Monday, August 08, 2011

Jet Airways: Bird-hit plane lands safely - Visakhapatnam airport.

VISAKHAPATNAM: More than a hundred passengers of a Jet Airways flight coming from Mumbai had a lucky escape after the plane was hit by a bird during landing at Visakhapatnam airport on Monday afternoon.

A bird got sucked into the engine a few minutes before the Mumbai-Vizag flight was to land around 12.40 pm. However, the pilot managed to land the plane smoothly. The return flight was cancelled. About 100 passengers, who were to travel to Mumbai for the 1 pm return flight, had to take alternative flights. Some of them cancelled their journey, sources said.

The airport authorities were tight-lipped over the bird-hit incident. According to sources, the plane was being repaired as the bird got stuck in the engine. Daily 16 flights operate from the airport.

Sea Flight Airlines denies rumors that FAA shut it down for safety.


St. Thomas-based Sea Flight Airlines issued a statement Friday dispelling rumors that its flights between St. Thomas and St. Croix had been shut down by the Federal Aviation Administration due to safety concerns.

While the airline did halt flights beginning a week ago today, it is only a temporary suspension in operations as the airline awaits word on an application from the U.S. Department of Transportation that would allow them to expand their services, said the company's owner, Don Lewis.

"We wanted to be able to go into the BVI and Puerto Rico, and to be able to do so on a regular basis," Lewis said. The company had been planning to expand its operations to offer flights to Tortola and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

"It's a major certificate," he said.

The statement from Sea Flight said that the flight suspension led to false rumors being spread that the FAA had forced the company to shut down operations because of safety issues.

"Contrary to what falsehoods are being spread, they were not forced to shut down by the FAA, nor are there any safety issues involved in this decision," the statement said.

According to FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen, the federal regulator has not suspended Sea Flight transit.

"We have taken no action against any company called Sea Flight," she said.

The flight suspension may last a few more weeks, according to the statement.

Light aircraft crashes in Argentina

A light aircraft has crashed in the province of Entre Rios in the north-east of Argentina, killing both pilot and passenger, reports TV channel C5N.

The single-engine plane crashed in a cornfield 500 miles northwest of Buenos Aires, and caught fire after hitting the ground. According to the preliminary version, the aircraft brushed against the high voltage wire.

Commissioners approve deal to build hangars at Odessa-Schlemeyer Field Airport (KODO), Odessa, Texas.

A slew of new hangars will soon be built at Odessa-Schlemeyer Field Airport after the Ector County Commissioners Court approved the lease of land on the property to a development company.

The company, MSF Development, is leasing the property for 8.5 cents per square foot, per year, in a 40-year lease agreement as part of a plan to create an Odessa Hangar Owners Association.

At the completion of construction in 2012, it will then turn the management of the property over to the OHOA.

Commissioner Dale Childers said one of the main issues at the Airport Board meetings he attends is creating such an association.

Because the county only has one “ganghangar,” or a hangar that is rented out on a nightly basis, and few privately-owned hangars on the property, he said it is important to create this development and it will end up making money for the county.

“There’s a huge need at Schlemeyer Field for more hangars,” Childers said. “I don’t think the county should build hangars. I don’t think we should be in that business.”

But with this model, having MSF Development build the hangars while the county leases the property to OHOA, is a model where the county wins, he said. And at the expiration of the 40-year lease, the county takes possession of the hangars built on the land.

Childers also said the county will receive revenue not only from the lease on the property, but from fuel flow taxes and the property taxes.

Currently, MSF has five to six hangars scheduled to be built with the project, but a map of future development shows the possibility for many more if airplane owners are interested, including hangars larger than the 60’-by-60’, 80’-by-80’ and 100’-by-80’ hangars that are mapped out.

Childers said he believes those who have hangars built on the property will recommend the hangars to others and it will become a chain effect that will make more people interested in the opportunity.

New hangars at the airport may also be good for business, he said, and he hopes some local businesses with large jets will ultimately take advantage of the space.

John Landgraf, the airport manager, said the airport has five firm letters of commitment to hangars, but believes there could be as many as eight by the time construction starts. In that case, he said the additional hangars would be built to the west of the first five, which are near the soon-to-be constructed terminal.

Landgraf said he expects construction on the terminal to begin in 30 to 45 days.

“It allows us to have a lot more large corporate aircraft being housed at the Odessa-Schlemeyer Field and it’s a benefit for the county in that it generates revenue not only from the lease but from the taxable value of the aircraft and the fuel sales,” he said. “And it’s all being done with a private investment.”

Richard French, with MSF Development, said his company has done similar work on several sites around Texas, including in Addison and McKinney.

According to a timeline document created by the OHOA, groundwork is scheduled to begin Oct. 1 and steel erection should begin Dec. 1, with the project completion slated for March 1, 2012.

Work slowly resumes at California airports towers

Los Angeles, CA (AP) --  Construction is gradually resuming on control towers at two California airports, days after Congress temporarily settled an impasse that had shut down aviation projects nationwide.

The work slowly restarted on the towers at Palm Springs and Oakland international airports Monday after having ground to a halt in late July due to the standoff between Republicans and Democrats in Congress over funding for the Federal Aviation Administration.

A portion of the 60 workers for each project were back at work evaluating damage to untended work sites and seeking to recall laborers and equipment that had been reallocated to other projects in their regions.

Some 70,000 workers on construction-related jobs at airports across the country were idled as the FAA couldn't pay for the work.

CANADA: Airport worker who died wasn't wearing a safety harness. Servisair faces charges under Canada Labour Code.

CALGARY — A veteran airport worker who fell to his death from the bucket of a cherry picker while de-icing a jet at Calgary International Airport on Dec. 21, 2009, was not wearing a safety harness with lanyard, court heard on Monday.

According to an agreed statement of facts, Murgappa Naiker, 52, died from a blunt head injury when he fell 5.66 metres and struck his head on the tarmac while working on the Boeing 737 Canadian North aircraft about 6 a.m.

His employer Servisair, a worldwide provider of aviation ground services, is facing three charges under the Canada Labour Code alleging failure to ensure the health and safety of its employee.

“The crux of the case is whether the defence is able to establish they were duly diligent to prevent this incident,” federal prosecutor Kent Brown told provincial court Judge Sharon Van de Veen in his opening statement. “The Crown also questions if there was sufficient training to prevent this from happening.”

Brown said company records show Naiker had 17 years experience and had been involved in de-icing aircraft on 390 occasions the previous year alone before his death.

Naiker fell while de-icing the first aircraft of the day in an open area on the tarmac away from the terminal building and aircraft gates, according to the court document.

The victim, says the facts agreed to by both Brown and defence lawyer Lindsay Mullen, by not wearing the harness and lanyard was acting “contrary to Servisair’s safe work policies, practices and procedures and contrary to the training he received.”

The lanyard would be attached to the harness on one end and to the bucket on the other end, to limit the distance the de-icer could fall if he fell from the bucket.

The document also noted Servisair emphasized proper use of harnesses and lanyards and the mandatory requirement that these fall restraint devices be used at all times while in the open bucket.

Doug Gould, then a federal health and safety officer who was the leading investigator on the case, said the inward-opening door on the box where Naiker was working was opened when he arrived at the scene.

He said he conducted his measurements on the cherry picker, still in the same position as it was when the victim fell, then participated in interviews with all of the witnesses — including Joerg Zoche, the ground truck operator of the de-icing machine operated by the victim.

Gould said he observed Naiker’s body directly below the raised bucket and that he was not wearing any harness. There was no harness or lanyard in the bucket, either, he said.

“I can only assume because the door was open, it was open when he fell,” Gould told Brown. “He was the only one in the bucket.”

Gould said he did not recommend any charges against Servisair when he filed his report in April 2010, but that the decision to do so must have been made at a later date after he began working on a new job.

The investigator said the company previously investigated two safety incidents but neither of them involved use of harness equipment.

Under cross-examination by Mullen, he said Servisair was completely co-operative in the investigation and providing staff for interviews.

He also said the only issue discussed by himself and other investigators regarding charges was any possible lack of supervision at the time if the incident, “which I disagreed with.”

“Servisair did not do a performance review of employees’ de-icing. Once the employees demonstrated they could do this, they didn’t go out and watch them.” he said.

Gould said he had also rejected any possible charges because of lack of training.

The trial, scheduled to sit for eight days, continues on Tuesday.

Qantas Pilots Hit Back on ‘Spa’ Smear Campaign

Qantas pilots have slammed claims they are seeking spas and massages as part of their industrial campaign against the airline. Earlier, a statement of claim that has obtained by media revealed the Australian International Pilots Association wants its members to get access to business and first-class lounges, which in Sydney has spas, massages, facials, a full menu from Neil Perry, a full bar and a library.

But upset AIPA was quick to hit back on early claims, saying there is only one issue over which Qantas pilots are taking protected industrial action, and that is to keep Qantas pilots behind the controls of Qantas flights.

AIPA said Qantas pilots are currently engaged in a dispute with management over the clause, which would see all Qantas flights operated by Qantas pilots. The need for the Qantas flight / Qantas pilot clause has arisen due to Qantas management's plan to offshore and outsource the work of Qantas pilots through basing operations in Asia.

AIPA Vice President Captain Richard Woodward said the current smear campaign by management PR, suggesting Qantas pilots are taking industrial action over trivial matters, was patently ridiculous.

"To suggest that Qantas pilots would vote for protected industrial action, for the first time since 1966, over trivial matters relating to pay and conditions is laughable," Captain Woodward said.

"It's pretty disappointing that Qantas PR would run such a silly smear campaign.

"I urge Alan Joyce to instruct his PR team: stop this dishonest and pointless attack and let's work on a solution that will satisfy the Australian travelling public," Captain Woodward said.

Cadets aim for the sky: Aeronca Aircraft Project. John Paul II Catholic High School.

Cadets from the Aeronca Aircraft Project graduated from their program Thursday (July 28) taking them one wing closer to flying with the birds.

Friends and family filled John Paul II Catholic High School gym to see 20 cadets receive their certificate from the aviation technology and maintenance course.

“They learn a lot about how to be an aircraft mechanical engineer and they also learn the piloting part of it as well,” said Don Berrill, Air Cadet League of Canada chair. “It’s one of the first (courses) of its kind in Canada, certainly from the Air Cadet program.”

The course is offered over a semester at the high school but these hardcore cadets complete the whole thing in just 20 days, cramming in over a week’s worth of work in a single day.

The class is offered to teens, aged 14-16, and they can earn a credit towards their high school diploma.

The cadets never get to actually fly, but the course teaches the intricacies of the mechanics behind a plane.

MPs kick Defence Minister Crispus Kiyonga out of Parliament over jets cash

Ministry of Defence officials were yesterday thrown out of Parliament following an indication in its ministerial policy statement that Shs1.4 trillion spent on fighter jets was borrowed.

MPs rejected Defence Minister Crispus Kiyonga’s statement that the money is part of public debt to be serviced in future. The legislators say the money was drawn from the Consolidated Fund.

Incurred expenditure
Whereas the ministerial statement did not capture the Shs1.4 trillion, MPs on the defence committee insisted it must be part of the ministry’s budget and captured as incurred expenditure.

If the MPs’ proposal is adopted, the ministry’s budget will become the largest, dwarfing those of education and works—a situation that could attract criticism from donors—who oppose developing countries spending large chunks of their national budgets on defence.

Without the fighter jets component, the defence budget stands at Shs657 billion but the inclusion could send it up to Shs2 trillion. Dr Kiyonga and his team that included Permanent Secretary Rosette Byengoma, Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Aronda Nyakairima, the Joint Chief of Staff, Brig. Robert Rusoke and the Commander of Land Forces, Lt. Gen. Katumba Wamala, were told go back and rewrite the ministerial policy statement to include details of the expenditure on the fighter jets.

The committee’s deputy chair, Mr Simon Mulongo, said Ugandan taxpayers will pay twice for the jets if the expenditure is treated as public debt. “Parliament approved this purchase as an incurred expenditure not a loan. Procedurally, they would need a parliamentary resolution to allow you to borrow but Parliament approved the purchase when the money had already been spent. We will end up with a situation where we pay double,” he said.

Mistake
However Dr Kiyonga said it was a mistake in his policy statement, adding that the purchase was supposed to be under finance not defence ministry. “I’m going to consult with the Ministry of Finance because we had agreed that this expenditure should be counted as their expenditure not ours,” he said. Government bought the jets from Russia this year, causing an uproar, mainly from the opposition that labelled it wasteful.

Source:  http://www.monitor.co.ug

COLORADO: Aspen Officials Worried Frontier Will Stop Service.

ASPEN, Colo. (AP) – Officials are worried that Frontier Airlines will stop flying to Aspen.

Local airline liaison Bill Tomcich says the future of Frontier Airlines is tenuous after parent company Republic Airways reported a $15 million loss in the second quarter of this year.

According to the Aspen Daily News, officials are worried after the company said it is trying to sell its four-plane fleet of Bombardier turboprop planes, the only aircraft in Frontier’s fleet equipped to fly into Aspen’s small airport. .

A Frontier spokesman could not be reached for comment.

OHIO: University Hospital's Air Care night landings suspended.

Air Care helicopters from University Hospital are not landing at accident sites at night while their night-vision imaging equipment is updated.

The Air Care vehicles are able to fly at night and can land at airports, hospital helipads and other approved landing sites, a UH spokeswoman said. The update does not affect flights during the day.

Area hospitals expect the situation with the helicopters' night vision goggles to be resolved within the next week or so, allowing Air Care copters to fly directly to sites again.

The spokeswoman, Diana Lara, said the Federal Aviation Administration had mandated that 64 aircraft around the country update their equipment before landing at non-approved sites.

More than half of Air Care flights are between hospitals. Operated by University Hospital, the flights often transport patients from suffering a traumatic injury to the region's only top-level trauma center at the Corryville hospital.

State Police official sold Garmin 496 for cash to fellow trooper. Trooper Brian Rumrill told investigators he did not know GPS was stolen.

COLONIE -- Criminal charges filed last week against the former head of the State Police Aviation Unit stem from his alleged cash sale of a government-owned global-positioning satellite device to a fellow state trooper.

Court records show that Trooper Brian D. Rumrill, 37, of Lake George provided a written statement to State Police investigators on July 14 recounting his purchase of an aviation GPS device from former State Police Maj. Robert U. Kreppein, 47.

Rumrill could not be reached for comment.

According to the statement attributed to him Rumrill told internal affairs investigators that in April 2009 he was in Kreppein's office at the aviation unit's Albany headquarters when he and Kreppein talked about Rumrill's interest in buying an airplane with a GPS device. Rumrill had recently obtained a pilot's license.

"He told me he had a Garmin 496 that was a couple of years old," Rumrill said. "Major Kreppein told me that it was his personal GPS and that he wanted to upgrade to a touch screen GPS. He stated that he would sell me the Garmin 496 for $1,600."

Threatening Note Found During St. Louis To Phoenix Flight. Passengers Are Being Detained At The Gate.

(KTVI-FOX2now.com)— Passengers onboard a Phoenix bound flight from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport are being detained at the gate at SkyHarbor Airport after reports of a threatening note being discovered. U.S. Airways flight 1500 arrived in Phoenix and passengers deplaned before dogs were brought on to search the aircraft.

There is no word on what was contained in the note. The TSA is investigating.

The plane was scheduled to fly on to San Francisco.

Source:  http://www.fox2now.com

University of Hawaii, NOAA researchers survey World War II-era wreck sites off Maui.


HONOLULU (AP) - University of Hawaii and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researchers have been surveying sunken airplanes and shipwrecks from World War II found along Maui's southern coast.

The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries said Monday the survey team produced scaled drawings and took photographs of six wreck sites. They saw a carrier-based dive bomber, a carrier-based fighter plane and three amphibious assault vehicles.

Their work will be used to evaluate the wrecks for deterioration, and help officials identify when artifacts have been moved or go missing.

The two-week survey provided UH students with hands-on training in maritime archaeology surveying techniques.

U.S. Marines and Army soldiers prepared for major World War II campaigns in the Pacific by training in landing craft and assault vehicles along Maui's southern coast.

Caribbean Airlines flight grounded

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Monday August 8, 2011 – A Caribbean Airlines (CAL) aircraft, bearing the same flight number as the plane that crash landed in Guyana last Sunday, has been grounded at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York because of engine trouble, the Trinidad Guardian has reported.

The newspaper said that the country’s Transport Minister Devant Maharaj had confirmed that that flight BW523 did not take off “due to mechanical problems”.

He said a part was needed for the aircraft.

The flight had been scheduled to leave JFK for Trinidad at 5:40 pm, but passengers were informed about an hour and a half before that it would not be taking off.

They were accommodated on other flights.

Meantime, CAL has announced that as a result of the crash at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport in Guyana last Sunday, it will be retiring flight numbers BW522 and BW523.

It said that was the norm in the airline industry under the circumstances.

CAL said in a statement that, effective today, the new flight numbers will be BW524 and BW525 respectively.

An investigation into the cause of the plane crash is still ongoing.

There no fatalities and just a few serious injuries when the plane, carrying 163 passengers and crew, overshot the runway, broke through the airport perimeter fence and split in two. 

Source:  http://www.caribbean360.com

Biggin Hill Airport's latest Olympic bid rejected by Bromley Council.

Grounded: Council rejects Biggin Hill Airport’s Olympic bid

COUNCILLORS have turned down Biggin Hill Airport’s request to extend opening hours for next year’s Olympics for the second time.

Bromley Council’s executive committee met tonight to discuss the airport’s revised proposals in front of a busy public gallery.

This followed a consultation which found 60 per cent of respondents against the plan, down from 95 per cent last time around.

The council rejected the airport's first application in March.

In the airport’s latest proposals, it wished to keep the same opening hours during the week but lift one-way flight restrictions during the first and last hours.

The current opening hours are between 6.30am and 10pm in the week and from 9am to 8pm at weekends.

It wanted to open at 8am at weekends, close at 9pm on Saturdays and 10pm on Sundays.

Is Mid-America Airport Closing? Scott Air Force Base/MidAmerica Airport (KBLV), Belleville, Illinois.

MASCOUTAH, Ill. (KMOX) — The man who heads up the St. Clair County Board is shooting down rumors that Mid-America Airport in Mascoutah may be on the verge of closure.

Don’t believe everything you read, says Board Chair Mark Kern, or at least take today’s article in the Wall Street Journal with a BIG grain of salt.

Citing empty terminals and a deficit that tops 1-million dollars, the Journal uses Mid-America as a prime example of a struggling small-town airport.

Kern was asked if the end is near for Mid-America, “No,” Kern responds. “Mid-America Airport is not a stand alone airport, we are a join use airport tied everyday to Scott Air Force Base.”

He was asked about a quote in the article from Board member Craig Hubbard, who said shutting down Mid-America is a MUST. Kern says the he wasn’t in the meeting, but he disagrees with Craig’s assertions.

Mark Kern made his comments as a guest on the Charlie Brennan Show.

Cheddi Jagan airport boss clears air: All systems in place after crash. Boeing 737- 800, 9Y-PBM, Caribbean Airlines flight 523. Georgetown, Guyana.


http://www.ntsb.gov/Preliminary Report

Georgetown—The Cheddi Jagan International Airport Corporation (CJIAC) held a press conference on Saturday at which its chief executive officer Ramesh Ghir highlighted the first response of the airport’s senior managers, Guyana Defence Force, Guyana Police Force (Timehri) and health personnel to the Caribbean Airlines Flight BW 523 accident which occurred on July 30 at 1.32 am. The flight originated from the JFK International Airport and transited in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, before proceeding to Guyana. There were 154 passengers, one infant and six crew members.

Ghir outlined that at 1.33 am the air traffic controller notified the airport duty officer about the accident and at 1.34 am to 1.41 am proceeded to activate the emergency plan by establishing contact with people, including the CEO, deputy manager of airport operations, senior aerodrome officer, GDF Ops, Timehri police, port health, Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), Caribbean Airlines Limited, off-duty airport operations, maintenance staff, aerodrome fire service, rescue co-ordination centre and the aircraft operator. He emphasised that the calls were made in accordance with the established procedures in the Airport Emergency Plan.

The ramp attendants, who were awaiting the arrival of the aircraft, witnessed the incident and proceeded toward the crash site. The CEO noted that the aerodrome’s fire service responded to the crash site within three minutes with three fire tenders and were positioned to provide lighting to the scene, respond to any fire and also give assistance to passengers exiting the aircraft via the wings and emergency chute. Foam was sprayed on the left engine since it was observed that it was smoking. He stated that when this was done, the senior aerodrome officer along with members of the GPF commenced the formation of the inner cordon around the aircraft; and following this the GDF established the outer security cordon.

Ghir said while these activities were being carried out, several vehicles from the airport and nearby community began arriving at the scene and were used to transport passengers to the terminal. At 2.20 am, the senior aerodrome officer advised the manager of the air traffic services to close the runway which was later reopened at 11.30 am for international flights on the primary runway. As it relates to the healthcare services delivered, Ghir said the Port Health Officer attended to 31 people, in the Arrival Immigration Area, most of who were suffering from shock and minor injuries. He added that the four passengers who were seriously injured were transported to the GPHC where they were admitted.

In light of the incident, Caribbean Airlines representatives, inspectors from Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname Civil Aviation Authority are in Guyana, participating in the investigation which is being led by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority’s chief investigator, Paula McLennon. Also, officials from the Aviation Authority from Barbados and Jamaica have been in constant contact with their Guyanese counterparts to assist in technical co-operation. Additional inspectors from CASSOS and a team from the United States of America’s National Safety Transportation Board are also engaged in the investigation. Work is ongoing to hand over the aircraft to Caribbean Airlines.

During the press conference, Ghir also responded to questions concerning claims that taxi drivers were charging high fares to transport people from the crash site to the terminal, efficiency of the airport’s equipment and squatters residing in close proximity to the area. Ghir noted that thus far, one taxi driver was found to have erred and has been suspended. As it relates to the adequate and efficient functioning of the airport, Ghir confirmed that all the equipment was in working order and the runway was up to international standards. He emphasised that CJIA had a track record where there had never been an incident of this nature. With regards to the squatters living near the runway, Ghir said an internal meeting would be held this week where this issue would be looked at. He said several meeting had been held with the squatters about their relocation since many of them were occupying CJIA’s land.


RV-7A, N462WP: Accident occurred August 07, 2011 in Paducah, Kentucky

NTSB Identification: ERA11LA444 
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, August 07, 2011 in Paducah, KY
Probable Cause Approval Date: 06/28/2012
Aircraft: HODGES SAMUEL J RV-7A, registration: N462WP
Injuries: 1 Minor,1 Uninjured.

NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

The experimental amateur-built airplane was powered by a fuel-injected, automotive-conversion, rotary engine. Following an uneventful preflight inspection and run-up check of the engine, the pilot departed on the accident flight. During the initial climb, about 200 to 300 feet above the ground, the engine began to "stumble" and lost partial power. The pilot responded by selecting the alternate engine control computer and increasing the richness of the mixture, both to no avail. He subsequently performed a forced landing to a nearby road and the airplane struck a mailbox and a ditch during the landing roll. A postaccident test run of the engine was successful, and during 8 months of subsequent troubleshooting by the pilot during the process of rebuilding the airplane, the engine anomaly encountered on the accident flight could not be duplicated or definitively determined.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
A partial loss of engine power during the initial climb for undetermined reasons.

On August 7, 2011, at 1332 central daylight time, an experimental amateur-built RV-7A, N462WP, was substantially damaged during a forced landing after takeoff from Western Kentucky Airpark (5KY3), Paducah, Kentucky. The certificated private pilot/owner/builder was not injured and the passenger incurred minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight, which was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

After an uneventful preflight inspection and engine start, the pilot taxied the airplane and conducted a pre-takeoff run-up of the engine. During the run-up the pilot tested the dual ignition system and the primary and secondary engine control computers for proper function. Noting no abnormalities, the pilot proceeded with the takeoff.

While climbing the airplane at an airspeed of about 100 knots, and about 200 to 300 feet above the ground, the pilot noted that the engine began to "stumble" and lost partial power. The pilot responded by switching engine control computers, richening the mixture, and then began searching for a forced landing site. He did not note any abnormal engine instrument indications, and could not recall the engine's rpm during the descent. During the forced landing to a nearby road, the airplane struck a mailbox and a ditch, damaging the left wing tip and the right wing spar.

An experimental amateur-built special airworthiness certificate was issued for the airplane on February 27, 2010. The airplane was powered by an automotive-type, Mazda 13B engine, rated at 200 horse power. The fuel-injected, computer-controlled rotary engine was mated to a gear reduction drive unit and a two-blade constant speed propeller. At the time of the accident the airplane had accumulated 70 total hours of operation, while the engine had accumulated 80 total hours of operation.

After the airplane was recovered to the pilot's hangar, the pilot and a Federal Aviation Administration inspector conducted a test run of the airplane's engine on the day following the accident flight. According to the inspector, the engine started immediately and exhibited smooth and continuous operation at an idle power setting. In the 8 months following the accident, the pilot rebuilt the airplane and continued attempts to troubleshoot the loss of power. Despite numerous attempted on-ground test runs at various power settings, including high power settings, the pilot was unable to duplicate or otherwise definitively determine a reason for the loss of power during the accident flight.

The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single engine land. He reported 166 total hours of flight experience, 72 hours of which were in the accident airplane make and model.

The 1453 recorded weather at Barkley Regional Airport (PAH),Paducah, Kentucky, located about 11 nautical miles northwest of the accident site, included winds from 220 degrees magnetic at 8 knots, clear skies, 10 statute miles visibility, temperature 32 degrees C, dewpoint 24 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 29.82 inches of mercury.


http://registry.faa.gov/N462WP

PADUCAH, Ky. — An experimental plane has made an emergency landing in Paducah, injuring a passenger.

Pilot Sam Hodges of Dawson Springs told The Paducah Sun he wasn't sure why his plane lost power Sunday forcing him to land on a roadway.

"Could have been anything from bad fuel to you don't know," Hodges said. "The engine was still running. It just didn't have enough power to maintain altitude."

His wife, Rose, suffered injuries during the landing and was treated and released from a local hospital.

Hodges said he was about 200 feet in the air when he began having problems. He says he tried to turn around to go back to the Farrington Airport, but was too far away to make it. He chose to land on a road near a home, clipping a mailbox owned by Stephanie Clark before the plane's wheels fell off the roadway.

Neighbors near the airport say they often hear planes, but don't usually seem them up close.

"I've lived all my life here, and I've never seen anything like this," Clark said. "We hear planes going over all the time, with it being in our backyard, practically, but no, not to my knowledge, it's never happened."

McCracken County sheriff's deputies said the Federal Aviation Administration would investigate.

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 462WP        Make/Model: EXP       Description: RV-7A
  Date: 08/07/2011     Time: 1840

  Event Type: Incident   Highest Injury: Minor     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Unknown

LOCATION
  City: PADUCAH   State: KY   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT FORCE LANDED ON A ROAD SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, NEAR PADUCAH, KY

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   0
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    
                 # Pass:   1     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   1     Unk:    
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    


OTHER DATA
  Activity: Pleasure      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER


  FAA FSDO: LOUISVILLE, KY  (CE17)                Entry date: 08/08/2011 

Lockheed Martin Makes A Sale To Thailand

Owego, NY (WBNG Binghamton) The clouds cleared away for an early take off at Lockheed Martin this morning.

Two MH-60 Sierra helicopters are on their way to the Royal Thailand Navy.

Both helicopters left Lockheed Martin's Owego facility around 9:30 A.M. on Monday.

Workers added a new communications radio and an air traffic control upgrade for the aircraft.

The helicopters will be used in Thailand's search and rescue program and on utility missions.

This marks Lockheed Martin's first international sale of the MH-60 Sierra helicopter internationally.

"This is the start of something big. It comes on the heels of the Australian wind," said George Barton, Director of Naval Helicopter Programs for Lockheed Martin. "So we're very excited abut what's going on here in Owego and very happy to see these aircrafts off to Thailand."

The aircraft will land in Baltimore Maryland and then take a ferry to their destination.

Kathmandu, Nepal: Country's aviation safety improves.

KATHMANDU, Aug 9: Air accident ratio in the country has gone down despite rise in flight movement in recent years, according to a government report.

The report of high-level task force formed by the government says air accident ratio dropped to 2.7 accidents in 100,000 flying hours in 2010, from 11 accidents in the same flying hours in 1992. This is a drop of about 75 percent.

The taskforce had studied air accidents that occurred after 1992 - the year when Nepal opened aviation sector for private players.

The government had formed the taskforce about a year ago to review and evaluate the implementation status of safety recommendations given by various investigation commissions in the past and measures to be taken to enhance aviation safety.

Tri Ratna Manandhar, a member of the taskforce and the deputy director general of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), accident ratio has dropped over the past two decades as instruction of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and international safety audit were making airlines follow adequate safety measures. “Besides, insurance premium that increases with every accident is also forcing domestic airlines adhere to safety norms,” he added.

With every accident, airlines not only lose their credibility and goodwill, but also need to pay higher insurance premium.

“The number of accidents is the same in 1992 and 2010. But the ratio of accidents when compared to number of flying hours has gone down drastically,” Manandhar added.

Three air accidents were recorded in 1992. But the number becomes 11 when compared to flying hours, which was just 27,000 then. Similarly, number of flying hours in 2010 was 110,324 and number of accidents was three. This brings down accident ratio to 2.7 when compared to 100,000 flying hours.

Submitting the report to Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Khadga Bahadur Bishwakarma on Monday, coordinator of the committee Medani Prasad Sharma, former director general of CAAN, said the report was based on accident investigation reports.

The report has suggested that the government identify the most appropriate aircraft for short take-off and landing (STOL) field through separate in-depth study, study rise in insurance premium and adopt necessary measures to ease air traffic congestion at Tribhuwan International Airport.

Taskforce members had held discussion with private airline operators and interacted with officials of Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoTCA), CAAN and independent aviation experts during the study period.

According to the report, CAAN and airline operators were found complying with more than 70 percent of safety recommendations made by different investigation commissions. Similarly, MoTCA was found complying with just 10 percent of the recommendations.

Paraglider dies in crash near Squak Mountain State Park in Issaquah, Washington.

ISSAQUAH, Wash. — A paraglider died in a crash near Squak Mountain State Park in Issaquah over the weekend.

King County sheriff's spokesman Sgt. John Urguhart says the 53-year-old Renton man died at the scene Sunday evening around 7 p.m.

Witnesses told authorities they saw the paraglider gliding on what appeared to be a thermal current, and watched as he came toward them in a northeasterly direction. Then suddenly the wing of the paraglider started twisting and spinning out of control and it collapsed about 40 to 50 feet above the ground before crashing in a pasture.

The man's name has not been released.

RAW VIDEO: UFO shoots past passenger jet



Date of sighting: August 2011
Location of sighting: England

(No audio, for the most-part)


"Testing my new Canon 60D camera filming out of the window after a few weeks of running through the footage for other purposes I noticed what I thought was maybe light reflecting from the windows on board however looking closer I can see there looks to be more to it.

What's strange is the way the object / UFO? appears to accelerate as it enters the frame from the left hand side. It couldn't be passing debris or another plane as it is traveling in a forward direction faster then anything I know of or have seen before and I am an aviation enthusiast." -- uploader 'Foxinyourmouth'

internet site reference: http://scottcwaring.blogspot.com/

Air India head Arvind Jadhav on his way out?

Air India chairman and MD Arvind Jadhav could be on his way out. Sources said the government was seriously considering removing Jadhav and a search has already begun to find his successor. Getting a replacement, however, would be tough as those approached till now have flatly refused to take up the top job due to the poor condition of the state-run carrier. Sources said even the Prime Minister's office was miffed with Jadhav's style of functioning.

The airline's independent directors had last November met a senior official in PMO and complained against Jadhav's style of functioning saying they had lost confidence in his leadership.

AI is surviving on government lifeline. It has a bleeding balance sheet with Rs 21,000 crore of working capital availed from different banks on which it pays an annual interest burden of Rs 2,400 crore. It has availed long term loans to the tune of Rs 22,000 crore, which has an annual interest liability of Rs 1,000 crore. Its accumulated losses are estimated to be more than Rs 20,000 crore.

"In basketball you have 'slam dunk'. The people who put Jadhav as CMD have played a 'scam dunk' on Air India. Instead of undertaking the job he was entrusted with, Jadhav has sent Air India to the undertakers," said aviation expert Mohan Ranganathan.

Civil aviation minister Vayalar Ravi could not be reached for comments as his phone was switched off.

Not only has AI suffered record losses under Jadhav's leadership but there has been employee unrest and labour problems since he took charge. There have been three strikes since Jadhav took over - the last was by pilots a few months back when the airline's domestic operations were almost shut down for ten days.

Aircraft engineer's death shocks mates


An engineer was sucked into a working aircraft engine and killed as a colleague working alongside him looked on in horror.

The death of highly regarded Safe Air employee Miles Hunter, 51 - while carrying out routine engine testing done hundreds of times without incident - has left his workmates at a loss as to what could have gone wrong.

Mr Hunter was caught in the detached engine of a C-130 Hercules aircraft at the Woodbourne airbase near Blenheim shortly after 8am yesterday. Emergency services performed CPR but were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police, on behalf of the coroner, and the Department of Labour are now investigating what went wrong. Safe Air is a subsidiary of Air New Zealand, and Air New Zealand chief executive Rob Fyfe flew to Blenheim yesterday to support the workers.

Mr Fyfe said Mr Hunter was working with a colleague - who was in a control room monitoring the engine's performance - while Mr Hunter was visually inspecting it.

"So the colleague was there at the time, and certainly the experience of this incident and the loss of Miles has been incredibly [difficult] for him, as you can imagine."

The worker passed on what information he could to investigators yesterday.

Mr Fyfe said he had no information to suggest Mr Hunter had gone into an area he should not have entered.

"So it's very hard to understand what went on."

Mr Hunter had joined Safe Air in 2005, but had been working around machines and engines his whole working life. He had previously been a motorcycle mechanic, and had put himself through the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology to prepare for a career at Safe Air.

"When you talk to his colleagues, they describe him as someone who is very committed, loved his work, [and is] very safe and very assured," Mr Fyfe said.

"This death in such a tragic accident has certainly shocked his colleagues, and unsurprisingly they are at a complete loss how this accident could have occurred, because they had the utmost respect and regard for his abilities and the way he operated."

Safety procedures around this type of engine testing appeared to meet the universal standard, Mr Fyfe said.

Mr Hunter had been a member of the Engineering Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) for many years, and the union yesterday described him as a "highly regarded and much-liked" member of the workforce.

"One has to be experienced to work on aviation engines in New Zealand. They are highly qualified aviation engineers," said EPMU national secretary Bill Newson.

"There's no reason to doubt his skills and qualifications at all."

Mr Fyfe has past experience dealing with the tragic deaths of his employees, but said it did not make it any easier when he got the call about Mr Hunter's death yesterday.

Mr Newson said the death was in a small community where everyone knew one another, "so they are in a fair amount of shock".

Safe Air was a highly regarded operation, but there was no valid reason for any person to be killed at work.

"So we have got to find out what went wrong and why."

Some Safe Air operations will continue today, while others will be on hold.

VIDEO: Sky Scare ... Navy SEALS military exercise last Wednesday night over the city of Boston. Massachusetts.




Channel 7 WHDH Boston reported the exercise took place last Wednesday on August 3rd, on Thursday, August 4th, Boston’s FOX 25 reported, Don’t be alarmed: Military training in and around Boston.

BOSTON, Mass. -- Military helicopters weaved above and between buildings on Wednesday night as part of a test, but their presence caught some people off guard.

The joint federal military training exercise prompted many in Boston's North End to question what was happening.

"When it was coming over Commercial Street, you couldn't see anything right above you," said Shea Coakley. "Which I suppose is what they're designed for."

The Mayor's office released an alert on July 25, announcing that the urban training would occur in the Greater Boston area between July 26 and Aug. 5. But many Boston residents were unaware.

"We did put out public notices through the media and sometimes some folks don't get those public notices," Mayor Menino said. "But I apologize for that. My job is to make this the safest city in America and the Navy SEALs are part of that operation."

Military trainings are needed to prepare crews -- set to be deployed overseas or receive mandatory certification -- for urban environments, according to the Mayor's office.

At one point, a glowing object was seen dropped from a helicopter. It was one of many mysteries families in Boston were left wondering about.

"We saw just the one helicopter at first and then we saw another one flying around...No idea what was going on -- landing on top of the buildings. Myself and my fiancé were pretty freaked out," said Coakley.

The training is scheduled to continue through Friday, but the location was not disclosed.

New REDjet route schedules to be announced

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Monday August 8, 2011 – Low-cost carrier REDjet has promised to unveil schedules for two new routes from and to Trinidad today, after getting approval from the civil aviation authority in that country.

It said it will soon be able to offer flights to Guyana and Jamaica from the twin-island republic.

The Barbados-based airline said last Friday that it had received licenses from the Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority to operate scheduled passenger air services to and from Port of Spain, Trinidad to Georgetown, Guyana and Kingston, Jamaica.

The licences were granted in accordance with the agreement between the Government of Barbados and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago for air services between and beyond their respective territories.

“REDjet will announce schedules between Trinidad and Guyana on Monday 8th August and schedules to Jamaica shortly thereafter,” a statement from the airline said.

The carrier currently operates between Barbados and Trinidad, a service that was approved just last month, and Barbados and Guyana, its inaugural route. 

Minister warns Mmopane villagers of looming danger. Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, Gaborone, Botswana.

Residents of Mmopane have been warned that they are at risk of pregnant women losing unborn babies prematurely and losing hearing because more aircraft will be landing at the expanded Sir Seretse Khama International Airport.

The warning came from the Minister of Lands and Housing, Nonofo Molefhi, who had accompanied President Ian Khama to Mmopane to address a kgotla meeting on Friday. The minister ran short of telling the residents that they will need to relocate to a new site when he said that due to increased noise pollution, houses that stand in the path of landing airplanes are at risk of getting damaged.

After the meeting Molefhi explained that in other countries insurance costs for houses near the airports are extremely high.

Molefhi said only powerful structures built with high noise resistant material and fitted with certain expensive windows (sound proof) can withstand the looming danger for Mmopane residents. However, it is clear that most residents in the village cannot afford such luxuries. However, the minister said he would send a team of experts to the village to tell the residents more about the looming dangers as a result of the expansion of the SSKIA, which will see Botswana receiving for the first time, direct flights from Europe and the Far East as the country prepares to become a world diamond centre.

Minister Molefhi's warning comes amidst talk in the village that for sometime now government has been planning to relocate residents deemed to be in the path of aircraft, to a new site.

Fire in the sky: A meteor, space junk, satellite or alien spacecraft?

A meteor, space junk, satellite or alien spacecraft? A number of people, including Harold Watkins, saw what appeared to be a fireball Monday night in Botwood. He said the object had been moving west and disappeared behind Bishop's Falls, and did not have a tail behind it. One possibility is that the object was a communications satellite with a bright reflective surface.


Whatever it was, Harold Watkins and others in Botwood were treated to the sight of what appeared to be a fireball in the sky Monday night.

"I live in an apartment off Twomey Drive, and this lady said to me, 'look, do you see that over there?' and when I looked, it seemed to be one big ball of fire going west," he said. "It was about 1,000 feet in the air. It looked very close to us."

Mr. Watkins and others had returned from Botwood Day ceremonies that evening, which had included fireworks at the Botwood Airbase. But he and the other people who had returned to outside his apartment said the fireworks had finished by the time they left the base.

"It was going west, and looked like it would have ended up in the back of Bishop's Falls," he said. "There were three of us coming back from the base and just getting out of the car. And the lady next door in an apartment next to me said 'see that in the air,' and when I looked, it was one big ball of fire and it was moving around and around."

Ron Silver, a media representative for NAV Canada, responsible for air traffic control operations across the country, said he contacted ATV at Gander International Airport after he was notified of the incident by the Advertiser.

"They didn't report anything unusual," he said.

Besides the far-fetched possibility of alien spacecraft, the most likely possibilities are space junk, such as trash from old spacecraft and decommissioned satellites and meteors, all burning up on re-entry in Earth's atmosphere.

"Although we're still 10 days from the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, you can

get meteors and fireballs anytime," said Randy Dodge, secretary of the St. John's centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC).

The Perseids are regular meteor showers, which happen when Earth's orbit brings the planet through a body of "dust" leftovers from broken-up comets and other astral remains.

It's quite possible, however, what the observers was a functioning satellite, which many people from all walks of life have mistaken for meteors or even UFOs.

"It could be an Iridium 55 phone satellite," said Garry Dymond, auditor with the St. John's RASC and also a regular tracker of meteors and satellites. "It was visible from your site at about (10:30 p.m.) at a magnitude of -8, bright enough to cause you to see your shadow on the ground. Venus has a magnitude of -4 and the full moon has a magnitude of -12. It came from the northeast heading west, and its orbit is 770 kilometres. There were a few -8 visible satellites from your area that night and the next. The description of the flight line having no tail but getting bright and then dimming makes me believe that what they saw was an Iridium satellite and the sight they saw is referred to as an Iridium Flare."

The Iridium communication satellites are oddly shaped, with three polished door-sized antennas at different angles. The forward antenna faces the direction the satellite is traveling. Occasionally, an antenna reflects sunlight directly down at Earth, creating a quickly moving illuminated spot on the surface below of about 10 kilometres in diameter. To an observer this looks like a bright flash, or flare in the sky, lasting for about a few seconds.

National Labor Relations Board case against Boeing Co. in South Carolina has ramifications for Alabama, attorney says.


Alabama -- An attempt by the National Labor Relations Board to prevent Boeing Co. from building a new airplane at a non-union factory in South Carolina could have ramifications for Alabama, panelists at an economic development conference said this morning.

The NLRB and labor unions allege in a complaint that Boeing's decision to move production of its 787 Dreamliner to a $750 million plant in South Carolina represents a blatant attempt to avoid the unions at its operations in Washington state. The work force at the South Carolina plant, which was unionized under a previous manufacturer, voted to decertify after Boeing took ownership.

Marcel Debruge, a partner with the Burr & Forman law firm, said the legal challenge  is unusual because of what the NLRB and labor unions are seeking --  a forced move of production of the airplane back to Washington.

Debruge said if the NLRB and labor unions are successful, repercussions for other right-to-work states could be significant as companies from open union states could find it less tempting to establish operations elsewhere. In a right-to-work state no worker can be forced to join a union.

"Alabama is not that different from South Carolina," said Debruge, who was speaking at a conference held by the Economic Development Association of Alabama.

Arik Air Nigeria, Amadeus Sign Full Content Distribution Agreement

Arik Air, West and Central Africa’s largest commercial airline, and Amadeus, a leading travel technology partner and transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry, announced today that they have signed a 5 year full content agreement.

The agreement guarantees Amadeus’ travel agents worldwide access to the entire range Arik Air’s fares, schedules and inventory.“With this new agreement, Arik Air will have competitive and cost effective distribution by using Amadeus as a partner both in Nigeria and in our international markets,” said Kevin Steele,Senior Vice President Commercial Arik Air.

According to the agreement, the fares, schedules and inventory made available through the Amadeus system will be the same, and under the same conditions, as through any indirect or direct channel, distribution provider or website.

“Amadeus is committed to securing long term distribution agreements that bring full content security to travel agencies and ensure stability in the marketplace,” commented Birger Bjornhof, General Manager, Amadeus Nigeria and Ghana.

Amadeus is present in 195 countries around the world and manages a global network of over 90,000 travel agency points of sale. More than 80% of all airline bookings sold by Amadeus travel agencies worldwide are made on airlines with content agreements.

VIDEO: Pilot, Myrtle Rose, Explains Encounter With F-16s .



Raw Video: F-16 Fighter Jets Intercepting Plane


Myrtle Rose was taking a flight over Chicago when the 75-year-old pilot looked out her cockpit window to see two F-16 fighter jets. When she landed, police told her she had strayed into restricted airspace during a visit by Pres. Barack Obama.

RUSSIA: Fifteen injured in incident at Blagoveshchensk airport. IrAero Antonov AN-24, Flight IAE-103. Runway excursion.

MOSCOW, August 8 (Itar-Tass) —— According to specified reports from the Russian Health and Social Development Ministry fifteen people were injured after their plane made a rough landing in Blagoveshchensk. "Fifteen people were injured in an incident when the Antonov-24 plane overshot the runway in Blagoveshchensk. Seven people, including a woman and a child, were hospitalized," the ministry said on its official website.
Read More and Photo: http://www.itar-tass.com

RV-7A, N462WP: Accident occurred August 07, 2011 in Paducah, Kentucky

NTSB Identification: ERA11LA444
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, August 07, 2011 in Paducah, KY
Probable Cause Approval Date: 06/28/2012
Aircraft: HODGES SAMUEL J RV-7A, registration: N462WP
Injuries: 1 Minor, 1 Uninjured.

NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

The experimental amateur-built airplane was powered by a fuel-injected, automotive-conversion, rotary engine. Following an uneventful preflight inspection and run-up check of the engine, the pilot departed on the accident flight. During the initial climb, about 200 to 300 feet above the ground, the engine began to "stumble" and lost partial power. The pilot responded by selecting the alternate engine control computer and increasing the richness of the mixture, both to no avail. He subsequently performed a forced landing to a nearby road and the airplane struck a mailbox and a ditch during the landing roll. A postaccident test run of the engine was successful, and during 8 months of subsequent troubleshooting by the pilot during the process of rebuilding the airplane, the engine anomaly encountered on the accident flight could not be duplicated or definitively determined.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
A partial loss of engine power during the initial climb for undetermined reasons.

On August 7, 2011, at 1332 central daylight time, an experimental amateur-built RV-7A, N462WP, was substantially damaged during a forced landing after takeoff from Western Kentucky Airpark (5KY3), Paducah, Kentucky. The certificated private pilot/owner/builder was not injured and the passenger incurred minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight, which was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

After an uneventful preflight inspection and engine start, the pilot taxied the airplane and conducted a pre-takeoff run-up of the engine. During the run-up the pilot tested the dual ignition system and the primary and secondary engine control computers for proper function. Noting no abnormalities, the pilot proceeded with the takeoff.

While climbing the airplane at an airspeed of about 100 knots, and about 200 to 300 feet above the ground, the pilot noted that the engine began to "stumble" and lost partial power. The pilot responded by switching engine control computers, richening the mixture, and then began searching for a forced landing site. He did not note any abnormal engine instrument indications, and could not recall the engine's rpm during the descent. During the forced landing to a nearby road, the airplane struck a mailbox and a ditch, damaging the left wing tip and the right wing spar.

An experimental amateur-built special airworthiness certificate was issued for the airplane on February 27, 2010. The airplane was powered by an automotive-type, Mazda 13B engine, rated at 200 horse power. The fuel-injected, computer-controlled rotary engine was mated to a gear reduction drive unit and a two-blade constant speed propeller. At the time of the accident the airplane had accumulated 70 total hours of operation, while the engine had accumulated 80 total hours of operation.

After the airplane was recovered to the pilot's hangar, the pilot and a Federal Aviation Administration inspector conducted a test run of the airplane's engine on the day following the accident flight. According to the inspector, the engine started immediately and exhibited smooth and continuous operation at an idle power setting. In the 8 months following the accident, the pilot rebuilt the airplane and continued attempts to troubleshoot the loss of power. Despite numerous attempted on-ground test runs at various power settings, including high power settings, the pilot was unable to duplicate or otherwise definitively determine a reason for the loss of power during the accident flight.

The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single engine land. He reported 166 total hours of flight experience, 72 hours of which were in the accident airplane make and model.

The 1453 recorded weather at Barkley Regional Airport (PAH),Paducah, Kentucky, located about 11 nautical miles northwest of the accident site, included winds from 220 degrees magnetic at 8 knots, clear skies, 10 statute miles visibility, temperature 32 degrees C, dewpoint 24 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 29.82 inches of mercury.





PADUCAH, KY (8/8/11) - At approximately 1:32 PM McCracken County Deputies were dispatched to a reported plane crash in the 200 block of Bonds road, just off of Hardmoney road in the south eastern corner of McCracken county.

Upon arrival of officials on the scene, it was determined that the single-engine two-seat experimental airplane had just taken off from the Grow Air Park on Shemwell lane.

The pilot and owner of the airplane, 47-year-old Samuel Hodges from Dawson Springs, Kentucky stated he had just taken off and for unknown reasons the engine started to misfire. He was approximately 250 feet when the engine stalled.

Hodges noticed water standing in the fields so he attempted to land the airplane on Bonds road. Just after setting the plane down the right wing struck a mail box. This sent the airplane toward the right shoulder in the direction of a tree that is close to the road. He steered the plane to the left to avoid the tree but his left wheel dropped off the asphalt. This caused his left wing to drop into the fence row and spin the plane around where it came to rest partially blocking Bonds road.

Rose Hodges, Samuel's wife was passenger in the plane. She was treated and released at Lourdes E.R. for minor injuries, and pain in her neck and back. Samuel Hodges had no complaint of injury.

The crash is under investigation by the FAA to determine the cause of the mechanical failure.

Also assisting on scene was the Hendron Fire department, McCracken County DES/ Rescue, And Mercy Ambulance Service.