Locale

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    Airbus A330-300 Turbulence Shakes UP Qantas

    What: Qantas plane en route from Singapore to Perth in Western Australia when it was
    Where: forced to land at Learmonth airport near the remote coastal town of Exmouth, 745 miles north of Perth
    When: 1:45 p.m. local time.
    Who: 303 passengers, 10 crew members. Half of the passengers were from Australia, the other half from China. Thirty-six people suffered broken bones and other injuries (spinal, broken noses, broken limbs, lacerations, etc)
    Why: A “mid-air incident” forced the plane to make an emergency landing. sudden change of altitude caused problems while the Airbus A330-300 was traveling in what is known as “level flight.” Passengers and crew sustained injuries, including fractures and lacerations, on board QF72. Australian Transport Safety Bureau said it is sending seven investigators to work on the investigation. Confidence in Qantas sterling safety reputation is falling.

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    Georgia Emergency Landing and Rescue

    What: Cessna en route from New Jersey to Saint Simon’s Island.
    Where: near Wassaw Island, in the marsh east of Skidaway Island.
    When: Saturday morning
    Who: pilot Eugenia Singer and her dog
    Why: The engine surged and then lost power. Air traffic control directed her to marshland, where she landed submerged.

    On the Coast Guard Air Station Savannah rescue helicopter was flight mechanic Adam Morehouse who helped hoist Singer and her dog to safety in a basket.

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    Canada Medical Plane Catches Fire


    What: Medical Beech B200 two-turbo prop registered to Keewatin Air of Winnipeg. en route from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut
    Where: emergency landing in Manitoba
    When: Wednesday night
    Who: a woman , her 11-month-old boy, two nursing staff and two pilots
    Why: The plane caught fire. The pilot advised he would have to land at the local airport.
    After landing, the occupants were all taken to the Cross Lake nursing station before they were put on a flight to Winnipeg

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    Crash landing at Carlsbad airport

    What: Plane landing at McClellan-Palomar Airport
    Where: plane crashed into a hillside about two miles southeast of the Carlsbad airport
    When: 7:30 a.m. Sunday morning Sept. 28
    Who: Pilot Giuseppe Puzzo. a 42-year-old resident of Lake Havasu, Ariz died of multiple blunt force injuries
    Why: Puzzo missed his first attempted landing in foggy conditions and was performing a fly around for a second approach when the plane went down.

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    Fossett’s Plane Found

    What: single-engine acrobatic Bellanca Super Decathlon plane
    Where: Minaret Range California
    When: Found Wednesday (a year after the plane was lost Sept. 3, 2007)
    Who: Steve Fossett

    Three days after a hiker, Preston Morrow, found Fossett’s pilot’s license, a glider license and a membership card for the National Aeronautic Association, the wreckage of his plane was found.

    A piece of bone 2 by 1 1/2 inches was found–the only possible human remains found to be DNA tested. Apparently the plane flew horizontally into the mountain, then the wood, aluminum and cloth plane shattered and burned.

    Once the DNA is confirmed, at least the family will be able to have closure.

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    Perm Crash update

    • Because of the September 14 crash of the Russian Aeroflot-Nord while preparing to land in the city of Perm in the Ural Mountains area, the Russian Federal Air Transportation Agency has suspended the use of a subtype of Boeing 737-500s until their pilots receive additional training.
    • The training involves a key indicator showing the plane’s attitude, ( artificial horizon) The attitude indicator is designed differently on Soviet and Western planes. Investigators have not yet determined what caused the crash, but the pilot had little experience in piloting Boeings, so the speculation is that the cause was pilot error.
    • Notification of the ban has been sent to six air companies, including Aeroflot-Nord, Aeroflot-Don and Volga-Dnepr
    • Russian carrier Aeroflot-Nord has also temporarily suspended operations with a Boeing 737-300 because its instrument panel includes indicators similar to those on the 737-500. Tthe cockpit of the VP-BKT features “special” director-indicator pointers on complex flight-control and navigational instruments.
    • The Urals city lab is conducting DNA identification the 88 victims of the September 14 Boeing 737 crash in Perm. The workload has caused such a backlog that it is delaying work on the comparison of DNA samples from Nicholas II’s blood-stained shirt and bone fragments.
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    Brazil Helicopter Crash under Investigation

    What: Agusta Westland A109S helicopter, Brazilian registration PR-IPO departure from the Parati/Condomínio Laranjeiras heliport, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil
    Where: Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil
    When: April 30, 2008 22:59 UTC
    Who: 2 fatalities.
    Why: The Brazil CENIPA has requested assistance from the US manufacturers of electronic components in the helicopter to download non-volatile memory information.

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    Ojinaga, Mexico Crash 4 Fatalities

    What: a United States registered Cessna 421B, N7560Q,
    Where: 28 miles northwest of Ojinaga, Mexico
    When: September 15, 2008 1318 central daylight time
    Who: pilot and the three passengers were fatally injured
    Why: collided with mountainous terrain

    NTSB Identification: DFW08RA232
    Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
    Accident occurred Monday, September 15, 2008 in Ojinaga, Mexico
    Aircraft: Cessna 421B, registration: N7560Q
    Injuries: 4 Fatal.

    On September 15, 2008, approximately 1318 central daylight time, a United States registered Cessna 421B, N7560Q, was substantially damaged after it collided with mountainous terrain approximately 28 miles northwest of Ojinaga, Mexico, near the border town of Presidio, Texas. The air transport rated pilot and the three passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to EAC Parts LLC, Springfield, Ohio, and operated by Volare Air Charter, El Paso, Texas. The pilot contacted the Fort Worth Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS), Fort Worth, Texas, at 1016, approximately 15 minutes after he departed El Paso International Airport, El Paso, Texas, and filed a visual flight rules flight plan to Presidio, Texas. The pilot informed an AFSS specialist that he intended to enter Mexican airspace for the purpose of flying over the Luis Leon Dam, but had no intentions of landing in Mexico. The pilot did not request a weather briefing for the flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135; however, he was informed by the specialist that visual flight rules were not recommended due to mountain obscuration.

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    King Air Lands Safely in Adelaide


    What: Privately chartered twin-engine King Air belonging to Adelaide-based company Corporate Aircraft Charter en route to Kingscote on Kangaroo Island
    Where: Adelaide Airport Australia
    When: September 27, 2008 at 11.20am
    Who: Brenton Hollitt and passengers
    Why: Pilot Brenton Hollitt reported difficulties with its landing gear. The plane landed safely , remaining upright despite its landing wheels not locking into place. The plane landed “on its fuselage in a cloud of smoke, with the aircraft skidding sideways on the runway.” The pilot was praised as ” professional, calm, just terrific, I can’t praise him highly enough.” “

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    Emergency Landing in North-Eastern Brazil

    What: Boeing 777-200 operated by Alitalia flying from Rome Fiumicino to Buenos Aires
    Where: unplanned landing Thursday in the north- eastern Brazilian city of Recife
    When: landing was completed without further problems at 2:15 am (0515 GMT)
    Who: 295 people on board. Passengers deplaned and took another flight.
    Why: The plane experienced mechanical problems on the flight from Rome to Buenos Aires. The pilot informed the control tower that he was having technical problems.

    Alitalia is having financial problems.

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    Fokker Crash in Ecuador

    What: ICARO Fokker F28 Fellowship 4000 Registration HC-CDT flight 504 with 2 Rolls Royce 555-15P Spey engines
    Where: Quito-Mariscal Sucre Airport (UIO) (Ecuador) en route to Coca Airport (OCC/SECO),
    When: 22 SEP 2008 ca 11:15
    Who: 4 crew 62 passengers
    Why: The crash occurred during takeoff.

    After flight 504 was cleared for takeoff from runway 35, en route to El Coca, it hit a metal antenna at the end of the runway. The captain decided to abort. The airplane overran the 10240 foot runway, and the plane continued down a slope and plowed through a brick wall. There were no injuries. The yellow jet involved is painted with the logo of the Guayaquil-based Barcelona soccer team (obviously not the generic Fokker in our photo) and is normally used to ferry the soccer team around. No team members were on board.

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    Bell Helicopter sinks off of Western Australia Coast

    What: Bell 407 helicopter took off from the holiday vessel True North for a scenic flight around the Horizontal Falls area.
    Where: In the ocean at Talbot Bay
    When: Reported to Tam Air on September 25, 2008 04:00 pm
    Who: Six passengers and a pilot on board. All were rescued. A woman in her late eighties needed CPR, and was flown to Broome hospital by float plane and is currently in stable condition.
    Why: Engine Failure

    Measures are being taken to curtail environmental damage, and attempts will be made to activate the plane’s flotation controls which the pilot did not have time to activate.

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    Perm Crash update

    • Because of the September 14 crash of the Russian Aeroflot-Nord while preparing to land in the city of Perm in the Ural Mountains area, the Russian Federal Air Transportation Agency has suspended the use of a subtype of Boeing 737-500s until their pilots receive additional training.
    • The training involves a key indicator showing the plane’s attitude, ( artificial horizon) The attitude indicator is designed differently on Soviet and Western planes. Investigators have not yet determined what caused the crash, but the pilot had little experience in piloting Boeings, so the speculation is that the cause was pilot error.
    • Notification of the ban has been sent to six air companies, including Aeroflot-Nord, Aeroflot-Don and Volga-Dnepr
    • Russian carrier Aeroflot-Nord has also temporarily suspended operations with a Boeing 737-300 because its instrument panel includes indicators similar to those on the 737-500. Tthe cockpit of the VP-BKT features “special” director-indicator pointers on complex flight-control and navigational instruments.
    • The Urals city lab is conducting DNA identification the 88 victims of the September 14 Boeing 737 crash in Perm. The workload has caused such a backlog that it is delaying work on the comparison of DNA samples from Nicholas II’s blood-stained shirt and bone fragments.

  • Student Pilot Crashes in Sydney

    What: Two-seat Liberty XL2 single-engine aircraft, owned by the Sydney Flight Training Centre, which had taken off from Bankstown Airport.
    Where: Crashed in a paddock in Luddenham, in Sydney’s west, near the intersection of Willowdene Avenue and Vicar Park Lane, near the busy Great North Road but away from built-up areas.
    When: 4:00 PM
    Who: The student pilot was killed.
    Why: No reason has been given.

    School’s owner and chief instructor, Barry Diamond, was Qantas’s flight training manager

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    Russian Crash kills 88

    NTSB Factual

    DCA08RA097
    On September 14, 2008, at 0510 local time, Aeroflot-Nord flight 821, a Boeing 737-500, Bermuda registered (VP-BKO) and Russian operated, equipped with CFM56 engines, crashed on approach to Perm airport in Perm, Russia. All on board, including 6 crew and 82 passengers, suffered fatal injuries. The initial notification from the Russian government reports that 17 of the 82 passengers were of non-Russian nationality, some of which included U.S. citizens. The flight originated from Moskva- Sheremetyevo Airport (SVO) in Moscow, Russia with an intended destination of Perm Airport (PEE) in Perm, Russia and was conducted as a scheduled passenger flight.

    The accident flight was reportedly lost from radar as it was executing a missed approach, for unknown reasons, at the destination airport. The aircraft collided with the ground in the city and was completely destroyed by impact forces and fire.

    The investigation is being conducted by the Russian Interstate Aviation Committee (MAK). The NTSB has launched a team of investigators and will be assisted by Technical Advisors from the Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing Aircraft. According to the MAK, the Bureau d’Enquetes et d’Analyses (BEA) of France, representing the state of manufacture for the aircraft engines, and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) of the United Kingdom, representing Bermuda as the state of Registry, will also participate in the investigation under the provisions of ICAO Annex 13.

    For more information on the accident investigation, contact MAK at mak@mak.ru.

    Update
    Monday Russian forensic scientists began using DNA testing to identify bodies and relatives visited the site; some were taken to the hospital in shock.

    What: Aeroflot Nord Boeing 737-500 Flight 821, en route from Moscow to Perm. The 737 had been leased by Aeroflot from Dublin-based Pinewatch Limited from late July until March 2013.
    Where: Crashed just outside the airport but inside the Perm, Siberia city limits. (conflicting reports say the plane landed in either a swamp or a ravine.) It missed an apartment block.
    When: 3:40 a.m. Sunday
    Who: Eighty-two passengers — including seven children and six crew members. Multiple nationalities were on the flight, including nine from Azerbaijan, five from Ukraine, and one each from France, Switzerland, Latvia, the United States, Germany, Turkey, and Italy,
    Why: Bolshoye Savino Airport air traffic control lost communication with pilots at at about 3,600 feet just before landing about 3:10 a.m The crash also disabled a section of Trans-Siberian railway. The weather was described as “mediocre.”

    • Crises centers for relatives were set up in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo-1 airport and in Perm.
    • The airline pledged to pay “compensation on obligatory accident insurance in full, which would make up to two million rubles (some 80,000 dollars) per victim.”
    • In 2007, 33 Russian aviation accidents that left 318 dead, raising concern over Russia’s civil aviation. Experts blame faults in the training of and aging fleets.
    • Transport Minister Igor Levitin will be leading the investigation.
    • A witness said “It was burning while still in the sky and it looked like a falling comet.” The plane hit the ground sharply — at a 30 or 40 degree angle.


    View Larger Map

    Flight record of the downed plane:
    (Detailed records from http://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-b737-25792.htm)
    Boeing 737 – MSN 25792
    Airline Aeroflot-Nord
    Status : Active
    Registration : VP-BKO
    Airline Aeroflot-Nord
    Country : Russia
    Date : 2004 – Codes 5N AUL Callsign : dvina
    Web site : http://www.aeroflot-nord.ru
    General information & flightlog

    Serial number 25792 LN:2353
    Type 737-505
    First flight date 20/08/1992
    Test registration
    Flights recorded

    Operators of the aircraft
    Delivery date | Airline | Registration | Remark
    08/09/1992 Braathens LN-BRW
    24/09/1992 Xiamen Airlines B-2591
    12/03/1993 China Southwest Airlines B-2591
    01/03/2003 Air China B-2591 Stored 03/2008
    29/05/2008 Aeroflot-Nord VP-BKO

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    Airbus A320 Emergency Landing

    What: German airline Air Berlin Airbus A320 en route from from the Spanish resort of Mallorca to Nuremberg
    When: Sunday Sept 21
    Who: 167 people
    Why: Although a light indicated one of four brakes was overheated, the plane landed safely.

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    Emergency landing in Western Norway

    What: Boeing 737 belonging to low cost carrier Norwegian
    Where: in Trondheim in western Norway
    When: September 19
    Who: 107 people on board
    Why: Because an indicator in the cockpit mistakenly indicated a problem with the front landing gear. the plane made an emergency landing.

    No one was injured.

  • Microlight Crashes in UK

    What: microlight which crashed at 50mph, possibly planning a short flight around the Easingwold and Thirsk
    Where: taking off a grass runway at Baxby Air Sports Club, Husthwaite, near Easingwold, North Yorkshire UK
    When: 1.30pm Thursday
    Who: the pilot, and a passenger were both taken to York District Hospital.
    Why: Unable to reach the required take-off speed on wet ground, careered througha hedge at the end of the runway into a field. Air Accidents Investigation Branch is investigating

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    Boeing Landing in Copenhagen

    What: Boeing 737 en route from western Denmark and was headed to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands
    Where: Copenhagen airport belonging to small Danish charter airline Jettime
    When: Friday
    Who: Plane with 147 (145?) people on board
    Why: Pilot reported a landing gear malfunction. Plane dumped fuel prior to landing at Copenhagen airport. Two Danish Air Force F-16 jets were sent up to check the plane and confirmed there was a problem with the landing gear. Plane touched down and safely taxied to a gate

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    International Boundary and Water Commission Casualties found near Tex/Mex Border.

    Update

    Senator John Cornyn–on the Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Border Security and Refugees subcommittee and the Armed Services Committee’s Airland subcommittee, former Texas Attorney General, Texas Supreme Court Justice, and Bexar County District Judge– released a Statement regarding the International Boundary and Water Commission Plane Crash

    “Since the disappearance of this aircraft earlier in the week, all of us have been hoping and praying for a miracle. So it is with a profound sense of sadness to learn that the wreckage has been found, and that the lives of these four men have been lost. Commissioner Marin and Jake Brisbin Jr. were devoted public servants and proud Americans whose loss will be felt throughout the border region. Their hard work and commitment, along with that of Commissioner Herrera’s, reflected the spirit of goodwill and partnership that is shared by the United States and Mexico as we work together on our common goals. Their family and loved ones are in my prayers tonight as the entire border region remembers their lives and legacies, and mourns this tragic accident.”

    src=http://cornyn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ForPress.NewsReleases&ContentRecord_id=75aeea20-802a-23ad-4b54-496c3c561d42

    What: Chartered Cessna 421
    Where: Border Patrol located the wreckage in a remote rugged section of the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico, about 20 miles northwest of Presidio.
    When: The plane was reported missing after it did not land on time Monday in Presidio. It was found shortly after noon Wednesday
    Who: Found deceased: leaders of the U.S. and Mexican sections of the IBWC, Carlos Marin of El Paso and Arturo Herrera, of Ciudad Juarez, Mexicom, Jake Brisbin Jr., executive director of the Rio Grande Council of Government and pilot Matthew Peter Juneau
    Why: The group had traveled to inspect flooding conditions in Presidio and Ojinaga, an aerial view of the Luis Leon Reservoir. Cause of the crash is not known but the pilot had signalled a problem after taking off Monday from El Paso, Mexico.

    AP had inadvertently listed the passengers as deceased when the plane disappeared and optimistically attempted to retract the story, hoping the passengers would be found alive. Sadly, there were no survivors

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    Fatal Plane Crash Near US/Mexican Border

    What: Cessna en route from El Paso, Mexico, heading for Presidio, Texas. Plane had been inspecting damage to a dam caused by a flood from the Conchos River.
    Where: northern Mexico in the desert near the Mexican border city of Ojinaga
    When: Monday
    Who: Four people died, including top U.S. and Mexican water officials: Arturo Herrera and Carlos Marin, executive director of the Rio Grande Council, Jake Brisbin, and the pilot, who was not identified
    Why: pilot had signalled a problem

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    Hercules Grounded

    What: RAAF Hercules during a training flight
    Where: near Richmond, north-west of Sydney
    When: Monday about 8.25pm (AEST)
    Who: No injuries
    Why: crew detected a fault with the nose-wheel–an “unusual” fault prompted an emergency landing. At 8.55pm the crew put in a mayday call but landed safely at the Richmond Base 20 minutes later. Subsequently, all 24 of the RAAF’s Hercules planes were grounded

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    Spanair Update

    Update
    Based on findings derived from the MD-82’s flight and cockpit voice recorder, the wing flaps of the Spanair airliner (that crashed killing 154 people) were not set for take off, and pilots were unaware of it because the warning alarm did not go off.

    The faulty valve that prevented the first attempt at takeoff was disconnected rather than repaired. Planes are allowed to fly for up to 10 days with the system involved disconnected.

    Newlywed Brazilian Ronaldo Gomes Silva, 25, and his Spanish wife Yanina Celisdibowsky had been living in the UK for three years. a month ago in Sao Paolo, Brazil, they got married; They had just gotten on a plane to visit the Canary Islands, where Yanina was going to meet her in laws for the first time.

    They got on the wrong plane. They were two of the victims of Spanair Flight JK5022.

    Juliao Alves da Silva, the groom’s father said: “I have lost my son and a daughter-in-law. I am destroyed.”

    I don’t even know these people and I am nearly inconsolable.

    • What: Spanair Flight JK5022, a 15-year-old MD-82 jet bound bound for Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.
    • Where: Madrid airport Terminal Four
    • When: Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008 2:45pm
    • Who: Carrying 166 passengers and nine crew, at the time of this writing, the number of fatalities had mounted to 154 people.
    • Why: The jet swerved off the runway and caught fire during takeoff. Spanish Comisión de Investigación de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviación Civil (CIAIAC) is investigating
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    Russian Crash kills 88


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

    Update
    Monday Russian forensic scientists began using DNA testing to identify bodies and relatives visited the site; some were taken to the hospital in shock.

    What: Aeroflot Nord Boeing 737-500 Flight 821, en route from Moscow to Perm. The 737 had been leased by Aeroflot from Dublin-based Pinewatch Limited from late July until March 2013.
    Where: Crashed just outside the airport but inside the Perm, Siberia city limits. (conflicting reports say the plane landed in either a swamp or a ravine.) It missed an apartment block.
    When: 3:40 a.m. Sunday
    Who: Eighty-two passengers — including seven children and six crew members. Multiple nationalities were on the flight, including nine from Azerbaijan, five from Ukraine, and one each from France, Switzerland, Latvia, the United States, Germany, Turkey, and Italy,
    Why: Bolshoye Savino Airport air traffic control lost communication with pilots at at about 3,600 feet just before landing about 3:10 a.m The crash also disabled a section of Trans-Siberian railway. The weather was described as “mediocre.”

    • Crises centers for relatives were set up in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo-1 airport and in Perm.
    • The airline pledged to pay “compensation on obligatory accident insurance in full, which would make up to two million rubles (some 80,000 dollars) per victim.”
    • In 2007, 33 Russian aviation accidents that left 318 dead, raising concern over Russia’s civil aviation. Experts blame faults in the training of and aging fleets.
    • Transport Minister Igor Levitin will be leading the investigation.
    • A witness said “It was burning while still in the sky and it looked like a falling comet.” The plane hit the ground sharply — at a 30 or 40 degree angle.


    View Larger Map

    Flight record of the downed plane:
    (Detailed records from http://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-b737-25792.htm)
    Boeing 737 – MSN 25792
    Airline Aeroflot-Nord
    Status : Active
    Registration : VP-BKO
    Airline Aeroflot-Nord
    Country : Russia
    Date : 2004 – Codes 5N AUL Callsign : dvina
    Web site : http://www.aeroflot-nord.ru
    General information & flightlog

    Serial number 25792 LN:2353
    Type 737-505
    First flight date 20/08/1992
    Test registration
    Flights recorded

    Operators of the aircraft
    Delivery date | Airline | Registration | Remark
    08/09/1992 Braathens LN-BRW
    24/09/1992 Xiamen Airlines B-2591
    12/03/1993 China Southwest Airlines B-2591
    01/03/2003 Air China B-2591 Stored 03/2008
    29/05/2008 Aeroflot-Nord VP-BKO