The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a team
to investigate an accident in which a small plane crashed
into a building in Austin, Texas, this morning.
NTSB Air Safety Investigator Leah Yeager has been designated
as Investigator-in-Charge and is traveling to the scene from
the Safety Board’s regional office near Dallas. Ms. Yeager
will serve as principal spokesman during the on-scene
investigation.
What: Piper PA-30 en route from Tradewind Airport to Alamogordo, N.M
Where: Amarillo
When: Thurs Fri 17 2010 7:15 a.m
Who: Pilot William Runyan Ellett, 59, and passenger Andrew Arnold Hanson 57
Why: A mile from Tradewind airport, the plane as it banked over the buildings, turned sideways and shot straight down and crashed into Arctic Glacier Premium Ice warehouse. James Ziolkowski and William Runyan Ellett shared ownership of the plane. No explanation is given for the crash.
Press Release: BRISBANE, Queensland, Feb. 18, 2010 — Boeing Defence Australia, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA], this week announced that Project Vigilare, a Network Centric Command and Control System (NC3S) solution for the Royal Australian Air Force, has passed factory acceptance testing. The system, already installed at the Northern Regional Operational Centre (NROC), will undergo on-site acceptance testing in March and operational testing at mid-year before being accepted by the Commonwealth of Australia.
“This is the major engineering release for Vigilare, and one that will form the backbone of the Royal Australian Air Force’s network-centric warfare capability for years to come,” said Steve Parker, Boeing Defence Australia vice president and general manager for Network & Space Systems – Australia. “Achieving this milestone demonstrates the significant steps we have made with our program partners and our customer toward delivery of Vigilare’s operational capability.”
The factory acceptance testing took place at Boeing’s System Integration Laboratory in Brisbane between Jan. 18 and Feb. 5. It verified system-level requirements for delivery of the NROC system.
“This successful test of NC3S capability for NROC not only demonstrates the readiness of this battle management system for Australian operations, it also highlights the product’s readiness for sale on the international market,” said Charles Toups, Network & Tactical Systems vice president and general manager for Boeing Defense, Space & Security.
Developed by Boeing Defence Australia, NC3S integrates advanced technologies that combine data from land, sea, air and space platforms, sensors, data links and intelligence agencies to provide tactical and strategic-level surveillance and battlespace management operations across wide geographic regions.
Boeing Defence Australia, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company and a business unit of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, is a leading Australian aerospace enterprise. With a world-class team of nearly 2,000 employees at 13 locations throughout Australia and two international sites, Boeing Defence Australia supports some of the largest and most complex defense projects in Australia.
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world’s largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $34 billion business with 68,000 employees worldwide.
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Pictured: A Oneworld (Qantas) Airbus A330-203
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Songyuan Andy Zheng
What: Qantas Airbus 330 en route from Sydney to Shanghai
Where: Sydney
When: ebruary 18, 2010
Who: 197 passengers
Why: After takeoff, the Qantas Airbus landing gear failed to retract, leading it to circle for 2 hours burning off fuel until it was light enough to land. Passengers were provided an alternative Airbus.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Helmut Schnichels
What: KLM McDonnell Douglas MD-11 en route from Suriname to Amsterdam
Where: Amsterdam
When: Feb 13th 2010
Why: Prior to landing, the plane developed vibration in the right engine. Emergency services were on standby when the flight made the landing with the right engine on idle. No indication is made of the cause of the vibration or if the plane was removed from service.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Agustin Anaya
What: Pinnacle Airlines Canadair CRJ-900 en route from Atlanta to Rochester
Where: Buffalo
When: Feb 17th 2010
Who: 63 on board
Why: While en route, the plane developed a problem with the slats. The flight diverted to Buffalo and made a safe landing.
What: Air Unique Inc Cessna 310R registration en route from Palo Alto to Hawthorne Municipal Airport in Southern California
Where: Palo Alto
When: Feb 17 2010
Who: 3 dead (passengers) employees of Tesla Motors
Why: After takeoff, over a residential neighborhood, the Cessna either struck a 100-foot electrical tower or clipped its power transmission line, causing the plane to burst into flames, fragment and crash.
A wing fell on a residential day care, and debris scattered on houses and cars in the neighborhood, and the crash caused a power outage in Palo Alto.
EVERETT, Wash., Feb. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — The fourth Boeing (NYSE: BA) Dreamlifter – the final airplane in the fleet of specially modified 747-400s – entered service today. Dreamlifters transport the large composite structures of the 787 Dreamliner from partners around the world to Everett, Wash. for final assembly. The unique airplane, which was modified by Evergreen Aviation Technologies Corp. in Taipei, Taiwan, took off from Paine Field in Everett early this morning. Bound for Wichita, Kan., the Dreamlifter is returning the equipment used to transport the forward fuselage section known as section 41. The airplane’s registry is N718BA.
Neg. K64881
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Julian Hunt
What: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 en route from Las Vegas to Burbank
Where: On approach to the Burbank airport
When: Feb 13th 2010
Who: 80 passengers and 5 crew
Why: A small private plane and a SW Boeing came within 5900 feet of a collision, but between ATC and the Traffic and Collision Avoidance System warning, the flights adjusted, and there was no collision, and no wake turbulence problem. However a flight attendant broke her shoulder and another was also hospitalized with injuries that occurred during the evasive maneuvers.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Roger Cannegieter
What: AeroSur Boeing 727-200 en route from Santa Cruz to Miami,FL
Where: Cochabamba Bolivia
When: Feb 16th 2010
Who: 87 passengers
Why: While en route, the plane developed electrical problems and had to put down in Cochabamba. After overnighting in hotels, passengers will be flown back to Santa Cruz, and then on to Miami. No details have been released about the plane, as far as we know.
Pictured: A Mexicana Link Canadair CL-600-2B19 Regional Jet CRJ-200ER
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Jose Lopez
What: Mexicana Link Canadair CRJ-200 en route from Cancun to Puebla
Where: Merida
When: Feb 15 2010
Who: 37 passengers
Why: While en route, during the flight the windshield developed cracks. The flight diverted to Merida Mexico and made a safe landing.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Federico Villadei
What: Itali Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-82 en route from Milan to Naples
Where: Milan on Feb 10th 2010
When: Feb 10 2010
Who: 6 crew
Why: After takeoff, the plane’s engine left a trail of sparks and was vibrating. A quarter of an hour later, the plane returned to the runway for a safe landing in spite of hydraulic damage. The speculation is that ice ingestion caused damage to the engine and hydraulics, but of course that is an open question until after the investigation.
For Immediate Release:
ST. LOUIS, Feb. 15, 2010 — A team led by Boeing [NYSE: BA] has submitted a proposal to the U.S. Air Force to provide aircrew and maintenance training support for the service’s C-17 Globemaster III fleet under the new C-17 Training System contract. Boeing Training Systems & Services has delivered C-17 aircrew training to the Air Force for the past 18 years.
The team draws on the experience and strengths of Boeing, FlightSafety Services Corp., FlightSafety International, Delaware Resource Group, Safety Training Systems, and CymSTAR. Boeing’s five program leaders have more than 78 years of combined experience delivering C-17 training.
“As the incumbent prime contractor for C-17 aircrew training, we have consistently delivered guaranteed students to the Air Force for nearly two decades,” said Mark McGraw, Boeing vice president of Training Systems & Services. “And our Training System team has ensured that the service’s C-17 training devices are available for training more than 99 percent of the time.”
The new C-17 Training System contract consolidates the contract for aircrew training systems with a contract for supporting the maintenance training devices. The Boeing team’s experience with both training programs will ensure a seamless transition to a single, integrated support program. The Air Force will continue to provide maintenance instruction separately from the other activities.
“FlightSafety Services is pleased to be participating with The Boeing Company as a teammate on the C-17 Training System follow-on contract,” said Eric Hinson, executive vice president, FlightSafety International. “FlightSafety has a 20-year history of producing successful C-17 training simulators and a long-standing relationship with both Boeing and the Air Force. We stand ready to work with Boeing and the Air Force on this important program.”
The cornerstone of the Boeing team’s ongoing success in C-17 training is its highly qualified instructors and support personnel. The same personnel will continue to instruct aircrews and support the training systems for the C-17 Training System contract.
“The Boeing team has submitted an innovative proposal to the Air Force that will continue to provide the outstanding training the customer deserves while offering significantly lower costs through greater efficiency,” said McGraw. “The Air Force can have complete confidence in our ability to meet their C-17 training needs.”
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world’s largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $34 billion business with 68,000 employees worldwide.
Pictured: An EasyJet Airline Airbus A319-111
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Paolo Migliavacca
What: Easyjet Airbus A319-100 en route from Milan to Brindisi
Where: Milan
When: Feb 14th 2010
Why: While en route, the control panel of the cockpit began emitting smoke. Landing in oxygen masks, the flight crew returned to Milan and made a safe landing. Passengers were provided a replacement craft.
Updated:
4 bodies identified, 1 missing in the NJ crash. Monmouth Airport is 5 miles east of Trenton. In Wall township. Relatives of the pilot were on the scene (mentioned on the video) and the current input is that the plane was neither going to or from Monmouth.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Mariusz Siecinski
What: Jack Air LLC’s Cessna T337G Turbo Super Skymaster en route to Monmouth Executive Airport
Where: Monmouth Executive Airport
When: 4 p.m. Monday Feb 15 2010
Who: 2 dead, 3 missing
Why: Witnesses saw the plane coming in for a landing when the tail broke off, the plane veered and crashed nose down beside the runway in a field.
Witnesses say the pilot pulled up and a piece of the plane fell off before it spun out of control and crashed.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Alberto Riva
What: Spirit Airlines Airbus A321-200 en route from Fort Lauderdale to New York
Where: Fort Lauderdale
When: Feb 15 2010
Who: 229 aboard
Why: On departure, the Spirit Airlines Airbus struck a bird reportedly the size of a turkey just below the windshield. 36 minutes after departure, and after dumping fuel,
the flight returned to Ft. Lauderdale for an inspection. No one was injured. No indication was made of another bird striking the aircraft. Although emergency vehicles were on standby, plane operations appeared to be normal. Passengers were provided an alternative flight within 4 hours.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Yuda
What: Swiss International Airlines Airbus A330-200 en route from Zurich (Switzerland) to Nairobi (Kenya)
Where: Zurich
When: Feb 15th 2010
Who: 175 passengers
Why: After takeoff, the plane could not retract the flaps. The plane entered a holding pattern and burned off fuel before landing safely in Zurich.
Thinking logically along those lines…we can speculate and plan, study and test, polish and revise, but does that make our planning and scheduling invincible? Even if it were perfect (and I’m not saying it is, because I am speaking of things in general), things fall apart. The nature of reality is change. Change happens. Plan for contingencies 1-3000 and the one that will happen is contingency # 3001.
We have to be careful sometimes when we start talking about human error. Unfortunately the container where the human error begins is life itself, because in theory EVERY thing can be blamed on human error. The patient died, blame the doctor. Nevermind that the patient was 112 and suffered every illness known to man.
In aviation, gunnysacking the humans happens too. Maybe they didn’t cause the lightning but they flew through it. We humans are pretty amazing creatures but we don’t control nature. We can plan and schedule all we want, but if you are going to fly during rain, you’re going to encounter thunderstorms. So let us say that the storm is responsible for the event. Do we blame the pilot for flying through the storm? Do we blame the arrogance of the plane manufacturer who claims the plane is invincible and can fly through anything?
Pilots are human. We have the full range of the spectrum, from the sublime, Sully, to the ridiculous (Colgan Air’s Marvin) Renslow. The problem that a hero like Sully presents to the rest of us is that he creates the philosophy that well trained pilots should be able to solve any emergency.
But take for example Air France 447… could the pilots have been able to cope with flight speed problems caused by the performance of flawed parts?
Is the failure to recover from an unexpected event (wind shear, potential conflicts with other planes, broken planes) pilot error? If we put human beings in an easy chair of an automated job in some point-and-click fly-by-wire captain seat, when the crisis happens, the built-in redundancies in flight systems fail and the pilot can’t snap out of humanness to turn into Superman when the wire breaks, is that pilot error?
Our pilots now have to deal with cost-cutting industry practices causing fatigue and poor training.
Even if the ultimate safety device in the airplane is the well-trained pilot, guess what? Pilots are human. Humans are capable of mistakes. They are capable of mistakes when operating planes.
Let us not forget that pilots fly planes that were crafted by humans, maintained by humans, orchestrated by human ATC, landing on airports designed by humans.
There is no one single answer. I have seen it a hundred times, and each case is unique unto itself, with one generality that can apply.
Human error occurs at all levels, and rarely alone.
RELEASE : 10-010
NASA and Industry Join Forces for Virginia Aerospace Day
RICHMOND, Va. — Aerospace is the economic engine that can propel Virginia’s economy to new levels.
NASA leaders from Langley Research Center in Hampton and Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore will join aerospace industry representatives statewide to bring this message to Virginia General Assembly members on AeroSpace Days 2010, Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 3-4, in Richmond.
Aerospace is a $5.4 billion industry that stimulates innovation and creates high-tech jobs. Virginia has more than 350 aerospace company locations and employs over 26,000 people, generating a direct economic output of $5.6 billion. NASA facilities in Virginia generate over a billion dollars and more than 10,000 jobs. Additionally, NASA revenues translate into approximately $64 million in federal taxes and almost $14 million in state and local taxes.
Reporters are invited to attend a news conference featuring NASA Langley Center Director Lesa Roe and Virginia Department of Aviation Director Randy Burdette Thursday, Feb. 4, at 10:30 a.m. at the General Assembly, 4 West Conference Room, 9th and Broad Streets, Richmond.
Astronaut Susan Kilrain, shuttle pilot who has logged over 470 hours in space, will be on hand to discuss NASA’s long-term exploration goals.
Throughout the morning, Langley education experts will demonstrate NASA’s Digital Learning Network (DLN), an electronic education capability that links students and teachers with NASA experts across the nation. In addition, General Assembly members will meet with students in their home districts via the DLN.
Finally reporters are invited to attend the legislative session at noon where Virginia’s aerospace community will be recognized.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Stefan Heymanns
What: Mexicana Airbus A320-200 en route from Guadalajara to Chicago O’Hare,IL
Where: St. Louis
When: Feb 12 2010
Who: 115 passengers
Why: While en route, cabin pressure was disrupted. The crew descended to a lower altitude and landed safely in St. Louis.
Maintenance! Maintenance! Maintenance!
In a Fri Feb 12 release, Earthtimes says Lebanon announced 45 bodies had been retrieved and their DNA identified them as passengers of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409. 83 passengers and seven crew (or 82 passengers and 8 crew?) died in the 4 minute flight from Beirut international airport into the Mediterranean. However as we can not confirm that number anywhere, we believe the confirmed dna-identified deaths are of a much smaller number.
U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the French Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses pour la Sécurité de l’Aviation Civile and Boeing are participating in the investigation.
Pictured: A KLM – Royal Dutch AirlinesBoeing 737-306 taking off from Amsterdam – Schiphol
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Fred Willemsen
What: KLM Boeing 737-300 en route from Amsterdam to Warsaw
Where: Amsterdam
When: Feb 10 2010
Why: After being cleared to take off on one runway, the flight actually took off from the taxiway. No incident ensued, and the flight continued to its destination.
Amsterdam Schiphol airport is reportedly supposed to be a confusing airport which recently changed its runway markings; and at the time of incident, it was sunset, and had supposedly snowed, which may have obscured the yellow taxiway/white runway distinctions, although there was good visibility. Hopefully the investigation will be used to make negotiating the runways safer.
http://www.nu.nl/algemeen/2182654/vliegtuig-steeg-taxibaan.html
PRESS RELEASE-Safety bulletin 12 February 2010–IFALPA has been notified by its Spanish Member Association SEPLA that the negotiation of a new labour agreement between Spanish controllers and AENA (the ATM service provider) has taken an unexpected twist after the approval by the Spanish government of a “Urgent Royal Decree” which changes the previous agreement.
The Federation has no position on the state of the negotiations or the tactics employed in the dispute. However, the dispute does raise some safety concerns. Consequences may include increased tension in the controller’s work place, economic worries of ATC staff, unanticipated shortage of ATCOs and unexpected delays throughout Spanish airspace.
SEPLA recommend that aircrews exercise extreme caution when flying within the Spanish FIRs (this includes the Spanish mainland, Balearic and Canary Islands as well as delegated airspace) and to consider the following safety recommendations:
REPATRIATION FOR PATIENTS
Friedrichshafen, Germany – Help often comes from the air! International aviation ambulance services are the main topic on the agenda of the 1st European Air Ambulance Meeting held in conjunction with AERO 2010. The international trade magazine 4RESCUE, which focuses on the topic of air rescue, is offering the global show for general aviation (April 8-11, 2010) in Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance a platform for exchanging information among organizations and specialists in the area of air rescue, including manufacturers and designers of all the medical equipment on board the aircraft and insurance companies. Ambulance aircraft are generally business aviation flights that have been modified for transporting patients.
“AERO Friedrichshafen is the leading European trade show for general aviation and thus the ideal platform for a European air ambulance conference,” says AERO Project Manager Thomas Grunewald. Many companies that already take part in AERO as exhibitors could also become major players and partners in the air ambulance sector, according to Grunewald. Moreover, the trade show venue in the tri-border area of Austria, Switzerland and Germany enjoys a strategic location at the heart of Europe.
In the health care sector, transporting patients back to their home countries is called repatriation. This is a service that is offered by companies, organizations, tour operators, rescue service companies, airlines and insurance providers. In most cases this concerns travelers who, for health reasons, are not able to continue their journey. As the worldwide tourist industry continues to expand, this service has rapidly gained importance and exhibited exponential growth over the past few years. Tour operators traditionally offer their customers a combination of individual insurance packages. The risk involved is generally transferred to insurance companies. Some of these firms have specialized in offering insurance packages for worldwide patient repatriations.
Details on the Air Ambulance Meeting and AERO 2010 are available at www.aero-expo.com.
Click the headline to access the two videos
When 2 planes collided near Boulder Municipal Airport, glider pilot Reuben Bakker flew through the fireball. He and his two passenger were all right; three people were killed. Altitude my have been a factor, as well as the highly technical nature of the Cirrus, which is heavily video-electronic with a blind spot under the plane
It appears that a Piper Pawnee hit the a Cirrus SR-20 from below.
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