Ireland: Direct flights to United States facing fresh threat

Fears are growing that Northern Ireland's direct air link to North America may be axed as part of a merger deal involving Continental Airlines, which currently operates the loss-making route.

The Belfast-Newark route was initially threatened because air passenger duty on transatlantic routes is 20 times higher in the UK than the Irish Republic.

A Treasury review is looking at the issue but has reached no conclusion.

Now a merger between Continental and United Airlines is planned, aimed at saving $1bn a year in operating costs and focusing on profitable routes.

Next year they are expected to be flying a single, streamlined operation called United.

Last month Finance Minister Sammy Wilson told the Belfast Telegraph: "Whether we can get decisions from the Treasury to coincide with the decision timetable for Continental is something which I have some concerns about."

His comments followed a series of warnings from Continental bosses that they could not compete with the lower tax rate in Dublin.

When they opened the route in 2005 it was profitable and they hoped to grow the service, but rises in air passenger duty in the UK and corresponding falls in the Republic undermined the business model.

Continental is currently making a loss on the route because it is absorbing the £3.2 million APD levy on flights out of Belfast in order to keep prices competitive with its own flights to Newark from Dublin.

Conor McAuliffe, Continental's managing director of Europe, said a family-of-four flying from Belfast would be subject to £240 in APD, but "if they go on the modern road to Dublin Airport they are paying €12".

APD is an excise duty which is charged on the carriage of passengers from a UK airport.

There are four destination bands based on geographical distance from London.

Each has two rates of duty depending upon the class of travel, so there are eight different rates. Cargo planes and private jets are exempt.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk

VIDEO: Chief Executive Officer of REDjet clears air on Repairs

by bajanreporter on Sep 8, 2011

Ian Burns, CEO of REDjet, said Tuesday 6th Sept that a third aircraft would be added to its fleet in December and another in the first quarter of 2012. Two more would be added by the end of next year.

"These will create over 75 new jobs in quarter one of 2012 and another 75 in the latter part of 2012 . . . A lot of those jobs will be in Barbados," Burns said.

The airline is also preparing to launch six additional routes in the next six months, starting with Trinidad to Guyana on Monday. The other routes include St Lucia, Panama, Jamaica, St Martin and Antigua.

Meanwhile, chief operations officer Kevin Dudley said the airline was still standing behind the safety and reliability of the existing MD82 aircrafts.

He said it was the most popular aircraft ever built and there were about 600 or 700 still operating in the United States, Europe and other parts of the world.

REDjet apologizes to customers affected by recent disruption in scheduled flights …says safety one of main reasons for not flying.

REDjet officials will be working on implementing a more effective communication system in an effort to deliver a better quality of service to its customers.

Chairman and CEO of the low cost airline, Ian Burns, made this announcement yesterday during a press briefing at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri.

Burns was at the time addressing concerns raised after several of REDjet’s flights were cancelled during the period August 21 to September 2, affecting more than 900 of the airline’s passengers.

According to the official, the disruptions were due to problems with the hydraulic system on one of the two aircraft currently used by the airline.

He said, “REDjet faced disruptions in Guyana, Barbados and Trinidad, and being a consumer-focused airline, we thought it absolutely necessary to speak to the public and consumers in an attempt to set the record straight.”

During the disruption period, there were 11 cancellations and 15 delayed flights, and of the 953 passengers that were affected, the airline was able to grant refunds to 771 and re- book 183.

Burns noted that the airline staff did everything in their power to mitigate the effects of the delays, but were faced with several constraints.

“As we always said, we have five promises, and one is that we will always be honest and tell it like it is; this is one where we have not done things as we would have liked to, and we are putting up our hand and apologizing to people,” he offered.

He said that the hydraulic problem that one of the aircraft developed coincided with the scheduled maintenance of the other plane, and while the airline made preparations to have an auxiliary aircraft on ‘Wet Lease’, this was delayed.

REDjet’s CEO said, “We knew that in September each of our aircraft was due for checks; to try and cover, this we applied to the Barbados Civil Aviation Authority on August 9 for what is called a ‘Wet Lease’, to bring in auxiliary aircraft to bring in additional capacity to cover for the event that we had a maintenance issue; it took until August 30 to get approval.”

He acknowledged that this is the first commercial issue that the airline has been faced with since its launch in April, and emphasized that REDjet officials will do all that is necessary to ensure that there will be no recurrence in the future.

Communication Issues

In the wake of the issues facing the airline, which affected customers in Barbados and Guyana, REDjet’s CEO expressed appreciation to the Government of Guyana and to Guyanese customers for their continued support.

“We cannot say enough to our passengers about how sorry we are, and we want to assure you that the management team and staff worked tirelessly to contact people affected,” he stated.

As to the delays in promptly communicating to customers the reasons for the disruptions, he pointed out that the airline faced “structural issues” with their communications system which was bombarded with additional traffic in addition to its daily load.

He gave his assurance that systems will be put in place to integrate and strengthen communication systems, in addition to strengthening passengers’ contact information for greater accessibility.

He said, “It is very important that we recognized this as an issue; we had a complex problem and the engineers genuinely thought they would get the issue fixed, and we thought we would leave it until the last moment; in future, we will need to be more decisive when we make these calls, so that passengers can get earlier notification.”

Burns revealed that there was a marginal reduction of 10 percent in bookings since the delays, and stressed that the financial viability of the airline has not been affected.

 

“We are addressing these issues and we will get better,” he said.

Safety First

Meanwhile, REDjet’s Director of Maintenance and Chief Operations Officer, Kevin Dudley, affirmed that the airline never compromises on issues of safety.

“We take safety 100 percent seriously, and our engineers and pilots would never dream of taking an aircraft that was not 100 percent ready for our passengers and crew to fly safely; we always make that commitment to everybody, and we will never change that.”

He reiterated that the airline’s engineers worked around the clock, supported by the aircraft’s manufacturers, Boeing in Seattle, to have the hydraulic problem rectified as early as possible, but this proved more complex than anticipated.

As to the importance of the hydraulic system to the overall functioning of the aircraft, Dudley said, “The hydraulic system provides control of power for the flight control and the landing gear, wheels, brakes and steering; as you can imagine, it is a very integral and important part of the aircraft system… safety was one of the main reasons that we have not been flying, why the aircraft was grounded.”

He assured that the aircraft is now back in service, and fully operational.

http://www.guyanachronicleonline.com

Firefighting DC-10 remains grounded. Bastrop County, Texas

Alberto Martínez /AMERICAN-STATESMAN

It will take a few days before a DC-10 jetliner, now at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, can douse blazes, officials say

BASTROP COUNTY — A converted DC-10 jetliner that can drop 11,000 gallons of fire retardant remained grounded Thursday because officials have no pilot to fly it and because the pump loading system was still being assembled.

But as news of the grounded plane drew complaints from evacuated residents, officials said the plane's delayed deployment was expected — and that it has not slowed or hampered firefighting efforts to contain the massive Bastrop Complex blaze that officials have said is one of the most destructive in state history.

"The plane arrived (Wednesday) from San Bernardino (Calif.), and we knew that it would take two days to get it operational," said Holly Huffman, a spokeswoman for the Texas Forest Service. "We have a number of air resources already in place that we are using."

Huffman and Bastrop County officials said the DC-10 owned by private contractor Ten Tanker arrived at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Wednesday, and the pilot began a mandatory period of two days off required by federal law after he had worked so many hours.

Huffman said the plumbing system used to load fire retardant onto the plane also arrived in Austin on Wednesday by truck, and a crew immediately began assembling it. She said that the "plant" takes two days to install and test.

"The (DC-10) has to fly with a lead plane and that lead plane is in place and ready to go," she said. "As soon as the plant is completed and tested, and the pilot is ready, it will be in operation.

"I know some people don't understand. But this is the procedure for this, and we have to follow that procedure."

Asked why the agency did not seek other pilots to fly the DC-10 to perhaps get it airborne faster, Huffman said the pilot has to be certified for that specific firefighting plane. The agency also faces competition for pilots from other states, particularly California, that also are fighting blazes, she said.

The tanker can make a difference once it takes flight, Huffman said, because it can spread retardant in a swath 50 feet wide and three-fourths of a mile long. It flies at about 560 mph and can make many runs per day with a 15- to 20-minute reloading time.

In the meantime, she said, aerial tankers, so-called "scooper" planes and Chinook helicopters continue fighting the fire that stretches to the south and east of Bastrop. In all, Texas on Thursday had 65 airborne firefighting resources in place — and 59 of those are available to fly, officials said.

"We have enough aerial resources to fight these fires," said Mike Fisher, Bastrop County's emergency management director. "We knew when we ordered (the DC-10) up that it would not be available for several days, and that was part of the plan.

"Not everything can be available immediately and you plan for that. How long does it take us to get out of Afghanistan?"

http://www.statesman.com

Nigeria: Foreign Airlines Not Moving Out of Abuja Airport - Minister

Lagos — The Minister of Aviation, Stella Adaeze Oduah has refuted claims in some sections of the media that foreign airlines are threatening to pull out of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, following the recent bomb blast on the UN building.

Speaking through her spokesman, Joe Obi, the minister said it was not true because no airline, local or foreign has complained about the security measures put in place at the nation's airport let alone pulling out.

Some newspapers had reported foreign airlines are opting to relocate from their Abuja operations to Lagos or to stop in the interim, pending when they consider Abuja safer.

Similarly, Mr. Sam Adurogboye, Media Assistance to Director General, NCAA said NCAA has no knowledge of the threat. "It's not to my knowledge. I don't know where they got that information from."

http://allafrica.com

No injuries reported after Piper Archer and Cessna 172 have separate mishaps at Deer Valley Airport, Arizona.

Plane crash at Deer Valley Airport. No injuries reported when plane went off end of runway

PHOENIX — There were two mishaps involving small planes near Deer Valley Airport, but no reported injuries.

A small single-engine airplane was forced to land in the desert outside the airport Thursday after reporting engine failure.

The Piper Archer owned by the TransPac flight school landed two miles south of Carefree Highway and north of Loop 303.

The Arizona Republic says it was the second plane to make an emergency landing shortly after taking off from Deer Valley Airport on Thursday.

The first was a Cessna 172 that had a collapsed landing gear after a hard landing on the airport's runway.

It's still unclear why the first plane was forced to land or whether a student was flying the second plane.

http://www.therepublic.com

Man says he was called back to Hawker Beechcraft but later told there was no work

(WINFIELD, Kan.) — Imagine getting the call-back letter you've been waiting two years for, only to have it's offer withdrawn a week later.

That's what happened to Zach McCaslin. He was laid off from Hawker Beechcraft back in 2009. In August, he received a certified letter saying he was being called back.

"We were very excited because the insurance is so much better and pays better and everything was better when I was there."

McCaslin gave notice at his job and his wife made arrangements to drop their insurance, all in anticipation that Zach would be going back to Hawker. But last week, the company called with bad news.

"They said they were going to fulough people off the of the line where I was going to work and they were going to have to withdraw the job offer."

We contacted Hawker Beechcraft which said situations like this are unfortunate and very rare.

"It made you sick to your stomach because the insurance is gone, that was my last day at work and I didn't know what we were going to do," said McCaslin.

Zach's jobs is going to let him continue to work part-time, and the family should have insurance again by the middle of the month. But Zach says he has no idea if he'll ever get to return to the job he's been hoping for.

"I don't know if they'll ever call me back."

http://articles.kwch.com

Piper Archer Makes Emergency Landing in North Phoenix, Arizona.

PHOENIX - The pilot of a small plane has made an emergency landing in the desert, 2 miles south of Carefree Highway between the 303 and Carefree Highway.

The plane took off from Deer Valley Airport and started experiencing mechanical problems.

The two people aboard were not hurt.

The investigation is ongoing.

Wyoming Valley Airport: Aircraft displaced as a result of floods

WYOMING – Instead of taking to the air, eight planes from the Wyoming Valley Airport hit the highway Thursday in search of higher ground and protection from the rising waters of the Susquehanna River.

The airport, located directly behind the levee system holding back the river, was closed and most of its aircraft relocated.

The planes traveled less than a mile to the Wyoming Monument from the airport. Most of of them were pulled by vehicles and a few motored up Wyoming Avenue under their own power.

The planes had been moved during other flooding threats, said Joe Lukesh, who lives near the monument. He said he thought a similar move was made during Hurricane Eloise in 1975.

The collection of aircraft on the grass of the monument attracted onlookers who took pictures, including pilot Bill Starr.

Starr came to see if his plane was among them.

“These are some of the ones that are down on the lower end,” said Starr.

The monument grounds and the surrounding neighborhoods did not flood during Tropical Storm Agnes in June 1972, said Starr who lives nearby on Butler Street.

He said he suspected his plane was in a hangar at the airport.

“In ’72 that hangar flooded,” he said. “But the hangar won’t flood as long as the dike holds.”

http://www.timesleader.com

Tires of Air India plane burst while landing in Goa, passengers safe

Panaji: Around 105 passengers on board an Air India flight from Kuwait had a miraculous escape when the tires of the aircraft burst while landing at Goa airport this morning.

"The tires of the AI flight from Kuwait burst while landing at the Goa airport at around 8am today. All the 105 passengers are safe. We are making arrangements to take the passengers to their destination (Chennai)," an AI spokesperson said from Mumbai.

Airport officials said flight AI 976, flying from Kuwait to Chennai via Goa, met with the accident around 8.30 a.m.

They, however, claimed that the tires burst as the plane was heading towards the taxiway.

Last week, a Turkish Airlines plane with 104 people on board had skidded off the Mumbai airport taxiway with its landing gear getting stuck in the mud near the main runway leading to flight disruptions for four days.

http://daily.bhaskar.com

Qantas restructures, outlines Asia plan. But no word on its Pacific services

A regional aviation analyst says the restructure announced by Australia’s national carrier, Qantas, could lead to the airline selling its shares in Air Pacific.

Qantas last month announced it was getting rid of about 1,000 jobs in Australia as part of a controversial revamp of its international arm.

The airline says the move is a bid to return its international operations to profit. It plans to launch two Asia-based airlines and buy 110 new Airbus planes.

While the Qantas announcement spoke of expanding in Asia, it made no mention of changing its services in the Pacific.

Qantas has a significant shareholding in Fiji’s national carrier Air Pacific and regional aviation analyst Jim Bradfield (a former chief executive of Solomon Airlines, Royal Tongan Airlines and Palau Micronesia Air) told Radio Australia’s Pacific Beat the changes made by the Australian airline could lead to it selling its investment.

“This may mean that they would be more keen to have that shareholding either purchased by the Fiji Government, or perhaps another player,” he said.

An article by the Centre of Asia Pacific Aviation on July 19 titled ‘Air Pacific ‘will not fail’ as restructuring continues; ownership questions remain’ quoted Dow Jones as saying Qantas wants the government of Fiji to pay F$70 million (US$40 million) to acquire out its stake in the carrier, although the Fiji government only appears to be willing to pay a fraction of this figure.

According to the report, the Fiji Government is wanting to pay Qantas around F$1 per share for the Air Pacific stake, compared with the price Qantas is asking of close to F$5.50 per share.

Concerns have also reportedly been raised about the codeshare element of the agreement. As part of its written proposal, Qantas said it would continue to codeshare on Air Pacific-operated services to Australia, New Zealand and the US (the carrier also has codeshare agreements in place with Alaska Airlines, Air New Zealand and Cathay Pacific and a FFP partnership with American Airlines).

Qantas also offered to step down from Air Pacific’s board and be “pleased to provide” two Qantas executives, Simon Hickey and Paul Edwards, as “advisers” to Air Pacific.

 

Qantas, according to the Dow Jones report which cited a copy of the proposal from Qantas to the Fijian government last year, had recommended the carrier either cancel new aircraft orders; sell and lease back aircraft; refinance a hangar; and sell the Sofitel Hotel on Fiji’s Denarau Island to fund the acquisition of the 46.3% of Air Pacific owned by Qantas. Fiji’s government is the largest shareholder in Air Pacific with a 51% stake.

While still the largest carrier in the market, Air Pacific has struggled to compete since the arrival in 2009 of Virgin Australia and Qantas LCC subsidiary, Jetstar, and has seen a 51% erosion of its market share.

“LCCs now hold an 18% capacity share of the Fiji market, although the figure is higher on international routes to/from Fiji. Air Pacific has also been affected by the global financial crisis, flooding in Fiji and losses on fuel hedging,” the CAPA article says.

Air Pacific CEO Dave Pflieger, who has held the position for the past 12 months, stated he would not let the airline fail and has introduced a downsizing and restructuring programme to improve the carrier’s competiveness.

In an interview with The Fiji Times on July 16, 2011, Pflieger stated his aims for Air Pacific include returning it to profitability, ensuring an enjoyable flying experience for customers and making the airline a good company for employees. The restructure, he said, was deemed necessary to sustain the longevity and sustainability of the airline and to ensure it can effectively compete on a global scale.

As part of restructuring programme, Air Pacific is implementing a three-pronged approach: having the right skills and expertise; improving the basics such as safety, OTP and customer service; and improving infrastructure, fleet, schedule, network and bringing costs under control. This also involves staff rationalisation and is necessary as Air Pacific is one of the largest foreign income earners in the country.

While various shareholders have come and gone over the years, Air Pacific is now owned by the Fiji Government (51%), Qantas (46.32%), with minor stakes held by Air New Zealand (1.94%) and the governments of Kiribati (0.27%), Tonga (0.27%), Nauru (0.08%) and Samoa (0.12%).

Asian expansion

Asia is seen as the world’s fastest-growing aviation market and Australian carrier Qantas’s decision to seek a bigger slice of it is a smart, and long overdue, decision, analysts say.

 

“It’s the growth market,” CAPA executive chairman Peter Harbison said of Asia. “The domestic market is mature with increasing competition, so this is pretty much a no-brainer.

“It will create a lot of positives in the medium to long term.”

The airline has said its international operations are expected to post a pre-tax loss of $AU200 million ($US210 million) in 2010/11, hit by high fuel costs, natural disasters and an expansion by Middle East and Asian carriers into Australia.

Robert Bruce, a Hong Kong-based analyst at investment bank CLSA, said Qantas’s problems had been compounded by neglecting Asian routes.

“They’ve concentrated on flying to Europe over the top of Asia and now those routes are under increasing pressure from existing carriers plus the Middle Eastern carriers coming in,” he told Dow Jones Newswires.

CAPA said the move to Asia should help stem the losses.

“The consolidation will immediately reduce losses and could in the long term see yield increase unless competitors pick up on the lost traffic,” it said in a research note.

Growth region

According to the International Air Transport Association, the Asia-Pacific region will account for 30 percent of global traffic by 2014, up from 26 percent currently, and Qantas plans to cash in.

To help achieve its goals, its budget offshoot Jetstar will partner with Japan Airlines and Mitsubishi to create a new subsidiary in Japan to capitalise on a market that is growing fast at the low-cost end.

But it also has plans for the corporate sector and will set up a premium joint-venture carrier most likely based in either Singapore or Kuala Lumpur.

As part of the shake-up, Qantas will no longer fly out of Bangkok and Hong Kong into London, with partner British Airways taking up the slack.

In explaining his rationale, chief executive Alan Joyce said within 20 years, 16 percent of the world’s middle-class will be in East Asia.

“China may already have the world’s fourth largest population of millionaires, and India the 12th. There are many, many millions of premium travellers in waiting,” he said.

Qantas is also keenly aware of the opportunities presented by a Southeast Asian open skies initiative scheduled for 2015, under which national airlines of the 10 ASEAN nations will be free to fly between regional capital cities.

http://www.islandsbusiness.com

Solomon Islands: Work on upgrading airstrips in the country will start soon.

This was revealed by the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Communication and Aviation Jeffery Wickham.

Mr Wickham said all tenders had already been awarded to contractors that will carry out the upgrading work and work in all airstrips will start soon.

He said the ministry had concentrated on upgrading the existing airports before starting at new ones.

“We are concerned with the service we provide and therefore work needs to be done to improve it.”

However he said work plans of creating new airports will work inline with the Solomon Airlines.

This is to ensure that airports worked on will be used by the Solomon Airlines for its services.

“There is no point to create new airports but with no airline services.

“Services provided by these airports are not only for travelling but are economically important too,” Mr Wickham.

http://www.solomonstarnews.com

North Korea Jammed United States Reconnaissance Plane GPS

A U.S. military reconnaissance aircraft made an emergency landing during annual South Korea-U.S. military exercises in March when North Korea jammed its GPS device, it emerged Thursday.

According to a report the Defense Ministry submitted to Democratic Party lawmaker Ahn Kyu-baek of the National Assembly's Defense Committee, the RC-7B took off from its base at 8:30 p.m. on March 4 but had to make an emergency landing about 45 minutes later due to disruption of its GPS functions by jamming signals transmitted from Haeju and Kaesong in North Korea at intervals of five to 10 minutes that afternoon.

The jamming signals also disrupted the GPS devices of coastal patrol boats and speed boats of the South Korean Navy. Several civilian aircraft in the Gimpo area were also affected.

The North deploys vehicle-mounted jammers that can disrupt signals within 50-100 km and is reportedly developing a jamming device capable of disrupting signals more than 100 km away.

http://english.chosun.com

Engine Failure: 3 OK after plane makes emergency landing. Maricopa County, Arizona.

PHOENIX - A plane has reportedly made an emergency landing in a desert area in the northwest Valley.

The Phoenix Fire Department says the small aircraft landed in the desert two miles south of Carefree Highway between Loop 303 and the Carefree Highway.

The pilot had apparently reported engine failure before landing in the desert.

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said its helicopter has flown over the scene and the crew reported it appeared the plane landed safely and three people were out and appeared to be OK.

http://www.abc15.com

Unknowns remain for air service here: Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport.

Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport Manager Steve Sievek described Wednesday’s meeting with Great Lakes Airlines and Minnesota Department of Aeronautics personnel as beneficial but said there continued to be more unknowns than knowns regarding the future of air service in Brainerd.

The informational meeting in the Twin Cities included representatives of outstate airports and Minnesota’s two U.S. senators. Sievek said Thursday in his email that Rep. Chip Cravaack’s office was not represented.

Sievek said Great Lakes, which has been identified as a likely replacement air carrier when Delta Air Lines terminates its service to Brainerd, discussed its operation and plans.

Great Lakes, he said, serve 42 communities with more than 300 flights a day. All flights go into the Denver hub and there’s a strong relationship with United Airlines. Great Lakes, he said, is looking to expand into the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and wants to serve seven of the eight communities affected by Delta’s pullout. This group would include all of the affected Minnesota airports, two in Iowa and two in the Dakotas. Great Lakes’ start-up service in Minnesota would be with the Beech 1900 aircraft. Great Lakes was in the Twin Cities working out gate arrangements with the MSP airport and putting together an interline agreement with Delta.

Great Lakes, Sievek said, was non-committal on equipment upgrades, frequencies or seasonal fluctuations because the representatives don’t know if they’ll be the successful bidder and their concerns about the future of funding for the Essential Air Service program. If selected, Sievek reported that the Great Lakes Air Lines personnel said they would aggressively pursue the new market.

http://brainerddispatch.com

Delta moves to all jet service at Central Wisconsin Airport

MOSINEE, Wis. (WSAU) – Delta Airlines has changed over to all jet service at Central Wisconsin Airport.

Delta is eliminating their Saab 340 propeller aircraft from their fleet. They'll be replaced with newer Canadair passenger jets. The newer planes have a 50 passenger capacity as opposed to the older 38 passenger model.

Airport manager Tony Yaron says the move means an average 6 percent increase in passenger capacity at CWA, and means faster travel to Minneapolis and Detroit. He also says if these new flights sell out that Delta is considering adding a 7th flight in and out of the airport daily.

United and American Eagle already serve CWA with jet service to their destinations.

http://wsau.com

NTSB Releases Preliminary Report on Fatal Midair Collision. Cessna 208B (Caravan) , N207DR. Nightmute, Alaska.

The National Transportation Safety Board has released a preliminary report on the Aug. 2 midair collision and plane crash that killed 24-year-old Kenai pilot Scott Veal.

(Courtesy Alaska State Troopers)

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

By Chris Klint KTUU.com

9:24 a.m. AKDT, September 8, 2011

ANCHORAGE, Alaska—   A 24-year-old Kenai pilot who died in a Sept. 2 plane crash near Nightmute after a midair collision was flying in formation with his girlfriend when he pulled up over her aircraft without warning, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

The report says Scott Veal’s Cessna 208B, operated by Grant Aviation Inc., took off from Toksook Bay at about 1:25 p.m., ten minutes after a Cessna 207 operated by Ryan Air and piloted by his girlfriend, 26-year-old Kristen Sprague of Idaho, took off from Tununak. The pilots were the sole occupants of each aircraft.

Sprague told investigators she and Veal were both headed to Bethel, and they agreed by radio to meet up for the flight at an altitude of 1,200 feet, with Veal flying to Sprague’s left. The two pilots continued to fly in formation, chatting via radio.

At about 1:35 p.m., Veal unexpectedly pulled up and maneuvered his aircraft directly above Sprague’s, causing her to radio Veal that she couldn’t see him and was concerned about where he was. Veal then radioed back, saying in part, “Whatever you do, don’t pull up,” just before his aircraft collided with the right wing of Sprague’s plane.

Veal’s aircraft lost its vertical stabilizer and rudder in the collision, causing his plane to fall below Sprague’s and to the left in a steepening dive. Sprague’s plane lost a large section of its right aileron, and she radioed Veal saying she thought she would crash -- receiving a response that he thought he would crash as well.

As Sprague watched, Veal’s plane plummeted vertically into the ground, where it immediately burst into flames. Although Sprague was still in the air, her plane was losing altitude as she fought to maintain control and she selected an area of rolling tundra for a forced landing. The aircraft’s stall horn was on throughout the approach and the front landing gear collapsed on impact, but Sprague was uninjured.

Investigators found the pieces of both Cessnas lost in the collision about half a mile west of Veal’s crash site, about nine miles north of Nightmute.

The crash is Alaska’s third midair collision this year, following a July 10 incident in Lake Clark Pass after which both planes landed safely and the July 30 accident near Trapper Creek after which one plane crashed, killing a family of four.

http://www.ktuu.com

If you hear a plane flying close to the ground Monday… … Don't panic. It's a routine venting of natural gas from a pipeline in Spokane Valley.

Gas Transmission Northwest LLC, a partly owned subsidiary of TransCanada Corp., said in a news release that the company will vent a 36-in. diameter pipeline in preparation for upgrades to the line. The process, called a “blow-down,” is considered routine and doesn't pose a threat, but it's very, very loud, the company said.

“Even if you know it's coming, it can be disconcerting. It can sound like a jet airplane circling the house at low altitude for about 45 minutes,” a company spokesman said.

The company has notified about 2,400 households near the site, at 32nd Avenue just east of Barker Road, the release said. The blow-down begins at 10 a.m. Monday. Access to the area will be restricted and some roads will be closed for the duration of the venting. For information, contact Steve McNulty at (509) 533-2833.

http://www.spokesman.com

Nine dead in Bolivia plane crash: officials. Aerocon Swearingen SA-227 Metroliner, CP-2548, Flight A4-238. Trinidad.

Rescuers in Bolivia found no survivors in the wreckage of a plane that went missing earlier this week and crashed with nine people aboard, the country's aviation authority said Thursday.

Air crash in Bolivia. Photo: AFP

The Aerocom airline plane was carrying seven passengers and two crew members on a flight from the eastern Bolivian city of Santa Cruz to Trinidad in the country's northeast when it vanished from radar on Tuesday.

"Rescuers reached the crash site in the afternoon and confirmed that there were no accident survivors," the Bolivian General Aeronautics Directorate (DGAC) said in a statement.

The wreckage of the plane was found 30 kilometers (about 20 miles) northeast of the city of Trinidad, in the Amazon jungle province of Beni, said Aerocom spokesman Nelson Kinn.

Two of the passengers killed in the crash were Colombians, Kinn said.

Defense Minister Cecilia Chacon, who is heading the rescue efforts, told reporters that rescuers were transporting the bodies to the provincial capital Trinidad, a city of some 130,000 in the Bolivian Amazon basin some 600 kilometers northeast of La Paz.

Local media earlier reported that the plane was just 10 miles from Trinidad when air traffic controllers lost track of it.

The passenger plane that went off the radars in Bolivia on Tuesday was found 500km to the north-east of the administrative capital of La Paz.

There were seven passengers, a pilot and two crew members on board. The plane has apparently crashed in the selva 15 km.


http://news.ph.msn.com

Cirrus SR22, N159JW: Accident occurred September 08, 2011 in West Liberty, Ohio.

NTSB Identification: CEN11FA629 
 14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, September 08, 2011 in West Liberty, OH
Aircraft: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22, registration: N159JW
Injuries: 1 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 8, 2011, about 1122 eastern daylight time (edt), a Cirrus SR22, N159JW, sustained substantial damage when it was partially consumed by a postimpact fire after it impacted a cornfield near West Liberty, Ohio. The private pilot, the sole occupant, received fatal injuries. The airplane was registered to Windsor Ltd LLC and was operated by the pilot as a personal flight under the provisions of the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was filed. The flight originated about 1116 from the Bellefontaine Regional Airport (EDJ), Bellefontaine, Ohio.

At 1120, the surface weather observation at EDJ, located about 6 nautical miles (nm) to the north of the accident site, was: winds 360 degrees at 3 knots; visibility 3 miles; overcast ceiling at 600 feet; temperature 16 degrees Celsius (C), dew point 16 degrees C; altimeter 29.91 inches of mercury (Hg).

The 51-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating. He was not an instrument rated pilot. He held a third class medical certificate that was issued on August 29, 2010.

Jeffrey S. Watson

Courtesy WBNS-TV

West Liberty Fire Chief John Esch emerges from a cornfield along Township Road 192 in Liberty Township after evaluating the scene of single-engine plane crash that killed local businessman Jeffrey S. Watson Thursday about 11:20 a.m.

http://www.jeffreywatsonlandtrust.com

WEST LIBERTY -- Ohio State Highway Patrol is looking into what caused a small plane to crash in southern Logan County Thursday morning -- killing 51-year-old pilot Jeffrey S. Watson, of Bellefontaine.

The OSHP confirmed the plane went down near West Liberty, near Township Road 192 and north of Road 193, just after 11 a.m. There was no word on what caused the crash.

Along with OSHP, the West Liberty Police Department, Logan County Sheriff’s Office and Troopers from the Marysville Post, along with other emergency medical and fire crews, responded to the crash.

Public safety crews cut a swath through a cornfield to reach the crash site. Wreckage from the plane could be seen scattered across the area. They discovered the 2004 Cirrus --- described as a fixed wing, single-engine aircraft -- engulfed in flames.

OSHP says Watson was ejected from the aircraft upon impact and declared dead at the scene by the Logan County coroner. He’d departed from the Bellefontaine Municipal Airport and was bound for the James A. Rhodes Airport in Jackson County.

Carol Thurman told ABC6/Fox28 News' Tom Bosco that she ran toward the site just as soon as he heard the plane's impact.

"It come over this way ... here. And they were wondering why it didn’t land in here.”

Thurman says she and her husband have lived in the area for more than 40 years. She said she thought she heard an ATV running near her home about 11:30 a.m.

"He heard the noise coming over from the East. Sputtering, some sputtering ... It kept getting louder, kind of cutting in and out ... and then we heard the thud.”

That thud turned out to be much bigger than Thurman expected.

“I was hoping I would find somebody alive," she said. “I got my boots, and a sheet, and my rubber gloves. I’m a nurse. And my first instinct was to go see if I could do anything to help.”

Behind a wall of corn stalks, smoke and fire poured out from the site of where the plane went down.

Thurman says she couldn't see the crash until she got close. Then came word of tragedy.

"I could tell that he wasn’t with us anymore, so the only thing I could do was cover him up with a sheet.”

No official reason for what caused the crash has been given. The incident remains under investigation.


http://www.myfox28columbus.com

WEST LIBERTY, Ohio (WDTN) - The Logan County Sheriff's Department has now identified the victim of a fatal plane crash Thursday near West Liberty.

Jeffrey S. Watson, 51, of Bellefontaine was ejected from the aircraft when it crashed in a field off of Township Road 192 north of Township Road 193 in Liberty Township.

Investigators say Watson left the Bellefontaine, Municipal Airport enroute to the Rhodes Airport in Jackson County just before 11:30am.

His Cirrus single engine aircraft was engulfed in flame in a cornfield when emergency personnel arrived.

The Federal Aviation Administration is on the scene investigating the cause.

WEST LIBERTY, Ohio (WDTN) - The Logan County Sheriff's Department has now identified the victim of a fatal plane crash Thursday near West Liberty.

Jeffrey S. Watson, 51, of Bellefontaine was ejected from the aircraft when it crashed in a field off of Township Road 192 north of Township Road 193 in Liberty Township.

Investigators say Watson left the Bellefontaine, Municipal Airport enroute to the Rhodes Airport in Jackson County just before 11:30am.

His Cirrus single engine aircraft was engulfed in flame in a cornfield when emergency personnel arrived.

The Federal Aviation Administration is on the scene investigating the cause.

BELLEFONTAINE, Ohio — The pilot who died in a single engine plane crash Thursday has been identified as 51 year old Jeffrey Watson, a businessman from Bellefontaine. Investigators say Watson was the only person on board. Logan County coroners pronounced him dead at the scene. Neighbors say they heard the 2004 Cirrus engine revving erratically just before the plane went down in a corn field near West Liberty. The FAA has been called in to investigate the crash.

WEST LIBERTY, Ohio (AP) — Authorities say at least one person has died in a small plane crash in western Ohio.

Logan County sheriff's and federal authorities say the plane went down near a township road intersection in West Liberty shortly after 11 a.m. EDT. They didn't immediately know whether there was more than one person aboard the plane or what kind of aircraft it was. They also didn't immediately know where the plane had left from.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating.
http://www2.nbc4i.com
 http://www.wdtn.com

Logan Co. plane crash victim identified: wdtn.com

WEST LIBERTY, Ohio - The pilot of a small plane was killed Thursday morning when the aircraft crashed into a cornfield.

The crash occurred at about 11:20 a.m. just west of Township Road 192, just west of West Liberty, 10TV's Andy Hirsch reported.

According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Jeff Watson died in the crash. He was 51 years old.

Firefighters said that the plane was engulfed when they arrived at the scene.

Authorities were working to determine where the plane took off from and its destination.

Carol Thurman lives near the cornfield and heard the plane before it crashed, Hirsch reported.

“Almost like a 4-wheeler cutting in and out,” said Thurman. “It didn't sound like an airplane. It just kept sputtering and sputtering, as if it was going to start."

Thurman’s husband called 911. Thurman grabbed supplies and ran to the cornfield to see if she could help, Hirsch reported.

“(I) grabbed my boots and I grabbed a sheet. I'm a nurse, and I think my nurse instinct took over, and some rubber gloves and I ran out through the corn field," Thurman said.

Thurman made her way to the pilot, who was ejected from the aircraft. She said she knew there was no saving him.

“He was already gone, so I just basically covered him up with a sheet,” Thurman said.

Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration said officials from the National Transportation Safety Board will be at the scene of the crash Friday morning.

http://www.10tv.com

Air system failure caused fatal Alaska F-22 crash, report says

Last November's fatal crash of an Air Force F-22 north of Anchorage was caused by a problem in the jet's bleed air system, according to an industry crash report cited by unnamed sources to Defense News. The system feeds air from the jet engine compressor to cockpit environmental and oxygen systems. A systems failure could have been survivable, and it's unknown why Capt. Jeff Haney of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson was unable to take actions to prevent the crash. 

From Defense News:

It is unclear whether the pilot had switched to his emergency oxygen supply, the industry source said.

"The rate at which he descended, though, he would have been at a hypoxia-safe altitude within time to have not fully succumbed to hypoxia and should have only had symptoms versus unconsciousness," the pilot source said. 

"The green ring [emergency oxygen bottle] in the Raptor is a tough pull, and it was altered to give the pilot some pressure."

Activating the emergency oxygen system is tricky in the Raptor, the source continued. 

"It is a double pull that has to be practiced and experienced a few times before you end up in that bad situation, or you will panic," he said.

The Defense News source isn't convinced the report is totally accurate. Other reports have indicated suspicions that F-22 pilots, especially at JBER, are breathing airborne toxins somehow getting into the cockpit.

It could be that other physiological factors with pilot's g-tolerance and the oxygen levels in his body could have played a role in the crash. Haney was attempting a maneuver called a "rejoin" and made a fairly aggressive turn during the procedure, the pilot source [told Defense News].

Read more.

STOLEN! 2,000 gallons of aircraft fuel valued at $8,000! Police say stolen from Waterville Robert LaFleur Airport (KWVL), Waterville, Maine.

Waterville airport missing fuel

With 2,000 gallons missing, police suspect theft or poor accounting

WATERVILLE -- Police are investigating the possible theft of about 2,000 gallons of aircraft fuel from the city-owned Robert LaFleur Municipal Airport.

City Engineer Greg Brown, who manages the airport, reported to police that fuel was missing from an airport fuel tank in late June.

Police Chief Joseph Massey said Wednesday that police have interviewed about a dozen current and former airport employees about the missing fuel. Brown provided police with sales receipts and other paperwork related to fuel sales during the time it was believed to have been taken, from May 2010 to January, Massey said.

"It certainly is a possible theft," he said. "I would say that it's probably leaning that way."

Massey said the exact amount missing or what amounts were taken, and when, is difficult to determine because of poor accounting practices. After weeks of review and working with the city's finance department, police still aren't sure if the fuel was stolen or if the accounting practices are to blame for the discrepancy.

"We knew the starting gallons and we knew the ending gallons and there is a 2,000-gallon discrepancy in the sales receipts," he said.

The airport has two above-ground fuel tanks, one that contains jet fuel and another that contains very high-octane gas used for aircraft, he said. The 2,000 gallons are missing from the high-octane gas tank.

Mayor Dana Sennett and City Manager Michael Roy both said they believe the fuel was stolen.

During the investigation, police found that no consistent process was used for fuel sales, Massey said.

Police asked the employees about recording fuel sales, about when it was sold, whether cash or credit was used and whether fuel could be charged, Massey said. They also were asked who was responsible for measuring the amount of oil left in the tank, he said.

"Sometimes slips were thrown on a desk," he said. "It was very difficult to determine who was actually responsible to do what."

He said police have a few more employees to interview and after that, Det. David Caron, who has been working on the case, Brown and Detective Sgt. Michael Benecke will review the information to determine where the investigation will go next.

Massey estimated the missing fuel sells for about $4 a gallon, so it's worth about $8,000.

"Many of the employees had access to the tanks, obviously," he said. "They needed to have access to them."

Sennett said Wednesday that it appears someone stole fuel from the airport.

"We've been investigating it for two months now," he said. "We informed the council that it was under investigation when this all started. Naturally, we're concerned about this."

He said fuel at the airport is kept under lock and key.

"It just goes to show in these times that people will stoop to anything to turn a profit or try to keep their lives going," he said.

Roy also believes the fuel was stolen.

"It seems clear to some of us that fuel is missing and that's what the police are trying to find out -- how much and when," Roy said. "If we find that there was a theft, it may be indicative of the city not putting enough attention into the operation up there. We weren't built to be an airport manager." He said the city began managing the airport when the fixed base operator left 10 years ago.

He said the city probably did not put the kind of resources it should have into the airport because the airport is a losing proposition.

The airport budget has two parts, he said -- maintenance and operational costs as well as buying fuel and fee collection. The city pays $60,000 or $70,000 a year to maintain the airport and in a good year it can make $25,000, he said.

But in the fiscal year that ended June 30, the city spent more than $80,000 on maintenance and lost $38,000 on the fixed base operator side, resulting in about a $125,000 net loss, he said.

Sennett said that the lack of a good accounting system at the airport shows the need for a good operator there. Both he and Roy said the city is always looking for an operator.

He said the city intends to be more active in its search after the master plan is completed in January.

He said he does not think the missing fuel problem is Brown's fault.

"I think that we should have had better controls in place at the airport and those should have been followed. But you can put all the controls you want in place and people can still steal money or goods if they're determined to. If we find that fuel was stolen, I think it was stolen by people who knew how to get around controls that were in place."

http://www.onlinesentinel.com

Waterville - Waterville police are in investigating the possible theft of about 2,000 gallons of aircraft fuel from the Robert Lafleur Municipal Airport in Waterville.

Airport manager Greg Brown reported in June that the fuel was missing from an airport tank.

Police Chief Joseph Massey says there was a possibility the missing fuel was the result of a bookkeeping error but after a thorough review of the books he says he's confident it was theft.

Massey says investigators are in the process of talking to current and former airport employees. "So he has about three more people to interview," Chief Massey said on Thursday. "And once that's done I think at that point we need to sit down take a look at the results of all those interviews and see if it points us in any particular direction or points us to a particular person of interest"

The fuel was believed to have been taken between May 2010 and January 2011. It was valued at about $8,000 dollars.

http://www.wabi.tv

WATERVILLE, Maine — Waterville police are in the midst of an investigation of a possible theft of about 2,000 gallons of airplane fuel from city-owned Robert LaFleur Municipal Airport, police said Thursday.

Waterville Police Chief Joseph Massey told the Bangor Daily News that airport manager Greg Brown reported to police that the fuel was missing from a tank at the airport in late June.

The subsequent investigation has led police to interview “about a dozen employees,” Massey said, while Brown also gave police sales receipts and other paperwork related to fuel sales during the time the fuel disappeared, between May 2010 and January 2011, the chief said.

“In all likelyhood, it’s a theft,” Massey said, but that can’t be determined until all parties are interviewed.

“We’ll dive back into all those sales receipts and go back over those and make sure we didn’t miss anything,” Massey said.

Massey said the airport is secured by a gate.

Two above-ground fuel tanks are located at the airport, one containing jet fuel and another containing high-octane gas used for aircraft, according to Massey. The 2,000 gallons are missing from the high-octane tank.

http://bangordailynews.com

Diamond Aircraft has resumed work on its high-profile D-Jet.

Diamond Aircraft, the London jetmaker whose financial plight made political waves during the spring federal election, has resumed work on its high-profile D-Jet.

The flight testing of D-Jet prototypes is underway again, several months after it was halted due to a "funding shortfall" that sparked "significant" layoffs.

"Our team's spirits are certainly lifted with the resumption of flight activities," said Diamond President Peter Mauer.

The future of the D-Jet was in peril in the spring when the company's efforts to secure a $35-million federal loan stalled heading into the federal campaign.

It became a major issue locally, drawing Mayor Joe Fontana into the debate.

The federal Conservatives ultimately decided not to grant the loan to Diamond.

Article and comments:  http://www.lfpress.com

Piper Super Cub PA18 on Long Lake in Polk County, between Centuria and Balsam Lake, Minnesota. Pilot treated for minor injuries.

Photo by Polk County Sheriff's Department.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office says there was a small plane crash Thursday morning in Polk County.

Deputies say it happened between Centuria and Balsam Lake around 10:15 a.m.

Deputies say the plane, described as a Piper Super Cub PA18, was attempting to land on Long Lake when it overturned.

54-year-old Phillip Mattison of Forest Lake, Minnesota was able to extract himself from the airplane which was equipped with floats and retractable landing gear.

Deputies say several fishermen came to his aid and Mattison was treated on scene for minor injuries.

There were no other passengers on the plane.

Deputies say Mattison was on his want to the Minong area and was making a practice landing on Long Lake.

The crash remains under investigation by the Polk County Sheriff's Office. 

http://www.weau.com

A small float plane crashed Thursday morning on Long Lake in Polk County, between Centuria and Balsam Lake.

Polk County dispatchers received a call at about 10:16 a.m. on Sept. 8. A Piper Super Cub PA18 was attempting to land on the lake when it overturned. The plane was equipped with floats and retractable landing gear.

The pilot, Phillip Mattison, 54, Forest Lake, Minn., was able to extracate himself from the plane and several fishermen helped him out. The pilot was treated for minor injuries. There were not any passengers on the plane.

Mattison reported that he was making a practice landing when the accident occurred. He was on his way to Minong, Wis. Mattison is president of Core Products International, Inc. in Osceola.

The crash remains under investigation. Agencies assisting the Polk County Sheriff's Office were the Centuria Police Department, Unity Area Ambulance Service and the Federal Aviation Administration.

http://www.rivertowns.net

Apple’s “Find My iPhone” locates Chilean crashed CASA C-212 Aviocar 300DF. Un iPhone permite el hallazgo de restos humanos cerca de Juan Fernández

In a story that is going to make airplane staff re-think asking passengers to turn off their phones, an Apple iPhone is credited with helping authorities find a crashed Chilean plane thanks to the “Find My iPhone” feature. The tragic crash killed 21 people without any survivors, but the passenger with an iPhone that provides location data allowed military officials to track down the CASA 212.

“One of the passengers carried (an iPhone). When it fell into the sea, it was located and one of the relatives sent us that information,” the military official reportedly said.

The accident is quite a sad one, and the plane was apparently wrecked so badly that no pieces larger than 20 inches were recovered (though recovery and search efforts are reportedly hampered by bad weather at the moment). It does show an interesting benefit to GPS-enabled phones; more than just being able to help you find directions to the local burger joint, the iPhone that broadcasts your location (not without your permission, of course) can help with more than simply finding a stolen phone. It can help people to find you.

Crédito foto: AP

A submerged iPhone pinpointed a military aircraft crash in the Chilean sea, in another example of the durability of Apple's devices.

The iPhone, which responded Apple's "Find My iPhone" feature, allowed the Chilean Navy to triangulate the location of the crash site. Search teams were unable to find the lost CASA 212 plane, but thanks to the GPS locator, authorities are now combing through the wreckage.

The iPhone's survival is especially remarkable, since divers found no debris larger than 50-centimeters, indicating the aircraft suffered high fragmentation on impact. But Apple's handsets have survived extreme accidents before, as in the case of Jarrod McKinney, whose iPhone fell 13,000 feet onto a rooftop as he was skydiving. The phone cracked but still rang when his friend later called the device.

An iPhone 4 proved durable enough for space when it lifted off with the Atlantis Space Shuttle's final mission on July 8. Astronauts used the device's gyroscope to perform experiments in zero-gravity.

Despite the iPhone's help with the Chilean crash, however, military divers are still having a hard time recovering victims because of bad weather. Not even an indestructible iPhone can help in that situation.

"We have the best technology, fighting against nature, against strong winds and currents of great intensity, and so far the sea gives us no respite," said Andres Allamand, Chile's defense minister. "We need God and the sea to give us a hand."

Los restos fueron encontrados en dos sectores de Juan Fernández, en Tierra Banca y Playa Larga. También se hallaron fragmentos de fuselaje provenientes del avión CASA 212.

"La tarea de identificación corresponde al Servicio Médico Legal (SML). No podemos saber si se trata de restos de los cuerpos que ya fueron hallados o de otros", señaló.

El mayor hallazgo que informó el funcionario fue la señal de un teléfono celular iPhone que portaba uno de los ocupantes del avión siniestrado, la que fue captada brevemente y permitió triangular su posición.

"Uno de los pasajeros traía uno de estos equipos. Al caer el mar, fue triangulado y uno de los familiares nos envió la información", explicó el contraalmirante Francisco García Huidobro, comandante en jefe de la Escuadra, quien está a cargo de las operaciones de búsqueda emprendidas por unidades de la Armada.

El antecedente será utilizado en las tareas de búsqueda de restos, probablemente, mediante el uso de los dos robots submarinos desplegados en la zona.

Confirmaría, además, la versión de un testigo que vio al avión luego de su fallido intento de aterrizar, ya que ubicaría el sitio de la caída en una zona ubicada entre el estrecho que separa las islas de Robinson Crusoe y Santa Clara y el sur del aeródromo de Juan Fernández.

En cuanto a los trozos de la aeronave que fueron encontrados, el ministro indicó que no se localizó "ninguna pieza que tuviera más de 50 centímetros, es decir, esto confirma que el avión tuvo una alta fragmentación".

"Estamos luchando contra la naturaleza, contra fuertes vientos y corrientes marinas de gran intensidad, y hasta ahora el mar no nos da respiro", aseguró. "Tenemos la más alta tecnología, cinco buques operando en la zona, cuatro helicópteros volando permanentemente, comandos y fuerzas especiales, pero todas las capacidades tecnológicas, materiales y humanas tienen que rendirse frente a la implacable fuerza de la naturaleza", reconoció. "Necesitamos que Dios y el mar nos den una mano", enfatizó.

Más temprano, el funcionario se había mostrado optimista de lograr "buenos resultados" durante la jornada luego de que los aparatos de localización acústica del buque Almirante Merino y de los botes zodiac registraran irregularidades en el interior de las aguas.

"Procesamos la información e identificamos dos áreas de interés; significa que allí establecimos algunos contactos. ¿Qué quiere decir? Que encontramos ciertas anormalidades en la topografía de las profundidades", había explicado.

El operativo continuará con la participación de dos robots Proteus 1000, que descenderán en profundidad y visualizarán las zonas. "Si en la verificación de los puntos identifican hallazgos propiamente tales, vamos a bajar a nuestros buzos", señaló.

Recordó que otros equipos continúan trabajando en la búsqueda y rastreo de los restos en cuatro puntos del mar. "Por el norte, donde está Punta Caimán; al norte de Bahía Padre; al frente, isla Santa Clara; y al noreste, casi a la cuadra donde termina Bahía Carvajal hacia el este", detalló.

  

Fuente: Emol.com