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    Casualties Released in Helicopter Crash


    What: 2007 Robinson R44 Helicopter en route from Saint Anne des Plains, Que. to the pilot’s cottage site at Lac Simon
    Where: northeast of Ottawa, in Lac Simon in western Quebec
    When: 6 p.m. Wednesday
    Who: Leo Blanchet, 63, and pilot Serge Louiseize, 49. Two survivors swam to shore in 1 C water. One is Mario Louis-Seize (the pilot’s brother); the other a company employee.
    Why: The pilot’s brother said as his brother was trying to land, the helicopter’s rotor hit the water, bringing the aircraft to a standstill.

    Witnesses saw it fall from the sky into the lake “6 p.m. Wednesday, entering the lake about 50 metres from shore, where the water was about 12 metres deep.”

    Police divers, local firefighters and a Canadian Forces were searching for the missing men whose bodies were recovered Thursday Morning. The survivors are recovering from hypothermia in a Buckingham hospital.

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    AA Emergency Landing in Albuquerque


    What: American Airlines Flight 369 McDonnell Douglass MD 88 (mad dog) en route from New Orleans to Albuquerque
    Where: Albuquerque International Sunport on Sunport runway 2-6
    When: just before 2:00 p.m. Sunday.
    Who: Over a hundred passengers
    Why: pilot reported problems with one of the plane’s landing gears; sensor light warning indicated the gear was not locked and down.

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    Perm Plane Crash

    82 passengers and six crew members were killed in the Perm plane crash in the Ural Mountains of central Russia.

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    2 Dead in Venezuela Helicopter Crash


    What: helicopter working with a tuna-fishing boat in international waters
    Where: fell in international waters southeast of Punta Burica, land shared by Panamanians and Costa Ricans
    When: Saturday
    Who: the person’s identity and nationality have not yet been established.
    Why: unknown. Panamanians and Costa Ricans, are taking over the investigation of the case.

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    Davis Islands Plane Crash

    What: Extra 300 single-engine en route from Peter O. Knight Airport. Plane is registered to Tampa Aircraft Holdings Inc., 910 S. Newport Ave.
    Where: Landing at Peter O. Knight Airport on Davis Islands
    When: 11/28/2008
    Who: Pilot Dan Greenwald, 48, and passenger Mitch Kirby, 19. The pilot crawled out and appeared to have an injured hand. The passenger’s left leg was hurt. Both are being treated at Tampa General Hospital.
    Why: According to Tampa Fire Rescue, “The aircraft, heading southwest, came in over the Port of Tampa about 11:14 a.m., clipped a 50-foot sailboat mast, hit the seawall of Seddon Channel and flipped over, landing on grassy airport property about 50 feet shy of the runway “

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    Australian Victims Named in French Airbus Crash

    What: Airbus A320 maintenance flight leased by Germany charter airline XL Airways and was due to return to service for Air New Zealand next month; flying from Perpignan airport
    Where: off France’s southern coast in the Mediterranean as it was approaching the Perpignan airport
    When:
    Who: 7 on board: Two German pilots, Another pilot and three engineers from Air New Zealand were also on board, as well as an aircraft inspector from the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority. 2 bodies were recovered at sea
    Why: 150-passenger plane, which was delivered to Air New Zealand in July 2005, had accumulated approximately 7,000 flight hours. The plane is in several pieces. A witness told a radio station that “he saw the Airbus dive abruptly and plunge into the sea.” Six French and two German aviation accident investigators have been sent to investigate. Search teams on Friday found the flight recorders.


    The search is being hampered by 30 knot winds and rain and a sea temperature of about 13C.
    Two German Pilots were aboard.
    5 Australians are listed below:
    Captain Brian Horrell, 52, from Auckland
    Engineer Murray White, 37,from Auckland
    Engineer Michael Gyles, 49, from Christchurch.
    Civil Aviation Authority airworthiness inspector Jeremy Cook
    Air New Zealand Engineer Noel Marsh, 35

    Status: Preliminary – official
    Date: 27 NOV 2008
    Time: 16:46
    Type: Airbus A320-232
    Operating for: XL Airways Germany
    Leased from: Air New Zealand
    Registration: D-AXLA
    C/n / msn: 2500
    First flight: 2005-06-30
    Total airframe hrs: 7000
    Cycles: 2800
    Engines: 2 IAE V2500-A1
    Total: Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7 crewmembers
    Airplane fate/damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
    Location: 7 km (4.4 mls) off Saint-Cyprien (France)
    Phase: Approach (APR)
    Nature: Test
    Departure/Destination airport: Perpignan Airport (PGF/LFMP), France
    Narrative:
    Airbus A320 D-AXLA had been leased by XL Airways Germany since May 2006. The airplane was due to be returned to its owner, Air New Zealand, on December 1, 2008. The Airbus was ferried to Perpignan (PGF) where it underwent maintenance at EAS Industries. It was also repainted in full Air New Zealand livery, but retained the registration D-AXLA. French newspaper Midi Libre reported that the airplane carried out a test flight on the morning of November 27. D-AXLA departed Perpignan in the afternoon for a second test flight. On board were two XL Airways pilots, a senior Air New Zealand pilot, three Air New Zealand engineers, and a N.Z. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) inspector.
    On approach back to Perpignan radio contact was lost while the A320 was at 3500 feet. A radar controller reportedly saw the airplane descending fast in a left hand turn. It struck the sea and broke up.

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    Homebuilt Crashes Doing Aerobic Stunts in Australia Killing Two

    What: Thorpe T-18
    Where: Hopeland, south of Perth at Serpentine Airstrip
    When: November 27, 2008
    Who: Two men, both middle-aged and thought to be in their 50s were reported to have been killed in the crash
    Why: The plane had been engaged in ”aerobatic manoeuvres” the pilot possibly conducting a biennial flight review (BFR) with a more junior pilot. The plane inverted and then nose-dived into the ground

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    Helicopter Crash in Columbia


    What: private helicopter en route from Veta to branches of the Banco Agrario.
    Where: northeastern Colombia in the mountainous area of the northwestern province of Santander.
    When: Monday
    Who: 3 victims
    Why: unknown cause. Rescue efforts were being hampered by difficult access to the crash site.

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    Airbus Lost at Sea

    What: Airbus A320 maintenance flight leased by Germany charter airline XL Airways and was due to return to service for Air New Zealand next month; flying from Perpignan airport
    Where: off France’s southern coast in the Mediterranean as it was approaching the Perpignan airport
    When:
    Who: 7 on board: Two German pilots, Another pilot and three engineers from Air New Zealand were also on board, as well as an aircraft inspector from the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority. 2 bodies were recovered at sea
    Why: 150-passenger plane, which was delivered to Air New Zealand in July 2005, had accumulated approximately 7,000 flight hours. The plane is in several pieces. A search is underway for the flight data boxes.

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    Kit Plane Crash Kills Sprint Car Driver


    What: two-seater kit-built aircraft known as a VANS RV7 en route from from Darwin to Jindare Station
    Where: Jindare Station airstrip about 40 kilometres south-west of Pine Creek
    When: 1:30pm
    Who: Territory sprintcar driver Mark Grosvenor was one of two people killed in the crash
    Why: Under investigation

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    Emergency landing in UK

    What: single-engined light plane en route from French Island, in Westernport Bay south-east of Melbourne to Moorabbin Airport
    Where: Quarry Rd, Langwarrin, in Melbourne’s outer south
    When: about 2pm.
    Who: student pilot and his instructor
    Why: It is believed the engine failed. Teacher and student are unhurt.

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    Mexican Helicopter Crash


    What: Mexican attorney general’s helicopter
    Where: between Chihuahua City and Juárez
    When: Tuesday 11/18/2008
    Who: two men on board: Capt. Hugo Federico Martinez Sanchez and federal police officer Miguel Ulises Ventura Hinojosa were killed.
    Why: In the course of landing exercises, the helicopter became entangled in cables in the area of kilometer 38 of the Chihuahua-Juárez highway,

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    Emergency Landing in Skegness


    What: RAF Sea King helicopter from Leckenfield
    Where: Skegness in the North Parade car park, opposite the Sea View Hotel
    When: November 19th, 2008 6pm
    Who: not listed
    Why: Helicopter developed a tail rotor problem while on an “exercise” and landed without injury. A partner helicopter was sent to base to retrieve engineering maintenance personnel to repair the problem.

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    Cracked Window Leads to Emergency Landing

    What: BMI Baby jet Flight WW1022en route from from Belfast
    Where: Birmingham International Terminal One
    When: 19 November 2008 9.30am
    Who: 76 passengers and five crew members
    Why: The plane declared an emergency landing due to a cracked side window.

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    Emergency Landing at Meilan International Airport


    What: Shanghai Airlines Boeing 737 flight FM833, en route to from Shanghai to Phnom Penh, Cambodia
    Where: Meilan International Airport in Haikou in south Hainan province
    When: late Wednesday night Nov. 19, 2008
    Who: 149 passengers
    Why: After an alarm light came on indicating a mechanical problem with a fuel pump, the plane diverted to Meilan International Airport. Mechanics found that one of the plane’s two hydraulic pressure pumps was damaged, causing hydraulic oil to leak. The hydraulic oil caused a large amount of smoke. Passengers were provided water and instant noodles.

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    Helicopter Crashes Sends Three to Flinders Medical Centre Australia


    What: Helicopter subcontracting for ElectraNet, which operates the state’s high-voltage transmission lines. flying between rows of 10m-high powerlines
    Where: on sheep-grazing land near Wagenknecht Rd, about 8km north of Murray Bridge.
    When: 11.54 am
    Who: ETSA sub-contractors flown to Flinders Medical Centre by the Adelaide Bank Rescue Helicopter.
    Why: a rotor blade struck the cables and sent the helicopter hurtling to the ground. One blade snapped off and landed about 100m away. The tail section broke off.

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    Haiti Helicopter Crash


    What: Helicopter
    Where: between the Haitian coastal cities of St. Marc and Gonaives
    When: Tuesday Nov 18
    Who: two unidentified passengers were lost in the crash. Names will be unreleased until next of kin notified.
    Why: Helicopter plummeted into a swamp

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    Mexico Learjet Crash Update: Another Death


    A fifteenth victim of the Lear jet crash in Mexico has died. The 44-year-old woman died Tuesday; she had been hospitalized since the crash on November 4th.

    The NTSB has concluded that wake turbulence was the problem that downed the jet. Air traffic controllers told the Learjet pilots to slow down significantly so as to not gain ground on the 767, but they flew into wake 4 miles behind the jet. This action has been interpreted as pilot error. Additionally, the contract pilots may not have been qualified on the jet as deficiencies in their certifications were uncovered.

    The Learjet departed San Luis Potosí (SLP) at 18:04 on a flight to Mexico City (MEX). On board were a.o. Mexican Interior Minister Juan Camilo Mourino, Deputy Attorney General Josi Luis Santiago Vasconcelos and Miguel Monterubio Cubas, the director of social communication.

    The flight was uneventful and the Learjet passed LUCIA VOR at 18:40 and ATIZAPAN VOR at 18:42. It passed SAN MATEO VOR at 18:44, at an altitude of 11000 feet and an airspeed of 262 kts. It was trailing a Boeing 767-300 (Mexicana Flight 1692 from Buenos Aires). At 18:45 hours the aircraft was instructed to switch to the Tower frequency which the pilot acknowledged but never contacter Mexico Tower. At 18:46 the flight was observed approaching runway 05L. The last radar position of the aircraft was 7.5 miles from the Mexico VOR on the 256 radial, at an altitude of 9700 feet at 185 kts airspeed.
    The airplane crashed on the Avenida Reforma and caught fire. Several cars were destroyed and at least five people on the ground were killed.

    What: Learjet 45 flown by the Mexican government en route from San Luis Potosí Airport (SLP/MMSP) to Mexico City-Benito Juárez International Airport
    Where: Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City
    When: 04 NOV 2008
    Who: Passengers included:

    • Mexican Secretary of the Interior Juan Camilo Mouriño, top aide to President Felipe Calderón.
    • José Luis Santiago Vasconcelos-former assistant attorney general and current head of the federal technical secretariat for implementing the recent constitutional reforms on criminal justice and public security.
    • Miguel Monterrubio, director general of social communications with the Interior Secretariat.
    • Arcadio Echeverría, coordinator of special events, office of the Interior Secretary.
    • Norma Díaz, director in the communications department of the Interior Secretariat.
    • Julio César Ramírez Dávalos, pilot.
    • Álvaro Sánchez, co-pilot.
    • Gisel Carrillo, stewardess.

    Why: At 18:45, although the aircraft was instructed to switch to the Tower frequency, the pilot acknowledged but never contacted the 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.

    Voice Data Recorder Excerpts
    Pilot: That one’s got some turbulence.
    Co-pilot: Hey man.
    Pilot: Hey [expletive].
    Pilot: Alvaro, what do we do, Alvaro?
    Co-pilot: Hand it over to me, hand it over to me, hand it over to me.
    Pilot: It’s yours Alvaro.
    Pilot: [expletive]
    Pilot: No, Alvaro.
    Co-pilot: Diosito.


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    Emergency Landing at Wellington Airport


    What: Air Nelson Dash-8 flight NZ8079 en route from Wellington to Invercargill
    Where: emergency landing at Wellington Airport New Zealand
    When: 9.45am. Tue, 18 Nov 2008
    Who: 19 passengers.
    Why: pilots noticed a warning indicator light on. The flight returned to Wellington and landing safely at 9.45am.

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    Brussels Airline Emergency Landing in Gothenberg

    What: Brussels Airline flight en route from Stockholm’s Bromma Airport to Brussels
    Where: Gothenburg Landvetter airport
    When: Tuesday November 18
    Who: 63 passengers
    Why: cracked windshield forced an airliner to make an emergency landing. Initially news reports said that the crack caused a loss of cabin pressure, but apparently this was not the case. Tickets were sold through Malmö Aviation.

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    Sunstate Airline Emergency Landing in Brisbane


    What: Sunstate Airlines, a subsidiary of Qantas–Dash 8 en route from Roma in southern inland Queensland
    Where: emergency landing at Brisbane Airport
    When: Nov 18; touched down at 7.23 pm.
    Who: 39 people (35 passengers)
    Why: Pilot contacted air traffic control in Brisbane to report smoke in the cabin. There were no injuries. Officially:
    “The pilot contacted the Air Traffic Control tower at 7.10pm after white smoke filled the cabin and passengers had all disembarked by 7.25pm.”

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    Report Update: Beechcraft Crash in Brazil


    What: Hawker-Beechcraft, Model 100, N525ZS registered to Woolie Enterprises Inc departed SBBU
    Where: Bauru Airport (SBBU), Bauru, Brazil
    When: Accident occurred Friday, October 12, 2008
    Who: Pilot
    Why: Visual flight rules conditions prevailed at the time. Flight impacted the ground after takeoff

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    Brazil Helicopter Crash


    What: Brazilian air force model H-IH chopper en route from Natal, the capital of Rio Grande do Norte to Fortaleza, the capital of Ceara.
    Where: forced landing in the city of Icapui in the northeastern state of Ceara.
    When: Friday night
    Who: 3 fatalities, 3 survivors who got first aid in Aracati before they were taken to a Fortaleza hospital.
    Why: Under investigation

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    TAM Update

    What: TAM Linhas Aereas Airbus A320 Flight JJ3054
    Where: Sao Paulo Brazil Congonhas airport
    When: July 17, 2007
    Who: 199 fatalities
    Why: Sao Paulo Institute of Criminology 16-month investigation places blame on government agencies for failing to ensure runway safety. Government failure to set rainy-day landing rules for the short runway whose new surface had not yet been grooved to drain rainwater.

    NTSB Factual
    NTSB Identification: DCA07RA059
    Scheduled 14 CFR operation of TAM Linhas Aéreas
    Accident occurred Tuesday, July 17, 2007 in Sao Paulo, Brazil
    Aircraft: Airbus Industrie A320-233, registration: PR-MBK
    Injuries: 199 Fatal.
    On July 17, 2007, at 21:54 UTC, an Airbus A320-233, Brazilian registration PTMBK, serial number 789, operated by TAM Linhas Aéreas overran the end of runway 35 at the Sao Paulo Congonhas airport upon landing. The airplane was on a scheduled domestic flight from Porto Alegre, Brazil. The airplane departed the runway to the left side near the departure end and crossed over a road prior to impacting a cargo depot and gas station. The end of the runway is on elevated terrain approximately 80 meters above the surface of the road. The 6 crew members, 162 passengers, and 18 persons on the ground suffered fatal injuries. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and fire.

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    Emergency Landing at Wellington Airport


    What: Air Nelson Dash-8 flight NZ8079 en route from Wellington to Invercargill
    Where: emergency landing at Wellington Airport New Zealand
    When: 9.45am. Tue, 18 Nov 2008
    Who: 19 passengers.
    Why: pilots noticed a warning indicator light on. The flight returned to Wellington and landing safely at 9.45am.