What: Sheltam Aviation Beechcraft 58 Baron Where: Virginia Airport, Durban South Africa When: Mar 10, 2010 Who: 5 aboard Why: Newspapers reported this accident as the tires falling off after takeoff.
Apparently the pilots were getting conflicting messages, and did a flyby the tower where there was visual confirmation that the landing gear were down but improperly locked.
On touchdown, the pilot attempted to spare the right gear which eventually collapsed as the plane skid right, impacting bushes. There were no injuries reported.
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What: Bond Offshore Helicopters Ltd. Eurocopter EC225LP Super Puma Mk2+ Where: 24 nautical miles off the coast of Aberdeen, North Sea When: May 10, 2012 Who: 16 passengers, 0 fatalities Why: The Bond helicopter was en route from Aberdeen Airport to the Maersk Resilient drilling rig when an emergency developed.
Pilots had to make a controlled descent into the North Sea when the gearbox oil pressure tanked. With the use of flotation equipment, the ditched helicopter stayed afloat.
The two crew and twelve passengers were safely recovered by afternoon. A cautionary measure suspending Eurocopter EC225 flights has been issued pending investigation. Examination revealed that the helicopter suffered a crack to the gearbox shaft.
The passengers were employed by Halliburton, Ensco, Brundt and Stag, and Conoco. The Jasmine field is operated by Conoco Phillips.
The rescue was coordinated by the Aberdeen coastguard, who was alerted at 12.15pm, and RNLI lifeboats. The initial call indicated that added that all everyone was on the raft. Nine were flown to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, and five were taken by life boat.
In George’s Point of View
The choice to suspend the EC225 model until the kinks are worked out is a smart move. Better monitoring of potential cracks to the gearbox shaft may eliminate more “catastrophic failures” like the one that Eurocopter that crashed in 2009. In that event, the operator had put off replacing the main rotor gearbox, resulting in the death of 14 offshoremen and two helicopter crew.
The skill and training of the (May 10, 2012) 100% successful pilots and rescue crew cannot be commended highly enough. Sure, the media is calling this a textbook rescue, but somehow that description feels inadequate to me, leaving out the heroic human element involved. These guys are heroes.
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A twin-engine Beechcraft crashed into a building at Mid-Continent Airport in Wichita, Kansas, on October 30.
The aircraft reported trouble soon after departing from the airport. It then lost power and crashed into the flight safety center, while it was returning to the runway.
Atleast 4 people, including the pilot Mark Goldstein, were killed in the accident while 5 others were injured. One of the injured is believed to be in critical condition.
According to Wichita Fire Chief Ron Blackwell, the pilot was the only one travelling in the plane. Officials also said that the flight safety building had around 100 occupants at the time of accident.
The FAA and the NTSB are investigating.
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Aegean Airlines flight A3-610 had to return and make an emergency landing in Athens, Greece, on October 2nd.
The Airbus A321-200 plane took off for Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, but had to return shortly afterwards after the crew reported issues with the gear.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unhurt.
The airline arranged a replacement plane for the passengers.
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A Beechcraft Bonanza plane crashed in the 1600 block, Bent Tree Road, near Mesquite Metro Airport in Dallas County, Texas, on the night of December 18.
The authorities said the single-engine plane crashed while it was attempting to land at Mesquite Airport.
The pilot, who was the only person aboard the plane, was killed in the crash. His identity has not yet been revealed.
The accident is under investigation.
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What: Canadian North de Havilland Dash 8-100 en route from Cambridge Bay to Yellowknife Where: Yellowknife When: Feb 13th 2012 Who: 17 aboard Why: After landing safely in Yellowknife, the plane was being directed from tarmac to parking. One engine had been shut down, and a ground crew member was struck by the right propeller.
Emergency services were on hand.
The injured party, who was a new hire, was flown by medical ambulance to Edmonton.
In George’s Point of View
In many cases, I say Maintenance, maintenance maintenance! but in this case, I say Caution, caution, caution! One can never be too careful. Perhaps a longer training period would be advisable?
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