Video

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    Colgan/Bombardier – Another Near Tragedy?


    What: Colgan Airlines/ Continental Q400 Bombardier turbo-prop en route from Newark to Buffalo
    Where: Buffalo International Airport
    When: May 12 6 pm
    Who: 73 on board
    Why: On landing, part of the wheel assembly disengaged. A passenger video shows the tire assembly coming to pieces on landing. One tire of the two-tire assembly comes off; the remaining tire sustains the landing.

    George’s Point of View

    Notably, the wheel assembly had been recently serviced, but whether or not the problem lies with Colgan maintenance or the established fact that the tire assembly on the Q400 Bombardier is well renowned for problems is as yet undetermined. At the end of the tape above, take a look at the shot of the 2007 Denmark incident where the Q400 Bombardier’s right landing gear collapsed. There were 8 such landing gear failures in the Q400 Bombardier in 2007 alone.

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    United Airlines Emergency Landing in Indianapolis


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Art Brett
    What: United Airlines Boeing 757-200 en route from Baltimore MD to Chicago O’Hare,IL
    Where: Runway 23 Right at Indianapolis International Airport
    When: May 15, 7:15 am
    Who: 140 people aboard.
    Why: While en route to Chicago, the 757 cockpit filled with smoke and requested an emergency landing at Indianapolis.

    As you can see in the silent digital recording above, the plane lands safely, although we do not see the passengers debarking.

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    Six Fatalities in Guatemalan Crash


    What: Six-seat twin engine plane en route from the La Aurora to Belize bound for the neighboring country of Belize.
    Where: Guatemala City 200 yards (meters) from the airport
    When: Thursday 1942 GMT
    Who: Passengers included four Francisco Marroquin University professors; pilot Hector Ramos, and passengers Rafael Araneda, Claudia Porras of Araneda, Joseph Godoy, Juan Roberto Brenes and Helmuth Wintzer
    Why: The crash destroyed a home, and parts of the wreckage also ended up in a swimming pool. The cause of the crash is under investigation but bad weather is thought to be responsible. The pilot was attempting a turn when he crashed at 15th Avenue and 20th Street area near the 13th Air Force. The plane fell on house 20-21.

    Four people inside the house were shocked by the noise, but no one was hurt.

    George’s Point of View

    We offer our condolences to the families of Hector Ramos, Rafael Araneda, Claudia Porras, Joseph Godoy, Juan Roberto Brenes and Helmuth Wintzer

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    Training on Trial

    A federal hearing into a fatal plane crash last February in Buffalo, N.Y., is focusing on the training of the pilot. A top concern is the training the flight’s captain, Marvin Renslow, received from Colgan Air. (May 12

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    Emergency Landing: Asiana Boeing

    What: Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 en route from Seattle Sea-Tac to Seoul, South Korea
    Where: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
    When: on Wednesday,
    Who: 179 passengers
    Why: There were reports that flames shot out of one of the jet’s engines and television video of smoke as the plane circled before landing.

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    Venezuela: Aerotuey Crash


    What: LTA (Aerotuey) Cessna 208 Caravan en route to Angel Falls
    Where: Canaima Venezuela
    When: Friday April 16
    Who: ten survivors, one child dead
    Why: The engine failed just after takeoff; the plane hesitated on the runway, took off but after airborne, fell into a stand of trees near the runway. Survivors were airlifted to a hospital in Ciudad Bolivar, the nearest city (400 miles away).

    Six year old Thomas Horne was the only fatality. He died en route to the hospital.

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    No Injuries. Jamaican Hostage Situation Resolved

    What: Canadian CanJet Airlines Flight 918 Boeing 737
    Where: Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport.
    When: Hostage crisis began at about 10:20 p.m. local time Sunday and ended near 6:40 a.m
    Who: Initially 159 (out of 174 expected) passengers and eight crew ; six crew members hostage for eight hours by gunman Stephen Fray
    Why: A “mentallly challenged” 20-year-old Jamaican gunman having relationship problems boarded the plane during a layover and demanded to be flown to Cuba. A passenger said “… took our money and we just, like, left our purses and our passports and everything just in the plane because we didn’t want to take any chances. We just put the money in a bag and we ran out of the plane.”. The flight was stormed by the Jamaica Defence Force Counter Terrorism Operations Group

    George’s Point of View

    Fortunately the situation was resolved with no injuries, but it is obvious the poor kid had issues. Who in their right mind would leave Jamaica for Cuba?

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    Oakland Park Plane Crashes House


    What: twin-engine Cessna 421 owned by Sebring Air Charter in Tamarac en route from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport
    Where: Oakland Park
    When: 11:20 a.m
    Who: pilot Cecil A. Murray, 80 of Tarmac en route to Fernandina Beach, just outside Jacksonville
    Why: The pilot’s plans to fly to Ferdandina Beach to sell the plane were disrupted when he reported problems as soon as he took off. Murray reported to air traffic control that he was going to turn around and was cleared to do so, but then neighbors in this Oakland Park neighborhood heard the plane “spitting and sputtering.” The plane crashed in the middle of a house which was a total loss. The pilot did not survive.

    Yahoo slideshow of the crash site

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    Helicopter Update: 16 Passengers All Lost

    The Bond website is temporarily suspended.

    Helpline phone number for relatives is 01224 836479

    Pilot Paul Burnham, 31, from Methlick, Aberdeenshire
    Co-pilot Richard Menzies, 24, of Droitwich Spa, Worcs.
    Oil workers from Aberdeen; Raymond
    Brian Barkley, 30
    James Costello, 24,
    Vernon John Elrick, 41
    Alex Dallas, 62,

    Oil workers
    Doyle, 57, of Cumbernauld
    James John Edwards, 33, of Liverpool,
    Nairn Ferrier, 40, of Dundee,
    Nolan Carl Goble, 34, of Norwich,
    Gareth Hughes, 53, of Angus,
    Warren Mitchell, 38, of Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire,
    David Rae, 63, of Dumfries,
    Leslie Taylor, 41, of Kintore,
    Aberdeenshire
    Stuart Wood, 27, of Newmacher, Aberdeen.

    The name of one Latvian victim has not been released.

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    Fed Ex Crash in High Wind in Tokyo


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Michael Carter
    What: FedEx McDonnell Douglas MD-11F en route from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, China to Tokyo-Narita Airport, Japan
    Where: Crash occurred on the runway Tokyo-Narita Airport, Japan
    When: 23 MAR 2009 06:48
    Who: 2 crew members aboard, both fatalities
    Why: The plane landed in high winds, bounced on to the nosewheel, banked left and when the left wing, hit the runway, a fire ensued.

    News Footage includes audio of Bob Francis, former NTSB VC

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    Ecuador Crash Kills 7, Maybe More


    What: twin-engine Beechcraft 200 propeller plane en route from Manta to Quito’s airport
    Where: 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) from the airport near Hotel Quito
    When: 5:20 pm (2220 GMT)
    Who: seven people were killed: 5 aboard; 2 on the ground
    Why: small military plane on a training flight clipped some tree tops and crashed into an apartment building. The reports list two buildings.
    Initial reports said the deaths included the wife and son of the pilot, Major Julio Zaldumbide but we have not verified that information.

  • Tonga: Don’t Fly Here

    AP Video – Thursday, March 19, 2009 at 10:28 EDT

    Scientists sailed on Thursday to inspect an undersea volcano that has been erupting for days near Tonga, shooting smoke, steam and ash thousands of feet into the sky above the South Pacific ocean.

    Don’t fly over Tonga.
    This video of scientists reminds me of watching a guy walk out on a plank and then sawing off the end he’s sitting on. “Run away, better start it up, turn us around already, turn us around, turn us around, get the nose”

    At least they weren’t in a plane…

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    Airbus Tailstrike

    See the live enactment of a textbook definition of “tailstrike” performed by this Airbus A380:

    Tailstrike is an aviation term that describes an event wherein the rear end of the aircraft “strikes” the runway.

    George’s Point of View

    Dear Airbus,

    You’ve had all sorts of design problems with other designs.I believe you have a design problem on this one, too.  

    Signed,

    GH

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    Stolen Brazilian Plane Crashes Killing Feuding Husband and 5 yr old Daughter


    audio in Portuguese

    What: stolen plane
    Where: Shopping mall parking lot in Goiania, near the centre of Brazil
    When: 18:30 local time
    Who: Kleber Barbosa da Silva and his 5 year old daughter Penelope Barbosa Correia were killed in the crash.
    Why: The crash occurred after the husband and wife had an altercation, and da Silva threw his wife out of the car. She was hospitalized in Brasilia; da Silva went on to take his 5 yr old and steal the plane, which crashed in a parking lot.

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    Tallahassee: Update on Plane Cockpit Fire

    What: Delta Connection carrier Canadian Regional Jet 200 Flight 5563 Registration 830AS Destination Atlanta
    Where: Tallahassee Regional Airport
    When: 02/28/2009
    Who: 47 passengers
    Why: At the Tallahassee Regional airport at the gate, the pilot reported a fire in the cockpit.

    Delta Cockpit Fire

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    Hughes Helicopter Crash


    What: Hughes 369-F chopper owned by Blackwater Worldwide (now called Xe.)
    Where: U.S. Training Center campus 30 minutes south of Norfolk, Va.
    When: Feb. 24, 2009–Tuesday 1:33 p.m.
    Who: Instructor and student. (Instructor was declared dead on site; student was ported to a hospital.)
    Why: The instructor and student were on a practice run when the helicopter’s skid apparently clipped an object on the ground and it crashed. The student was transported to a Chesapeake, Va hospital.

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    Turkish Boeing Crash at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Joop Stroes – Global Aviation Photography
    What: Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800 (TC-JGE) Flight 1951 en route from Istanbul to Amsterdam.
    Where: Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport
    When: 10:40 a.m. Wednesday Feb 25
    Who: 135 passengers on board; eight crew members. (numbers vary)
    Why: The plane crashed as it approached the runway to land. Witnesses say the approach was too low and the pilot tried to go higher to avoid crashing into the A-19 (hwy.) The wreckage is in three pieces lying in a field next to the runway; emergency crews are tending injured passengers on site. The cockpit was intact, adn the fuselage broke at the wings.There was an immediate report of one fatality which was later denied. There were at least 20 injured and at least 50 survivors. Another report estimated the majority of the passengers are injured. (Sorry the numbers don’t mesh, but this is the news as it came in–) There was no fire. Fights to and from Schiphol were suspended temporarily after the crash.
    Update:
    The number of deceased has been increased to 9.

    More than 80 suffered injury.

    25 suffered “serious” injury.
    6 are hospitalized in critical condition.

    Numbers corrected (again): 127 passengers 7 crew.

    According to various passenger accounts, prior to the crash, twelve minutes to the scheduled landing, the plane was flying low, and an announcement was made that the plane was landing. (No announcement was made that the plane was in an emergency.) Immediately on landing, those who were able left the plane, and when there was no fire, they went back in and pulled the others out, especially in the front of the plane, where there was screaming. Outside help arrived within 20-25 minutes.

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    Southwest Emergency Landing in Vegas


    What: Southwest Airlines twin-engine Boeing 737 en route from Las Vegas’s McCarran Airport to Long Island
    Where: McCarran Airport
    When: February 12, 2009
    Who: 116 passengers , 5 crew members
    Why: After takeoff, the left engine started misfiring, and every time it misfired the engine would flame. Nineteen minutes after takeoff, the plane returned to land at McCarran at 3:28 on one engine. Southwestern reportedly said that the engine was not on fire, but witnesses referred to flames.

  • Flight 1549 audio

    The black box recording from US Airways Flight 1549 that safely landed in the Hudson River in NYC on 1/15/09

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    Santa Monica Crash kills 2


    What: Wingspan Inc Single engine Marchetti SF-260 aerobatic plane en route from Santa Monica Airport
    Where: Santa Monica Airport at the west end of the runway
    When: 5:05 p.m. Wednesday Jan 28
    Who: The victims were Paulo Emanuele, general manager of the airliners.net website. and Martin Schaedel a consultant to FareCompare, an airline fare comparison.
    Why: The plane departed Santa Monica Airport runway 21 and began a left turn for noise abatement, then turned back to the right descending at a 70-80 degree angle.The plane appeared to lose power and crash on the west end of the runway.

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    Hudson Video


    New York–The Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board released Coast Guard footage today of the U.S. Airways passenger plane as it conducted an emergency landing into the Hudson River Jan. 15, 2009.
    You see the plane emerge at the middle of the left screen, at 3:31.02


    Passenger interview

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    Air Canada/Air Georgian Blows Tires in Albany


    What: Air Canada 9 year old 19-seat Beechcraft 1900 turboprop en route from Toronto to Manchester, N.H.
    Where: Albany International Airport
    When: Thursday Jan 15 11 am
    Who: seven passengers and two crew members
    Why: The plane was landing because of a reported engine problem (an in-flight emergency when one of two turboprop engines experienced difficulty). The pilot noticed low oil pressure in the right engine; however, all four tires failed during an emergency landing at in New York. The plane landed on the main runway and stopped on four flat deflated tires at the intersection of two runways The Albany airport was closed for an hour after the landing.

    Note: Tickets were sold by Air Canada, but Air Georgian operated the flight. Air Georgian president Paul Mulrooney is unsure if there was ice on the plane’s brakes or if the pilot braked too heavily, causing the tires to blow out.

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    US Airways Airbus Goes Down in the Hudson

    What: U.S. Airways passenger Airbus Flight 1549 enroute to Charlotte, N.C. taking off at t 3:26 p.m
    Where: Hudson River off New York City
    When: Thurs jan 15
    Who: 155 on board scrambling onto rescue boat (50 passengers, three flight attendants and two pilots )
    Why: Pilot hit a flock of geese after taking off from LaGuardia. (Two bird hits) Four minutes after takeoff passengers report hearing an explosion from the left side of the plane.

    Heroic efforts were made, retrieving 150 from the freezing Hudson waters. (It was a 20-degree day.) Gov. David Paterson has called the rescue “miracle on the Hudson.”

    US Airways CEO Doug Parker public announcement.
    The captain of US Airways 1549 is Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger, III. Captain Sullenberger has over 40 years of flying experience.” He a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy (B.S.), Purdue University (M.S.) and the University of Northern Colorado (M.A.)., former US Air Force (USAF) fighter pilot, who has served as an instructor and Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) safety chairman, accident investigator and national technical committee member, and has participated in several USAF and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident investigations.

    Passengers are recorded saying the Captain walked the length of the aisle to verify everyone was safely out.

    NTSB Advisory
    National Transportation Safety Board
    Washington, DC 20594
    January 15, 2009

    NTSB SENDING GO TEAM TO NEW YORK CITY FOR HUDSON RIVER AIRLINER ACCIDENT

    The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a Go Team to investigate today’s crash of a US Airways Airbus A-320 (N106US) into the Hudson River in New York City.

    Senior Air Safety Investigator Robert Benzon has been designated as Investigator-in-Charge of the 20-member team. NTSB Member Kitty Higgins is accompanying the team and will serve as principal spokesperson for the on-scene investigation. Peter Knudson is the press officer for the investigative team.

    The team will be arriving in New York this evening.