Sunday, October 23, 2011

Airport gets two bids for possible service. Tupelo Regional Airport (KTUP), Mississippi

TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) -- By next month, airport officials should know who will take over air service at the Tupelo Regional Airport.

Two companies have submitted bids so far.

Airport executive director Josh Abramson tells WTVA.com Seaport Airlines presented a bid that would allow 25 weekly flights to Memphis and 18 weekly flights to Nashville.

Another company, Air Choice One, offered a plan that will provide 52 weekly flights to Memphis only.

Abramson said both carriers would use smaller passenger aircraft -- able to seat nine -- but he said it would be difficult to convince local fliers that the smaller planes are safe.

Abramson said a decision will be reached sometime after Nov. 7.

Video: Two killed as plane crashes in Nairobi, Kenya. Accident occurred October 21, 2011. Cessna 401A, 5Y-CAE, Cezanne Air Express.

By kenya citizen tv on Oct 21, 2011 

PLANE CRASH: Two killed as plane crashes in Nairobi. Plane crashed near the Hillcrest School.

Shoreham, Vermont: Ultralight pilot avoids injury in crash

The pilot of an Ultralight aircraft escaped major injuries after crashing Sunday afternoon.

The pilot, Shoreham resident Donald Arnold, told police he was airborne for about six to seven minutes before he lost control and crashed in a field near his house.

Arnold was taken to Porter Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.The cause of the accident was not available. Police say Arnold Is an experienced pilot.

Hopeful parents of MiG pilot announce cash reward of Rs 50,000 to those who will find him

MANALI: Parents of the pilot of crashed MiG 29, who went missing in mountains of Lahaul valley in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday night, have announced a cash reward for those who would trace their son.

On reaching Keylong, the missing pilot's parents contacted Lahaul-Spiti deputy commissioner Rajeev Shankar on Sunday. Shankar said, "His parents have requested the locals to help them search their son. They have announced reward of Rs 50,000 to those who will find him."

He added that the search operation on Sunday too was hit by inclement weather around Chokhang peak where the MiG might had crashed. "High-altitude peaks have been receiving snowfall since morning, while there have been intermittent showers in the lower regions of the district. Weather is extremely cold. It's difficult for search teams to locate the wreckage of the plane," he said.

As the mountains near Lahaul-Spiti have been covered with a fresh blanket of snow, tracing the pilot and the wreckage will get tougher in the coming days. Many residents of Lahaul have joined hands with the military to aid the search and rescue operation.

The MiG 29, which had taken off from Adampur airbase, had crashed near Chokhang village on Tuesday at 8.30 pm. Though villagers had spotted some parts of MiG on Chokhang peak, the complete wreckage and its pilot are still missing.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Relatives of Squadron Leader D S Tomar, pilot of the MiG-29 that crashed in the high altitude mountains of Lahaul-Spiti last week, announced a reward of Rs 50,000 to any person providing clues to help rescue him.

Prahalad Garg, the father-in-law of Tomar, accompanied by the pilot’s elder brother met Lahaul-Spiti Deputy Commissioner Rajeev Shanker on Sunday.

Garg had come from Indore in Madhya Pradesh.

“They met me during the day and wanted the search operation to be intensified so that they get to know something about Tomar. It’s almost five days and they have been waiting for some clues,” Shanker said.

Meanwhile, the IAF and Army teams, which took up the ground operations in the morning, abandoned it after snowfall started at higher altitudes and even in the main town of Keylong. The search parties returned to the base camp to wait for the weather to clear. Shanker said the IAF has formed teams of trained personnel and on Monday a few more, specially trained for rescue operations in high altitude areas, will join from Ladakh.

http://www.indianexpress.com

Cessna 150L, Bedrock Investments LLC, N11630: Accident occurred April 12, 2011 in Corona, California

NTSB Identification: WPR11LA195 
 14 CFR Part 91: General AviationAccident occurred Tuesday, April 12, 2011 in Corona, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 03/20/2012
Aircraft: CESSNA 150L, registration: N11630
Injuries: 1 Serious,1 Minor.

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 pilot stated that he was practicing a touch-and-go landing and that he pulled up the controls during the landing flare because the airplane was high. He then realized that the airplane was about to stall and added power. The airplane turned left about 45 degrees, bounced once in the adjacent grass, and crossed a taxiway. The airplane subsequently impacted a hangar and the airplane’s engine section to the firewall went through the closed hangar door. Both wings and the cabin area of the fuselage were badly bent and wrinkled. Postaccident examination of the engine, airframe, and flight controls revealed no deficiencies that would have precluded normal operation.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot’s loss of airplane control during the landing flare.


On April 12, 2011, at 0853 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 150L, N11630, sustained substantial damage following a loss of aircraft control and impact with a hangar door at Corona Municipal Airport (AJO), Corona, California. The private pilot received minor injuries and his passenger received serious injuries. Fly Corona was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal local flight. A flight plan had not been filed.

The pilot reported that he was practicing a touch-and-go landing and was high, so he “pulled up on the controls.” He realized the airplane was about to stall and added power. The airplane turned left about 45 degrees, bounced once in the adjacent grass, and crossed a taxiway. The airplane subsequently impacted a hangar. The airplane’s engine section back to the firewall went through the closed hangar door. Both wings and the cabin area of the fuselage were badly bent and wrinkled.

Postaccident examination of the engine, airframe, and flight controls was performed by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector. No deficiencies were noted that would have precluded normal airplane operation. The flaps were in the full down position at the time of the accident.





AIRCRAFT: 1974 Cessna 150L, N11630, S/N 15075584

ENGINE(S): Continental O-200-A, S/N 253490

APPROXIMATE TOTAL HOURS (estimated from logbooks or other information):
ENGINES: 1,200 since overhaul (estimated) AIRFRAME: 8,835.2

EQUIPMENT: King KX-155, KI-208, Garmin GPS-150, Narco ADF-141, Garmin GTX-327

DESCRIPTION OF ACCIDENT: Aircraft crashed into metal hangar during go-around attempt

DESCRIPTION OF DAMAGES: Crushing of nose, wings & forward/middle fuselage

LOCATION OF AIRCRAFT: Pearblossom, California


     **PHOTOS**


NTSB Identification: WPR11LA195
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, April 12, 2011 in Corona, CA
Aircraft: CESSNA 150L, registration: N11630
Injuries: 1 Serious,1 Minor.


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.

On April 12, 2011, at 0853 Pacific daylight time, Cessna 150L, N11630, sustained substantial damage following loss of aircraft control and impact with a hangar door at Corona Municipal Airport (AJO), Corona, California. The private pilot received minor injuries and his passenger received serious injuries. Fly Corona was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulation Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal local flight. A flight plan had not been filed.

The pilot stated that he was practicing a touch-and-go landing and was high, and close to a stall, so he applied power. The airplane turned left about 45 degrees, bounced once in the adjacent grass, and crossed a taxiway. The airplane subsequently impacted a hangar damaging the fuselage and wings.

Former Memphis Tigers basketball player charged with hitting airplane mechanic while allegedly driving drunk.



MEMPHIS, TN -(WMC-TV) - A former Memphis Tigers basketball player was arrested after he allegedly hit a person while driving drunk.

Memphis police charged former University of Memphis Tigers guard Jeremy Hunt with driving under the influence, public intoxication, reckless driving and violation of financial law.

Airplane mechanic Terry Reid was taken to the MED in critical condition. Vascular surgeons spent Sunday working on his legs.

"Both of his legs are broken and there's no circulation to the feet," said the victim's wife, Shirley Reid.

Shirley Reid told Action News 5 her husband left their home to pick up a family friend who did not have a car. On his way back home, Shirley Reid said police told her that her husband stopped to help a stranded motorist when a driver slammed into his truck and pinned him.

"They told me he was helping someone whose car had broken down and a truck hit the back of his truck and pinned him between his truck and the car," she said."

Shirley Reid said she knew something was wrong when she got a hang up call from her husband's cell phone.

"He was probably calling to tell me he was hurt because the person called right back after the call cut off," she said. "I could hear him screaming in the background, and I knew his voice. I knew it was serious."

According to police records, when they arrived on the scene, they smelled alcohol on Hunt's breath, he was staggering when he walked and he could not keep his eyes open.

Shirley Reid said she has no hard feelings against Hunt, but said as a former emergency room nurse at the MED, she knows alcohol and driving do not mix.

Hunt was released on $2,000 bond. He is due in court Monday.

In 2005, Hunt was kicked off the Tigers after his then girlfriend charged him with slapping and kicking her. He also had a scuffle on Beale Street. In 2007, the Memphis Grizzlies considered drafting the Craigmont High School graduate, but that never panned out.

Hunt's silver Land Rover is impounded.

Shirley Reid asked the Mid-South to pray for her husband's recovery.

Passengers watch Ryanair crew mend jet window with TAPE

Photos: http://www.thesun.co.uk

A RYANAIR plane with 200 passengers on board had to turn back after tape used to patch up a pilot's window came loose.

Passengers watched in horror as ground crew put the tape around the edge of the windscreen shortly before take-off from Stansted, Essex, to Riga, Latvia.

The Irish Aviation Authority said the tape was being used as an extra precaution to secure a new window seal.

But the pilot aborted the flight after 20 minutes when the tape started to become loose and made disturbing noises.

Ryanair insists normal procedures were followed throughout, and there was no danger to passengers or crew.

But one passenger, Anthony Neal, 33, of Bromley, Kent, said: "We were kept in the dark, and were terrified. I could see guys taping in the windscreen with what looked like duct tape or gaffer tape.

"We were in the sky, then the pilot said due to damage on the windscreen, we were going to have to turn back."

Former pilot John Guntrip said: "This could have been disastrous, the pilot could have been sucked out mid-air if the window had come off."

A spokesman for Ryanair — whose boss is Michael O'Leary — said: "We do not comment on routine technical issues. All Ryanair flights operate in accordance with approved safety standards."

The IAA said it had completed its probe. 

Photos: http://www.thesun.co.uk

Texas: Austinites witness astronomical event . Reports stretch from North Austin to Lake Travis

AUSTIN (KXAN) - KXAN received several calls and emails Sunday morning about an astronomical event that lit up portions of the Central Texas sky shortly before sunrise on Sunday, a display that could be seen for at least 100 miles according to an FAA spokesperson.

Lynn Lundsford with the Federal Aviation Administration in Fort Worth , Texas told KXAN News there were reports of bright lights and contrails in the Dallas-Fort Worth area around the same time as KXAN viewers reported seeing similar occurrences.

”We have had no official confirmation that what your viewers saw was the satellite re-entering. I can tell you that people in the DFW area reported seeing bright lights and contrails to the south at the same time people there [in Austin] saw them to the north. Whatever it was, it could be seen for at least 100 miles in either direction,” Lundsford said.

Some viewers believed what they witnessed may have been debris from a defunct German satellite which was expected to re-enter the earth’s atmosphere this weekend but scientists believe the satellite fell somewhere in Asia.

“This morning on the way out to get the news paper, about 7:00 a.m., I heard a loud pop and the ground lit up like a headlight was shining upon it,” said KXAN viewer Burt Cullum who lives in Northwest Austin. “It was headed West or Northwest making little circles and trailing smoke.”

KXAN viewer Trey Carrington lives in Northwest Hills and recounts a similar sighting around 7:07 a.m., “A very bright moving light shown across my yard. I was unable to see the source when I looked up as it was gone. There was no noise associated with it. It was as bright as a spot light from a helicopter, moving quickly.”

KXAN called Austin 311, we were told they received an email from Austin Police around 7:34 a.m. saying they didn’t have any information indicating the lights were suspicious.

Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said the satellite appears to have gone down over Southeast Asia. He said two Chinese cities with millions of inhabitants each, Chongqing and Chengdu, had been in the satellite’s projected path during its re-entry time.

Rand Forest who lives on Lake Travis emailed KXAN saying, “I was outside at 7:09 a.m. The ground lit up like someone turned on a super intense light and I looked up to see a very bright streaking light traveling at a very high rate of speed in a West to East direction. The main light streak also had several other less intense light streaks on either side of it. After the light disappeared, it left what looked like a smoke trail behind. I would say that the streak was maybe 1 mile long.”

Officials at Austin Bergstrom International Airport said they have not received any reports of the event.

Experts said most parts of the minivan-sized ROSAT research satellite were expected to burn up as they hit the atmosphere at speeds up to 280 mph (450 kph), but up to 30 fragments weighing a total of 1.87 tons (1.7 metric tons) could have crashed, the German Aerospace Center said.

“But if it had come down over a populated area there probably would be reports by now,” the astrophysicist, who tracks man-made space objects, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

Calculations based on U.S. military data indicate that satellite debris must have crashed somewhere east of Sri Lanka over the Indian Ocean, or over the Andaman Sea off the coast of Myanmar, or further inland in Myanmar or as far inland as China, he said.

The satellite entered the atmosphere between 0145 GMT to 0215 GMT Sunday (9:45 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. Saturday EDT) and would have taken 15 minutes or less to hit the ground, the German Aerospace Center said. Hours before the re-entry, the center said the satellite was not expected to land in Europe, Africa or Australia.

http://www.kxan.com

Ailing Merpati Nusantara Airlines secures funds to pay fuel debt

Ailing state-owned PT Merpati Nusantara Airlines has secured funds to pay some of its fuel debt, after signing an agreement with state asset management firm PT Perusahaan Pengelola Aset (PPA).

Merpati and PPA inked the agreement Friday that the latter would provide Rp 561 billion (US$62.98 million) in loans until the former received financial aid in the form of state capital participation (PMN) from the 2012 revised state budget.

However, the funds from PPA have not yet been disbursed.

“We haven’t received the funds. That was only an agreement for a loan. We will follow it up next [this] week,” Merpati’s president director Sardjono Jhony Tjitrokusumo said over the phone on Sunday.

He added the funds would be used to pay its current debt of Rp 8.2 billion for fuel payments to state oil and gas company PT Pertamina between Aug. 26 and Oct. 16.

He said the airline had accumulated two other debts to Pertamina: Rp 212 billion for 2006-2007, and Rp 44 billion from 2007 to Aug. 26, making a total of Rp 264.2 billion.

Meanwhile, PPA corporate secretary Renny O Rorong told the Post that his firm had prepared the funds.

“The funds are ready. However, we are waiting for Merpati to submit a disbursement appeal in accordance with their needs. If they submit the appeal tomorrow, we will release the funds directly,” he said over the phone on Sunday.

Renny said that the funds were part of PPA’s support for plans to revitalize the airline. Previously, PPA disbursed Rp 300 billion to Merpati in 2009.

The prolonged debts led state oil and gas company PT Pertamina to suspend fuel supplies to Merpati, disturbing the airline’s Oct. 15 flight schedule at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, and Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar.

Pertamina agreed to end its fuel embargo after Merpati promised to pay, (including fines and interest), its first phase debts within a maximum of seven years; the second phase within two years; and the third phase debts immediately after the airline receives the funds from PPA.

Sardjono said that Merpati would use its revenue to pay off earlier debts.

“We will maintain our operations and pay other debts with our revenue,” he said.

Sardjono said Merpati booked revenue at around Rp 3.5 billion to Rp 4.5 billion per day. The airline will spend Rp 3 billion to Rp 3.5 billion per day to pay fuel to Pertamina.

Separately, Merpati spokesman Sukandi said that his company would use the PPA loan in accordance with its restructuring targets, such as improving aircraft capacity and funding operational costs, and paying debts other than those to Pertamina.

“All spending of the loan money from PPA refer to provisions stipulated in Merpati’s business plan, which has been approved by PPA, the government as a shareholder, the House of Representatives and the Finance Ministry,” Sukandi said, declining to give further details on the business plan.

He said he had no information as to when Merpati would submit a disbursement request to PPA.

“However, we will certainly follow up the agreement between PPA and Merpati immediately because we desperately need the funds.” 

http://www.thejakartapost.com

Barilko/Hudson Fairchild 24: Cochrane, Ontario - Canada


A pontoon and twisted wreckage from the Bill Barilko/Henry Hudson single-engine Fairchild is hoisted out of the crash site by Expedition Helicopters pilot Chad Calaiezzi 89 km north of Cochrane, Sunday Oct. 16, 2011

http://www.timminspress.com/PhotoGallery

COCHRANE, Ont. -- Sandra Cattarello, 71, is resting against a fallen tree perhaps sheared by the single-engine floatplane — now scattered before her eyes — which carried her cousin 60 years ago.

It is a well-deserved rest. She just completed a challenging two-hour trek through more than a kilometre of deep muskeg and thick spruce forest in cold wind and rain.

Cattarello came to the middle of remote bush 80 km north of Cochrane on a once-in-a-lifetime excursion with 15 others. She has just finished leading the group in prayer, honouring the two men who died here in 1951.

The first family member to ever visit the crash site, tears roll down her cheek as she speaks of the pain her family endured with the tragic loss of her cousin, Bill Barilko.

“It’s very sentimental and I’m glad I came,” Cattarello says, her voice quivering. “It’s very sad. I was 11 years old when this happened and we often wonder how his hockey career would have gone.

“For the family, it was quite amazing when they did finally make the discovery of the plane. For his mother, it was very good, because we were able to bring closure to it. Today is very significant and yet, it’s sad.”

As an 11-year-old in September 1951, Cattarello gathered each day with family and friends at Porcupine Lake, waiting for the 24-year-old Barilko to return home from a fishing trip near the James Bay coast with Timmins dentist Henry Hudson.

Barilko, at the height of his fame after his overtime goal won the Stanley Cup for the Toronto Maple Leafs four months earlier, was due to return on a stormy Sunday evening, Aug. 26, 1951.

But the yellow, single-engine Fairchild piloted by Hudson never arrived. Barilko and Hudson simply vanished.

Their disappearance sparked the largest aviation search in Canadian history, involving 38 Royal Canadian Air Force planes and 270 personnel, extending into October 1951.

“We’d go down to the lake on our bicycles to meet the planes coming in,” says Cattarello, whose father, Carlo, was one of Barilko’s first hockey coaches. “At the time, we really thought maybe they stopped at a lake somewhere and they would be found.”

The plane’s wreckage wasn’t discovered until June 7, 1962 — six weeks after the Leafs won their next Stanley Cup — bringing an end to a mystery that had gripped all of Canada.

The skeletal remains of Barilko and Hudson, still strapped into the seats, were recovered and laid to rest, providing some closure for heartbroken family and friends.

But the plane’s wreckage remained untouched in the remote forest for 60 years, even though there were requests from aviation museums.

Until Oct. 16, 2011.

Shortly before 10 p.m., in another solemn ceremony, the Barilko/Hudson plane arrived home to Porcupine Lake.

* * *

One of few remaining family members from Barilko’s generation, Cattarello was a central figure among the group of 16 who made the journey to the crash site. (Barilko’s sister, Anne Klisanich of Toronto, now 81, was not able to come.)

The excursion, co-ordinated by Expedition Helicopters of Cochrane, was intended to bring in some surviving family and friends before wreckage was hoisted out of the site.

Why bring home the plane?

Aside from “bringing the last of Billy home,” according to Bill Hughes, a businessman and former WHA goalie who financed the excursion, it is about Northern pride and preserving an important piece of history.

With a Timmins Sports Heritage Hall of Fame in the planning stages for the city’s 2012 centennial, there are plans to create a Barilko exhibit to preserve, celebrate and convey the Barilko story to future generations.

Hockey in Timmins and throughout Northern Ontario is on the decline and perhaps the Barilko story can restore some Northern pride.

Hall of Fame committee chairman Wayne Bozzer was part of the excursion, while Timmins videographer Kevin Vincent captured the day from start to finish for a documentary, alongside historical author Richard Buell.

“This is all part of what we hope to accomplish as far as planting the seed, where kids coming out of Northern Ontario feel good about coming out of Northern Ontario,” Hughes, a Kirkland Lake native, said in a heartfelt address to the group at the crash site. “I think the North does something to us and I know it’s good.

“And Bill Barilko exemplified that with a Northern spirit he carried with him famously. Hopefully, through telling our stories and the stories of people in our past, we will affect in a positive way the kids coming out of Northern Ontario.”

* * *

Getting to the wreckage is not easy. Expedition Helicopters pilot Chad Calaiezzi started out in Cochrane with a group of five that included Timmins Mayor Tom Laughren.

Two other groups of five are shuttled in from Island Falls, the nearest point accessible by road, 21 km to the southwest.

There is a reason it took 11 years to discover the wreckage and another 43 years before the site was marked and protected during a separate excursion in 2005 — this is very rough, thick terrain.

Once all 16 are assembled in a cleared swamp area more than a kilometre away, Calaiezzi uses GPS to guide the group to the wreckage.

It is a two-hour struggle through the bush. With every step, each foot sinks several inches into the soft, sometimes knee-deep muskeg. It is the type of frontier in which voices are required to locate a person five metres away, even in broad daylight.

The Northern elements are also harsh, with Mother Nature delivering swirling winds, blowing rain and light snow in a 90-minute span.

Six of the group of 16 carry an axe or hatchet to clear a path.

Archie Chenier, 86, a friend of Hudson and a frequent passenger in the same plane, uses a Sher-Wood hockey stick as a cane.

Retired Timmins dentist John Shaw, 77 — who eventually took over Hudson’s dental office and ultimately spearheaded this final excursion because of his great interest in the story — shares experiences from his first trek in 2005, when the site was marked and protected with officials from the Tembec forestry company.

Calaiezzi is the first to reach the wreckage.

One pontoon sticks out of the ground at an angle, leaning against a tree. The other is in pieces. The engine is only partially imbedded in the ground, surrounded by twisted pieces of frame. Some well-preserved yellow fabric is still visible.

It appears the plane crashed facing northeast, perhaps a death spiral down to earth after running out of gas in 45 mile-per-hour headwinds.

Archie Chenier can share a few theories about that.

* * *

Chenier accompanied Hudson on many similar fly-in fishing trips, living through his own scares in Hudson’s plane.

A few summers before the Barilko crash, Chenier and Hudson had a close call in the same area, running out of gas approaching Cochrane. Chenier urged Hudson to put the plane down on Lillabelle Lake, and the plane sputtered out of gas on the approach.

In 1949, shortly after takeoff from Hudson’s cottage on Lake Temagami, the engine burst into flames and Chenier helped Hudson put the plane back down safely.

Chenier was supposed to be Hudson’s passenger on the ill-fated trip in August 1951, but had to back out because of work.

Hudson had to find someone to take Chenier’s place, someone who had the weekend off. He found Barilko, who had one more weekend of summer before heading back to Toronto for Leafs’ camp.

Barilko had never flown in Hudson’s plane.

Chenier said Hudson was a brave pilot who would have benefited from having a voice of reason alongside him.

“He had no fear in his conscience when it came to judgment while flying,” Chenier said in a recent interview. “I claim, had I been on the trip, and with the storm clouds they described, I might have said, ‘Henry, let’s sit it out for awhile.’ Because he listened to me. Why he did, I don’t know.”

* * *

When all 16 have reached the site, Shaw consecrates the area in honour of the two men who died here.

After Cattarello leads the group in prayer, many take time to themselves, coming to grips with the surreal surroundings.

Soon, one group of seven begins the return journey through the bush, which will be a three-hour hike.

Others, including Laughren, Timmins’ workhorse mayor, prepare some wreckage to be lifted out. Within the hour, Calaiezzi returns with the helicopter and long line, hoisting out the pontoons and dropping the load at Island Falls. He returns an hour later to lift out the engine and other wreckage.

“The whole expedition’s been amazing,” Cattarello says before leaving the site. “It’s nice the way they did the ceremony here and it would be nice if they can have this in a museum.”

* * *

By sundown, a flatbed trailer is loaded with wreckage at Island Falls, but there is one final stop.

Mike Mitchell, a former Porcupine Minor Hockey volunteer, and Mike Mulryan, a longtime Timmins coach, bring the floats to a boat launch at Porcupine Lake, completing the plane’s intended journey.

Mitchell backs the flatbed down to the water as Mulryan and Shaw pour cups of water over the pontoons.

The water is poured from Tim Hortons coffee cups.

It was Horton, from Cochrane, who eventually replaced Barilko on the Maple Leafs blueline in 1952, helping the Leafs win four more Stanley Cups.

Who knows how things would have turned out if Barilko, already with four Stanley Cups at age 24, had arrived at Porcupine Lake on Aug. 26, 1951?

The Hudson/Barilko plane finally made it home on Oct. 16, 2011.

The 16 who took part in the excursion, ranging from age 36 to 86, did so because they share the same Northern spirit that Barilko came to define.

They hope their efforts will ensure Barilko’s story will endure and inspire.

http://www.lfpress.com/sports/hockey/2011/10/20/18855171.html

Piper PA-34-220T Seneca III, Quality Travel and Tours, 5H-QTE: Accident occurred October 20, 2011 - 20 km west of Kilimanjaro International Airport - Tanzania

The plane, belonging to Quality Travel & Tours Limited of Arusha had two people on board, the pilot, a Kenyan lady Ms Lilian Koima Musanya, who is currently admitted in a critical condition at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) hospital in Moshi and her dead partner.

The crash outside Kilimanjaro International Airport last Thursday night, in which the pilot was seriously injured and one apparent trainee pilot killed, has been attributed by aviation sources to inept air traffic control mechanisms, after the Seneca III apparently ran out of fuel.

A regular aviation source in Dar es Salaam, when discussing the accident with this correspondent, had this to say: While it may be a bit premature to speculate over the precise cause of the accident, the fact that the pilot survived the crash will help investigators to narrow this down and find out exactly what happened, if she makes it through. From my own experience as a pilot however I am tempted to jump that process a little.

We know that the plane was due to fly to the Arusha municipal airfield from Dar es Salaam. It seems that the pilot, when approaching the Arusha field, realized that there were no lights and decided to head back towards Kilimanjaro International. From all we have learned when requesting landing permission she was told to hold to allow for other traffic to clear first.

Now if she was running short of fuel, maybe she told that to ATC and the tapes will ascertain to that when the investigation looks into this aspect. In fact, if she realized that fuel was running critically short she would have even declared an emergency at which point ATC would have had to clear all other traffic out of the way immediately to give this flight top priority. But the one thing most puzzling, if this flight was cleared from Dar to land at the Arusha field, the operations staff there should have known and should have advised of any time limits to land or else to announce to them in case lights were not working.

That information should have been relayed by ATC to the pilot, should have been mentioned when the flight plan was filed, before takeoff permission for Arusha was given. The next chance to relate this information was in the air, because for sure they were in radio contact when the aircraft was in the vicinity of JRO [three letter designator for Kilimanjaro International Airport] and making the approach to the Arusha municipal field. Now if that information was not passed to the pilot in command, it would have been a serious omission and could have contributed to the plane running short of fuel. The final report will have to reflect all these issues.

The newly imported plane, owned by an Arusha based tour company, was on a ferry flight from Dar es Salaam and due to enter service in coming days for air charters to bring tourists to the national parks. The deceased trainee pilot had only recently returned from the United States where he reportedly had done his training for a CPL, short for Commercial Pilots License before returning to Tanzania. The Kenyan lady pilot in command has since first aid and initial treatment in a local hospital been flown to Nairobi for further treatment but was still unconscious while taken there and her present status could not be ascertained at the time of going to press.
----------------------------------------------
The crash outside Kilimanjaro International Airport last Thursday night, in which the pilot was seriously injured and one apparent trainee pilot killed, has been attributed by aviation sources to “inept air traffic control mechanisms,” after the Piper Seneca III apparently ran out of fuel.

A regular aviation source in Dar es Salaam, when discussing the accident with this correspondent, had this to say: “While it may be a bit premature to speculate over the precise cause of the accident, the fact that the pilot survived the crash will help investigators to narrow this down and find out exactly what happened, if she makes it through. From my own experience as a pilot, however, I am tempted to jump that process a little.

“We know that the plane was due to fly to the Arusha municipal airfield from Dar es Salaam. It seems that the pilot, when approaching the Arusha field, realized that there were no lights and decided to head back towards Kilimanjaro International. From all we have learned, when requesting landing permission, she was told to hold to allow for other traffic to clear first.

“Now if she was running short of fuel, maybe she told that to ATC and the tapes will ascertain to that when the investigation looks into this aspect. In fact, if she realized that fuel was running critically short she would have even declared an emergency, at which point ATC would have had to clear all other traffic out of the way immediately to give this flight top priority.

“But the one thing most puzzling, if this flight was cleared from Dar to land at the Arusha field, the operations staff there should have known and should have advised of any time limits to land or else to announce to them in case lights were not working. That information should have been relayed by ATC to the pilot, should have been mentioned when the flight plan was filed, before takeoff permission for Arusha was given. The next chance to relate this information was in the air, because for sure they were in radio contact when the aircraft was in the vicinity of JRO [three letter designator for Kilimanjaro International Airport] and making the approach to the Arusha municipal field.

“Now if that information was not passed to the pilot in command, it would have been a serious omission and could have contributed to the plane running short of fuel. The final report will have to reflect all these issues.”
The newly-imported plane, owned by an Arusha-based tour company, was on a “ferry flight” from Dar es Salaam and due to enter service in the coming days for air charters to bring tourists to the national parks.

The deceased trainee pilot had only recently returned from the United States where he reportedly had done his training for a CPL, short for Commercial Pilot’s License, before returning to Tanzania.

The Kenyan lady pilot in command has since received first aid and initial treatment in a local hospital and has been flown to Nairobi for further treatment. She was still unconscious when being taken there, and her present status could not be ascertained at the time of going to press.

http://www.eturbonews.com

Wilmington International Airport (KILM) sees drop in September passengers

September marked the sixth straight month the Wilmington International Airport saw fewer passengers compared with last year.

The airport ushered 69,036 passengers in and out of its doors last month compared to 73,072 in September 2010. That's a 5.5 percent drop.

So far, the total number of passengers are down about 2 percent this year. But last year, the airport saw a record number of passengers.

"When you look at the statistics, you can't deny that it appears to be trending downward ever so slightly," said Airport Director Jon Rosborough. "I think we're starting to see the economy hitting us a little bit."

Other factors also contributed to the declining figures.

In August, passenger numbers plummeted partially due to the cancellation of 45 commercial flights, many due to the approach of Hurricane Irene.

Allegiant Air only flew a single day in September, which could represent at least 1,000 seats, Rosborough said. The airline pulled its planes for maintenance and staff training.

"They focus on tourists," he said. "The leisure traveler does not do much flying right after schools are in session."

Because of economic hardships, small and medium-sized businesses may have cut air travel back where they can, Rosborough said. But the airport has been more fortunate than some others.

"Many airports our size are having a greater percentage fall or drop back," he said. "We've been fortunate and that has to do with our passenger mix."

More than 71 percent of the airport's passengers are business travelers, such as employees of PPD, which is headquartered in downtown Wilmington.

"They're our best customers," Rosborough said.

People traveling for fun can be good customers, but airports can't count on them like they can business travelers.

"If you've got to be in New York tomorrow, you're not driving," Rosborough said.

While the overall passenger numbers may be down, some regular airport customers have not noticed much of a difference.

On Wednesday, as he waited for his flight to New York in the airport bar, Craig Wigley said he has not noticed many empty seats.

Wigley, the owner of H.S.M. Machine Works, has a shop in Leland and travels regularly back and forth from North Carolina to New York, where his company is headquartered.

The direct flights to LaGuardia are usually packed anyway, he said.

"I know some other people in town who use that almost like a commuter," he said.

Meanwhile, outside the airport, taxis lined up to pick up travelers leaving the airport.

Richard Sirianni, the owner of The Transporter, has not noticed a drop in passengers either.

"My September was as busy as any of my summer months," Sirianni said. But it took time to build the business up, and his strategy is to provide good service and rely on repeat customers.

"We cater to regular clientele," he said. "I think that's how you weather the storms."

http://www.starnewsonline.com

Ryanair eyes fresh phase of growth

Ryanair has ambitious plans to increase the number of passengers flying with Europe’s leading low-cost airline each year from 70m to up to 130m over the next decade, by buying as many as 300 aircraft.

Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s chief executive, told the Financial Times he was looking to take a large delivery of aircraft between 2015 and 2021, and was in talks with US, Chinese and Russian manufacturers.

His comments are his most explicit yet about taking the Irish airline on a second phase of growth following rapid expansion over the past decade.

Mr O’Leary insisted he would only buy aircraft at “cheap prices”, but one analyst questioned whether Ryanair could strike a cut-price deal with Boeing or Airbus, the established commercial aircraft makers. Another analyst said further expansion could hurt profitability at the airline.

Ryanair has an all-Boeing fleet, and Mr O’Leary acknowledged it faced increased operating costs if it bought aircraft from a different manufacturer.

Ryanair is talking to three manufacturers – Boeing of the US, China’s Comac and Russia’s Irkut – about a deal to buy 200-300 narrow-body aircraft from one of them.

Such a deal would enlarge Ryanair’s fleet from 300 to 500 – some new jets would replace older ones – and enable the airline to increase passenger numbers. “I would like to grow to 120m, 130m passengers,” said Mr O’Leary. In 2010-11, 72.1m passengers flew with Ryanair.

At 130m passengers, Ryanair would consolidate its position as one of the world’s largest airlines. Lufthansa, Europe’s largest airline by revenue, flew 91m passengers in 2010. Southwest Airlines, the US low-cost carrier, flew 88m passengers in 2010.

Mr O’Leary said demand for low-cost air travel in the deteriorating economic environment meant Ryanair could continue to increase market share on European short-haul routes at the expense of flag carriers including Lufthansa and British Airways.

Ryanair’s expansion in recent years has focused on Italy and Spain, and Mr O’Leary said the airline now had big growth opportunities in Scandinavia and eastern Europe.

He outlined the case for deploying 50 aircraft in Scandinavia and 100 in eastern Europe.

Mr O’Leary added that Ryanair could pay two more special dividends before it placed a new aircraft order.

Ryanair paid a maiden dividend worth €500m last year, and is considering a similar payment to shareholders in 2012-13.

Mr O’Leary said a third special dividend might possible in 2014-15 if Ryanair had not finalised an aircraft order by then, but he ruled out the company making an annual pay-out to shareholders.

Cessna R182: Plane makes emergency landing on road in Suffolk. Hampton Roads Executive Airport (KPVG) Norfolk, Virginia



A four-seat airplane made an emergency landing in the 2000 block of Northgate Commerce Pkwy. this afternoon, according to a news release from the Suffolk Police Department.

The pilot took off from the Hampton Roads Executive Airport in a 1979 Cessna R182. He was circling his residence off Shoulders Hill Road when he experienced mechanical problems and reported a “rough-running engine,” according to Arlene Salac, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

He tried to get back to the airport, without success. Northgate Commerce Parkway is wide and straight, so he landed there at about 3:30 p.m., according to the news release.

The landing was relatively smooth, but the landing gear under the plane’s nose did not lock into place. The nose hit the roadway, but the pilot, 51, was not injured. Nobody else was aboard the plane during the emergency landing.

FAA inspectors will be out investigating Monday, Salac said.
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Suffolk Police report a Cessna R182, four seat airplane made an emergency landing in the 2000 block of Northgate Commerce Parkway around 3:30 Sunday afternoon. They says the 51-year-old pilot took off from Hampton Roads Airport and was circling around his home, which is off of Shoulders Hill Rd., when he experienced mechanical problems.

Investigators say he tried to make it back to the airport and was unsuccessful. They say he saw Northgate Commerce Parkway, which is wide and straight, and touched down there.

The landing was relatively smooth but the landing gear under the nose did not lock into place and the nose hit the roadway according to police. They say the pilot was not hurt.

Police are on scene. Virginia State Police and the FAA have been notified of the incident.
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Suffolk police say a Cessna plane made an emergency landing in the 200 block of Northgate Commerce Parkway around 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
According to a news release, the pilot, a 51-year-old man, took off from Hampton Roads Airport and was circling around his residence near Shoulders Hill Road, when he began having mechanical issues. Authorities said he tried to make it back to the airport but could not. He made a landing on Northgate Commerce Parkway, which police said is wide and straight, and touched down there.

The plane's landing gear under the nose did not lock in place and the nose hit the roadway, according to the release. The pilot was not injured. It was not immediately clear if the man was the only occupant of the plane. Police are investigating the crash.

At Miami International Airport, Airbus A380 is a really big deal

Consider it a cruise ship in the sky.

The double-deck Lufthansa Airbus A380, which flies daily between Miami and Frankfurt, is so huge it has 220 windows and 55,450 square feet of floor space, more than the average Publix.

Able to hold 526 passengers, it's the world's largest airliner, and it only lands in five U.S. cities: Miami, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

Here's the buzz on the super jumbo, which started flying into South Florida on June 10.

Q: Just how big is the A380?

A: At takeoff, fully loaded, it weighs about 600 tons, equal to the weight of 428 Toyota Corollas. About 290 of those tons are fuel, allowing the plane to fly 9,200 miles nonstop. Its wingspan is 261.6 feet, more than twice as long as the Wright Brothers' first flight. Its interior, including the cargo hold, is spacious enough to hold 35 million pingpong balls.

Q: How much does the plane cost?

A: About $375 million apiece. Not bad considering it contains 4 million components, produced by 1,500 companies from 30 countries. Airbus, based in Toulouse, France, has sold 236 of the planes to 18 airlines, said Mary Anne Greczyn, Airbus spokeswoman. By comparison, a new Boeing 747-8 costs about $333 million.

Q: Does it cost passengers more to take than other planes?

A: No. The lowest round-trip fare — at least, through mid-December — between Miami and Frankfurt is about $900, about the same as other airlines.

Q: When and where is the best place to see it land and take off?

A: The plane is scheduled to land in Miami at 1:50 p.m. and depart at 5:10 p.m. each day. Airplane watchers can get a great view from the parking lot of 94th Aero Squadron, a restaurant on the south side of the airport at 1395 NW 57th Ave.

Pam Ambrogi, Aero Squadron's general manager, said the restaurant has no problem with spectators in the lot but notes that those who loiter are unwelcome. She said the plane continues to draw a big crowd most days. "It's more magnificent taking off than landing because you can watch it longer," she said.

Q: Has the jetliner been flying full?

A: Not quite. Since June, almost 90 percent of its seats have been sold, according to Lufthansa. For now, the airline doesn't plan to add A380 flights into Miami.

Q: What did Miami International have to do to accommodate the A380?

A: MIA spent $4 million to install a third loading bridge and make other improvements to J-17, the only gate that can handle the aircraft. Otherwise, its runways already were long enough to accept it, said Greg Chin, airport spokesman.

Q: Has it created any long lines inside the airport?

A: Only at the check-in counter. Otherwise, it has not created any problems for the Transportation Security Administration or Customs. The airport can easily handle the additional passenger load, Chin said.

Q: Will it ever fly into Fort Lauderdale or West Palm Beach?

A: While the A380 could land at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International in an emergency, the airport's gates and taxiways would be unable to handle it on a regular basis, airport spokesman Greg Meyer said. Palm Beach International Airport's runways are unable to accept the gargantuan jetliner, airport spokeswoman Casandra Davis said.

Q: Does it require any special attention from air traffic controllers?

A: Because it creates dangerous wake turbulence, the A380 must be spaced six to 10 miles apart from other airplanes while in the air, about double the separation needed between other jetliners, said Arlene Salac, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman. Otherwise, while it's on the ground, controllers must be careful to direct it onto taxiways that can accept its enormous wing span, she said.

Q: What amenities does it have?

A: First-class seats can be converted into ottoman beds, and first-class lavatories are extra large. Otherwise, economy passengers will find the interior much like any other jetliner.

Q: Will any other airlines fly A380s into South Florida?

A: Not in the near future. Korean, Qantas, Air France and Emirates are the only other airlines that currently fly the plane, and Miami for now isn't on their radar.

"The plans for other airlines to come to the U.S., or specifically Miami, are actually pretty well-guarded secrets by the airlines," said Greczyn, the Airbus spokeswoman.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com

Attorneys: Airline concerned about pilot's ability before 2009 crash. Colgan Air., Bombardier DHC-8-400, N200WQ.

  • E-mails show airline deemed pilot not ready to upgrade, attorneys say
  • The airline says the pilot passed proficiency tests and completed training
  • He was piloting a plane that crashed near Buffalo in 2009, killing 50 people
(CNN) -- The pilot of a plane that crashed near Buffalo, New York, in 2009, killing 50 people, was in the cockpit despite earlier concerns by airline officials regarding his ability to fly that type of plane, according to e-mails released by attorneys representing crash victims' families in lawsuits.

Continental Connection Flight 3407, operated by Colgan Air, crashed February 12, 2009, in Clarence Center, New York, about five miles short of its destination, the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport.

The National Transportation Safety Board blamed pilot error for the crash nearly a year later, saying that the pilot, Capt. Marvin Renslow, pulled on the Bombardier Dash 8-Q400's control column when he should have pushed.

E-mails obtained by CNN Sunday from attorneys representing victims' families, meanwhile, show Colgan Air in August 2008 decided not to include Renslow among those upgrading to fly the Q400. Renslow "had a problem upgrading," chief pilot Bill Honan wrote in the e-mails.

"Anyone that does not meet the (minimum requirements) and had problems in training before is not ready to tackle the Q," Harry Mitchel, Colgan's vice-president of operations, responded.

Pinnacle Airlines, Colgan Air's parent company, said in a statement Sunday that at the time Renslow requested to transition from the smaller Saab 340 aircraft to the Q400 in August 2008, he had passed three checking tests, known as "checking events."

"However, Colgan's chief pilot required that Captain Renslow successfully pass another proficiency check before being allowed to begin transition training," said Pinnacle spokesman Joe Williams. "On September 26, 2008, Captain Renslow successfully completed a proficiency line check flight and was subsequently entered in the October 2008 Q400 transition class."

He successfully completed the training program and transition operating experience in the Q400, Williams said.

Colgan did not include the information regarding the e-mails as part of Renslow's employment file, according to an accompanying letter from Hugh Russ, who represents victims' families, adding the documents are "central to the issues in this case."

In their lawsuits, the victims' families claim include that Colgan, Pinnacle and Continental failed to provide trained and capable pilots and also failed to ensure the pilots were rested and able to perform their duties.
After its investigation of the crash, the NTSB said neither Renslow nor the first officer, Rebecca Shaw, realized the plane was slowing down too quickly, and did not react properly when the "stick shaker" -- a vibrating column which indicates the plane is entering a stall -- activated, the NTSB said.

Renslow, according to the board, reacted "consistent with startle and confusion" and pulled on the column, exacerbating the situation and dooming the aircraft.

The board agreed that both Renslow and Shaw were fatigued, but disagreed about whether that fatigue contributed to the crash, eventually voting 2-1 not to include it as a contributing factor.

NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman said last year it it was "disturbing to hear of the numerous times" Renslow failed proficiency tests. After the crash, it was revealed that Renslow had failed three pilot tests, known as "check-rides," before joining Colgan Air, but had disclosed only one on job applications. He failed two more while at Colgan Air, officials said.

In August 2009, Philip Trenary, president and CEO of Pinnacle Airlines, the parent company of Colgan Air, testified at a Senate hearing that while "a failure on a check-ride is not necessarily a reason for someone not to fly, it depends on what kind of failure it is."

"The failures that we were unable to see were the basic fundamental failures that you would not want to have," Trenary said.

"Let me stress one thing: Capt. Renslow was a fine man by all accounts," he said. "But "had we known what we know now, no, he would not have been in that (pilot's) seat."

Allegations that Colgan withheld the information from the NTSB "or anyone else, is completely false," Williams said. "Colgan voluntarily informed the NTSB that it required Captain Renslow to successfully complete a proficiency check prior to being allowed to begin transition training for the Q400."

The e-mails were provided to plaintiffs in the lawsuits three months ago, Williams said.

The documents were classified as confidential, and Colgan agreed to a plaintiffs' request to reconsider "because we remain confident in our full compliance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations governing our training processes, then and now," Williams said.

"This was the first time in the litigation that (plaintiffs) requested a 'confidential' document be de-designated," he said., "However, we have serious concerns that plaintiffs may attempt to continue to attempt to try this case in the media, which could impact Colgan's ability to receive a fair trial in Buffalo."

At the time of the crash, Renslow had 3,379 hours of flight experience, 172 hours in the Bombardier Dash 8-Q400. Williams noted he was Airline Transport Pilot rated -- "the highest level of certification available" -- and was in accordance with all FAA regulations. He had more than 100 hours as pilot-in-command of a Q400, the statement said.

The NTSB issued more than 20 recommendations after the crash.

http://www.cnn.com


NTSB Identification: DCA09MA027
Scheduled 14 CFR Part 121: Air Carrier operation of COLGAN AIR INC (D.B.A. Continental Connection)
Accident occurred Thursday, February 12, 2009 in Clarence Center, NY
Probable Cause Approval Date: 03/28/2010
Aircraft: BOMBARDIER INC DHC-8-402, registration: N200WQ
Injuries: 50 Fatal.
The Safety Board’s full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/A_Acc1.htm. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-10/01.

On February 12, 2009, about 2217 eastern standard time, a Colgan Air, Inc., Bombardier DHC-8-400, N200WQ, operating as Continental Connection flight 3407, was on an instrument approach to Buffalo-Niagara International Airport, Buffalo, New York, when it crashed into a residence in Clarence Center, New York, about 5 nautical miles northeast of the airport. The 2 pilots, 2 flight attendants, and 45 passengers aboard the airplane were killed, one person on the ground was killed, and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a postcrash fire. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The captain’s inappropriate response to the activation of the stick shaker, which led to an aerodynamic stall from which the airplane did not recover. Contributing to the accident were (1) the flight crew’s failure to monitor airspeed in relation to the rising position of the low-speed cue, (2) the flight crew failure to adhere to sterile cockpit procedures, (3) the captain’s failure to effectively manage the flight, and (4) Colgan Air’s inadequate procedures for airspeed selection and management during approaches in icing conditions.

Cozy Mark IV (built by Bruce Elkind), N795DB: Accident occurred October 23, 2011 in Lexington, North Carolina

http://registry.faa.gov/N795DB

NTSB Identification: ERA12FA021
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, October 23, 2011 in Lexington, NC
Probable Cause Approval Date: 03/08/2012
Aircraft: ELKIND BRUCE COZY MK IV, registration: N795DB
Injuries: 1 Fatal,1 Serious.

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.

According to the passenger, when the cross-country flight was about 20 minutes from the destination airport, the pilot informed him that they had 7 gallons of fuel remaining in the right fuel tank. The passenger encouraged the pilot to switch to the left fuel tank, but he declined. The passenger asked the pilot if he was going to land straight ahead on the runway that was aligned with their course. The pilot stated no, he was going to enter a left downwind for the opposite direction runway. About 2.25 hours into the flight, the pilot lowered the nosewheel and was about to turn from the downwind leg to the base leg of the traffic pattern, when the engine began sputtering. The pilot initiated a steep descending turn toward the runway and did not attempt to change the fuel tank. The airplane collided with trees and terrain about 1/8 mile before the runway.

Examination of the crash site revealed that the airplane impacted an isolated clump of trees in an open, flat soybean field. During postaccident examination of the airplane, the fuel selector valve was found positioned between the left tank position and the off position; however, this may not represent the pre-impact position of the valve, because the cables connected to the valve could have moved during the impact sequence. The left and right fuel sump tanks were not ruptured, the left sump tank contained about 1 gallon of fuel, and the right sump tank was empty. The left and right main fuel tanks were ruptured and contained no fuel. No evidence of fuel leakage from either main tank was noted.

Examination of the airframe, flight controls, and engine assembly did not reveal evidence of any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Based on the passenger’s statement and the fuel quantities found in the sump tanks, it is likely that the pilot delayed switching to the left fuel tank and allowed the right fuel tank to run dry.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:The pilot's inadequate fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.


HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On October 23, 2011, at about 1100 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Elkind Cozy MK IV, N795DB, collided with a tree, in a soy bean field, while performing a forced landing following loss of engine power near Lexington, North Carolina. The airplane was registered to a private owner, and was operating as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the airframe. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules (IFR), flight plan was filed. The certificated private pilot was killed and the certificated airline transport pilot passenger received serious injuries. The flight departed from Craig Municipal Airport (CRG), Jacksonville, Florida, at 0846 en-route to Davidson County Airport (EXX) Lexington, North Carolina.

The passenger stated they departed CRG on an IFR flight plan. They canceled their IFR flight plan about 60 miles south of EXX and proceeded VFR to the airport. About 20 minutes from EXX, the pilot informed the passenger they had 7 gallons of fuel remaining in right fuel tank. The passenger encouraged the pilot to switch fuel tanks, but he declined. Upon approach to EXX, the passenger asked the pilot if he was going to land straight ahead to runway 6. The pilot stated he would enter the traffic pattern on a left downwind leg for runway 24. The pilot lowered the nose wheel and was about to turn onto base leg when the engine began sputtering. The pilot initiated a steep descending turn towards the runway and did not attempt to change the fuel tank. The airplane subsequently collided with a tree about 1/8 mile from the runway 24 threshold.

A lineman at EXX stated he observed the airplane in a steep descending turn east of the airport, before the airplane descended from view behind a tree line. Two other witnesses, who lived in the vicinity of EXX, stated they heard the engine sputtering, follow by an impact sound similar an object hitting a tree.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The certificated private pilot, age 69, held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land, issued on July 29, 2009. The pilot’ logbook was not recovered. According to the pilot's wife, his logbook was kept in a flight bag located in the airplane. The pilot held a third-class medical certificate, issued on November 18, 2010, with the restriction "must wear corrective lenses." The pilot indicated on his application for the third-class medical that he had 725 total flight hours, and he had flown 25 hours in the last 6 months. The pilot’s last flight review was conducted on July 2, 2011.
The certified flight instructor (CFI), who administered the flight review, stated the pilot purchased the airplane about 1 year before he started flying with the pilot in April 2011. The pilot informed him that he had around 1200 to 1300 flight hours. The CFI gave the pilot 13 hours of instruction in the Cozy MK IV before he signed-off his flight review.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The Cozy MK IV is a four-place composite canard airplane, with a fixed main landing gear, and a retractable nose landing gear. The airplane, serial number 165, was manufactured in 1996. An experimental Lycon IO-360, 220-horsepower, horizontally-opposed four-cylinder engine powered the airplane. The last condition inspection was conducted on February 9, 2011 at a recorded tachometer time of 387 hours. The tachometer at the crash site was destroyed and the total airframe time and engine time could not be determined. The airplane was last refueled at Palatka, Florida, on October 16, 2011, with 37.62 gallons of 100 low lead fuel.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

The 1115 EXX surface weather observation was: wind calm, visibility 10 miles, sky clear, temperature 14 degrees Celsius, dew point temperature 6 degrees Celsius, and altimeter 30.16 inches of mercury. The flight crew received a weather briefing and filed their flight plan with Miami Contracted Flight Service at 0756 on October 23, 2011.

WRECKAGE INFORMATION

The wreckage was located 1/8 mile east of runway 24 at EXX, in a soy bean field. Examination of the crash site revealed the airplane’s right wing collided with a tree 32 feet above the base of the tree, inboard of the right winglet in a left descending turn, on a heading of 291 degrees magnetic. Fiberglass from the leading edge of the right wing was embedded in the tree. The right wing, right elevator, and right canard were located adjacent to the tree. The airplane continued down the crash debris line (CDL) and impacted the ground 91 feet down the CDL. The canopy separated and was located 105 feet down the CDL. The left wing separated and was located 139 feet down the CDL. The main fuselage came to rest inverted, 140 feet down the CDL on a heading of 261 degrees magnetic. The CDL was 140 feet long.

The right side of the canard and right elevator were damaged and separated at the fuselage. The elevator control rod separated in overload at the fuselage.

The nose cone and cockpit were fragmented and separated from the fuselage forward of the leading edge of the left and right strakes. The nose wheel was separated from the nose strut and the nose wheel strut was extended. The canopy and hinges separated from the fuselage. The canopy lock remained attached to the fuselage, and the canopy lock actuator rod was separated. The locking bolts on the canopy were distorted. The left side forward and rear canopy hinges were separated from the fuselage canopy rails. The forward canopy windscreen and left canopy side window were broken. The right canopy side window was not damaged. The main landing gear separated from the fuselage at its attachment points. The landing brake was not damaged and was in the retracted position.

The instrument panel was fragmented and separated from the fuselage. The throttle was at mid-range and the throttle friction was loose. The mixture lever was full rich. The fuel selector valve was positioned between the left main fuel tank and off positions.

The left and right cockpit molded seat bottoms were destroyed and the seat backs were damaged. The seatbelt mounts were separated from the fuselage. The roll over structure separated from the fuselage and the seat backs. The left and right shoulder harnesses remained attached to the roll over structure. The combined left rear seat bottom and sump tank separated from the cabin floor. The left sump tank was not ruptured. The fuel lines to the left sump tank were ruptured. The left sump tank had about 1 gallon of fuel present. The left seat back remained attached to the cabin floor. The rear seatbelt and shoulder harness were fastened and not damaged. The combined right rear seat bottom and right sump tank remained attached to the cabin floor. The right sump tank was not ruptured and no fuel was present. The right seat back separated from the cabin floor. The right rear seatbelt and shoulder harness were fastened and not damaged.

The pilot’s control stick and control linkage were intact extending rearward to the passenger backseat area, where the left aileron torque tube failed consistent with overload. The pilot’s canard linkage also failed consistent with overload. The passenger’s control stick and linkage were intact and damaged. The passenger’s canard linkage was also intact and damaged. The left aileron push rod bell crank separated from the inboard end of the wing, consistent with overload. The right aileron rod end also failed consistent with overload.

The right wing and a section of the center spar separated from the fuselage. The right wing remained bolted to the center spar. The right strake (fuel tank) separated at the wing root. The right main fuel tank was ruptured. No fuel or browning of vegetation was present. The right main fuel cap was secure with a tight seal. No fuel staining was present on the strake, or surface of the right wing. The leading edge of the wing was damaged 9 feet outboard of the outboard edge of the right strake. The inboard and outboard vortilions remained attached to the wing. The middle vortilon was bent rearward. The upper wing fiberglass layers were buckled. The right winglet remained attached to the wing and the leading edge was damaged. The right rudder remained attached to the winglet at all hinge points. The rudder was not damaged. The rudder cable was separated from the Army-Navy cable fork, consistent with overload. The right aileron remained attached at all hinge points. The right aileron linkage was intact up to the right aileron control rod end at the junction of the right wing. The rod there was separated in overload.

The aft pusher engine compartment remained attached to the fuselage and the firewall was not damaged. The lower and upper engine cowlings were fractured and remained attached to the fuselage. The engine assembly remained attached to all engine mounts. The composite propeller remained attached to the propeller crankshaft flange. The propeller blades were not damaged, and the composite spinner was fractured.
The center section of the canard remained attached to its mounts on the fuselage. The left side of the canard and the left elevator were fragmented.

The inboard portion of the left wing remained bolted to the fuselage. The remainder of the left wing separated outboard of the left strake. The leading edge of the wing was damaged from the wing root extending outboard to the left winglet. The inboard, middle, and outboard vortilions remained attached to the wing. The left winglet separated from the wing at the winglet wing intersection. The rudder was damaged and remained attached at all hinge points. The rudder control cable remained attached to the rudder. The rudder cable failed within the wing structure consistent with overload. The aileron was damaged and remained attached at all hinge points. The aileron torque tube failed at the inboard aileron universal joint. The left main fuel tank was ruptured. No fuel or browning of vegetation was present. The left main fuel cap was secure with a tight seal. No fuel staining was present on the strake, or surface of the left wing.

Examination of the engine assembly revealed the left and right engine exhaust pipes were not damaged. All induction tubes were attached to their respective attached points. The oil sump was intact and the oil dip stick remained in place. The oil suction screen was removed and no anomalies were noted. An unmeasured amount of oil was present in the oil sump. The National Automotive Parts Association oil filter was removed and opened. The filter media was free of contaminants. The front oil cooler was damaged and the rear oil cooler was not damaged.

The alternator and drive pulley remained attached to the engine assembly and was not damaged. The alternator cooling fan was not damaged. The starter remained attached to the engine and the drive pinion was retracted. The left magneto remained attached to its mount. The magneto produce spark at all ignition leads when the propeller was rotated by hand. The right magneto mounting location was blocked off with a cover plate. A Light Speed Engineering plasma capacitive discharge (CD) ignition system was installed in lieu of a right magneto with an ignition box installed behind the firewall. Two ignition coil packs were installed on top of the engine with automotive style ignition leads. The leads were routed to automotive style spark plugs in the top spark plug holes. The CD ignition was not tested because the airplane battery had been removed by first responders. The top and bottom ignition harnesses were not damaged. The vacuum pump remained attached to the engine. The vacuum pump was removed and disassembled. The composite drive unit was intact and the vacuum pump produced air at the vacuum pump outlet port when the drive was rotated by hand.

The aircraft fuel strainer bowl was removed and contained about 1 teaspoon of blue liquid that smelled like aviation gasoline. The fuel screen was removed and was free of contaminants. The fuel lines leading to engine driven fuel pump and the fuel injector servo were removed and contained fuel. The engine driven fuel pump was removed and contained fuel. The engine driven fuel pump produced pressure at the outlet port when it was actuated by hand. The throttle cable remained attached to the throttle control arm on the fuel injector servo and was at mid-range. The mixture control remained attached to the mixture control arm and was in the full rich position. The fuel injector servo was removed and contained fuel. The fuel injector servo fuel inlet screen was removed and free of contaminants. The fuel injector servo regulator section was disassembled and no anomalies were noted. The fuel flow divider was removed, disassembled and no anomalies were noted. The fuel injector nozzles were removed from all cylinders and no anomalies were noted. All spark plugs were removed. The upper spark plugs displayed dark gray combustion deposits and worn normal condition. The bottom spark plugs exhibited dark brown combustion deposits and worn normal condition.

The engine was partially disassembled. The engine was rotated by hand using the propeller. Suction and compression was obtained on all cylinders. Valve train continuity was observed through all cylinder rocker arms. The accessory drive gears were observed rotating. Crankshaft and valve train continuity was verified. All cylinders were examined using a lighted bore scope and no anomalies were noted.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, conducted an autopsy on the pilot on October 24, 2011. The cause of death was blunt force trauma. The Bioaeronautical Research Science Laboratory, FAA, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma performed a postmortem toxicology of specimens from the pilot. The specimens were negative for carbon monoxide and ethanol in the blood. No ethanol was detected in the vitreous and no drugs were detected in the urine.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Notations on the pilot’s printed flight plan, on October 23, 2011, indicated the left main fuel tank had 15 gallons of fuel and the right main fuel tank had 24 gallons of fuel. The airplane has 2 gallons of un-usable fuel. The passenger stated the left main fuel tank had 20 gallons of fuel and the right main tank had 17 gallons of fuel. He also stated that 4 gallons of fuel would be utilized for engine start, run-up, and climb to cruise altitude. The total flight time from takeoff to the accident time was 2 hours and 14 minutes.

Estimated fuel consumption data for the Ly-Con experimental engine was provided by a representative of Ly-Con Engines and Accessories. Review of the fuel consumption data provided indicates a fuel burn rate of 10.33 gallons per hour at 65 percent rated horsepower. At 75 percent the fuel burn rate would be 13.75 gallons per hour. At 85 percent the fuel burn rate would be 14.66 gallons per hour. The calculated total fuel burn for a flight time of 2 hours and 14 minutes at 65 percent power would be 23.04 gallons. At 75 percent power the calculated fuel burn would be 30.66 gallons. At 85 percent power the calculated fuel burn would be 32.69 gallons. These figures do not take into account additional fuel required for start, taxi and climb to cruise altitude.





The pilot who died when his small airplane crashed near the Davidson County Airport on Sunday morning has been identified.

Pam Kearns with the N.C. Highway Patrol identified the pilot as Roland Augustus Bremer, 69, of Mayjestic Bluff Drive South, Jacksonville, Fla. His body has been sent to Chapel Hill for an autopsy, said Corky Smith, a senior air safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board eastern region in Atlanta, Ga. Bremer was the owner of the plane, Smith confirmed.

A passenger, Farshid Yaghmelee, 53, of Touchton Road, Jacksonville, Fla., was taken by AirCare helicopter to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem. He was listed in good condition at Baptist Monday morning, a hospital spokeswoman.

Smith arrived on the scene Monday morning to conduct an investigation. The Federal Aviation Administration was also notified.

The plane was on approach to the Davidson County Airport when it crashed about 11:10 a.m. in a soybean field near Brown Street and Henry Link Road about a half-mile from the runway, a police spokesman said.

The plane was an Elkind Bruce Cozy MK IV, said Peter Knudson of the NTSB. Flightaware.com indicates the plane was a 1996 model that seats four people with a single engine.

Smith said the plane collided with the soybean field while maneuvering and sustained structural damage. He said he would examine the plane’s wreckage, frame, flight controls and engine assembly. Smith said he’d also conduct witness interviews and try to locate the appropriate records that go with the plane.

“We will walk the crash site to make sure we have located all of the components to ensure that there was not an in-flight break-up,” he said. “Once I have done that, I will start the air-frame examination. After I have finished the air-frame examination, then we will continue onto all the other areas that will need accomplished that I didn’t get accomplished.

“I’ve got a lot of work to do,” he added.

A tweet on the NTSB Twitter feed posted shortly before 3 p.m.Sunday said the agency was investigating an experimental amateur-built (E-AB) aircraft accident that occurred in Lexington.

The plane left Craig Municipal Airport in Jacksonville, Fla., at 8:46 a.m. and was scheduled to arrive at the Davidson County Airport at 10:45 a.m., according to flightaware.com.

Just last year, Roland Bremer of Jacksonville, Fla., went to the Federal Aviation Administration to register the amateur-built Mark IV plane that on Sunday was involved in a fatal crash in Lexington, according to FAA records.

As of Sunday night, N.C. Highway Patrol officials had not verified whether Bremer, 69, was on the plane.

What is known is that one person died and another was injured when the plane crashed in a soybean field on a clear morning with no heavy wind about a mile north of the Davidson County airport, which is about 4 miles south of Lexington.

The plane was in transit and not based at the airport, said Karel Van Der Linden, whose Fly High Lexington organization manages the airport as a private contractor for the county.

"An employee here noticed the plane approaching — and then it disappeared. He called 911," Van Der Linden said. "The plane never made it to the airport. They (pilot) never called in. It (the crash) happened outside the airport."

Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration were on the scene, and officials with the National Transportation Safety Board were traveling from Alabama to investigate the accident, according to the highway patrol.

The injured person was taken to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, FOX8/WGHP reported.

A search on the FAA's website for accidents involving Mark IV planes turned up 24 incidents dating to 1992. Two of those crashes were fatal, not including the Sunday crash.

The plane that crashed Sunday had received a certificate of airworthiness from the FAA as early as 1996. FAA records also indicate that the plane changed hands last year from a previous owner, who had owned the plane for many years.

On his Facebook page, Bremer has a photo of a white Mark IV. Calls to Bremer's residence were not answered.

David Orr, a small-plane expert based in Orange County, Calif., said in an interview that the Mark IV has a reputation as a safe plane, that about half of the planes registered with the FAA are amateur-built, and that the Mark IV is a four-seater that belongs to a class of plane known as a canard, which is common in the United States.

"It's a fast, comfortable, long-distance, cruising airplane," Orr said.

Each person builds it from scratch. The materials cost about $35,000, and it usually takes about five years to build, he said.

"Airplanes do crash. It's not a common thing with these airplanes. They're very strong," he said.
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One person was killed and another injured when a plane crashed Sunday morning on approach to the Davidson County Airport, according to a spokesman with the Lexington Police Department.

The body of one of the two occupants in the plane remained in the wreckage near Brown Street and Henry Link Road late Sunday afternoon, the spokesman said. The Lexington Fire Department and Davidson County Emergency Services were on the scene.

The second person was taken by AirCare helicopter to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, the spokesman said. The person's condition was unavailable.

An investigator from the National Transportation Safety Board based in Alabama was scheduled to arrive late Sunday or early Monday to handle the investigation, the spokesman said. The investigator would provide more information about the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration was also notified.

The plane was on approach to the Davidson County Airport when it crashed about 11:10 a.m. in a soybean field about a half-mile from the runway, the police spokesman said.

The plane was an Elkind Bruce Cozy MK IV, said Peter Knudson of the NTSB. Flightaware.com indicates the plane was a 1996 model that seats four people with a single engine.

The plane left Craig Municipal Airport in Jacksonville, Fla., at 8:46 a.m. and was scheduled to arrive at the Davidson County Airport at 10:45 a.m., according to flightaware.com. The owner was listed as Roland Augustus Bremer of Jacksonville, Fla.

Karel Vanderlinden, manager of the Davidson County Airport, said a transit plane crashed. Vanderlinden said the plane was not based out of the airport. He said it was a transit plane coming into the airport.

“We called 911 and it was taken over by the FAA,” he said. “We are not involved because it never made it to the airport. We know the AirCare landed over there. It's all outside of the airport property.”
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DAVIDSON COUNTY, N.C. —  One person is dead and another injured after a small plane crash in Lexington on Sunday.  The incident was reported slightly before noon in a bean field about one mile north of the Davidson County Airport.   The plane was carrying two people. One died and the other was taken to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center for injuries.

The Cozy Mark IV experimental plane was privately owned by Bremer Roland Augustus out of Jacksonville, Florida.  The plane is amateur built, according to the FAA registry. The plane's tail number was N795DB.  No further information was provided.
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One person was killed and another injured when a plane crashed Sunday morning on approach to the Davidson County Airport, according to a spokesman with the Lexington Police Department.

The body of one of the two occupants in the plane remained in the wreckage near Brown Street and Henry Link Road late Sunday afternoon, the spokesman said. The Lexington Fire Department and Davidson County Emergency Services were on the scene.

The second person was taken by AirCare helicopter to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, the spokesman said. The person's condition was unavailable.

An investigator from the National Transportation Safety Board based in Alabama was scheduled to arrive late Sunday or early Monday to handle the investigation, the spokesman said. The investigator would provide more information about the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration was also notified.

The plane was on approach to the Davidson County Airport when it crashed about 11:10 a.m. in a soybean field about a half-mile from the runway, the police spokesman said.

The plane was a Cozy Mark IV, said Peter Knudson of the NTSB.

Karel Vanderlinden, manager of the Davidson County Airport, said a transit plane crashed. Vanderlinden said the plane was not based out of the airport. He said it was a transit plane coming into the airport.

“We called 911 and it was taken over by the FAA,” he said. “We are not involved because it never made it to the airport. We know the AirCare landed over there. It's all outside of the airport property.”