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    Continental Airlines Boeing 777-200

    O que: Continental Airlines Boeing 777-200 rota de Bruxelas, Bélgica para Newark,NJ ?Onde:rota?Quando:18 de Junho 2009
    Quem:247 passageiros e 3 tripulantes
    Por que: Quatro horas de vôo em cima do Atlântico e o capitão morreu. Os outros dois co-pilotos controlaram o vôo e aterrissaram com segurança em Newark.
    Opinião: O salário de um co-piloto é em média de $11/hora.
    Um co-piloto deve ter um salário “profissional”, pois se algo acontece com o piloto, o co-piloto se torna o piloto principal. Nesse caso, a Continental teve sorte de ter dois co-pilotos no avião que aparentemente tinham boa experiência. Algumas vezes, os co-pilotos não têm muita experiência, o que pode causar uma tragédia.

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    Air Canada Bird Strike over Montreal


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Mark Kryst

    What: Air Canada Embraer ERJ-190 en route from Orlando to Montreal
    Where: Montreal
    When: Jun 21st 2009
    Who: 85 people on board
    Why: After a normal lift-off and flight, on approach to Montreal, birds struck the plane’s right wing lodging the flaps in an extended position. Despite the slat problem, the plane landed safely within 20 minutes of the strike.

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  • NTSB TO MEET ON GROUND FIRE ABOARD CARGO AIRPLANE IN SAN FRANCISCO

    The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a public Board meeting Tuesday, June 30, at 9:30 a.m., in its Board Room and Conference Center, 429 L’Enfant Plaza, S.W., Washington, D.C.

    There is one item on the agenda. The Board will consider a final report on the following accident:

    * On January 28, 2008, at about 10:15 pm, an ABX Air Boeing 767-200, N799AX, operating as flight 1611 from San Francisco International Airport, experienced a ground fire before engine startup. The captain and the first officer evacuated the airplane through the cockpit windows and were not injured, but the airplane was substantially damaged.

    A live and archived webcast of the proceedings will be available on the Board’s website at www.ntsb.gov. Technical support details are available under “Board Meetings.” To report any problems, please call 703-993-3100 and ask for Webcast Technical Support.

    A summary of the Board’s final report, which will include findings, probable cause and safety recommendations, will appear on the website shortly after the conclusion of the meeting. The entire report will appear on the website several weeks later.

    Directions to the NTSB Board Room: Front door located on Lower 10th Street, directly below L’Enfant Plaza. From Metro, exit L’Enfant Plaza station at 9th and D Streets escalator, walk through shopping mall, at the CVS store (on the left), take escalator (on the right) down one level. The Board room will be to your left.

    NTSB Media Contact: Peter Knudson (202) 314-6100
    peter.knudson@ntsb.gov

    Src: http://ntsb.gov

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    Delta Emergency Landing In Ontario

    What: Delta Airlines Boeing 757-200 en route from Atlanta GA to Ontario CA
    Where: Ontario
    When: Jun 23rd 2009
    Who: 190 passengers
    Why: Forty minutes before landing, the Boeing’s right engine ingested ice from the fuselage and started vibrating. The crew shut down the right engine, descended to a lower altitude and flew on the left engine successfully to Ontario.

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    Airbus Failure Again…Over the China Sea


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Marc Kirchhofs

    What: Northwest Airlines Airbus A330-300 en route from Hong Kong China to Tokyo Narita Japan
    Where: East China Sea
    When: Jun 23rd 2009
    Who: n/a
    Why: The crew noted a sharp drop in outside temperature, then lost the air data reference system. The autopilot and autothrust system disconnected. This was followed by loss of speed and altitude data. Using standby systems, the crew managed to restore data stream and landed safely in Narita.

    George’s Point of View

    This looks suspiciously like what happened to Airbus Flight 447…Let’s see what the NTSB says.

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    Thomson Airways Flight lands safely with One Engine Down


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Jorge Abreu

    What: Thomson Airways Boeing 757-200 en route from Boa Vista Cape Verde to Manchester England
    Where: Porto Santo
    When: Jun 22nd 2009
    Who: 230 passengers
    Why: The pilot experienced a fuel leak in the right engine, shut it down, and diverted to Madeira for a safe landing.

    George’s Point of View

    That must have been harrowing flying on one engine and having to land on one of the Madeira islands. I wonder how they were alerted to the fuel leak–or if they just ran out of gas. Whatever the circumstances, all the more power to the flight crew for managing safely. Let’s hope maintenance can fix the problem in short order. They’ll probably have to fly a crew in.

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    Korean Airbus Loses Pressure


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Frank Schaefer

    What: Korean Airlines Airbus A300-600 en route from Jeju South Korea to Nagoya Japan
    Where: Nagoya
    When: Jun 23rd
    Who: 164 on board
    Why: The plane lost cabin pressure 40 minutes prior to landing. The pilot took the plane to a lower altitude, and oxygen masks were dispensed. The plane landed safely, with no injuries. Investigation regarding the pressure loss is ongoing.

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    Embraer Emergency Landing in Cincinnati


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Mark Kryst

    What: (Jetlink) Continental Express Embraer en route from Cincinnati to Newark, N.J
    Where: Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
    When: Sunday June 21 5 pm
    Who: (not released)
    Why: After takeoff, the landing gear would not retract, so the pilot landed the plane at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and passengers transferred to another plane.

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    Airbus A320 Struck By Lightning


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Zach Chelsky

    What: UNITED AIRLINES FLIGHT 468 AIRBUS A320
    Where: SEATTLE, WA
    When: 06/22/2009
    Who: (not released)
    Why: UNITED AIRLINES FLIGHT 468 AIRBUS A320 AIRCRAFT WAS STRUCK BY LIGHTNING WHILE INFLIGHT, POST FLIGHT INSPECTION REVEALED DAMAGE TO THE LEFT ELEVATOR

    George’s Point of View

    Statistically, a large plane is hit by lightning an average of once every three years.

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    BMI Airbus Grounded by Mystery Smoke


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Rui Miguel

    What: BMI British Midland Airbus A319-100 en route from London Heathrow to Edinburgh
    Where: London
    When: Jun 21st 2009
    Who: 126 passengers,
    Why: After the scent of smoke was detected in the cabin, the plane returned to London. The plane was replaced, but no source of smoke or fire was ever found.

    George’s Point of View

    When I read of accounts like this one, sometimes I wonder if someone snuck a smoke in the bathroom. Not that I would defend such a thing, but if that were the case, it would be better than there being an on-going problem with the electrics.

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    Quantas Airbus Survives Turbulent Flight

    What: Qantas Airbus A330-300 en route from Hong Kong China to Perth Australia
    Where: Perth
    When: Jun 22nd 2009
    Who: 206 passengers and 13 crew
    Why: A Qantas Airbus (like the one in the Air France crash) was off Borneo when it encountered turbulence that made it lose 800 feet in altitude, and injured a dozen passengers and one crew member aboard. Passengers reported that the turbulence sent crew, passengers and carts flying.

    Although web reportsby word of mouth include statements that crystals formed on the Airbus instruments, there’s no credible source collaborating the allegation; the crew reported the turbulence as a purely meteorological event. Lightning flashes were seen but the plane did NOT fly through a thunderstorm.

    George’s Point of View

    Is this the boy who cried wolf? Or a case of “where there’s smoke, there’s fire?”

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  • Boeing Dreamliner

    Coming soon from Boeing….(2010)

    The 787 Dreamliner

    George’s Point of View

    I’d line to be on that first testflight…

    The fact sheet is directly from the Boeing site.

    Fact Sheet

    Brief Description:

    The Boeing 787-3 Dreamliner is a super-efficient airplane with new passenger-pleasing features. It features a wing and structure optimized for shorter-range flights. It will bring the economics of large jet transports to the middle of the market, using 20 percent less fuel than any other airplane of its size.

    Seating:

    290 to 330 passengers

    Range:

    2,500 to 3,050 nautical miles (4,650 to 5,650 kilometers)

    Configuration:

    Twin aisle

    Cross Section:

    226 inches (574 centimeters)

    Wing Span:

    170 feet (52 meters)

    Length:

    186 feet (57 meters)

    Height:

    56 feet (17 meters)

    Cruise Speed:

    Mach 0.85

    Maximum Takeoff Weight:

    364,000 pounds (165,100 kilograms)

    Total Cargo Volume:

    4,400 cubic feet

    Program milestones:

    • Authority to offer Late 2003
    • Certification/Entry into service after 2012

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    Cessna Emergency Landing

    What: 1965 Cessna 172G
    Where: Inglefield Rd., just north of Darmstadt
    When: June 21
    Who: pilot
    Why: When his engine lost power, the pilot landed in a convenient field three miles north of the airport.

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    Navegantes SC: Embraer Flight Cancelled


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Marcelo Magalhaes

    What: Azul Linhas Aereas Brasileiras Embraer ERJ-190 en route from Navegantes,SC to Porto Alegre Brazil
    Where: Navegantes,SC
    When: Jun 19th 2009
    Who: 100 passengers
    Why: On takeoff, the engine “exploded.”

    The left hand engine backfired or otherwise made some explosive sound, and the crew immediately aborted takeoff. Mechanics confirmed a compressor stall. Passengers boarded a replacement jet for their flight.

    *Full authority digital Engine control consists of a digital computer interface system (EEC or ECU) “electronic engine control” or “electronic control unit” and components managing engine performance.

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  • Paris Airshow

    The Air France Airbus crash and the strained economy have cast a pall over the hundredth annual Paris Airshow, but in the meantime, Boeing sold a couple of 737s to Mitsubishi’s MC Aviation. As Airbus has missed deadlines on an order of 180 planes and has a backlog of 3500 planes and 21 cancellations, Boeing may be in line for more orders. The Air Show closes Sunday.

    George’s Point of View

    WE need the business in the U.S.
    Great News!

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    Let’s Look at Some Airbus Stats, Shall we?

    On Flight 447. pilots contended with escalating failures in their flight control system while alarms were going off and no natural horizon was visible to orient or fly by; and they were completely dependent on electronic instrumentation that were providing faulty data.

    What went wrong?

    George’s Point of View

    5,717 aircraft have been manufactured by Airbus.
    5,100 are in use.
    23 have been involved in fatal crashes
    2,584 people have been killed by Airbuses.
    5 additional accidents have caused 21 injuries.
    Three Airbus crashes involved a separation of the composite vertical stabilizer from the fuselage.
    Airbus composite stabilizers, rudders and couplers have also been involved in additional accidents and incidents.
    25% of new Airbuses are made of composite material, including the plastic vertical stabilizer over 78 feet long
    There have been 10 recorded incidents when A300 tail fins were stressed beyond their capacity.

    Many pilots refuse to fly the Airbus. Maybe they have the right idea.

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    Scifi Space Plane of the future lands in Mesa

    What: Virgin Galactic’s WhiteKnight Two four-engine, twin-fuselage “mother ship.” (experimental plane owned by Richard Branson) en route from Mohave, California to Las Cruces, N.M
    Where: Mesa
    When: Friday Jun. 19, 2009
    Who: 2 pilots
    Why: The plane landed unexpectedly in Mesa after a cockpit alarm sounded.

    Plans to launch the plane into space in 2012 are intact.

    George’s Point of View

    Smart Cookie

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    Pinnacle Emergency Landing in Jackson

    What: Pinnacle Airlines Canadair CRJ-200 on behalf of Northwest Airlines, flight from Nashville to Memphis,TN
    Where: Diverted to Jackson’s McKellar-Sipes Airport
    When: Jun 19th 2009
    Who: 31 passengers
    Why: A sensor reported a fire in the cargo bay, but after the plane diverted to Jackson, no smoke or fire was found.

    The plane will continue to Memphis on Saturday.

    The temperature in Jackson was 93, and the heat index was 101.`

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    Romanian Flight: Emergency landing in Madrid


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Matthias Bindseil

    What: Tarom Romanian Air Transport Airbus A310-300 en route from Bucharest Otopeni (Romania) to Tenerife Sur Reina,CI (Spain)
    Where: Madrid
    When: Jun 18th 200p
    Who: 201 passengers and 10 crew members
    Why: En route the windshield cracked, and the flight was diverted safely to Madrid. No injuries were reported though the cockpit depressurized.

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    Sometimes You Just Can’t Win

    What: Air India Boeing 747-400 en route from Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) to Mumbai
    Where: Riyadh
    When: May 27th 2009
    Who: 300 Passengers
    Why: After takeoff, the crew could not retract the landing gear. Air Control told the crew to fly to Mumbai with the gear down.

    The captain refused and returned to Riyadh for a safe landing. Then Air India grounded the captain and stopped his salary.

    George’s Point of View

    This captain is something of an unsung hero, but he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

    Even though the captain’s job was to ferry the plane, he refused to do so.

    However, a ferry flight with gear down in night conditions is not permitted.

    So he lost his job for doing the right thing.

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    Continental Pilot Craig Lenell gone “Gentle Into That Good Night”

    George’s Point of View

    Continental Pilot Craig Lenell’s quiet but dramatic death is going to be all but overlooked in the media buzz over the Air France Airbus catastrophe. None of his passengers even knew he’d died. In an interview, his Lenell’s wife called him the “kindest, gentlest man” she ever knew. His last communication to her had been a promise to bring her chocolates.

    You never know what you’re going to get.

    The 32 year veteran of Continental Airlines was also an Vietnam vet who served in the Air Force.

    The first officer and (what is probably) the international relief officer took over when the captain became incapacitated. It was sheer luck that a cardiologist was on board. And even though he was unable to save the captain’s life, Dr. Julien Struyven’s accidental presence on that flight may be a comfort to the captain’s wife and family. At least they won’t be asking “what if a doctor had been on board? What if there had be a defib on board?” Because on this flight there was a doctor, and a defibrillator. Perhaps it was just the captain’s time.

    Maybe one man’s death aboard a flight that did not crash isn’t going to be a headline for more than a day, but you can bet that the people aboard that Continental Flight 61 from Brussels to Newark–those passengers who are alive now because Continental did something right–they won’t ever forget.

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  • Channeling the Weather

    George’s Point of View

    So, it took the Air France Airbus Flight 447 flying into the eye of the storm and never coming out for storm alerts to come of age.

    The US FAA has had a system in development which is (as they term it) a “satellite-based upgrade of air-traffic management” which can send climate pictures through satellite access. This is a vast improvement of the current system, apparently. I have to take someone’s word on it since I just use the weather channel on tv, and haven’t spent a whole lot of time checking out cockpit weather access.

    It just seems like such a practical and obvious technology for aviation, I wonder why it has not been in place for years. Maybe it’s the $22 billion bill that is the stopping point, but sometimes you just have to pay the piper. Or in this case, ITT Corp, which is developing “NextGen.” The Next Generation Air Transportation System task force has meetings that are open to the public.

    I wonder if this is the same technology where they’re planning to live-stream aviation black box contents via satellite to air traffic control. That could save billions of dollars in searches such as the current hunt for the Air France Airbus black boxes, where they have a little more than a week to find a needle in the haystack…(black box in the Atlantic Ocean) before the “ping power” runs out.

    Who knows if this technology would have warned

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    Co-Pilots to the Rescue

    Capt. Lee Collins of the Coalition of Airline Pilots Association said pilots are prepared for emergencies in the air. The pilot of a transatlantic flight died over the Atlantic Ocean, but the jet landed safely.

    What: Continental Airlines Boeing 777-200 en route from Brussels Belgium to Newark, NJ
    Where: en route
    When: June 18th 2009
    Who: 247 passengers and 3 flight crew
    Why: Four hours into the flight, while over the Atlantic, the captain died. The two first officers took over and landed the plane safely in Newark.

    A doctor on board was called to the cockpit, and the on board defibrillator failed to revive the captain who apparently had died of a heart attack.

    George’s Point of View

    It’s a small world.

    Recently I’d been in a conversation with someone about the Colgan flight.

    Remember the Colgan flight? The one that crashed in Buffalo? The wings iced over, the captain was ill-trained, and the co-pilot was too inexperienced and too exhausted to know how to respond to the particular emergency. The combination resulted in disaster for everyone on board.

    So, I was in this conversation with someone about the Colgan flight, and the question came up about the value of the co-pilot’s experience. The rate of the co-pilot’s pay was released, ($11.00/hr) and that provoked me to write about co-pilots needing “professional” pay. What would happen, we speculated (in this conversation) if the pilot died? The copilot becomes the de facto pilot.

    Then, lo and behold, today a pilot dies of a heart attack. Luckily for Continental and everyone on board, there were two co-pilots on hand, and both of them apparently qualified enough to handle the flight. (Apparently so, since they did manage to finish the flight.)

    I just wasn’t expecting that speculative question to manifest itself in a headline today.

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    Man vs Wire

    George’s Point of View

    As opposed to Boeing, where the pilot always has the upper hand over the machine, the basic tenet of Airbus philosophy is machine knows best. That must be the case, because when all else fails, here comes the Airbus autopilot and the pilot can’t do anything. We’ve seen this bite pilots in the *** in a number of circumstances, but the first one that comes to mind, for me, is the big TAM crash in Sao Paulo. Not being a pilot, I’ve had to ask airbus pilots about this, and believe me, I’ve heard some horror stories that would curl your hair. Maybe that’s what is at the root of my negativity toward the Airbus. The other would be their tendency to crash and kill a lot of people at one time.

    Anyway, Airbus recently started production of the A320 series in China. They just did a maiden flight on the first plane. I like China very much but I don’t know about getting on China-made planes. It is bad enough that they are Airbus.

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    Boeing Tailpipe Fire cancels flight


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Joseph Wagner

    What: United Airlines Boeing 757-200 en route from Denver,CO to Sacramento,CA
    Where: Denver
    When: Jun 10th 2009
    Who: 186 passengers and 6 crew
    Why: On startup, the right hand engine experienced a fire burning the tailpipe, which also damaged the wing. Passengers debarked before takeoff.

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