plane crash

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    Ridgeway Reservoir Plane Crash Updates

    Ridgeway reservoir

    A single engine plane crashed about 90 feet from the shore south of Montrose on 22nd March, 2014. The incident happened while the plane was on its way from Oklahoma to Montrose regional airport.

    A large piece from the tail of the crashed plane has been recovered from the reservoir. Rescue teams could not find the pilot and the other five people on board. It is assumed that there are no survivors of the crash incident.

    According to the Ouray County emergency, law enforcement and public officials, the search and rescue operation is going on at the best, and the efforts will continue on Monday as well.

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    Couple Died in Caboolture Airfield Plane Crash, Leaving Behind Six Children

    Plane crash

    The Caboolture Airfield plane crash happened on Sunday, 22nd March 2014, and killed all 5 on-board including Rahi Hohua, and her fiancé Joey King.

    Rahi, 27 and Joey, 32 were engaged to marry, and had six children. The trip was Joey’s gift to his fiancée.

    A couple of hours before the crash, Joey updated a social media status, disclosing his fear of skydiving. Within hours of tragedy, Joey’s worried friends returned to Facebook hoping that the plane that crashed was not their friends’.

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    Single Engine Plane Crashes Near Montrose

    Reservoir

    Five people are feared dead after a single engine plane crashed in Ridgeway Reservoir Colorado.

    The incident happened in the south of Montrose at 1:50 pm on March 22, 2014. The plane was on its way to Montrose regional airport from Oklahoma. Investigators believe that none of the five passengers survived, although no victims have been found yet.

    Rescue and search efforts are still in progress, whereas a team of divers is recovering the parts of plane from water. NTSB and FAA will be investigating the incident.

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    Small Plane Crash Killed One in Douglas

    Douglas

    A Piper Aerostar 601P crashed in Douglas County near Otero Drive and East Phillips Place, towards the southeast of Aurora, killing the only person on board.

    Aurora Police advised people to stay away from the area although they declared nearby homes out of danger.

    About two acres of grass were burnt because of the fire.  The plane broke into pieces.

    An amateur video and the eye witnesses say that the pilot appeared to be a kid playing in the plane. He was flying very low in circles close to the houses.

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    Plane Crash in South Africa Claims Three Lives

    A kit plane that crashed when its wings fell off, impacted near a landing strip in KwaZulu Natal province near Campertown South Africa, and resulted in three fatalities. A resident near the impact zone saw the plane crash sans wings.

    According to media reports, the plane, which crashed on Saturday, March 15, 2014, burned completely. A private ambulance service spokesperson said that the plane could be a four or six seater and that it is burnt beyond recognition.

    The police have confirmed the death of three persons in the incident. Three Durban residents flew it from Wonderboom International Airport where Kim Gibbings of Kloof had taken possession of the plane. He was identified as one of the victims. Gibbings is survived by an ex wife in Canada, two daughters, and a second wife.

    The Ravin 500 broke up in the air and the wreckage rained down on Emoyeni sugar plantation, leaving a debris field of eight hundred meters.

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    Automation at Fault?


    Here’s the question: do pilots rely too much on automation? This question has been on my mind since hearing the parallels between the UPS Cargo jet crash and the Asiana passenger jet crash. This is on my mind not only as one who works toward aviation safety but also as a very frequent flyer. You can only imagine how my work carries me into international situations. I don’t fly as frequently as a pilot, but sometimes I fly internationally several times a month. I am on these planes frequently. I rely on them.

    So I find it disturbing that the NTSB’s hearing Thursday revealed parallels between the crash of UPS Flight 1354 and Asiana Filght 214. While I don’t know the answers, I can only hope the investigation shines light on ways to deal with this problem. What is the solution? Less reliance on Automation? Better training for pilots?

    On the other side of the coin, some parties will want even more automation, but I am reluctant to go in that direction. The idea of even more reliance on automation is anathema to me because the engineers and advocates of reliance on even more automation will not be on those even-more automated planes. While the technology and/or training will be on the chopping block, their actual necks won’t be.

    What I don’t find disturbing is the professionalism of the hearings. The webcast is well worth watching.

    The hearing webcast is recorded here: http://ntsb.capitolconnection.org/022014/ntsb_archive_flv.htm

    Note the NTSB cautions participants in the hearing not to engage the media and to stick to the facts.

    Or the recorded captions (unformatted) are here.
    https://airflightdisaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/ntsb022014.htm.pdf

    bio docket: https://airflightdisaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/biodocket.pdf

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    UPS Flight 1354 Agenda and Media Logistics for Investigative Hearing


    The National Transportation Safety Board today released the agenda for the investigative hearing on the ongoing investigation into the Aug. 14, 2013 crash of UPS Airlines flight 1354, an Airbus A300-600, on approach to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Birmingham, Ala.

    The hearing will be held February 20 at the NTSB’s Board Room and Conference Center at 429 L’Enfant Plaza SW in Washington and begins at 8:30 a.m.

    Hearing witnesses, including representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration, Airbus, UPS Airlines, Independent Pilots Association and the Transport Workers Union will testify and answer questions from NTSB Board members, technical staff, and parties about non-precision approaches, human factors and flight dispatch issues. The agenda, list of panel witnesses, biographies and other related information is available at the hearing event page at http://www.ntsb.gov/news/events/2014/ups1354_hearing/index.html

    Investigative exhibits for the hearing will be placed in the electronic docket at the start of the hearing and will also be available on the hearing event page once the hearing begins.

    NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman will be available to answer questions from the media at the conclusion of the hearing. Additional details about the availability will be included in an advisory on Wednesday.

    Television coverage of the proceedings will be by network pool provided by CNN. Escorted cutaway for video media will be permitted for brief periods throughout the hearing. Still photographers will be permitted in the seating area of the Board Room and by escort to areas in front of the witness panels.

    Because of construction at and around L’Enfant Plaza, satellite and other media trucks will have to check in for parking and running cable through the construction zone. Please RSVP to eric.weiss@ntsb.gov by Feb. 19. Media access to the Board Room is available beginning at 7:30 a.m.

    A media room is also available with tables, chairs and an audio mult box. Generally-accepted media credentials will be required for access to the media room. In addition, a fully equipped overflow room has been established and will serve as a storage area for video equipment during the hearing.

    Seating for the general public in the Board Room is on a first-come, first-served basis. The hearing will be webcast live. Access to the webcast can be found at www.ntsb.gov.

    ===
    The National Transportation Safety Board has scheduled an investigative hearing on February 20 into the crash of a UPS Airbus A300-600 on approach to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Birmingham, Ala., on Aug. 14, 2013.

    The two flight crew members were killed and the airplane was destroyed when it impacted the ground less than a mile short of Runway 18. The cargo flight had originated from Louisville, Ky. Runway 18 was being used because the main runway at the airport was closed for repairs at the time of the airplane’s arrival.

    The one-day hearing will examine:

    Execution of non-precision approaches, including initial and recurrent training, adherence to standard operating procedures, and proficiency
    Human factors issues associated with effective crew coordination and resource management applicable to this accident, including decision-making, communication, fatigue and fitness for duty, as well as monitoring and cross-checking, policies, standard operating procedures, guidance, and training provided to UPS crewmembers.
    Dispatch procedures, including the training, evaluation, roles and responsibilities of UPS dispatchers and the limitations of dispatch-related software.
    The investigation is ongoing and this hearing will develop additional facts to support the investigation. The hearing will be held in the NTSB Board Room and Conference Center in Washington, D.C. A detailed agenda and a list of attendees will be forthcoming.

    Parties to the hearing will include the Federal Aviation Administration, UPS, Airbus, the Independent Pilots Association and the Transport Workers Union. The accredited representative from the French Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses pour la sécurité de l’aviation civile (BEA) will participate on the technical panels.

    The determination of the probable cause of the crash will be released when the investigation is complete. Just prior to the start of the hearing, the public docket will be opened. Included in the docket are photographs, interview transcripts and other documents.

    ____________________________________________________________________________________________

    NTSB public events are also streamed live via webcast. Webcasts are archived for a period of three months from the time of the meeting. Webcast archives are generally available by the end of the event day for public Meetings, and by the end of the next day for Technical conferences.

    If you wish to obtain a copy of NTSB meetings, please contact the NTSB Records Management Division at (202) 314-6551 or 800-877-6799. You may also request this information from the NTSB web site or write the following: National Transportation Safety Board, Records Management Division (CIO-40), 490 L’Enfant Plaza, SW,Washington, DC 20594.

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    Two Hawker Siddeley Accidents in one week

    A Hawker Siddeley 748 en route from Juba International Airport to Rubkona crashed in the Sudan. The plane had a crew of four and crashed while on a humanitarian mission.

    The cargo was a total loss. Reports are that there were fatalities and survivors in the crash but details haven’t been released.

    On Feb 12, another Hawker Siddeley HS-125-700B operated by Sirius-Aero with two crew flew out from Sheremetyevo to Vnukova Airport on a ferry flight. The pilots realized that the right hand main landing gear was not operating and notified ATC. They made a safe landing on foam. In that flight, neither pilot sustained injury but one wing of the plane sustained some damage.

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    Dulles Crew Finds Dead Stowaway

    A South African Airways Airbus A340 at Dulles International Airport flew from Johannesburg, South Africa to Dakar, Senegal to Virginia with an extra passenger. Crew discovered the body in the wheel well on Thursday. FBI, U.S. customs, border patrol, fire and rescue crews and Dulles police responded to the scene. Fairfax County Medical Examiner’s Office has custody of the body.

    See the Videos


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    Jenni Rivera Flight Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed in LA

    Even though Rivera had filed for divorce, the widower of Jenni Rivera, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Esteban Loaiza, is suing the owners of the Learjet that crashed on Dec. 9, 2012, killing the Mexican-American “Diva de la Banda” and six others. The wrongful death lawsuit in in Los Angeles Superior Court claims that the 78-year-old pilot and the co-pilot weren’t licensed to fly paying passengers.Also, the 43 year old jet flew unevenly and trembled when it hit cruising speed.

    The families of four of the others, Rivera’s deceased publicist, makeup artist, hairstylist and attorney filed a wrongful death lawsuit in January 2013.

    The pilot exceeded the age limit for the kind of license he obtained from Mexico, a fact for which Mexico’s civil aviation holds Mexico accountable. The pilot and co-pilot also died in the crash.

    The plane’s owners were Starwood Management LLC and its parent company, Rodatz Financial Group.

    The plane took off from Monterey and crashed within fifteen minutes.

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    Viral Video Pilot’s Engagement Cut Short in Cachoeira do Sul


    Last month, Arthur Demetrio must have been full of hope and good news when he took his girlfriend Thays Pereira da Cruz flying, and asked her to marry him by having his parents hold up banners saying “Thays Marry me” in an airfield in Cachoeira do Sul Brazil.

    See the proposal here

    I wish this were the end of the story.

    This Wednesday, Demetrio spoke to his fiancée Thays on the phone.
    Later that day, his Cessna 140 aircraft was flying out of the airfield where he proposed.

    He crashed in Cachoeira do Sul.

    His student Darlan Kabata dos Santos, 31, and he both died. There was almost no warning, though Demetrio had time to tell ATC he was having plane trouble, something about the elevator, which controls the nose of the plane.

    Officials informed his fiancée; she was the first to know. The family is devastated.

    Arthur Demetrio will be buried in Santa Catarina, where he is from.

    The accident is under investigation.

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    Two Days, Three Crashes, Four Dead, Four Missing


    Monday, a pilot and passenger were killed after the Mexican plane took off from Nuevo Leon and crashed in Veracruz.

    On Tuesday, a Cessna took off from Mina International and crashed in Tampico, Tamaulipas, killing the pilot and passenger.

    Also on Tuesday, a jet en route to Cozumel crashed in the Atlantic. All four of those aboard were recovered three miles northwest of Fort Lauderdale.

    Initially, in two days there were three crashes, four fatalities and four missing. However two bodies have been found—pilot Josué Buendía Moreno and nurse Mariana González Isunza,—bringing the total dead to 6. Two Mexican men—pilot Hiram Galván de la O and Doctor Fernando Senties Nieto—are still missing off the coast of Fort Lauderdale. The search of the 4,000 square miles debris field has been called off. Over 1000 lbs of wreckage has been recovered.

    Read More

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    Cirrus Crash Report Released

    The NTSB has released a report on the Sept. 25 Cirrus SR20 plane crash that killed Dr. Narayan Venguswamy, a Kentucky surgeon, and his wife, Jay Venguswamy.

    The plane touched down several times before it finally left the runway, veered left, descended and struck a tree, light pole and bank parking lot. Narayan Venguswamy was hospitalized at Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital and then Loyola University Medical Center, where he died of burns. Jay died at the scene.

    The Preliminary Report is below:


    NTSB Identification: CEN13FA558
    14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
    Accident occurred Wednesday, September 25, 2013 in Bolingbrook, IL
    Aircraft: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR20, registration: N406DC
    Injuries: 2 Fatal.
    This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

    On September 25, 2013, about 1715 central daylight time, a Cirrus SR20 airplane, N406DC, impacted terrain after executing a go-around near Bolingbrook’s Clow International Airport, (1C5), Bolingbrook, Illinois. The pilot and one passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to GDK International LLC and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated without a flight plan. The flight originated from Georgetown Scott County Airport (27K), Georgetown, Kentucky about 1500 and was destined for 1C5.

    The airplane was captured on 1C5 airport surveillance cameras while attempting to land. A review of the video showed that the airplane touched down multiple times about half way down the runway. The airplane was observed making a left turn after takeoff, descending, and then proceeding out of camera view.

    Witnesses reported seeing the airplane depart the runway and make a left turn at a low altitude. The airplane continued to descend, struck a tree and a light pole before impacting a parking lot and sidewalk. A post impact fire ensued and consumed most of the airplane.

    The automated weather reporting station at Lewis University Airport which was 5 miles south of the accident site reported at 1715: wind from 070 degrees at 8 knots, 10 miles visibility, clear sky, temperature 21 degrees Celsius (C), dew point 9 degrees C, and a barometric pressure 29.94 inches of mercury.

    During the on-scene examination investigators confirmed flight control continuity and that the flaps were in the retracted position. The Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) rocket and parachute were found in the main wreckage. The position of the CAPS activation handle could not be verified due to thermal damage. The parachute was found in a packed state and received thermal damage. The CAPS activation cable was examined and no stretching was found.

    The airframe and engine were retained for further examination.

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    Student Pilot Crash in Jalisco Mexico


    On an October 30, 2013 training flight, a Centro de Capacitacion Aereo Michoacan Cessna 152 out of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport lost power over Cajititian lake.

    The pilot made a crash landing beside the lake. The pilot Andres Gonzalez, 20, tried to land in an unpopulated area when the plane developed a mechanical problem in the engine.

    Emergency responders included firefighters and paramedics from Tiajomulco and El Salto. Gonzalez suffered only minor injuries.

    la Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (Civil Aviation Directorate) will be investigating the incident in Cajititlán, Jalisco, Mexico.

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    Rans Crash in Leicestershire

    On July 14, 2013, a privately owned Rans S-6 en route from an airfield near Tywcross Zoo to Stoke Golding airfield crashed in Fenn Lane, Fenny Drayton, Leicestershire with two aboard.

    The Rans plane crashed in a field in Leicestershire. Witnesses heard a bang from the aircraft, the engine quit. The plane glided along, banked right and left, then crashed.

    The plane was located at Fenny Drayton at about 18:45 BST on Sunday. The man and woman aboard were confirmed dead at the scene, found by emergency responders.

    The Air Accident Investigations Branch is investigating.

    The fatalities were informally identified as Bob and Olive.

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    MIG 21 plane crash in Rajasthan

    On July 15, 2013, at about 0930 hours, a vintage MiG-21 Bison fighter aircraft of IAF crashed on Monday while landing at Uttarlai Airbase in western Rajasthan. The pilot who was flying the plane died in the crash.

    The Indian Air Force fighter crashed while landing at Uttarlai Air Base, Rajasthan. The pilot had been on a routine training flight. The pilot failed to eject from the plane.

    A Court of Inquiry will be investigating.

    See Indian News Video

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    273 Korean Air Passengers Wait in Plane when Diverted to Russia

    July 2, 2013, a Korean Air Boeing 777 with 273 passengers aboard was en route from Chicago to Seoul when it had a drop in pressure as jet fuel was being pumped into the engine. The left engine broke down. After the malfunction, the pilots dumped fuel and diverted to Anadyr airport in Russia, where they made an emergency landing.

    Passengers had to wait inside the plane until the replacement jet arrived, so that with ten hours on the ground made a 13 hour flight almost 24 hours long for passengers.

    The malfunctioning jet was grounded in Russia pending inspection.

    In George’s Point of View

    I’d like to consider two additional points for those passengers stuck on their plane:

    As Anadyr airport is not one we have visited, we wonder if there is no Customs facility at Anadyr airport for individuals without visas to get some relief from the plane, which had to be exceedingly uncomfortable. Certainly there must be some humane way to abide by international law.

    This excessive time stretches some IATA standards of passenger accommodation from both airline and airport. The question isn’t whether passengers are entitled to some kind of compensation for their time and trouble, but rather how the airline and airport are going to recompense the passengers.

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    BA Airways emergency landing with Engine fire


    A British Airways Airbus A319-100 was en route from London to Oslo when it developed an engine problem.

    Passengers heard a loud explosion, and saw smoke from the right engine. Apparently the engine doors blew off.

    During takeoff, the casing of the left engine ‘came away’ and the right engine exploded when the plane made a quick return, landing in London.

    Good thing that Emergency services were on standby to extinguish the engine fire.

    Passengers and crew made an emergency evacuation via emergency slides.

    None of the 5 crew and 75 passengers were injured.

    The ABC News video below suggests a birdstrike that is purely speculative

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    Wheels Down on Lake Päijänne

    On May 20, two people aboard a float plane were safe after the pilot landed in Lake Päijänne Finland with the wheels down.

    Neither the pilot or passenger had more than minor injuries, though the plane flipped on landing after the pilot forgot. Both pilot and passenger had minor bruises and a “cold bath.”

    After the plane flipped, the men climbed on top of the cabin to await rescue.

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    Piper Crash in Argentina

    Mr. Julio Contreras – President of Allen Air Club was flying a Piper PA-11 Cub Special on May 10, 2013 and on landing at the Aeropuerto Arturo Humbert in Argentina, the plane flipped–a wheels up landing.

    Volunteer firemen, police, airport staff and members of the aeroclub responded to the scene.

    The cause of the accident is being attributed to excessive braking. Local news in Argentina is calling it just a scare. The pilot suffered a bump on the forehead, but is otherwise okay. He told reporters “IT WAS A BAD LANDING, SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS TO EVERYONE WHO FLIES. I ADMIT THAT WAS MY MISTAKE AND DO NOT REALLY KNOW IF SMUG, WANTING TO PLAY SHORT, I TOUCHED THE BRAKES A LITTLE MORE. THIS IS AN AIRCRAFT THAT HAS A TRAIN CONVENTIONAL WHEELS THAT ARE MORE LIBERATED LATER, STOPPED AND TURNED VERY SLOW. BUT I’M FINE, BUT WITH A BIG RAGE AND PAIN OF THE SOUL BECAUSE BREAKING A PLANE IS LIKE THAT YOU DAMAGE A CHILD … AND ANGER COMPARED TO SOMEONE WHO KICKS A PENALTY AND MISSES. IT WAS A VERY SIMPLE BEAT, CAME TO REFUEL AND BRAKED MORE, IS AN AIRCRAFT THAT HAS THE BRAKES VERY JEALOUS, MAYBE A LITTLE SMUG I WANT TO LAND SHORT, I WAS WRONG. THESE THINGS HAPPEN TO US HUMANS, WE WERE WRONG” (machine translation.)

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    Indonesian Crop Duster Crash


    Photographer Brian G Nichols

    On May 11, 2013, at 11 a.m. a PT Sinar Mas Super Air Pacific Aerospace Fletcher FU24-950 crashed three minutes after takeoff from North Rawajitu Indonesia. The pilot, Muhammad Adipura, 47, a Bogor of West Java died in the crash. It is believed he died at the scene, but his body was taken to Menggala Hospital in Tulang Bawang regency, then to the Lampung capital of Bandar Lampung for autopsy.

    The owner of the plane is PT Sumber Indah Perkasa. The airplane was used to spray fertilizer on oil palm plantations. The plantation, PT SIP often uses planes to distribute fertilizer, as do most of the large farms in the area.

    The plane did not damage any residential property, crashing near the outskirts of Sidang Gunung Tiga village. The head man of the village saw the crash and said the weather was fine at the time, and there was no rain or wind.

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    NTSB Issues 9 New Safety Recommendations

    NTSB Issues Nine New Safety Recommendations as a Result of Its Investigation of the 8/26/2011 Crash of a Eurocopter AS350 B2 Near Mosby, Missouri

    May 6, 2013 The National Transportation Safety Board Issues the Following Recommendations to the Following Organizations:

    • Prohibit flight crewmembers in 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 and 91 subpart K operations from using a portable electronic device for nonoperational use while at their duty station on the flight deck while the aircraft is being operated. (A-13-007)
    • Require all 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121, 135, and 91 subpart K operators to incorporate into their initial and recurrent pilot training programs information on the detrimental effects that distraction due to the nonoperational use of portable electronic devices can have on performance of safety-critical ground and flight operations. (A-13-008)
    • Require all 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121, 135, and 91 subpart K operators to review their respective general operations manuals to ensure that procedures are in place that prohibit the nonoperational use of portable electronic devices by operational personnel while in flight and during safety-critical preparatory and planning activities on the ground in advance of flight. (A-13-009)
    • Inform pilots of helicopters with low inertia rotor systems about the circumstances of this accident, particularly emphasizing the findings of the simulator flight evaluations, and advise them of the importance of simultaneously applying aft cyclic and down collective to achieve a successful autorotation entry at cruise airspeeds. (A-13-010)
    • Revise the Helicopter Flying Handbook to include a discussion of the entry phase of autorotations that explains the factors affecting rotor rpm decay and informs pilots that immediate and simultaneous control inputs may be required to enter an autorotation. (A-13-011)
    • Require the installation of a crash-resistant flight recorder system on all newly manufactured turbine-powered, nonexperimental, nonrestricted-category aircraft that are not equipped with a flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder and are operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Parts 91, 121, or 135. The crash-resistant flight recorder system should record cockpit audio and images with a view of the cockpit environment to include as much of the outside view as possible, and parametric data per aircraft and system installation, all as specified in Technical Standard Order C197, “Information Collection and Monitoring Systems.” (A-13-012)
    • Require all existing turbine-powered, nonexperimental, nonrestricted-category aircraft that are not equipped with a flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder and are operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Parts 91, 121, or 135 to be retrofitted with a crash-resistant flight recorder system. The crash-resistant flight recorder system should record cockpit audio and images with a view of the cockpit environment to include as much of the outside view as possible, and parametric data per aircraft and system installation, all as specified in Technical Standard Order C197, “Information Collection and Monitoring Systems.” (A-13-013)

      To Air Methods Corporation:

    • Expand your policy on portable electronic devices to prohibit their nonoperational use during safety-critical ground activities, such as flight planning and preflight inspection, as well as in flight. (A-13-014)
    • Revise company procedures so that pilots are no longer solely responsible for nonroutine operational decisions but are required to consult with the Air Methods Operational Control Center for approval to accept or continue a mission when confronted with elevated risk situations, such as fuel-related issues and unplanned deviations. (A-13-015)
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    NTSB TO ASSIST AFGHAN AUTHORITIES WITH INVESTIGATION INTO BAGRAM CARGO PLANE CRASH


    The National Transportation Safety Board will lead a team to assist the Afghanistan Ministry of Transportation and Commercial Aviation in the investigation of a cargo plane crash at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.

    NTSB Senior Air Safety Investigator Tim LeBaron will be the U.S. accredited representative. He will lead a team of three additional investigators from the NTSB as well as representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration and The Boeing Company.

    The private cargo plane, a Boeing 747-400 operated by National Air Cargo, crashed just after takeoff from the U.S.-operated air base at 11:20 a.m. local time Monday. All seven crewmembers onboard were killed and the airplane destroyed. The seven crew members were all American citizens. The accident site is within the perimeter of Bagram Air Base.

    The international cargo flight was destined for Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

    The Afghanistan Ministry of Transportation and Commercial Aviation is leading the investigation and will be the sole source of information regarding the investigation. According to the International Civil Aviation Organization, they can be reached at (873) 68 2341450 / 49 or by fax at (873) 68 1280784.

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    Mexico Crash Kills Six Including State Officials


    The Mexican Attorney General’s Beechcraft 300 Super King Air took off from MMZC Aeropuerto Internacional de Zacatecas (Calera) to serve an arrest warrant on members of a drug cartel but this party never achieved their objective.

    Presumably due to a mechanical failure, the plane lost altitude–for no apparent reason–and crashed five minutes after takeoff and fifteen kilometers from the airport in farmland.

    The plane had been scheduled to take off the night before, but mechanical problems delayed the flight.

    The six aboard–including a federal prosecutor and two federal ministerial police–died on impact at Noria de los Gringos, Zacatecas. The plane smashed up, and caught fire in the grassy field.

    Law enforcement arrived quickly to secure the scene but it was too late for the passengers.

    List of casualties

    • Federal Ministry Púplico: Antonio Alvarez Mota
    • Federal Ministerial Agents: Francisco Leonardo Child and Martin Flores Ricardo Benitez
    • Pilot: Flowers Millan (Last)
    • Copilot: Bravo García (Last)
    • Mechanical: Miguel Angel Guerrero CollierFederal Ministry Púplico: Antonio Alvarez Mota

    The cause of the crash in Zacatecas is under investigation.

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    Kit plane crash kills pilot

    A RV-4 kit plane crashed en route to crashed Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport.

    The plane with the deceased pilot was discovered at 7:20 on April 20, 2013.

    The FAA collected the plane at 2:15 p.m.

    No flight plan was filed.