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    Hard Landing in Ottawa, Roughing it on United Airlines


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

    What: Trans States Airlines Embraer ERJ-145/United Airlines en route from Chicago to Ottawa
    Where: Ottawa International Airport
    When: Sep. 04 2011
    Who: 44 passengers, 3 crew
    Why: On landing in Ottawa, the plane slid, and veered off the side of the runway, with collapsed main gear struts.

    On Apr 28th 2011, an Embraer ERJ-145 landed in Moscow with collapsed main gear.

    Last year, another plane with the same airline also skidded off the runway into soft ground.

    Sunday’s passengers describe coming down from a dark cloud to land in rain.

    The landing is under investigation.

    In George’s Point of View

    I do not know if this runway is incorrectly graded for drainage, or if the ERJ-145 has a special problem with main gear struts or struts in hard landings.

    I do know I fly 100,000 miles on United in order to keep my status as a 1K member.

    I do not know if the maintenance of the aircraft is as terrible as the typical maintenance of United plane interiors. If so, then we have huge problems. The refurbished planes of two years ago already look worn out. The galleys are grimy looking the toilets are terrible.

    I could say bad things about the food, the lav hot water is not hot enough to meet standards required by most states for food workers, (where I have never seen Waterless Hand Sanitizers and for sure, NEVER have seen a food preparer or server wear gloves.)

    Is United maintenance absolutely out of control? Maybe this stretches to other airlines, economizing on staff and maintenance due to the times.

    I fly Delta, American, Virgin, they have some of the same issues, but, I see these problems in the United flights, no matter which direction I am headed.

    Who knows yet if this incident is runway or plane, pilot training or just an old plane that needs better maintenance. But whatever truths the investigation reveals, the fact remains that no one steps up to the plate until something bad happens.

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    Slippery Turkish Airlines Airbus On Skids in Mumbai


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

    What: Turkish Airlines Airbus A340-300 en route from Istanbul Turkey to Mumbai India
    Where: Mumbai
    When: Sep 2nd 2011
    Who: 93 passengers and 11 crew
    Why: After a fast landing in Mumbai on a slippery runway, the plane skidded off the runway onto mud, where it still sits.

    Passengers were provided an alternative flight. Photos of the jet on the runway show emergency slides. No injuries were published. The incident is under investigation.

    VABB 012310Z 19005KT 1200 R27/1400 RA FEW012 SCT015 FEW030CB BKN090 25/25 Q0999 TEMPO 0800 +SHRA
    VABB 012210Z 19005KT 2100 HZ FEW012 SCT015 FEW030CB BKN090 26/26 Q0998 TEMPO 1500 SHRA

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    Relief Flight Lost in High Wind, Samaritans Lost At Sea

    What: Grupo 10, Fuerza Aerea de Chile CASA 212 Aviocar en route from Santiago to isla Juan Fernandez
    Where: near the Juan Fernandez islands
    When: Sept 2, 2011 4:58 p.m.
    Who: 21 aboard, 21 fatalities
    Why: The Chilean air force plane on a relief flight attempted to land, but the landing was aborted twice as pilots fought hard winds. On the third attempt, the flight disappeared from radar, as witnesses saw it veer left.

    The plane went down off the coast of the island. Four hours after takeoff, the flight lost contact with ATC.

    No survivors have been found but some wreckage has been recovered.

    This was TVN’s second flight in support of the Desafío Levantamos Chile (rebuilding project.)

    Television personality 44 year old Felipe Camiroaga was aboard the plane to document reconstruction of Juan Fernandez island after the Feb. 27 magnitude-8.8 earthquake and tsunami. Business man Felipe Cubillos (brother-in-law of the defense minister ) was also aboard the plane.

    Rescue teams found an intact door and several knapsacks in the water about 2,000 meters yards from the airport.

    Those aboard the plane were:
    Televisión Nacional de Chile: Felipe Camiroaga, Roberto Bruce, Sylvia Slier, Carolina Gatica y Rodrigo Cabezón.

    From Desafío Levantemos Chile: Felipe Cubillos, Sebastian Correa, Joel Lizama, Catalina Vela Montero, Jorge Palma y Joaquín Arnold.

    Consejo de Cultura: Galia Carolina Díaz Riffo y Romina Isabel Irarrázabal Faggiani.

    Chilean air force: group commander from the Department of Communications, Rodrigo Fernández, and department journalist, José Cifuentes.

    From the crew: Hero 26-year-old pilot Carolina Fernández Flavio Olivo, Juan Pablo Mallea, first sergeant Eduardo Jones, Eduardo Estrada and Erwin Núñez.

    A navy frigate and a Hercules C-130 are among the search and rescue vehicles.

    In George’s Point of View

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    Gulf Air Airbus Skids into Mud On landing in Kochi.

    What: Gulf Air Airbus A320-200 en route from Bahrain to Kochi, India
    Where: Kochi
    When: Aug 28th 2011, 3.55 am
    Who: 137 passengers and 6 crew, 8 injuries
    Why: On landing in gusty wind and severe rain at Cochin International Airport, the plane skidded to the right and slid ten meters from the pavement into mud. The nose was damaged, and according to some reports, interfered with the operation of the slides; some slides were brought to the plane. Those who were injured were the ones who jumped. Said Muhamad, 47, sustained a fractured right ankle, left rib and left elbow and is recovering at Little Flower Hospital.

    One report says flight 270 hit an air pocket and overshot (or landed too far down) the runway. It may have been simple turbulence.The approach appears to have been too fast on the slick runway. No mention has been made of the runway surface, or if the runway had been resurfaced.

    According to Said Muhamad, the flight crew apparently did not adequately direct passengers, or explain what was going on, which may be why he did not wait for slides, and just jumped off the plane.

    The Metars:
    VOCI 282300Z 00000KT 4000 HZ FEW005 SCT015 OVC080 26/24 Q1008 NOSIG
    VOCI 282130Z 29005KT 3000 HZ SCT010 SCT080 26/24 Q1008 NOSIG

    Passengers disembarked quickly after it appeared (to them) that the pilot had lost control. Evacuation occurred promptly, after “Mayday!” “Evacuation!” was shouted in the plane’s cabin.

    Reports conflict as to the success of the emergency slides which did not apparently deploy perfectly, and some people jumped from the plane. There were 8 injured, one with extreme fractures.

    Evacuation was reported to be in more than twenty seconds. (though I interpret that to mean that the evacuation began within twenty seconds of landing—one can hardly picture 137 passengers and six crew members making it out of a disabled plane within twenty seconds.)

    The interior of the plane smelled like some kind of fumes, and the pilot was described as being in shock.

    Although the English video says otherwise, the flight originated In Bahrain, and landed in Kochi.

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    First Air Jet Crash Update


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

    What: First Air Boeing 737-210C en route from Yellow Knife to Resolute
    Where: near Resolute Airport, Nunavut, Canada
    When: August 20, 2011
    Who: 4 crew, 11 passengers, 12 fatalities
    Why: After the First Air jet was on final instrument landing system approach to 35T but failed to update its position.

    The fog obscured its location, but shortly afterwards, lifting fog revealed the burning wreckage broken into three pieces, and the scattered 2,250 kilograms of food the flight was carrying. That food has been of interest to hungry polar bears, and a trial to forensic crews protecting the evidence.

    Remains of the passengers have been recovered. Eleven individuals were flown to Ottowa for identification. The black boxes have been recovered and taken to an Ottawa lab.

    The Air Line Pilots Association has been declared an official observer of the crash.

    Note: CFIT is a “Controlled flight into terrain,” an accident in which an airworthy aircraft under pilot control is unintentionally flown into an obstacle.

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    Petrobra Oil Field Chopper Crashes off Coastal Brazil


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

    What: Senior Táxi Aéreo Agusta Westland AW139 from oil platform to Rio de Janeiro
    Where: in the Campos Basin, Rio de Janeiro
    When: August 19, 2011, 17:15
    Who: 4 aboard, 4 fatalities
    Why: On Friday afternoon, the chopper charted to Brazilian oil major Petrobras set out from the PetrobrasP-65 platform en route to Macaé.

    While miles from shore, the crew declared emergency, and went down 100 km off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. Contact with the chopper was lost at 17:00 local time.

    A Bandeirante Patrol plane and two search Brazilian military aircraft, the 4th Squadron of the 7th Aviation Group, a H-34 Super Puma helicopter, and the 3rd Squadron of the 8th Aviation Group initiated a search for the downed Senior Táxi helicopter. In all, there were five aircraft, a helicopter and four ships, including a Guajará Navy patrol vessel and a Lynx helicopter on standby in the area.

    After two days of searching in rough seas, three bodies were found on the ocean floor 100 meters down and 62 miles from the coast. One body is still somewhere in the ocean.

    The fatalities are listed as Rommel Oliveira Garcia, pilot, Lauro Pinto Haytzann, co-pilot, both employees of Senior Air Taxis, and passengers Ricardo Leal de Oliveira from the company Engevix, and Joao Carlos Pereira da Silva, the Brasitest inspector.

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    Mystery Boeing Crash in Nunavut Canada


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

    What: First Air Boeing 737-210C en route from Yellow Knife to Resolute
    Where: near Resolute Airport, Nunavut, Canada
    When: August 20, 2011
    Who: 4 crew, 11 passengers, 12 fatalities
    Why: On approach to Resolute Bay Airport, the plane impacted the hillside. The wreckage was found five miles from the airport.

    Three survivors were recovered. There were twelve fatalities, including the entire crew. Two survivors (a seven year old and a 48 year old) were taken to Ottawa hospital, and the third (a 23 year old woman) is reported to be stable at Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqaluit where all of the survivors were originally taken. Two forensic teams are on the scene (one to identify the bodies, and one for accident investigation), and the black boxes have been recovered.

    The weather at the time of the crash was he weather was rainy with a low cloud ceiling, and reported to be patchy fog. A mock rescue military exercise was going on with 700 military personnel when the crash was reported. They responded to the crash with helicopters and medical personnel. Eleven RCMP personnel were also part of the rescue unit. The senior administrative officer, Ralph Alexander, said it wasn’t foggy enough in Resolute at the time of the crash to have caused the accident, and that planes landed there in worse visibility. However there have been reports of locals hearing the impact but not seeing anything because of dense fog. The charred wreckage is in three parts with smaller plane parts and remains scattered.

    The crash site is less than two kilometres west of Resolute, a small tight-knit community with many individuals directly affected by the twelve fatalities.

    The passenger manifest has not yet been made public but the owner of South Camp Inn, Aziz (Ozzie) Kheraj, reportedly lost a granddaughter on the crash, and one survived.

    First Air held a news conference at in Kanata, Ontario on Sunday at 11 a.m. ET.

    Transport Canada issued the following release:


    At approximately 12:30 EST, First Air Flight 6560 from Yellowknife to Resolute Bay crashed on approach to Resolute Bay. There were 15 passengers on board. At this time, 12 people are thought to be dead and three injured. Our thoughts go out to those affected by this tragic accident.

    Transport Canada has appointed a Minister’s Observer, who will keep TC informed of the investigation’s progress. We will cooperate fully with the Transportation Safety Board who is currently on site investigating this accident.

    The Canadian Armed Forces are in Resolute Bay for Exercise Operation Nanook 2011 and are responding in support of emergency operations to the situation.

    Contacts:

    Media Relations
    Transport Canada, Ottawa
    613-993-0055

    First Air published this:

    On Sunday August 21, 2011, First Air Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Chris Ferris, made the following statement to the media from the First Air Head Office in Kanata:

    As you are aware, yesterday at 12:40pm First Air experienced a tragic loss of
    charter flight 6560. We are deeply saddened by this tragedy and offer our sincere condolences to the families.

    The details we have at this time are as follows: a First Air Boeing 737-200 combi travelling from Yellowknife to Resolute Bay, went down 5 miles from the airport. The flight was carrying 11 passengers and four crew. There were 12 fatalities including all four crew members.

    Our first priority has been contacting and looking after the families of passengers and crew. Out of respect for the passengers, our crew, and their families, we are not releasing any names or passenger details.

    The three injured passengers were Medivac’d to Iqaluit for further treatment last evening. Two of the three passengers have since been moved to Ottawa, while the third remains in Iqaluit in stable condition.

    At this time the cause of the accident is unknown. The Transportation Safety Board is conducting their investigation and First Air is cooperating fully.

    Our thoughts and focus are with the families and friends of the passengers and crew; and the community of Resolute Bay. Field teams including counsellors, have been deployed to provide support in Resolute Bay, Yellowknife and other main stations in our network.

    We would like to thank the Canadian Military whose on-site presence and immediate response was instrumental in the rescue efforts.

    We will be providing further updates as they become available.

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    Planes Disappear after Airshow, No sign of Planes yet

    What: P166 Albatros ( Ex SAAF) x 2
    Registration: ZU-MM (NJX Partnership)
    Registration: ZU-ACI (owned by Gruar Brian)

    Where: Mountains South Of Tzaneen, South Africa
    When: August 14, 2011
    Who: 12 aboard
    Why: Two planes which had been flying in the Tzaneen Air Show took off afterwards to ferry passengers to Johannesberg.

    The flights were en route to Rand Airport in Germiston but did not arrive. The weather over Tzaneen was described as “bad.” The identities of the (missing)12-14 aboard have not been released and the planes have apparently not yet been found.

    The pilot of one of the missing aircraft is businessman Gruar Brian of Johannesburg. His wife and two young children are believed to be aboard and Mr Kevin Woolocott Ordinance program coordinator of the air show was one of the passengers. The copilot was Peter Oldenburg.

    Also presumed aboard are Mmes. Warden Louise Spence and Tess, photographer Frans Dely.

    The Wolkberg area near Tzaneen and George’s Valley in Limpopo are being searched. The search for the planes with six helicopters and military aircraft was delayed due to poor visibility due to fog, and has resumed. The mountainous terrain has made the search more difficult.

    Piaggio P166 planes are twin engine mediumsized aircraft, and ex air force planes.

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    Pia Emergency Landing at Rawalpindi airport

    What: Pia flight en route from Multan to Islamabad
    Where: Rawalpindi airport in Pakistan
    When: August 12, 2011
    Who: Eight injured, 300+ aboard
    Why: While en route from Multan to Islamabad, the flight encountered bad weather, and made an emergency landing in Rawalpindi.

    One person was seriously injured.

    We will update with further details.

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    Chopper Crash Kills 10

    What: PT Nyaman Air Bell 412 Chopper chartered by PT Nusa Halmahera Minerals en route from Manado Sulawesi Island in Indonesia to the Gosowong Mine
    Where: Manado, Bitung, North Sulawesi
    When: August 2, 2011, 2:30
    Who: 10 aboard, (8 employees and 2 flight crew)
    Why: The helicopter PK-FUG flown by pilot Edi Purnomo crashed into Mount Dua Saudara while en route. Nine aboard died in the crash, including two Australians, two South Africans and four Indonesians were passengers on the flight. The crew were Indonesian.
    The flight was missing initially. Foggy weather hampered the search until it was finally found at 2 a m August 3, with one survivor, who died en route to the hospital. Work has been suspended at Newcrest’s Gosowong gold mine in North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

    The chopper took off at 4:26 a.m. and lost contact with ATC shortly after takeoff.

    The chipper was a joint venture between Australia’s Newcrest Mining and Indonesian company Aneka Tambang.
    Contact information for the families:

    Callers from Australia – 1800 267 616 Callers from PNG – 0008 661 164 Callers from Indonesia
    o Landline – +62 21 7884 6956 ext 4005
    o Mobile – +62 816 237002 Callers from other countries
    o Landline – +61 3 9522 5562 o Mobile – +61 419 654 092

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    Airblue 202 A Year Later


    India’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has issued a statement which they are calling an interim report. It is not what we would call an interim report, but appears to be a report that there is a report that restates the facts as they were known already, not containing actual investigation output. The media has already highlighted the findings of the interim report several times. The report notes that the investigation covered system issues, fire, bird strikes, etc but does not mention causes or place responsibility, and promises a release when component manufacturers have responded.

    So basically, the families have waited a year for the Air Blue Interim report, on the July 28 flight from Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport to Benazir Bhutto International Airport and still have no satisfactory answers.

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    Antonov Overshoots Runway in Rough Weather

    What: IrAero Antonov An-24RV en route from Chita to Blagoveshchensk
    Where: Blagoveshchensk Airport, Russia
    When: August 08, 2011
    Who: 35 passengers, 5 crew, 10+ injuries
    Why: On approach to Blagoveshchensk airport, the plane encountered rough weather and overshot the runway.

    The plane encountered wind shear on approach, injuring ten passengers. The plane lost a wing in the landing, and the fuselage was damaged, coming to rest 200 meters from the runway. Three children were aboard.

    A passenger said (loosely quoted) “We were sitting closer to the wing. As soon as the plane touched the ground, it started to shake. Panic among the passengers, nobody knew what was happening. I heard children crying. When the plane finally stopped, I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God, still alive!”


    Link to photographer, Sergey Makarov
    Email Sergey Makarov

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    NTSB launches team to assist government of Guyana in aviation accident

    Washington – The National Transportation Safety Board launched a team of investigators today to assist the government of Guyana with its investigation into yesterday’s accident at Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Georgetown, Guyana, involving a scheduled passenger flight.

    On July 30, 2011, at approximately 1:25 am (EDT), Caribbean Airlines flight 523, (Trinidad & Tobago registration 9Y-PBM), en route from Trinidad to Guyana, overran the runway during landing at Cheddi Jagan International Airport in Guyana. Preliminary information from the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) indicated that one serious and multiple minor injuries were reported aboard the Boeing 737-800, carrying 156 passengers and six crewmembers.

    The NTSB designated Bob Benzon as the U.S. Accredited Representative. He will lead the U.S. team, which includes seven NTSB staff with expertise in operations, meteorology, airworthiness, survival factors, and aircraft performance as well as representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing. The team is scheduled to arrive in Guyana this evening.

    The Guyana CAA is leading the accident investigation. The accident aircraft recorders have been recovered and, at the request of the CAA, will be transported to NTSB headquarters in Washington, DC to be downloaded.

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    Moroccan AF Plane Down, 80 fatalities


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

    What: Royal Moroccan Air Force Lockheed C-130H Hercules CNA-OQ en route from Dakhla Western Sahara to Goulimime Airport, Morocco (Flight global released the route as Agadir-Eyes-Dakhla)
    Where: 6.3 miles East of Goulimime (Guelmim)Airport,Morocco
    When: 26 JUL 2011 at 9 a.m.
    Who: 80 aboard, (9 crew, 71 passengers) 80 fatalities
    Why: The Royal Moroccan Air Force C-130 Hercules transport plane was in a mountainous area near Goulimime/Guelmim when it crashed into a mountain and was destroyed. The flight originated at Dakhla Airport, and was scheduled to land in Kenitra with scheduled landing in Goulimime.

    Eighty occupants were killed; most were members of the Moroccan Armed Forces. The airplane carried nine crew members, 60 troops (including 9 RMAF flight crew) and 12 civilians. It operated on a flight from Dakhla to Kinitra with an en route stop at Goulimime.

    Sixty troops were aboard, and a dozen civilians. According to some reports, there were three survivors; other reports say there were no survivors. Three survived the crash, but not the ride to the hospital. The remains have been taken to the military hospital at Guelmin.

    Initially, the flight was reported as carrying 81, but one person did not board in Laayoune.

    The crash has been attributed to inclement conditions.

    Three days of national mourning were declared by King Mohammed VI.





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    Private Chopper Crashes Carrying Australian Concrete Entrepreneur

    What: DAVCRON PTY LTD Bell 206
    Where: South Turramurra, Sydney Australia
    When: July 22, 2011
    Who: 2 fatalities
    Why: While on a routine flight from Rosehill to the owner’s hanger in Wyee, the bell chopper crashed north of Sydney while flying in a heavy downpour. The wreckage was spread in a hundred meter area at the foot of a cliff in Lane Cove National Park. The pilot and passenger were confirmed dead. Emergency services could only reach by rappelling down. Recovery has been postponed till the weekend because of continued bad weather.

    Witnesses say they may have seen something fly off the back of the helicopter and one witness said the helicopter was upside down when it fell. Descriptions of the troubled helicopter included “clattering” and “explosion.”

    Initially the victims of the crash were not known, but their names have been released. The bodies of pilot Colin Greenwood, 35 and 85 year old Businessman Bruce Campbell were found in the wreckage.

    Officials say the pilot had filed a flight plan although it was not required.

    Campbell founded Davcron Engineering Pty Ltd and owned the chopper which regularly on Fridays flew him to his semi-rural home. Campbell has three sons and is a grandfather of five.

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    Pilots Blamed in Aires Crash


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

    What: Aires Boeing 737-700 en route from Bogota to San Andrés Island Colombia
    Where: Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport on the Colombian island of San Andres
    When: August 15 2010, 2:15 a.m.
    Who: 131 aboard, 6 crew, 4 minors, 121 adult passengers
    Why: Prior to touchdown, the plane was struck by lightning (11 strikes recorded within 6 miles of the runway within a five-minute span of the crash)

    According to Colombian media sources, Colombian aviation inspectors blame the pilot for not “adjusting” to flying in the high wind due to flying in too low an altitude.

    The plane crashed and broke into three pieces. 115 were injured and one died; Maria Camila Angarita was a second casualty when she died in the hospital.

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    Thai Chopper Down

    What: Royal Thai Army Aviation Bell UH-1H Huey
    Where: between Phetchaburi and Ratchaburi, Thailand
    When: July 16 2011
    Who: 5 fatalities
    Why: A chopper on a mission (air ambulance flight) to rescue civilians trapped in Kaeng Krachan National Park crashed, killing 5 army officers aboard. Visibility was poor, with heavy rain and thick fog.

    The chopper had taken off from Thap Phraya Sua Camp in Ratchaburi’s Suan Phung district.

    The soldiers lost in that crash were Maj. Kitisak Chin-iam (First pilot), Lt. Pratya Nualsri (Second Pilot), Maj. Kitiphum Ekkaphan (Deputy Commander of the 2nd Infantry Battalion of the 9th Infantry Regiment), Sgt. Maj. Rangsan Polsaibua and Sgt. Maj. Narongdet Pongnumkul (both Flight Mechanics).

    The crash occurred between Phetchaburi and Ratchaburi in the jungle. Retrieval has been hampered by continued bad weather, but four helicopters have participated in recovery, as well as forest rangers and border patrol.

    Condition and status of the stranded civilians has not been released but they appear not to have been aboard the chopper at the time of the crash.

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    Family lost in Cessna Disappearance in Puerto Rico Day Trip

    What: Ernesto Ortiz(private owner) Cessna A185F Skywagon en route from Culebra to Ponce Mercedita
    Where: 1 mile from Yabucoa Puerto Rico
    When: July 1, 2011
    Who: 5 aboard
    Why: When the plane failed to reach its destination, a search began for the lost Cessna. It was apparently lost in a storm.

    The family was visiting from Hapeville Georgia and had flown to Puerto Rico for a day trip.

    The missing were identified as Antonio Torregrosa Sánchez, 65, pilot of the ship, Sonia Torregrosa Torres (68 years), Edd Diorio (58), Rosarito Villa Gomez (19 years) and Mario Villa Gomez, 13. Coast Guard Cutter Key Biscayne and response boats from the San Juan boat station have continued to search, along with local authorities and Puerto Rican Emergency Management. The Federal Aviation Administration tracked the plane’s radar history to its last point of contact, approximately a mile off the Yabacoa coast. Only the remains of Maria have been found.

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    Names Released in Construction Chopper Crash in Norwegian Mountainscape

    What: Airlift AS Eurocopter AS 350B3 Ecureuil
    Where: between Dalamot and Busete in Hardanger, Hordalan, Norway
    When: July 24, 2011, 21.30
    Who: 5 fatalities
    Why: About to transporting building materials into the mountains during heavy fog, the Airlift to Dagbladet helicopter crashed and caught on fire. The witnesses were part of a crew that had flown in earlier. A crisis team from Eidfjord and Ullensvang is on the scene.

    The Airlift company had a fleet of 17 helicopters.

    Police and fire departments, two air ambulances and at least two Sea King helicopters were engaged after emergency services were called. Three of the deceased were found quickly, and the other two took longer to find. The pilot was also killed in the crash.

    The crash occurred in a remote location far (5 hours walk) from a road. It was so remote that the individual who reported the crash had to travel to a location where there was phone service coverage.

    The state agency Havarikommisjonen is investigating.

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    RusAir Update


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

    What: Rusline/Rusair Tupolev TU-134A en route from Moscow to Petrozavodsk
    Where: outskirts of the Besovets village, Petrozavodsk, Russia
    When: Jun 20 2011 at 11:40 pm
    Who: 43 passengers and 9 crew
    Why: Family members of the 44 deceased victims of the RusAir crash attempted to identify the bodies of their loved ones in Petrozavodsk, although visual identification in some cases was impossible. For those victims, DNA identification will be employed.

    The RusAir crash occurred in heavy fog, carrying passengers from the Ukraine, Sweden, Holland, plus four people with dual Russian-U.S. Nationalities. The video below was released on 2011-06-23

    Read More

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    Details on the Tu134 RusAir Crash


    On board RusAir Flight 9605, there were 9 crew members, and a total of 52 people, 44 of whom died on the scene. At this time of the year, in Petrozavodsk, this is the time of White Nights so the accident occurred in subdued daylight. One died on 22 June 2011.

    Nationalities have been released:
    one Swede
    one from Netherlands
    two Ukranians
    4 with US/Russian citizenship (dual)
    Fatalities include chief designer of Gidropress Sergei Ryzhov, and the deputy CEO and chief designer, Gennady Banyuk, and football ref Vladimir Pettay.

    While on final approach to Petrozavodsk Airport in poor weather and heavy fog, Flight 9605 crashed on the A133 highway, 3900 feet shy of the runway. The weather during the arrival of the flight was deteriorating from OVC005 to OVC003 to fog with zero visibility. The black boxes were recovered. The fire at the crash was extinguished 45 minutes after midnight. The Tu-134 was 31 years old.

    Russia is considering removing the Tu-134 from service.


    Click title to access Karelia plane crash video

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    5 Die in Mountainous Crash in Andorra, 1 Burned Crewman Struggles For Survival

    What: Inaer/Helland Helicopter en route to Juclar
    Where: Estany de Juclá – Canillo, Andorra
    When: June 15, 2011
    Who: 6 aboard, 5 fatalities, 1 serious injury
    Why: At 10:30 am, a flight transporting equipment and supplies to Juclar crashed in a mountainous area near the Andorran town of Canillo. Four bodies were immediately being recovered; one was missing, having been ejected from the chopper. One individual survived with serious burns on 70% of his body, and was evacuated to Barcelona by chopper to the Hospital Vall d’Hebrón de Barcelona..

    The helicopter is reported to be of French origin and registered in Spain. Forensic and technical experts are on scene; and the investigation will include Spanish officials, and representatives of the French helicopter buildern.

    A field hospital has been set up to care for the victims’ families whose names were not released but were all reported to be “members of the crew.”

    Inaer, the company which owns the helicopter, stated the accident is due to bad weather and low visibility due to foggy conditions.

    Although the original report lists one as missing, the body of the missing person was found.

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    Windy Utah Crosswind Crash Kills 4

    What: Cessna 172R Skyhawk
    Where: Tooele County-Wendover Airport – Kenv Utah
    When: June 1, 2011
    Who: 4 fatalities
    Why: The pilot of the Cessna was making a fuel stop at Wendover airport when he ran into difficulty, termed “a tough crosswind landing.” He approached for touchdown, bounced and turned north to make a second pass, and crashed 400 feet north of the runway. The four men aboard died in the crash.

    Wind is considered to be a factor in the crash.

    The names of those aboard the flight are Lincoln Marshal Dastrup, 57, of Salt Lake City, Chad A. Wade, 38, of South Jordan, Justin Michael Yates, 37, of Lehi, and Harish Parashar, 53.

     

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    Medical Evacuation Crash Kills 7 Aboard, 3 on Ground

    What: Air Charter Services Pvt. Ltd Pilatus PC-12/45 en route from Jagdish Memorial Hospital to Apollo Hospital.
    Where: Faridabad
    When: May 25, 2011 10:45 pm
    Who: 7 aboard, 3 on the ground, 10 fatalities
    Why: After the pilot reported flying into bad weather, the plane transporting a patient from a Patna hospital to Apollo Hospital (Delhi) and carrying two doctors, two attendants, the pilot and the co-pilot crashed onto the rooftop of two houses in Parvatiya Colony. The plane’s nose broke off and fell to the street below. It appears that local residents may have taken the propellor and other parts of the plane. It did not carry a cockpit voice recorder or a data recorder.

    After the crash, the plane and scattered medical equipment remained on the roof. The 22-year-old patient, was Rahul Raj and the plane’s crew was Dr Rajesh, Dr Arshad, Captain Harpreet, co-pilot Manpreet Kataria, Ratnesh Kumar and male nurse Cyril. Rahul and Ratnesh were cousins, and both residents of Bettiah in West Champaran. Raj, who was in a coma and on a ventilator was being transported to treat jaundice and complications of hepatitis.

    In the Sehrawats house, fifty five-year-old Vedvati, her daughter Sarita (19) and daughter-in-law Rani (20) died in their house in Gali, 3 Mukesh Kunj at 10.35 pm. Because of the heat, they were on the roof at the time of the crash.

    Sobharam Sehrawats, his son Deepak, and nephew Yash were injured.

    The other house that was damaged (but no fatalities) was owned by 37-year-old Chittaranjan Singh.

    Both the 3 residents of the house(s) and the 7 aboard the plane were burned beyond recognition.

    An Indian Airlines flight to Delhi which was due to leave at the same time stayed on the tarmac at Patna instead of flying into the strong winds.

    The plane disappeared from radar at 10:45 pm. It was reported that at the time of crash, strong winds were affecting planes landing at IGI airport. The DCGA is not carrying out the investigation, but it will be carried out independently.


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    Colombia Chopper Crashes

    What: Aviheco Bell 206L-3 LongRanger III en route from Bucaramanga to Sardinata
    Where: El Alto, Lourdes, Norte de Santander Colombia
    When: May 23, 2011 4 pm
    Who: 2 aboard, both fatalities
    Why: Pilot Rodrigo Javier Acosta and tech Jorge Velez Valbuena died in the Aviheco helicopter crash in Colombia. The helicopter may have been struck by lightning or taken down by other storm related condition. The wreckage went down in an area known as “Los Cables” on the “La Aguadita” farm in the village of El Alto. The helicopter was on a reconnaissance flight sponsored by an oil company with local wells . The bodies have been recovered by the Civil Defense commission.