three people were aboard the flight. There were no fatalities or injuries but there was damage to the engine and the propellers.

    The investigation was initiated by the Seventh Regional Service and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (Seripa VII). The report should be done in three months.

    The pilot said there was a problem in opening the aircraft door during early flight.

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    San Antonio Family Flight Crashes in Angel Fire

    A Verhalen Flyers LLC Mooney M20E Super 21 en route from Angel Fire Airport with a family aboard was taking off in windy conditions when it crashed two hundred feet from the runway.

    The cause of the crash is unknown but officials point out the windy conditions which are visible in the video below.

    The four passengers—two adults and two children— a San Antonio family aboard were fatalities.

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    Helicopter Crashes in Slovakia’s Vah River


    On March 3, 2013, at 17:13 Eurocopter EC-120 Colibri crashed in Horný ?epe?, Sere? district in Slovakia after hitting a cable that was stretched between trees.

    The helicopter landed in the Váh river.

    Three wounded individuals were transported to University Hospital in Trnava where they were treated for hypothermia, head injuries, lacerations and abrasions.

    The thirteen year old son of the pilot was trapped in the helicopter and died at the scene.

    The injured parties include a twenty-one year old woman and a 42 year old man. They are in stable condition. The pilot is 40 years old. He is being investigated. Alcohol may have been a factor.

    Part of the helicopter was retrieved by firemen initially, and the rest recovered later and loaded on to an armed forces flatbed, with the assistance of divers and military technology.

    All of those aboard were Slovakian.

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    Airblue Crash Heirs Case Hits Immobile Object

    If you’re wondering about the Airblue 202 case, it has run into the politics of Pakistan. The situation has been piled high with difficulty. Even though I am an optimist and see opportunity in every difficulty, even though I have a great team of attorneys in Pakistan, and a great team here in the states coordinating on this case, there comes a time when we must realize where we stand. Despite our efforts, with the present laws and political situation, helping the families is like patching shattered glass with paste. It has been a very difficult to make things stick. Or to change metaphors, it has been an uphill climb.

    The Flight: 28 July 2010, Airbus A321, Air Blue Fight 202, en route from Karachi to Islamabad

    146 passengers and 6 crew members flew into a mountain near the airport. Witnesses wondered why it seemed as if “the plane had lost balance, and then we saw it going down.”

    Why it was flying so low? Why did it strike the mountain? Audio and a report were released that seemed to answer those question—lack of coordination in the flight crew.

    Our study of the audio indicates the pilots are served tea early on, then…

    • Confusion ensues in the cockpit, caused by some unknown reason.
    • Wrong settings introduced into the settings that were already abnormal.
    • A tower operator who had gone for coffee was complacent.
    • Aircraft flew lower than normal.
    • Abnormal personality traits/interaction reflecting mistakes in the cockpit.
    • Weather and apprehension and strange out of norm complacency by the FO when he realizes they are going to die

    When the audio was released and studied, it became clear there was no teamwork between the pilot Perve Iqbal Chaudhary and the first officer Muntajib Ahmed.

    The pilot had 35 years and more than 25,000 hours of flying experience but made inexplicable mistakes and demeaned the co-pilot. The first officer was aware of the danger and tried to amend the situation but he had been so disheartened beforehand by sharp questions putting the first officer “in his place.”

    He was unaccountably meek for a former F-16 Pakistan Air Force fighter pilot. The pilot did not properly respond to Air Traffic Control directives and automated cabin warning systems and flew the plane into a mountain. Air Traffic Control responses were less than professional. The first officer appeared helpless and ineffective.

    On January 17,2013, two and a half years after the accident, the Peshawar High Court closed proceedings for the Airblue compensation case.

    Counsel was directed to withdraw the client’s petition from the Islamabad High Court or the the Peshawar High Court. The client refused to do so on the basis that the cases were different. The court closed the case because the heirs of the victims had had filed an independent lawsuit at Islamabad High Court.

    We believed the Airblue compensation case had merit. The pilot committed the error. The first officer was ineffective. They were Airblue employees.

    Yes, there was pilot error, but the airline is doubly responsible, because the flight crew did not have adequate CRM training. (COCKPIT Resource Management/Crew Resource Management) Absolutely what happened in the case was the result of the airline failing to establish a working protocol.

    It’s like children at school practicing a fire drill so they know what to do when a crisis occurs. Fire drills save lives. They prevent missteps in the face of danger. They give the people in trouble a set of directions to follow that will get them out of the jam they are in. A drill answers questions ahead of time, so precious time is not wasted figuring out what to do. Without the drill, what happens when disaster strikes? Chaos. Loss of life.

    I feel bad for the people. First they lose their families. Then they don’t get all the compensation available to them.

    Take a look at the safety recommendations from the report (pasted below).

    See how 3.1-3.5 and 3.7 all duplicate the same working environment issue? Investigators recognize the troubled working environment. Today’s flight crews are taught CRM which means they have safe practices in place in case the captain is incapacitated and starts to fly into mountains like the captain of Air Blue 202.

    But realistically, will recommendations change AirBlue? Will Air Blue be able to implement non-traditional interpersonal relations on the job? And if they can not, how will they ever fly safely with a first officer culturally unable to do his job?

    The first officer was ineffective in securing the plane; and sadly, the court appears to be equally as ineffective in getting justice for some of the heirs of the victims.

    Re: Investigation Report -AB-202 CHAPTER – 13 :

    SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS

    13.1 All aircrew be re-briefed on CFIT avoidance and Circling Approach procedures
    and a strict implementation of this procedure be ensured through an intensive
    monitoring system.

    13.2 Aircrew scheduling and pairing being a critical subject be preferably handled /
    supervised by Flight Operations.

    13.3 The implementation of an effective CRM program be ensured and the syllabus of
    CRM training be reviewed in line with international standards.

    13.4 Existing aircrew training methodology be catered for standardization and
    harmonization of procedures.

    13.5 Human factor / personality profiling program for aircrew be introduced to predict
    their behaviour under crises.

    13.6 Instrument landing procedure for RWY-12 be established, if possible.

    13.7 Safety Management System be implemented in ATS as per the spirit of the ICAO
    document (doc. 4444).

    13.8 New Islamabad International Airport (NIIA) be completed and made functional on
    priority

    13.9 Visual augment system (Approach Radar Scope) be installed in control tower to
    monitor the positions and progress of aircraft flying in the circuit.

    13.10 Review of the existing Regulations for the compensation and their expeditious
    award to the legal heirs of the victims be ensured.

    13.11 Adequacy of SIB resources comprising qualified human resource and equipment
    be reviewed.

    13.12 Information to public on the progress of the investigation process through the
    media by trained / qualified investigators of SIB be ensured on regular intervals.

    13.13 NDMA be tasked to acquire in-country airlift capability for removal of wreckage
    from difficult terrain like Margalla etc. As an interim arrangement, some foreign
    sources be earmarked for making such an arrangements on as and when
    required basis.

    13.14 Civil Police Department be tasked to work out and ensure effective cordoning and
    onsite security arrangements of crashed aircraft wreckage at all the places
    specially remote / difficult hilly locations.

    13.15 Environment Control Department be directed to recover the ill effects of
    deterioration / damages caused to Marghalla hill due to the crash.

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    New Mexico Cessna Crash

    On Feb 27, 2013, a privately owned Cessna 150 was near Deming New Mexico when it crashed.

    Before ATC lost contact with him, the last message they received from pilot Carl Link was a distress call saying he was losing his vision.

    Someone in the area heard the plane fly but did not hear it crash.

    The plane impacted near State Road 26 and ended up wheels up a quarter mile from the dirt road.

    The pilot died at the scene.

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    Two Lost in Charco Rico Colombia Crash


    On Feb 26, 2013, an Aeroclub de Flandes Urraco Millenium Plus took off from Flandes with two aboard, pilot Jorge Orlando Ramírez Velásquez and his daughter Estéfanny Lorena Ramírez Isaza.

    Charco villagers heard a crash from the skies into the forest when the plane crashed. Emergency services responded to the scene. The pilot was trapped in the cabin, and his daughter suffered trauma. She had apparently tried to jump from the plane. There were no survivors reported.

    Ramirez belonged to belonged to Bogota and the Aeroclub of Flanders. He had been piloting his private plane. His daughter wanted to learn to fly.

    The accident took place in Carcorrico, in rural Ibagué, presumably due to weather conditions.

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    Volga-Dnepr Airlines taxi-strike in Russia


    On Feb 26, 2013, a Volga-Dnepr Airlines Antonov An-124 with sixteen aboard arriving from Ulyanovsk at Kaan International Airport was taxiing when its left wing struck a parked Tulpar Air Yakolev 42. You can see the damage it left.

    The damaged UTAir, lsf Tulpar Air is a Yakovlev Yak-42D that was unmanned and parked at the time of the incident.

    According to preliminary data, the culprit is the commander of the aircraft AN-124. The pilot apparently miscalculated the radius of the turn.

    8 of the sixteen aboard were crew. No injuries were reported.

    News reports say the pilot will be tested for alcohol.

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    19 Die in Egyptian Balloon Fire


    On Feb 26, 2013, a Sky Cruise Egyptian Airship Balloon, an Ultra Magic N-425 hot air balloon, was on a tourist flight and crashed. The balloon caught fire while being tied down. Original reports said there were eighteen fatalities, and two injured tourists. One of the injured tourists died at the hospital on the operating table.

    The pilot and one tourist survived.

    Three British, two French, one Hungarian, nine Hong Kong, one Egyptian and four Japanese tourists died when the balloon caught fire and fell into a field.

    Two people, including the pilot jumped out before impact. The pilot, who jumped at about 33-49ft is being treated for burns.

    Luxor has banned all balloon flight.

    Sky Cruise said a gas cylinder exploded on board. Crews were anchoring the balloon when the ropes entangled with the gas system powering balloon, severed the connection, and the gas caught fire.

    The British foreign office made this statement:
    We can confirm the tragic deaths of 2 British Nationals and 1 British resident following a hot air balloon crash in Luxor, Egypt earlier today. The next of kin have been informed and our thoughts are with them and their families at this difficult time. We are providing them with consular assistance. We can also confirm that one other British National was involved and is in a stable condition.

    We have had consular officials in Luxor since early this morning who have been focussed on providing consular assistance and supporting the Egyptian authorities. Our Ambassador to Egypt has met the injured British National and has offered our assistance”.

    View Video below