• Is the Q400 Safe?

    When looking at track records, the biggest question of safety in the Bombardier Q400 seems to be the failure of the landing gear to retract. Airworthiness directives in the archives refer to this issue as “fatigue failure of the nose landing gear electrical harness” although when gear retraction failed in 2007 on a Scandinavian Airlines plane, the cause of the failure was described as “hydraulics actuator top eyebolt was separated from the actuator.”

    Of course in the Buffalo Crash, the landing gear issue did not come into play.

    Significant icing may have been THE problem. It may have been icing that crippled the plane, period. It may have been a salvageable situation. It may have been a crisis situation that nine out of ten pilots could have handled–or 1 in 100.

    Or it may have been one of several factors.

    The Buffalo flight apparently slowed enough to lose lift.

    When the stall-warning system angled the plane’s nose down to regain speed, instead of following the proper procedure–lowering the nose to get out of a stall–the captain pulled back on the controls and added power.

    Pilot training is being discussed as a factor in the crash. Or was it as James Fallows postulates a “tailplane stall?”

    Nasa Tailplane Stall Video

    However speculation is simply a logical exercise. The NTSB investigation is ongoing as the FBI, NTSB, and FAA examine the flight data and the world waits for an answer.

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    R-44 Crashes In Panama; 3 Killed


    Pictured: R-44
    Click to view full sized photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Jose Ramon Valero

    What: Robinson-44 (tail # HP-AM3 ) Raven II owned by the Atlantic Suntoys Corp. en route from from the region of Tucuti, in the Panamanian province of Darien, on the border with Colombia en route to Albrook on the banks of the Panama Canal.
    Where: Panama City’s international airport, Tocumen terminal
    Who: pilot Gary Muschette, and passengers Arturo Kam Tello and Ramon Ricardo Perez
    Why: Requesting permission to land at Tocumen, pilot Gary Muschette reported a mechanical malfunction.

    Witnesses said the helicopter was on fire before it fell from the sky.

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    Surviving a Helicopter Crash in the North Sea in Feb


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    Contact Photographer Gary Watt

    What: EC225 Super Puma chopper en route to a drilling rig, the Global Santa Fe
    Where: in the North Sea, 500 yards from the BP ETAP platform.
    When: Wednesday February 18, 2009 6.40 pm
    Who: 16 passengers and 2 pilots
    Why: 125 miles east of Aberdeen, the helicopter was forced to ditch in conditions of poor visibility. Flotation bags kept the helicopter afloat. Passengers waited on two rubber rafts. Individuals on the platform called the coast guard. Rescue vehicles included a Nimrod from RAF Kinloss, a Coastguard copter and a Sea King from RAF Lossiemouth. Emergency homing beacons fitted to the rafts and the men’s survival suits assisted the rescue as conditions made them nearly invisible.

    Three were winched to a helicopter; 15 were rescued by lifeboat, taken to the platform and flown to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. A triumph of rescue. No fatalities.

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    Ukranian Cargo Plane Crashes in Egypt


    Pictured: Antonov An-12
    Click here for full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Dmitry Karpezo

    What: Ukrainian Russian-made Antonov An-12 cargo plane [registration# S9-SVN] crashed during takeoff en route from Entebbe, Uganda to the Ukraine, on it’s way to Nikolaev, an avia-repair plant
    Where: Luxor, Egypt
    When: Friday Feb. 20, 2009
    Who: – Five crew members died
    Why: On liftoff, the plane slammed to the tarmac, then slid down and off the runway and hundreds of feet from the runway burst into flames. The plane had a full tank.

    The crew included one person from Russia, two from Belarus and two from the Ukraine. The plane’s black box data recorder were recovered.

    * Extra thanks to photographer Dmitry Karpezo

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    Japanese Turbulance. Lesson: Buckle Up!


    “Click here for full size photo
    Contact Photographer Stuart Lawson [Airplane-Pictures]
    What: Northwest Airlines Boeing 747-400 Manila (Philippines) to Tokyo Narita (Japan)
    Where: NARITA, JP
    When: 02/20/2009
    Who: 408 passengers and 14 crew
    Why: 30 minutes prior to landing with seatbelt signs turned on, the airplane encountered severe turbulence. The plane dropped abruptly from 15000 feet. Some passengers not yet buckled in were thrown out of their seats and struck the ceiling resulting in a couple of injuries. 43 passengers were distressed enough to go to the hospital. Only one passenger sustained a neck fracture; two injuries were minor.

    SOUTH NARITA, JAPAN, NWA2 ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURBULENCE AT 15000.

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    Nascar Bombardier Nails Vegas Landing on One Engine

    What: two-engine Bombardier CRJ-200 en route to Southern California
    Where: emergency landing in Las Vegas
    When: Thursday Feb 19
    Who: 44 team members and a crew of four
    Why: After the plane made a fuel stop in Salinas, Kan., the left engine lost oil pressure and the pilots shut it down at 38,000 feet. The General Manager of Michael Waltrip Racing said that “the plane operated flawlessly on one engine and we landed with absolutely zero incident.”

    The Michael Waltrip Racing team members were en route from North Carolina to Southern California for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup. The team came the rest of the way by bus.

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    US Airways Emergency Landing in Grand Junction

    What: US Airways CRJ-200 en route to Grand Junction Colorado
    Where: Grand Junction, Colorado
    When: Feb 18, 2009
    Who: 27 passengers
    Why: On approach, the crew discovered that the plane’ flaps were inoperable, making the speed of approach at the upper limit of the tires’ capacity. Emergency crews were on standby because of the potential tire issue. However (and fortunately) , the landing was (as you can see) uneventful.

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    Helicopter Beached in Encitas

    What: Robinson R22 en route from Palomar Airport Wednesday morning (no destination given)
    Where: Swami’s Beach in Encinitas
    When: Wednesday Feb 18
    Who: two flight instructors were aboard
    Why: After the aircraft developed mechanical problems, the pilot crash landed. No one was injured, but the tail of the helicopter broke off.

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    Colombia: Tragic Training Flight Tragedy


    Click here for full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Andy Martin – AirTeamImages
    What: retrofitted AC-47 and registration FAC-1670 or FAC – 1659
    Where: in an empty lot near the electrical sub station El Purino, in the west of Caldas, border with the municipality of Honda (Tolima)
    When: 18 FEB 2009
    Who: 5 crew members, three mid-ranking and two lower ranking officials all fatalities
    Why: The military “phantom” plane was on a training flight when it crashed in the vicinity of the air base.

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    Cessna Lands On Ice

    What: 1972 Cessna 150L registered to a flight school in Wheeling, en route from the Chicago Executive Airport
    Where: on the ice of Grays Lake near Route 120 and Lake Street, Lake County, IL
    When: early Tuesday evening 4:30 p.m. Feb 17 2009
    Who: pilot and one passenger were aboard. Neither was injured.
    Why: The plane was experiencing engine problems and the pilot determined he would not make it to land at nearby Campbell Airport. Rescue crews left the pilot waiting for a mechanic.

    The plane belongs to Flight Center at Service Aviation, Inc. of Wheeling.

    Rumor is it got up to 40 degrees Tuesday so let’s hope the pilot got that Cessna off the ice before it melted–

    36°F
    Current: Overcast
    Wind: S at 6 mph
    Humidity: 74%
    Tue
    40°F | 32°F

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    Medical Emergency Aboard United Airlines


    Click here for full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Jack Tasker

    What: United Airlines Boeing 777-200 registration N219UA en route from Tokyo-Narita to Washington-Dulles
    Where: unscheduled landing in Winnipeg
    When: Tuesday, February 17, 2009
    Who: One passenger on a full commercial flight
    Why: Eight hours into the 11-hour trip, a 41 year old passenger became incoherent, began having difficulty breathing and collapsed. A flight attendant performed CPR and provided oxygen. A doctor (passenger) used the plane’s defibrillator to restart her heart. The plane then made an unscheduled stop in Winnipeg, where the woman was transported to an area hospital.

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  • Crash Landing in St. Moritz


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    Contact photographer Moritz Meier

    What: Dassault Falcon 100 (registration VP-BAF) operated by Laret Aviation en route from Wien-Schwechat International Airport to St. Moritz-Samedan Airport
    Where: St. Moritz-Samedan Airport
    When: 12 FEB 2009
    Who: 2 crew members died in the crash, the passenger survived
    Why: On landing, the Falcon touched down with the right wing first, then with right main gear, and drifted left. The nose rammed the snow wall, turned left and broke in two.

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    Polish Medevac Crash Kills 2 Rescue Workers


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    Contact Photographer Bartosz Bujak

    What: Mi-2 Plus ambulance helicopter operated by Polish Medical Air Rescue (registration SP-SXF) en route to the scene of an accident near the southwestern town of Budziszow
    Where: Jarostów Poland
    When: 17-FEB-2009 7:50am
    Who: Pilot and medical assistant were killed, while the doctor was taken to a Wroclaw hospital for treatment.
    Why: A rescue team of the pilot, a doctor and a medical assistant were flying a rescue mission to a traffic accident at theA-4 freeway to assist a pregnant woman who had crashed in (car) traffic in foggy conditions. The helicopter hit the ground 20 km from their destination and 50 km west of Wroclaw. Visibility was poor and it was snowing.The cause of the helicopter crash is under investigation.

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    Chinese Boeing Suffers Oil/Gas Leak, Emergency Landing


    Pictured: a Shenzhen Airlines Boeing 737
    Click here for the full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Weimeng

    What: Shenzhen Airlines Boeing 737 flight ZH9852 en route from Beijing to south China’s Shenzhen city
    Where: emergency landing in northeastern China — at the Zhengzhou airport
    When: Monday Feb 16 at 3:45 p.m
    Who: 119 passengers, no injuries.
    Why: After the crew discovered the left engine was leaking [oil], the jet to make an emergency landing. However, a news report stated that the cause of the fuel leak was an engine seal ring. There is no word on what caused the [oil] leak.

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    Chilean Helicopter Crash kills 13

    What: Celco Constitución helicopter
    Where: south-central Chile– in the Maule region about 185 miles south of Santiago
    When: Feb 15
    Who: Aboard were 12 firefighters, aged around 18 to 30, and the pilot,
    Why: The firefighters had been on their way to put out a fire at a eucalyptus plantation when the helicopter crashed. There was a dense mist in the area and that there was light rain at the time of the crash.

    Celco is owned by Empresas Copec.

    The number of deceased has been upgraded to 14.

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    Ryanair Emergency Landing at Shannon

    What: Ryanair plane en route from the UK
    Where: Shannon Airport
    When: shortly before 4pm in the afternoon feb 15
    Who: 177 passengers and crew
    Why: the pilot notified Shannon Airport control tower that it had a tire problem, performed a flyby to verify the condition of the landing gear, and then landed without further problems.

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    Skymaster Emergency Landing

    What: Cessna Skymaster out of Rialto Airport
    Where: emergency landing between the 210 Freeway and West Casmalia Street
    When: Saturday
    Who: pilot
    Why: The plane was doing “demonstrations” when the pilot noted power loss. The pilot shut off his fuel, and coasted to a a strip of land between the 210 and West Casmalia Street, east of Sierra

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  • Banner-flying plane Downed by Weather in Co.

    What: single-engine plane pulling a Valentine’s Day “Happy Valentine’s Day Kim.” banner en route from Erie to Centennial Airport
    Where: near the town of Parker, about 25 miles southeast of Denver
    When: Saturday afternoon
    Who: pilot
    Why: Wind and snow forced an emergency landing in a field. The pilot’s business is flying banners.

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    American Airlines 757 Emergency Landing at LAX

    What: American Airlines Flight 1236 on its way to Chicago from John Wayne Airport in California’s Orange County
    Where: LAX
    When: one engine died just minutes after takeoff at 3:21 p.m. Sunday.
    Who: 149 passengers and a crew of six
    Why: The flight was diverted to Los Angeles International Airport, where it landed safely around 3:31pm. There were no injuries.

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    Air Pacific jetliner Emergency Landing at LAX


    Click here for full size photo on Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Snorre – VAP

    What: Air Pacific jetliner (Boeing 747 ) Flight 811 en route to Fiji
    Where: Los Angeles International Airport
    When: Friday feb 13
    Who: 441 passengers and crew
    Why: The crew reported a “fuel transfer problem.” and was forced to return to Los Angeles International Airport

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    Croatian Cessna Crashes into Velebit Mountain


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    Boran Pivcic – CroSpotterTeam

    What: Cessna T303 owned by Josip Crncevic en route from Zagreb to Zadar.
    Where: missing on Velebit Mountain
    When: Feb 7 3:45 pm
    Who: carrying pilot and 3 crew members: the pilot and 3 crew members from Zagreb flying club “Ban,” were: Gerd Govejsek, 63, Walter Aleksandar, 49, Miljenko Bartolic, 61, and Zvonko Kelek, 68.
    Why: There is very little factual information available, but thecrash is being investigated by Investigator Dinko Vodanovic. It is speculated that the altitude meter or the wings froze.

    It took 4 days of searching before the wreckage was located on the north side of the mountain at 11am at an altitude of 1,200 metres on Vagan peak. The scene of the crash is subject to harsh weather conditions.

    The owner Josip Crncevichas gone public saying (paraphrased) “I am convinced that the army who carries out military aircraft practice near Zadar is involved. Zagreb’s flight control allegedly allowed the aircraft to fly via a prohibited route. The flight control forced my colleagues to reduce their altitude from eight to six thousand feet.”

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    UK: R-22 Crash


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    Contact photographer TFSPhoto
    What: Robinson 22 single seat helicopter out of Leeds Bradford Airport
    Where: near Sandtoft Air Field in a field near the village of Sandtoft
    When: 12.45pm Feb 14
    Who: Only the pilot was aboard
    Why: The pilot of the crashed helicopter was on his first solo flight. South Yorkshire and Humberside fire and rescue services were there; the pilot was pronounced dead.

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    Porter Texas Baron Crashes in Back Yard


    Contact Photographer Zane Adams

    What: BEECH Baron 95-A55 registered to DBJD LLC en route from Bergstrom Airport in Austin.
    Where: in a PORTER, TX subdivision near Williams Airport in East Montgomery County.
    When: 02/12/2009 5:30pm Thursday night
    Who: Pilot Daniel Boyd Williams and Rheta Lynn Williams were fatally injured and died at the scene.
    Why: AIRCRAFT CRASHED on approach to Williams Airport in East Montgomery County.

    Airport witnesses the plane was coming in about 50 feet, began to climb and then made a sharp left to the treeline where it clipped several trees before landing in the Parnell family’s back yard. The plane hit the ground hard, ejecting the passengers.

    There used to be a stand of trees–possibly a sound barrier–separating the neighborhood from the airport. The NTSB says any safety they offered was an illusion and that the trees were a threat to the planes. However, individuals in the neighborhood believe they were safer when the trees were there.

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    British Airways Emergency


    Click to see large photograph on Airliners.net
    Contact the photographer “SkyLiner”

    What: British Airways Avro 146 RJ100 passenger jet en route from Amsterdam to London City
    Where: London City Airport
    When: Feb 13 2009 Friday evening about 8 p.m
    Who: 67 passengers and four crew members
    Why: On landing, the front wheel collapsed, and as the plane scraped on it’s belly across the tarmac, the cabin filled with smoke. Everyone debarked from the rear of the plane via emergency slide. There were a few emergency slide injuries-

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    Continental Airlines Flight 3407: NY Crash; All Lost


    Click to view large photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Frank Robitaille

    What: Continental Airlines Flight 3407, Bombardier Q400 turboprop operated by regional carrier Colgan Air en route from Newark, New Jersey to Buffalo Niagara International Airport
    Where: Clarence Center, New York.
    When: Thursday Feb 12 struck a house at 10: 10 pm. Two homes were affected.
    Who: 44 passengers and four crew members, 1 off-duty pilot, 1 person on the ground, all fatalities. The passenger manifest has not officially been released.
    Why: The New Jersey-to-Buffalo flight was cleared to land on a runway pointing to the southwest. But the plane crashed with its nose pointed to the northeast. Seconds after two automatic warnings to the pilots that the plane was not moving fast enough to stay aloft, the twin turboprop aircraft went through a “severe pitch and roll” after positioning its flaps for a landing. It did not dive into the house, as initially thought, but landed flat on the house. Icing is emerging as the possible cause for why flight 3047 fell from the sky. The flight data recorder has been collected and is currently being examined.


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