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    Bloodied Pilot survives Florida Crash


    What: Mooney M-20G registered to Wendy Taber, of Greenacres, and co-owners Gerald Taber and Jim McAlister. The flight came down while en route from Lantana to Titusville
    Where: near Englar Drive and Harris Road, Indian River County
    When: Midnight Friday
    Who: Injured pilot was taken to the Sebastian River Medical Center, and is in stable condition. He does not recall the crash, but bruised and bloody walked a quarter of a mile to a residence to make a call to 911.
    Why: Under Investigation. The plane apparently clipped trees coming down, breaking the wings off the intact fuselage.

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    Philadelphia Incident Sunday

    What: US Airways Express CRJ Jet operated by Air Wisconsin en route from Norfolk, Va to Philadelphia.
    Where: Philadelphia International Airport
    When: 5:30 pm Sunday
    Who: 3 people aboard, the captain, first officer and a flight attendant. The plane can hold 50 passengers
    Why: The pilot reported problems with the landing gear. The plane landed safely on runway 27 Left on foam though its left landing gear was not down. Sparks were seen on the runway at landing, but no injuries were reported. The plane carries 3000 lb of fuel.

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    Emergency Landing in field, no injuries and little damage

    What: en route from Perland to Meacham
    Where: land the plane safely in a field near Mark IV Parkway and Loop 820
    When: 10 am reported engine trouble
    Who: 2 people aboard
    Why: After reporting that the plane’s engine was running rough, the pilot was able to land in the field safely.

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    Taranaki Crash kills Pilot


    What: crop duster (model not indicated)
    Where: crashed into the hillside on farmland above the Waitara River in a paddock in Tarata, 19km east of Inglewood
    When: noon 14 December 2008
    Who: pilot a man in his 40s died on the scene
    Why: Cause unknown

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  • Plane Falls in Pieces to Golf Course

    What: small plane, probably (but not definitively) Forney Aircoupe from the Avon Park airport
    Where: among trees between the 10th, 12th and 14th fairways in Golf Hammock, a golf community west of Sebring in Highlands County
    When: 11:30 a.m. Saturday
    Who: Pilot James Weener, and passenger James Richer
    Why: Witnesses saw black smoke, heard the plane’s engine over-revving, then the plane came apart and in fell in pieces from the sky. A witness said “Some small parts came off first, then the wing came off and the tail shot off. It just disintegrated in midair.”

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    Fuel Tank Jettisoned into Great Salt Lake; Safe Emergency landing


    What: 388th Fighter Wing F-16
    Where: Great Salt Lake, approximately three miles north of Antelope Island
    When: Friday.
    Who: Pilot
    Why: When sensors indicated a fire condition, the pilot jettisoned the plane’s two external fuel tanks (emergency procedures ) o lighten the plane. (Great Salt Lake is “unpopulated”)

    The Fighter Wing F-16 landed safely around 10:20 a.m. The tanks were 3/4 full, and are capable of carrying 370 gallons. Procedures are underway to retrieve the tanks.

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    Emergency landing in Alondra Intermediate School, CA


    What: Los Angeles Aviation Inc Robinson R22 out of the Long Beach Airport.
    Where: football field of Alondra Intermediate School in Paramount
    When: Just before noon Friday
    Who: No passengers were mentioned.
    Why: After the pilot reported a problem with the engine drive belt, he made a successful emergency landing.

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    Update: F/A-18 Crash in San Diego

    What: F/A-18 Military Jet from the carrier Abraham Lincoln landing at Marine Corps Air Station Miramir
    Where: San Diego neighborhood
    When: DEC 8
    Who: the pilot, who was part of a training squadron, ejected. He had been aiming the plane at a deserted canyon to avoid homes and the 805 Freeway. 4 Individuals in the house are dead. The pilot has been transported to Balboa Naval Hospital
    Why: Witnesses said, “It was mushing through the air…iIt was chugging along with what seemed like one engine. Then I heard a roar of engine and all of a sudden, woop, dead silence.”

    The deceased have been identified as 4 members of a Korean family. Dong Yun Yoon is the sole survivor–Lost in the crash were Young Mi Yoon, 36; her daughters Grace, 15 months, and Rachel, 2 months; and her mother, Suk Im Kim, 60.

    Apparently caused by power failure, the crash is considered unrelated to the previous discovery of cracks in hinges on the wings of more than a dozen F/A-18s ( This writer, however, does wonder if the two problems reveal a maintenance factor in common–though hinge cracks seem that they would be related to parts, wear or broader manufacturing issues.)

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    Brazil’s GOL Report

    Brazil released a report Wednesday regarding the GOL crash. Specifically, the report concerns the Gol jet that collided over the Amazon rain forest with an Embraer Legacy 600 executive jet owned by ExcelAire Service Inc. of New York ; it concludes that the pilots of a New York-based executive jet had placed the transponder and collision avoidance system on standby before colliding with the Boeing 737 operated by GOL Linhaus Aereas Inteligentes SA on Sept. 29, 2006.

    However, the two American pilots are not exclusively responsible. The NTSB opinion is that the rules and regulations that govern Brazilian air space, as well as the on duty air Brazilian traffic controllers are at fault. Brazilian air traffic controllers should have informed the Long Island pilots that their transponder was turned off. There’s no indication that the Legacy’s control panel indicated that the transponder was off.

    The Legacy landed safely but everyone on the GOL jet died. Flight controllers failed to alert pilots that they were on a collision course and also did not notice–or communicate that the transponder was off.

    The on duty flight controllers and the two U.S. pilots – Joseph Lepore and Jan Paladino have been indicted. They could get up to three years in prison.The pilots deny turning off the transponder. They claim to have been flying at the altitude designated by the air controllers. Their lawyer is quoted as saying “This accident was caused by a string of catastrophic errors committed by Brazilian air traffic controllers. In essence, they put and kept these two planes on a collision course.”

    ExcelAire says that “the transponder issue is a distraction from the true cause of the accident, which is an air traffic control system that put two airplanes on a collision course for about an hour.”

    Families of the GOL victims may yet file a civil lawsuit in Brazil.

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    Two Still Missing in Gulf Helicoptor Crash


    What: Helicopter owned by leasing company Rotorcraft en route to an unmanned oil rig platform 18-miles off-shore
    Where: Gulf of Mexico, about two miles below Sabine Pass at the border of Texas and Louisiana
    When: Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008
    Who: 5 on board. The pilot of the helicopter was identified as Joe Laugelle
    Why: Cause is under investigation; however there was a weather advisory in effect at the time of the crash

    At the time of the crash, air temp was 36 degrees; water temp 62 degrees. Wind was from the west at 23 knots, and there was a weather advisory. The three crew members who were recovered were wearing personal floatation devices. A search is ongoing for two others. All four passengers were crew members for a contract customer of Rotorcraft.


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    Mexico Learjet Crash Update: Another Update Another Death


    A sixteenth victim of the Lear jet crash in Mexico has died. 85-year-old Victor Altamiranot died Thursday

    The fifteenth victim of the Lear jet crash was a 44-year-old woman who died in the hospital.

    The NTSB has concluded that wake turbulence was the problem that downed the jet. Air traffic controllers told the Learjet pilots to slow down significantly so as to not gain ground on the 767, but they flew into wake 4 miles behind the jet. This action has been interpreted as pilot error. Additionally, the contract pilots may not have been qualified on the jet as deficiencies in their certifications were uncovered.

    The Learjet departed San Luis Potosí (SLP) at 18:04 on a flight to Mexico City (MEX). On board were a.o. Mexican Interior Minister Juan Camilo Mourino, Deputy Attorney General Josi Luis Santiago Vasconcelos and Miguel Monterubio Cubas, the director of social communication.

    The flight was uneventful and the Learjet passed LUCIA VOR at 18:40 and ATIZAPAN VOR at 18:42. It passed SAN MATEO VOR at 18:44, at an altitude of 11000 feet and an airspeed of 262 kts. It was trailing a Boeing 767-300 (Mexicana Flight 1692 from Buenos Aires). At 18:45 hours the aircraft was instructed to switch to the Tower frequency which the pilot acknowledged but never contacter Mexico Tower. At 18:46 the flight was observed approaching runway 05L. The last radar position of the aircraft was 7.5 miles from the Mexico VOR on the 256 radial, at an altitude of 9700 feet at 185 kts airspeed.
    The airplane crashed on the Avenida Reforma and caught fire. Several cars were destroyed and at least five people on the ground were killed.

    What: Learjet 45 flown by the Mexican government en route from San Luis Potosí Airport (SLP/MMSP) to Mexico City-Benito Juárez International Airport
    Where: Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City
    When: 04 NOV 2008
    Who: Passengers included:

    • Mexican Secretary of the Interior Juan Camilo Mouriño, top aide to President Felipe Calderón.
    • José Luis Santiago Vasconcelos-former assistant attorney general and current head of the federal technical secretariat for implementing the recent constitutional reforms on criminal justice and public security.
    • Miguel Monterrubio, director general of social communications with the Interior Secretariat.
    • Arcadio Echeverría, coordinator of special events, office of the Interior Secretary.
    • Norma Díaz, director in the communications department of the Interior Secretariat.
    • Julio César Ramírez Dávalos, pilot.
    • Álvaro Sánchez, co-pilot.
    • Gisel Carrillo, stewardess.

    Why: At 18:45, although the aircraft was instructed to switch to the Tower frequency, the pilot acknowledged but never contacted the Mexico Tower. The Learjet then crashed on the Avenida Reforma and caught fire. Several cars were destroyed and at least five people on the ground were killed.

    Voice Data Recorder Excerpts
    Pilot: That one’s got some turbulence.
    Co-pilot: Hey man.
    Pilot: Hey [expletive].
    Pilot: Alvaro, what do we do, Alvaro?
    Co-pilot: Hand it over to me, hand it over to me, hand it over to me.
    Pilot: It’s yours Alvaro.
    Pilot: [expletive]
    Pilot: No, Alvaro.
    Co-pilot: Diosito.


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    Delta Handles Double Emergency Landing


    What: Delta Air Lines MD88 flight DL1102 en route from Washington Dulles,DC to Atlanta,GA
    Where: diverted to Greenville-Spartanburg International Aiport for an emergency landing on runway 22.
    When: 5 p.m. Thursday.
    Who: 146 passengers and crew members
    Why: Initially the crew noticed smoke in the cockpit and was diverted to Greenville-Spartanburg. Additionally on landing, one of the right main gear tires blew. Passengers were evacuated onto the taxiway using slides.

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    Cessna Crash in Lompoc Kills Pilot


    What: single engine Cessna
    Where: agricultural field off of D Street, behind Mervyns near Lompoc Airport Santa Barbara County
    When: after 2:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon Dec 10
    Who: 77-year-old pilot James Foley suffered injuries, was taken to hospital but did not survive.
    Why: The plane was flying eratically, before crashing into wires and falling to the ground. The cause is under investigation.

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    Cessna Pilot Patient and Passenger Glides Safely to Emergency Landing


    What: Cessna 210 en route from Aurora, Illinois to Holman Field in St. Paul (for patient pickup) en route to Waukegan, Illinois.
    Where: Lake Elmo, MN, south of 10th Street North between Inwood Avenue North and Keats Avenue North, north of Interstate 94.
    When: Wednesday morning 10:30 am Dec 10
    Who: 1 pilot and 2 passengers
    Why: Shortly after takeoff, the Angel Flight experienced engine problems at 3,000 feet. With insufficient power to stay in the air, the plane glided to a landing 1n a soybean field. Another Angel Flight volunteer pilot completed the cancer patient’s flight to medical treatment.

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    Mitsubishi Emergency Landing in Mid South

    What: Mitsubishi MU-2 twin engine prop plane
    Where: Millington TN Airport
    When: 12/09 11:00 AM
    Who: One person injured was transported to the MED.
    Why: The plane lost a wing during the emergency landing, and spilled fuel on the ground. The pilot did not believe he could make it to the airport; after landing on the runway, the plane crashed thru a chain link fence. One of the engines was malfunctioning.

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    Turbulence shakes up JAL


    MD 80 pictured
    What: JAL Japan Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-81, flight JL-2375 from Osaka Itami to Nagasaki (Japan)
    Where: Midway to Nagasaki
    When: Dec
    Who: 73 passengers. 2 flight attendants were injured because they were working in the galley when they encountered turbulence.
    Why: The plane was caught in clear air turbulence. The flight crew declared an emergency and continued to Nagasaki.

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    Crash in San Diego Neighborhood

    What: F/A-18 Military Jet from the carrier Abraham Lincoln landing at Marine Corps Air Station Miramir
    Where: San Diego neighborhood
    When: DEC 8
    Who: the pilot, who was part of a training squadron, ejected. He had been aiming the plane at a deserted canyon to avoid homes and the 805 Freeway. 4 Individuals in the house are dead. The pilot has been transported to Balboa Naval Hospital
    Why: A witness said, “It was mushing through the air…it was chugging along with what seemed like one engine. Then I heard a roar of engine and all of a sudden, woop, dead silence.”

    The deceased have been identified as 4 members of a Korean family.

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    Gol Investigation Findings Released

    Regarding the Gol jet that collided over the Amazon rain forest with an Embraer Legacy 600 executive jet owned by ExcelAire Service Inc. of New York: The GOL InvestigatIon has determined that the pilots of a New York-based executive jet had placed the transponder and collision avoidance system on standby before colliding with the Boeing 737 operated by GOL Linhaus Aereas Inteligentes SA on Sept. 29, 2006.

    The Legacy landed safely but everyone on the GOL jet died.

    Flight controllers failed to alert pilots that they were on a collision course and also did not notice the transponder was off.

    The on duty flight controllers and the two U.S. pilots – Joseph Lepore and Jan Paladino have been indicted. They could get up to three years in prison.The pilots deny turning off the transponder. They claim to have been flying at the altitude designated by the air controllers.

    ExcelAire says that “the transponder issue is a distraction from the true cause of the accident, which is an air traffic control system that put two airplanes on a collision course for about an hour.”

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    Emergency Landing in St. Sebastian River Preserve

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    What: Experimental F1 Rocket EVO owned by the pilot
    Where: Indian River County St. Sebastian River Preserve in Sebastian
    When: 4 p.m. Sunday.
    Who: pilot Stephen Patrick Merrell sustained minor injuries
    Why: Emergency landing

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    Emergency Landing at Sidney Airport

    What: Single engined plane owned by Sydney Flight Training Centre
    Where: Sydney’s Bankstown airport southern runway
    When: 10.20am
    Who: pilot was injured. No one else was aboard. He was taken to Liverpool hospital for an assortment of non-life-threatening injuries.
    Why: On landing, the plane skidded down the runway and flipped.

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    Everglade Collision 3 Possibly 4 Fatalities


    What: 1979 single-engine Cessna was registered to Rohan Aviation of Lantana and flown by a student pilot from Lantana Airport en route to Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport.
    Airline Transport Professional Piper registered to Harry Duckworth en route from Ocala to Pompano Beach
    (The specific models have been deleted due to conflicts)
    Where: 2.7 miles southwest of Holiday Park (six miles northwest of Pompano Beach and about two miles into the Everglades)
    When: both planes departed Saturday (12/06) afternoon
    Who: Cessna-2 passengers Piper-1 person on board. The alleged victims include flight instructor Stuart Brown, and pilot Bryan Sax.
    Why: The planes collided west of U.S. 27 and south of Alligator Alley in the Everglades. No survivors. The NTSB is investigating. Only one of the flights had a flight plan. The exact number of individuals in the student flight is under dispute. The wreckage is located in an area accessible by airboat.

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    Homebuilt Crashes in Orange Grove

    What: homebuilt Long-EZ aircraft en route from Leesburg to Fort Myers
    Where: Hardee County orange grove
    When: December 7, 2008
    Who: pilot Gary Smith
    Why: Smith had engine trouble; and tried to land in an open field but clipped power lines, flipped and came down about 80 feet from the road. Smith was trapped in his plane until found by utility workers from Peace River Electric Cooperative investigating a power outage found him. Smith is in stable condition and hospitalized Florida Hospital in Wauchula

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    Plane Crashes Mobile Home in Michigan


    What: Cessna 206 en route from St. Paul to Glens Falls, N.Y.
    Where: northern Michigan
    When: 2:15 p.m
    Who: Pilot was killed in the crash.
    Why: The pilot encountered trouble near Traverse City, Mich. The plane dipped its wing, clipped some trees, then crashed through the roof of a mobile home. Residents of the mobile home were outside shoveling snow at the time and are unhurt, although the home was destroyed.

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