Cause

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    LAX Wake Turbulence


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Francisco Muro


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Rudy Chiarello

    updated
    What: American Eagle Embraer ERJ-140 en route from Lindbergh Field San Diego to Los Angeles
    What: LAN Airlines Boeing 767-300 from from Lima Peru to Los Angeles, CA
    Where: LAX
    When: Jan 19th 2010
    Why: At the time of the American Eagle’s arrival to LAX, both jets were flying at the same altitude. The danger was not collision. The danger was wake turbulence. Required separation behind the Boeing is 5 nautical miles.

    George’s Point of View

    Trailing behind an aircraft, wake turbulence is made up of multiple force drafts including wingtip vortices and jetwash. Jetwash is jet engine gas output which is turbulent but of short term but wingtip vortices can remain for up to three minutes.

    Picture, if you will, invisible speed bumps made of wind that could knock your car off the road trailing the car in front of you. If this were a factor with cars, tailgating would be a completely different thing.

    A cockpit voice recorder of the pilots responses will clearly indicate if the plane in the rear of the situation runs into the leading aircraft’s wake. What officials are questioning here are the actions and responses of LAX Air Traffic Control, which placed these two jets close enough to be endangered.

    On January 19, maybe Air Traffic Control error put the Eagle jet less than three miles from the 767, but the pilot managed to stay out of the other jet’s wake. LAX denies this is a case of inexperience and maybe they are correct, because the worst case scenario crash did not happen. Maybe it would have happened if the jet following were flying at lower altitude.

    What matters is that the flight landed safely and whether it was ATC or the pilot, someone did something right because both flights made it to the ground safely.

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    Turkish Boeing Lands Safely on One Engine


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Tommy Desmet

    What: Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800 en route from Istanbul to Stuttgart
    Where: Istanbul
    When: Jan 28th 2010
    Who: 42 passengers
    Why: After takeoff, the flight crew found an (undesignated) problem in the left engine. That engine was shut down, and the flight returned to Ataturk Airport for a safe landing. Passengers were rebooked when the flight was cancelled.

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    Nigerian Helicopter Crash Kills 4


    Pictured: A South Africa – Air Force Agusta A-109E LUH. (Photo of Nigerian Navy Agusta not available)
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Jacobus Saayman

    What: Nigerian Navy Agusta A109E Reconnaissance helicopter en route from Port Harcourt to Lago
    Where: Mmiri Ochiochi swams, in Obodo Isiokpo, Port Harcourt Nigeria
    When: Jan 26, 2010
    Who: 4 Fatalities
    Why: While en route from Warri via Brass to Port Harcourt, the helicopter crashed into a swampy area about 2 minutes flying time from Port Harcourt International Airport. Apparently naval officers on the scene prevented locals and reporters from taking photographs.

    The helicopter went into a spin, and emitted a bang before crashing. Locals on the scene used a machete to hack through a door to retrieve passengers in a rescue effort.

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    Another Aviation Emergency from ETHIOPIAN Airlines


    Pictured: An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-86R
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Konstantin Von Wedelstaedt

    What: ETHIOPIAN Airlines Boeing 757-200 en route from Bamako Mali to Addis Ababa
    Where: Ndjamena Chad
    When: Jan 29, 2010
    Who: 150 passengers
    Why: After circling N’Djamena for an hour and dumping fuel, the plane made an emergency landing in Chad on Thursday. The emergency was attributed to a radar problem. Earlier the same plane had electrical problems on an earlier leg of the flight.

    Why does this sound to me like an accident waiting to happen? Maintenance! Please!! Let us not have more bad news!

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    Galley Odor Diverts Flybe to Manchester


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Alastair T. Gardiner

    What: Flybe de Havilland Dash 8-400 from Birmingham to Aberdeen
    Where: Manchester
    When: Jan 26th 2010
    Who: 30 passengers
    Why: While en route, a burning smell was detected. The flight diverted to Manchester where it made a safe landing. Passengers debarked on the runway via stairs.

    The burning smell originated in the galley.

    A replacement jet was provided.

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    West Air Sweden Slippery Arctic Landing


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Jorgen Syversen

    What: West Air Sweden Canadair CRJ-200 on mail flight from Tromso to Longyearbyen
    Where: Longyearbyen Svalbard Airport, Norway
    When: Jan 25th 2010
    Who: 2 crew
    Why: On landing, the plane had a runway excursion.

    Adjudged to be due to poor braking conditions on the runway, the flight came to rest at angles with the runway and entirely off the paved surface of the narrow (45 meter) runway. Weather has been around zero degrees.

    Longyearbyen Svalbard is an Arctic village in an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean north of Europe, halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. There aren’t many places more isolated.

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    Thomson Airways Passenger Unruly


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Bostjan Henigaman

    What: Thomson Airways Boeing 737-800 en route from Cardiff to Las Palmas
    Where: en route
    When: Jan 25th 2010
    Who: 186 passengers and 7 crew
    Why: While en route, one of the passengers apparently suffered a panic attack, and attempted to enter the cabin, having to be restrained by crew and passengers.

    The passenger was taken into custody on landing.

    If this does turn out to be the case of a mental disorder (panic attack), one wonders what new steps will be taken to reduce incidents of this type. It seems as if unruly passengers are on the rise. Is it the reporting of the events that has changed or are passengers themselves changing, devolving into having less self-control? It seems like a trend-but what does it mean?

    Or is there a simpler answer? Is it that earlier generations of fliers respected planes more?

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    Oil leak Returns Dash to Calgary


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer John Olafson

    What: Air Canada Jazz de Havilland Dash 8-300 en route from Calgary to Edmonton
    Where: Calgary
    When: Jan 23rd 2010
    Who: 17 on board
    Why: After takeoff, the oil pressure began to indicate instability. When oil pressure began dropping, the crew decided to return to Calgary where they made a safe landing over what ultimately was a loose cap requiring about six liters to be replaced.

    George’s Point of View

    Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance!

    A deceptively. It’s rarely such simple carelessness– there might be a gasket somewhere needing replacement we never hear about.

    Reminds me of that old homily, “For lack of a nail, the kingdom was lost.”

    Fortunately, we didn’t lose the kingdom this time because someone did their job.

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    Flight Update: Ethiopian Death Toll Rising

    By nightfall tonight, 34 bodies have been recovered.

    Investigative crews sort through baby sandals, and airplane parts drifting ashore. People are questioning why the flight was not delayed due to the storm raging at the time of takeoff.

    The USS-Ramage, and US P-3 surveillance aircraft are helping with search and rescue efforts.

    The plane was last serviced on Dec. 25.

    Reports abound that the plane was seen to be on fire on its way down. If reports of an engine fire proved to be correct, it would have been difficult to handle at such a low altitude; but reports of a lighting strike, compounded by poor visibility and high winds compounded by a bird strike are equally as possible.

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    Hazards of Winter: Another Ground Crew Death

    What: Turkish Airlines Airbus A340-300 from Istanbul Ataturk Turkey to Bangkok
    Where: Istanbul
    When: Jan 24th
    Who: assistant de-icer
    Why: After de-icing, the airplane’s wing hit the de-icing hydraulic lift, struck the vehicle’s operator and knocked the lift on the assistant who died on the scene.

    George’s Point of View

    De-icing isn’t something we normally think about. Not for planes. Maybe those of us who have wintered in Chicago or New York have considered it. Those of us who have had to get up extra early to scrape the outer skin of ice and snow off of the car, even those of us who have had the forethought to stack a layer of cardboard over the windshield to limit the ice buildup, who turn on the heat inside so the commute will be tolerable. But frankly, scraping the windshield with the ice scraper, or knocking snow off headlights–with a car, it is usually not that hazardous–albeit sometimes slippery. Obviously de-icing a plane is significantly more dangerous. After all, the instructions on the back of an ice scraper fit on the ice scraper.

    The aircraft ground anti-icing operations manual available from ICAO runs 37 pages and cost $25. So there are 37 pages worth of established procedures to follow.

    News of a death makes me remember the ground crew who is working out there de-icing the plane while the passengers sit inside, all warm and cosy. It’s cold out there; and dangerous. More dangerous than we think about, but maybe we should.

    It’s only by learning from our mistakes, in aviation, and in every other industry that we progress. It’s too late for these two ground crewmen, one in Calgary, one in Thailand. But it’s not too late for us to learn from our mistakes–if mistakes there were.

    It has been just over a month since another de-Icing crew member in Calgarydied on the job. In that case, it was a Servisair ground worker who fell out of a cherry picker.

    In this latest instance, we haven’t really heard much yet. We know that the death occurred in Thailand, and that it was snowing heavily. The investigation will reveal the details of what happened. Who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. If the operator or crewman weren’t following guidelines–or the flight crew. The investigation will reveal who acted carelessly, or if it was simply an accident, and the plane just following the path of least resistance.

    I respect winter.

    And I respect ground crews. They brave the elements, just to make plane travel just a little bit safer. When you think about it, it’s a little bit heroic, and maybe a little bit sad how the ground crew works on plane after plane. It’s a little bit like a pastry chef who makes delicacy after delicacy, but never gets to eat them himself. The ground crew stays behind when the plane soars away.

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    Ethiopian Airlines Jet Crashes in Na’ameh Lebanon with 90 Passengers


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Alastair T. Gardiner

    What: Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 en route from Beirut to Addis Ababa
    Where: 2 miles west of the coastal village of Na’ameh.
    When: Jan 25 2010
    Who: 7 crew 83 passengers
    Why: Shortly after taking off in stormy weather and heavy lightning, Lebanese ATC lost contact. The plane disappeared from radar 45 minutes after leaving Beirut. Witnesses on the coast saw the plane as it crashed into the sea. So far 9 bodies have been found by members of the Lebanese army .
    Update
    Initial reports of 7 survivors, became 9 bodies, and now the count has reached 21 bodies.

    The site of the crash is 2 miles west of the coastal village of Na’ameh.

    Fifty-four passengers were Lebanese, 22 Ethiopian, two were British and there were also Canadian, Russian, French, Iraqi and Syrian nationals.

    A Cypriot police helicopter has joined the Lebanese army in the search for survivors, and two U.N. helicopters are on the scene.

    Ethiopian Airlines is state owned, and has a standing order of 10 of Boeing’s Next-Generation 737-800s
    —

    The Latest Press Release from Ethiopian

    ET-409 Incident – 25 January, 2010

    Ethiopian flight ET-409 scheduled to operate from Beirut to Addis Ababa on January 25th lost contact with the Lebanese air controllers shortly after take off. The flight departed at 02:35 Lebanese time from Beirut International Airport.

    Flight ET-409 carries 82 passenger plus 8 Ethiopian Crew members. Out of the total passengers 23 are Ethiopian, 51 Lebanese, 1 Turkish, 1 French, 2 British, 1 Russian, 1 Canadian, 1 Syrian, 1 Iraqi nationals.

    A team is already working on gathering all pertinent information. An investigative team has already been dispatched to the scene and we will release further information as further updates are received.

    About Ethiopian

    Ethiopian Airlines, one of the largest and fastest growing airlines in Africa, made its maiden flight to Cairo in 1946. With the recent addition of flight services to Mombasa and Monrovia, Ethiopian provides dependable services to 35 cities in Africa and a total of 56 international destinations spanning throughout four continents.

    Ethiopian won the NEPAD Transport Infrastructure Excellence Awards 2009 on November 25, 2009 and “Airline of the year award” from the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) on November 24, 2009, bringing the total Awards honored since January 2009 to five.

    In August, 2008, Ethiopian won “the 2008 Corporate Achievement Award” of Aviation & Allied Business for setting the pace towards the development and growth of the African aviation industry.

    Ethiopian is also the first African carrier to win the 2008 Brussels Airport Company Award in recognition of its distinguished long haul operations witnessed through the introduction of new routes, new products, and close cooperation with Brussels Airport in marketing activities.

    Ethiopian was the winner of the ‘2008 Best Airline in Africa Award’ at the African Travel Award ceremony in Lagos, Nigeria, for its excellent network and convenient connections in Africa.

    For more information please contact our emergency call center at:
    +251 11 517 8766, +251 91 150 1248, +251 91 125 5577, +251 91 120 3412 or our toll free number +251 11 662 0062

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    Greek Terrorism Hoax


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Kevin Gutt

    What: Sun Express Boeing 737-800 en route from Germany to Turkey
    Where: Thessaloniki airport
    When: Jan 22, 2010
    Who: 69 (?) aboard (62 passengers and 6 crew) (disagreeing sources)
    Why: After a crew member found a note written on a restroom mirror saying “Bomb. We are going to die today,” and an unknown person called the pilot and told him of a bomb on the aircraft, the crew diverted the plane to Thessaloniki airport.

    The plane was isolated and searched. However no bomb was found. An individual was briefly detained (first in Greece, later in Turkey) for having a pen with ink matching the message on the mirror .

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    Iran Crash Totals Plane, 157 aboard, 40+ injured, No fatalities


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

    What: Taban Air/Kolavia Tupolev TU-154 en route from Abadan to Mashad (but diverted to Isfahan due to visibility)
    Where: Mashad
    When: Jan 24th 2010
    Who: 157 passengers and 13 crew
    Why: The flight had earlier been diverted to Isfahan due to poor visibility in Mashad, and had overnighted in Isfahan. While continuing to Mashad today, a passenger became ill, but poor visibility in Mashad was still an issue. The pilot attempted to land in Mashad in low visibility conditions citing an emergency because of the critically ill passenger.

    On touchdown, the plane veered from the runway, the gear landing on an unpaved surface collapsed, one wing impacted the ground and the airplane caught on fire, resulting in fire damage at the rear, where the aircraft’s three engines are mounted. The vertical fin and horizontal stabiliser are no longer attached. Both wings were sheared off. 42 were injured, no fatalities.

    Iranian Disaster Management said “The plane went off the runaway upon landing and part of its rear end broke away.”

    The carrier has been grounded and their certificate suspended.

    More than a decade of problems with Iranian aviation has been attributed to the poor condition of their old fleet, their lack of maintenance. Now perhaps we can add weather.

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    Intoxicated Passenger Attempts Exit at 20,000+ feet


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Manas Barooah

    What: United Airlines Airbus A320-200 en route from Washington DC to Las Vegas
    Where: Denver
    When: Jan 23rd 2010
    Who: 129 passengers and 5 crew
    Why: Things were humming along normally on the flight when 24 miles from Denver, a passenger–who had taken medication and alcohol–was apparently disoriented and attempted to open the door. Other passengers subdued him; and the pilot made a stop in Denver to hand the passenger over to authorities (where the man will be going mental evaluation, and who knows what else, with attention from the FBI and police.)

    (And hopefully AA or The Betty Ford Clinic.)

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    TX: Instructor and Student Crash

    What: Tecnam P2002 Sierra
    Where: Sterrett Road / Ellis County Sportmen’s Club, Waxahachie, TX
    When: Jan 23 2010
    Who: flight instructor and student
    Why: While the plane was en route, witnesses saw the plane nosedive into a field 20 minutes after it took off from Dallas Executive Airport. The tail was reported to be sticking straight up.
    Link to photo of plane in flight

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    Unsecured Gear Induces Cimber Air Cancellation


    Pictured: Dramatic photo of a Cimber Air Canadair CL-600-2B19 Regional Jet CRJ-100LR filmed over Hamburg.
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Sönke Hofmann

    What: Scandinavian Airlines/Cimber Air Canadair CRJ-200 en route from Hamburg to Copenhagen
    Where: Hamburg
    When: Jan 22nd 2010
    Why: After takeoff, the pilot retracted the gear routinely but failed to receive the safe gear confirmation. The pilot returned to Hamburg and made a safe landing.

    The flight was cancelled.

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    Air France Rejects Takeoff In Mexico


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Rob Van Ringelesteijn

    What: Air France Boeing 747-400 en route from Guadalajara to Paris
    Where: Guadalajara
    When: Jan 21st 2010
    Who: crew (freight)
    Why: When the pilot aborted the takeoff due to alerts, the plane’s tires deflated due to overheating from braking. The flight was cancelled. We have no indication what the instrumentation indicated that caused the pilot to abort the takeoff.

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    Ace Lost At Sea


    Pictured: Alaska Central Express (ACE) Beech 1900C shot in Anchorage
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Ben Wang

    What: ACE Alaska Central Express Air Cargo Beech 1900C en route from Sand Point to Anchorage
    Where: Sand Point Alaska
    When: Jan 22nd 2010
    Who: 2 crew
    Why: While en route, the flight lost altitude, and then lost communication. It hit the sea around midnight.

    A search party has been formed. Some wreckage has been found near Egg Island.


    View Egg Island in a larger map

    We are hoping the crew will be found alive and intact.

    *** ACE Air Cargo Press Release ***

    January 22, 2010

    ACE Air Cargo has joined the search for our Beech 1900 aircraft, that disappeared shortly after departing Sand Point, Alaska with two pilots on board yesterday evening. At this time, we are focused on the welfare of our pilots and their families and will be releasing no further information at this time. We ask that the media respect the privacy of our employees and their families at this time. More information will be released as it becomes available.

    Click image to visit Ace site.

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    IndiGo Airbus Returns to Kolkata


    Pictured:IndiGo Airbus A320-232 over Ahmedabad – Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Sunandan Subramaniam

    What: IndiGo Airbus A320-200 en route from Kolkata to Chennai
    Where: Kolkata
    When: Jan 20th 2010
    Why: After takeoff, flaps were locked in position. The plane returned to Kolkata and made a safe landing. No indication is made if the flight was cancelled, replaced, or continued after repairs.

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    Aeromexico Embraer Emergency Landing


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Jorge Garcia

    What: Aeromexico Connect Embraer ERJ-145 en route from Hermosillo to Tijuana
    Where: 36 passengers and 3 crew
    When: Jan 21st 2010
    Who: 36 passengers 3 crew
    Why: On landing, the Embraer veered off the runway and came to a rest on the ground.

    Several passengers were reported to be in shock, but there were no other reported injuries. The plane’s fuselage incurred damage.

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    Fog Entrenched Boeing Lands On Maintenance Van


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

    What: Cargolux Boeing 747-400 freighter en route from Barcelona, to Luxembourg
    Where: Luxembourg
    When: Jan 21st 2010
    Why: While landing in low visibility due to foggy conditions, the Cargolux 747’s tires went through the roof of a maintenance truck whose crew was working on the runway ground lighting. The van’s driver was not hurt; the van was damaged by being landed on by the 747 (no doubt!), and the Boeing’s tires were damaged after going through the van’s roof. No one, however, was hurt, although the maintenance person was hospitalized for shock.

    George’s Point of View

    I would be shocked too, if a Boeing landed on my roof while I was working. If it were I who’d been landed on, I’d have to change my name to Chicken Little, because I’d never again trust that the sky wasn’t falling. (I hope this guy is well insured, because even if he’s physically ok, he’s going to need therapy.)

    On the other hand, that is why I don’t work on a runway. (And if I did, it would be in Thousand Oaks, California, not Luxembourg.)

    One does wonder if the maintenance vehicle was cleared, or precisely who was supposed to be where at that exact moment. Perhaps the maintenance was going on specifically because of the foggy conditions. It does sound like someone was not exactly in the right place at the right time. Or perhaps, someone in HR did not like the maintenance guy very much, and their brother-in-law was in line for that position if it opens up.

    Luxembourg is investigating to see what what wrong, and how and why. (Luxembourg is 998.6 sq mi in area. Rhode Island is 1,545 square miles. I know size doesn’t matter, but Luxembourg is still smaller than our smallest state. Bigger than DC though.)

    The Administration of Technical Investigations is determining the cause of the accident in order to recommendation measures to avoid a reoccurrence. (See 4 rules below.)

    The Directorate of Civil Aviation will conduct an investigation regarding compliance with established procedure. (If the procedure is not to stay out of the path of incoming planes, I recommend changing established procedure.)

    The Administration of Air Navigation is doing an internal administrative investigation. I.E. Where will the hammer fall.

    Hello. To avoid a plane landing on somebody, follow these simple rules:

    • Rule Number One. Stay off the runway.
    • Rule Number Two. If you’re landing a plane, and they tell you to land on a runway, make sure there’s no one on it so you don’t land on them.
    • Rule Number Three. If you’re not landing a plane, don’t go on the runway unless you work there. Even if you work at the airport, and they tell you to fix the runway lights, make sure no one is going to use that runway while you’re fixing the lights.
    • Rule Number Four. If the visibility is low and you can’t tell if the runway is clear, and you’re supposed to land on the runway but you can’t see it, tell ATC that if it is humanly possible, they have to find you someplace to land where there’s enough visibility to see to land.
    • Rule Number Four-C. (otherwise known as the Life is Not a Cartoon rule). If something is directly behind you, get out of the way. This means moving left or right, out of the path of the incoming vehicle, not moving forward. If something motorized is directly behind you running directly in front of it WILL NOT HELP. ( Even the roadrunner and Wiley Coyote knew this.)

    Not that aviation is actually that simplistic. It will be months before a legitimate opinion clears the committees. And of course, it is a good day when everyone gets out alive.

    Boeing is the world’s leading aerospace company and the largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft combined. It is still headquartered in Chicago and California