Tuesday, February 07, 2012

Pakistan International Airlines nosedive

SENATORS from the opposition had a busy day in the House on Monday as they grilled Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar whose ministry also oversees PIA. The national flag carrier continues to be in dire straits both economically and operationally. 

While its airfares have skyrocketed in opposition to the trend seen elsewhere in the regional airline market, PIA’s performance falls drastically short of passengers’ expectations. Flight cancellations, inordinate delays, an aging fleet, technical faults, a hefty debt burden, compounding losses, political appointments, over-staffing, an unprofessional management and poor service are factors that have pushed PIA to the brink. Government interference at the appointment and management levels continues to be behind many of the unfortunate facts that keep PIA from being airborne with grace.

Scandals at the airline have abounded in recent years, though not all have been politically motivated. Much of the fleet is grounded. The aircraft that fly are said to do so under precarious technical conditions, which has resulted in the embarrassing ban on all but certain types of PIA planes flying to western destinations. Other controversies such as an arrangement to contract out the provision of spare parts to a single Dubai-based firm have also led to concerns over non-transparency in such dealings. The agreement to share flight codes with Turkish Airlines, whereby PIA would give up most European and North American destinations to the said airline by terminating its West-bound flights at Istanbul, was no less controversial. All this, while the airline’s fortunes have kept diving deeper into the red, impacting on its operations.

According to the defence minister, a potent financial shot in the arm is what the doctors propose for the ailing carrier; a restructuring plan has been sent to the finance ministry while the prime minister awaits recommendations from a committee he had set up to right the wrongs at PIA. This is all very well, but these measures will only serve as palliatives and not as a permanent cure. Besides a bailout plan, the airline needs a structural overhaul, a professional management that should determine and stick to an employee-aircraft ratio, and non-interference from the government in its affairs. This means saying goodbye to political appointments, besides shedding the burden officialdom places on the day-to-day operations of the carrier through the reservation of seats and subsidized air tickets for government functionaries and other beneficiaries.

Operational losses can be overcome and profits made only by having in place a management that is well versed in modern aviation practices. There is no dearth of qualified professionals in the country; only the political will is lacking.

Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority attributes 30% accidents to runway incursion

The Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Dr. Harold Demuren has said that more than 30 percent of accidents in the aviation industry are as a result of runway incursion or excursion and that country need to look at ways of reducing accidents in the continent to the barest minimum.

Demuren, in his welcome address at the NCAA: Runway safety and pavement maintenance seminar decried the rate of runway incursion was increasingly becoming a problem saying that the seminar was timely and apt.

Demuren said: The conference is all about runway excursion and incursion. More than 30 percent of all accidents that occur in aviation, occur in the runway either it is runway incursion or excursion.

Excursion is when you have a normal aircraft that veers from the runway or overshoots the runway causing fatalities and runway incursion you all know that is when animals and unauthorized people are crossing our runway and causing threats.

And this can cause a major fatality, imagine a 747 with 500 people, sometimes it can be due to runway contamination because of rain, that is what we are having this discussion today. The NCAA helmsman also said that the seminar was also aimed at discovering new techniques to solve the problem.

Source:  http://nationalmirroronline.net

Jaspers Brush Recreational Flying Club: Tragedy hits small club

CRASH SITE: The Robinson R44 lies on its side after the crash at Jaspers Brush airfield

STORY: ADAM WRIGHT, SOUTH COAST REGISTER
08 Feb, 2012 01:39 PM

THEY are a tight-knit group at Jaspers Brush Recreational Flying Club and will all be affected in some way by Saturday’s fatal helicopter crash.

Pilot Andrew Wight, who wrote and produced the highly successful Australian film Sanctum, and American cinematographer Mike DeGruy died when their helicopter crashed and burst into flames on take-off at the Jaspers Brush airfield.

It was very quiet at the airfield on Monday; a few pilots were gathered on the clubhouse verandah while an insurance assessor went about his business.

The burnt wreckage of the Robinson 44 next to the airfield driveway is a confronting reminder of the accident.

Shoalhaven City councillor Dave Bennett is the club’s president.

He was filming the helicopter taking off from about three metres away.

“I saw the tail hit the ground and thought that’s not good, I’m very close.

“I ran toward the clubhouse, I fell but I’m not sure if I lost my footing or if my brain made me drop to the ground.

“I don’t remember what happened at that moment. As I got up I noticed one of the club members running to get a fire extinguisher.”

Before seeing it Cr Bennett knew the helicopter had crashed and was burning.

“I went to hook up a hose, I heard one of the men cry out briefly, but the fire was so intense it just went up straight away,” he said.

“There was no time to get to them - we were driven back by the heat.

“Afterwards everyone was in shock. There were tears, and life evaluations, people were counting their blessings. It reminds you that life is so tenuous.

“My main concern now is the welfare of the club members and making sure they get the right counselling.”

Mr Bennett said the crash would not put him off flying.

“Three or four people lost their lives in car accidents over the weekend too, but everyone still gets in their car.

“Relatively speaking flying is extremely safe,” he said.

Sunday’s crash brought the fatalities at the airfield to four.

In November 1991 two people died when an Army Pilatus Porter aircraft crashed on take-off.

The plane had 10 people on board who were taking part in Army parachute exercises.

Four aircraft are based at the facility which has a membership of 40.

Victims were filming documentary

AS POLICE and air safety investigators prepare reports into the fatal helicopter crash at Jaspers Brush on Saturday, the film industry is mourning the loss of two of its highly accomplished members.

Pilot Andrew Wight, who wrote and produced the highly successful Australian film Sanctum, and American cinematographer Mike DeGruy died when their Robinson R44 helicopter crashed and burst into flames on take-off at the Jaspers Brush airfield on Saturday afternoon.

It is believed they were about to film a sequence over Jervis Bay for a documentary being made by acclaimed director James Cameron, who was at the crash site shortly after the tragedy occurred.

Source:  http://www.ulladullatimes.com.au

Aircraft mechanic with a “horrendous” booze addiction again charged with drunk driving

A Manitoba aircraft mechanic with a “horrendous” booze addiction who was sentenced last week for a drunken crash that nearly killed woman is facing new charges of impaired and dangerous driving.

David Donald Shand, 47, is accused of impaired driving, dangerous driving and refusing to provide a breath sample in connection to an incident the evening of Jan. 6.

Winnipeg police said Tuesday a driver travelling on Portage Avenue that day called 911 after seeing a GMC truck being driven in what was described as “an extremely unsafe manner,” said Const. Natalie Aitken.

The truck was seen colliding with curbs and even driving “close to the sidewalks,” Aitken said.

“Certainly, something was up with this vehicle,” she said.

Cops arrested Shand in the parking lot of a large shopping mall in the 3600-block of Portage not long after, police said.

Shand, who hails from Headingley, was released by police on a promise to appear in court Feb. 7.

He is not facing any allegations he breached the conditions of a prior release.

One week ago — on the same day Shand’s new charges were formally sworn and entered into the court database — he was handed a 90-day intermittent jail sentence to be served on his days off of work and three years of supervised probation after pleading guilty to impaired driving causing bodily harm.

On July 7, 2010, Shand hit a street sweeper on Highway 330 near the Perimeter at a speed of 144 km/h. His truck spun out and slammed directly into the front of a 49-year-old woman’s Mazda.

At the time of the crash, Shand — described in court last week as an alcoholic with an “almost irresistible addiction” to booze — was into his second bottle of vodka of the day.

The victim suffered severe, life-altering injuries and required a number of surgeries to save her life. More than a year she has still been unable to return to work.

An agent for defence lawyer Bruce Bonney appeared on Shand’s behalf Tuesday to speak to the new charges.

Shand was to begin serving his intermittent jail term Tuesday.

He is prohibited from driving for the next five years.

Source:   http://www.winnipegsun.com

Virginia Rabung, 1917-2012: Secretary learned to fly in 1940s and flew in races

Virginia Rabung at Campbell Airport in Grayslake.
(Jim Robinson, Chicago Tribune file photo / February 8, 2012)


By Joan Giangrasse Kates, Special to the Tribune

February 8, 2012

Virginia Rabung was standing near one of the airstrips at Campbell Airport in Grayslake during a meeting a few years ago of the Ninety-nines, an all-women's flying club founded by Amelia Earhart, when an open-cockpit two-seater landed nearby.

Then 91, she turned to fellow club member Shelley Ventura and said, "I want a ride on that!"

"The next thing I know, Virginia was climbing into the plane," Ventura said. "She had a look of total bliss before the plane took off."

Ms. Rabung's passion for flight continued even after she sold her trusty blue and white 1946 Cessna 140 in 1995 after more than four decades of high-flying exploits.

A 1998 inductee in the Illinois Aviation Hall of Fame, Ms. Rabung, 94, died of natural causes Friday, Jan. 27, at Alden Courts assisted living facility in Aurora. She formerly lived in Chicago and Mundelein.

Ms. Rabung was a 2004 recipient of the Wright Brothers "Master Pilot" Award given by the Federal Aviation Administration.

In the 1950s, she twice participated in flying races from Chicago to Havana and back. She participated in the 1953 All Women Transcontinental Air Race. She flew over the Bermuda Triangle and circled the Statue of Liberty, just for kicks.

"She was such an adventurous spirit — always quick to try something new," said her niece Sheila Rodiek. "She had a zest for life like nobody's business."

"Virginia was a true pioneer in aviation," Ventura said. "She flew in the face of every convention back then and never looked back."

Born and raised on Chicago's North Side, Ms. Rabung was first transfixed by flight when she was 8 and watched single-engine planes overhead while she played in her backyard, Rodiek said.

After graduating from Waller High School, she began working as a secretary in Chicago. In the early 1940s, she took some money she had saved and went to Stinson Airport in McCook to inquire about flying lessons.

The men there initially laughed at her, Ventura said, but she insisted, and they acquiesced, taking her up in a Piper Cub. A few minutes into the flight, they handed off the controls to her, testing her mettle.

"She was frightened and elated at the same time, but she held her own," Ventura said. "She told me, more than anything, she was in sheer awe."

Ms. Rabung soloed for the first time at Stinson Airport in 1944 and then received her private pilot certificate in 1950 at Sky Harbor Airport in Northbrook, the same year she obtained her instrument rating. She received her commercial license in 1961 in Kentucky.

"I needed an outlet," Ms. Rabung told the Tribune in a 1991 article. "Because I was always in the office, I never felt free. Flying gave me a sense of freedom."

In 1952, she bought a Cessna 140 and took a friend up shortly afterward. When the friend saw storm clouds on the horizon, he nervously inquired as to where she kept the parachutes, Rabung's niece said. Ms. Rabung chuckled — there were no parachutes because they would be useless at such a low altitude.

"Virginia, Where Do You Keep The Parachute?" became the title of her 2009 self-published, 200-page memoir, in which she recounted her many adventures and included a "Fly It Yourself Safari in South Africa" guide, which touched on her experience flying around the southern tip of Africa.

"To read her stories inspired me so much," Ventura said. "She told them with such humor and insight and never in a boastful way. It made me realize just how much aviation had enriched her life."

Ms. Rabung retired as the secretary to the general counsel at International Minerals & Chemical Corp. in 1982 after more than 30 years with the firm. In retirement she devoted even more time to flying, taking frequent trips around the country.

"She thought nothing of flying to Milwaukee for breakfast and then down to St. Louis for dinner," Rodiek said.

Ms. Rabung leaves no immediate survivors.

Services were held.

Source:  http://www.chicagotribune.com

La Verne aviation school owner pleads guilty to federal charges



A Lake Elsinore woman who owns a La Verne flight school pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a visa fraud scheme that allowed people from Egypt, Sri Lanka and Taiwan to enter the United States for pilot training, even though the school was not certified to train foreign students.

Karena Chuang, 28, owner of Blue Diamond Aviation, entered the plea Monday in Los Angeles to two federal charges, admitting that she had encouraged
and induced two undocumented immigrants to illegally enter the United States for her financial gain, court papers show.

Chuang was charged in an eight-count indictment filed in December in Los Angeles.

U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson set sentencing for June 11.

Prosecutors said Chuang helped foreign nationals obtain visas to attend flight schools approved to train foreign students when the students actually intended to enroll at Blue Diamond Aviation, which was not approved to enroll foreign nationals in its pilot training program.

Chuang apparently recruited students by offering lower tuition and a shorter training program than those offered by the authorized flight schools, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The investigation began in June 2010 when visa security officers in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Cairo bureau reported that two Egyptian nationals who had received visas to attend a Bay Area flight school admitted that they had, in fact, planned to enroll at Blue Diamond, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Source:  http://www.swrnn.com

Witham Field Airport (KSUA), Stuart, Florida: Funds allocated to repair Engineered Material Arresting System

The Martin County Commission took the following action:

Allocated $108,745 in insurance proceeds and $1,000 in county money to repair the Engineered Material Arresting System at Witham Field, which was damaged in November when an aircraft undershot Runway 12.

Source:  http://www.tcpalm.com

San Bernardino International Airport: Spencer barred from managing fuel

San Bernardino International Airport officials seized control of Scot Spencer’s fueling operation Tuesday after he failed to keep enough fuel on site to fill aircraft that may need it, the airport’s director confirmed.

Last week, the pilot of a plane that was being maintained by Aviation & Defense Inc. at the airport needed fuel before departing, but there was only enough to partly fill the plane’s tank. The pilot had to make a stop along the way to re-fuel, said A.J. Wilson, the interim executive director of the San Bernardino International Airport Authority and related Inland Valley Development Agency.

Wilson confirmed the action and said that the airport’s fueling agreement with Spencer’s SBD Properties company requires enough fuel be kept at all times to serve the needs of the airport, an estimated 20,000 gallons.

“He probably had 1,200 gallons,” Wilson said, adding he wouldn’t know how much was left in the tanks until it was measured.

As a result, the airport terminated Spencer’s fuel agreement immediately.

Spencer’s company will still be allowed to sell fuel to planes that land at the airport, namely at his Million Air franchise that caters to private pilots. He’ll just have to buy the fuel from the airport first and on a cash-up-front basis, Wilson said.

The airport, starting Tuesday, will be buying, storing and managing the fuel itself and plans to work with the same fuel vendor Spencer had used, Air BP — a division of British Petroleum.

Wilson said jet fuel costs about $4 to $4.50 per gallon at the moment. Companies that sell fuel at airports, including Spencer’s, make a profit by selling the fuel for a higher price.

The airport, as part of its agreements with Spencer, received six cents for every gallon of fuel sold.

The airport earned a total of $46,504 in fuel flow fees in the three months ending December, according to the most recent financial report. Spencer was late in paying about $90,000 worth of fuel fees last year.


Piper PA-28R-201T Turbo Arrow III, N38906: Accident occurred February 04, 2012 in Kalispell, Montana

NTSB Identification: WPR12LA092
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, February 04, 2012 in Kalispell, MT
Probable Cause Approval Date: 10/29/2013
Aircraft: PIPER PA-28R-201T, registration: N38906
Injuries: 3 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.

After takeoff, between 300 and 500 feet above ground level over a residential area, the airplane's engine started to sputter and lose power. The pilot selected the longest street on which to make a forced landing, lowered the flaps, and slowed the airplane to a minimum controllable airspeed. The airplane collided with a number of vehicles and trees, and, in the process, the left wing separated from the fuselage. The airplane rotated inverted and embedded itself into the front of a residential house.

Postaccident examination and testing of the left magneto revealed that the magneto’s distributor block bushing was worn to an extent that it provided significant radial play between the bushing and distributor block. The bushing, which holds the distributor gear axle in place, would permit the distributor gear to intermittently disengage from the drive gear. Once the distributor gear had disengaged from the drive gear, the internal timing of the magneto would be off, which could disrupt the normal ignition sequence and operation of the engine. If the pilot had switched to the right magneto, engine power would have likely been restored. The most recent magneto overhaul was performed in 1989. The engine manufacturer recommends that magnetos be overhauled or replaced 5 years after the date of manufacture or last overhaul, or 4 years after the date placed in service, whichever occurs first, without regard to accumulated operating hours since new or last overhaul.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The partial loss of engine power due to magneto malfunction. Contributing to the accident was the lack of adherence to the manufacturer’s recommended magneto overhaul schedule.

HISTORY OF THE FLIGHT

On February 4, 2012, at 1315 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-28R-201T, N38906, experienced a partial loss of engine power shortly after takeoff, at Kalispell City Airport, Kalispell, Montana. The pilot initiated a forced landing on a residential street where during the landing, the airplane collided with parked vehicles, and a residence. The airplane was registered to the pilot and was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The commercial pilot and his two passengers received minor injuries, and the airplane was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.

The pilot stated to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge (IIC) that he fueled the airplane with 45 gallons of AVGAS, taxied to pick up his passengers, and performed a complete engine run-up and preflight checks. During takeoff, the airplane behaved normally and accelerated smoothly. After takeoff, between 300 and 500 feet above ground level (agl) over a residential area, the airplane's engine started to sputter and lose power. The pilot selected the longest street on which he could make a forced landing. He lowered the flaps, and slowed the airplane to a minimum controllable airspeed. The airplane collided with a number of vehicles and trees, and in the process, the left wing separated from the fuselage. The airplane rotated inverted, and embedded itself into the front of a house. The pilot egressed through the pilot's side window, and he assisted with the egress of his passengers.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The low-wing, four-seat, retractable landing gear airplane, serial number 28R-7703283, was manufactured in 1977. It was powered by a Continental Motors Incorporated (CMI) TSIO-360-F, serial number 305278, 200-hp engine, equipped with a Hartzell model BHC-C2YF-1BF constant speed propeller. A review of the airplane's maintenance records showed that an engine overhaul was completed on July 18, 1989. An annual inspection was completed on July 29, 2011, at a recorded tachometer (tach) time of 1,770.3 hours, and time since major overhaul (SMOH) of 322.3 hours. The tach time observed at the accident site was 1,772.65.

Engine Roughness Procedure

The Piper PA-28R-201T Cherokee Turbo Arrow III, Pilot Operating Handbook (POH) provides the following information concerning engine roughness.

Mixture – adjust for max. smoothness
Alternate Air – OPEN
Fuel Selector- switch tanks
Engine Gauges- check
Magneto Switch- L then R then both

“The magneto switch should then be moved to ‘L’ then ‘R’ then back to ‘BOTH.’ If operation is satisfactory on either magneto, proceed on that magneto at reduced power with full ‘RICH’ mixture to a landing at the first available airport.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT

The main wreckage consisted of the fuselage, engine, tail, and right wing, which impacted a residence at ground level. The left wing had been sheared off at the wing root by a parked pickup truck located approximately 50 yards further up the airplane's line of travel. Light blue colored fluid was observed leaking out of the severed wing. There was no post-accident fire. The engine and cockpit area of the airplane was embedded into the building structure. The following day, Sunday February 5th, the airplane was recovered and moved to a storage location in Belgrade, Montana. During the recovery, approximately 45 gallons of AVGAS was recovered from both wing tanks combined.

On February 22, 2012, technical representatives from the airframe and engine manufacturer examined the airplane under the oversight of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector.

Both ailerons were attached to their respective wing, and control cables were attached to both the aileron bell cranks. The horizontal and vertical tail surfaces remained attached to the rear empennage section; the rudder and the stabilator remained attached. The fuel selector handle was in the left tank position; the throttle and mixture control levers were full forward. The AUX fuel pump switch was in the center OFF position. The auxiliary electric fuel pump was functionally tested by applying battery power to the airplane’s electrical system. The pump was found to function normally on both the low and high switch power settings, drawing in and discharging fuel. The fuel gascolator bowl was removed and bluish fluid consistent with AVGAS was observed. Engine power-train continuity was established by rotating the engine’s crankshaft. The engine driven fuel pump was removed, tested, and found to function normally. The magnetos remained attached to the engine and both produced spark at all of their ignition leads when the engine’s crankshaft was rotated by hand.

The airframe manufacturer technical representative reported that the airframe revealed no pre-impact failure to any flight control surface or flight control system component.

The engine manufacturer technical representative reported that the inspection of this engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have prevented its ability to produce rated horsepower.

TESTS & RESEARCH

Video

A surveillance video camera mounted on an airport hangar captured the airplane’s takeoff departure path. The video shows an airplane immediately after takeoff moving at a constant altitude approximately 75 feet above ground level (agl) from right to left across the screen at a constant speed.

Magneto

Under the direction of the NTSB IIC, an Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) mechanic removed both magnetos from the engine on April 5, 2013. Both magnetos were Bendix model S6LN-25. On April 15, 2013, under the supervision of an FAA inspector, both magnetos were placed in a test fixture, and tested at normal operating speeds. The right magneto, serial number A186072, produced spark on all posts. The left magneto, serial number A186084, produced spark on one post. The A&P mechanic and FAA inspector disassembled the magneto (SN: A186084) and found a worn bushing. This magneto was then packaged, sent to the Analytical Department of Continental Motors, Inc. (CMI), and examined under the supervision of an NTSB investigator. CMI technical experts determined that the magneto’s distributor block bushing was worn to an extent that it provided significant radial play between the bushing and distributor block. The bushing, which holds the distributor gear axle in place, was worn to such an extent that it would permit the distributor gear to intermittently disengage from the drive gear. Once the distributor gear disengaged from the drive gear, the internal timing of the magneto would be off, which could disrupt the normal ignition sequence and operation of the engine.

Review of the engine maintenance records showed that the magneto was last overhauled on July 18, 1989, and had accumulated 324.65 hours since overhaul. Review of the S-20 Series Magneto Service Support Manual showed CMI recommends magnetos be inspected after the first 500 hours in service and every 500 hours thereafter. In addition, magnetos should be overhauled or replaced 5 years after the date of manufacture or last overhaul, or 4 years after the date placed in service, whichever occurs first, without regard to accumulated operating hours since new or last overhaul.


NTSB Identification: WPR12LA092 
 14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, February 04, 2012 in Kalispell, MT
Aircraft: PIPER PA-28R-201T, registration: N38906
Injuries: 3 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. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On February 4, 2012, at 1345 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-28R-201T, N38906, experienced a partial loss of engine power shortly after takeoff, at Kalispell City Airport, Kalispell, Montana. The pilot attempted to land on a residential street. The airplane collided with parked vehicles, ending up inside the first floor of a two story home. The pilot operated the airplane under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The commercial pilot and his two passengers received minor injures, and the airplane was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.

The pilot stated to the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC) that he fueled the airplane with 45 gallons of avgas, taxied to pick up his passengers, and performed a complete engine run-up and preflight checks. During takeoff the airplane behaved normally and accelerated smoothly. After takeoff, between 300 and 500 feet above ground level (agl), the airplane's engine started to sputter and lose power. The airplane was over a residential area. The pilot selected the longest street on to which to make a forced landing. He lowered the flaps and slowed the airplane to a minimum controllable airspeed. The airplane collided with a number of vehicles and trees, and in the process, the left wing separated from the fuselage. The airplane rotated inverted and embedded itself into the front of a domestic house. The pilot egressed through the pilot's side window, and he assisted the egress of his passengers.


KALISPELL- Last weekend's plane crash within the Kalispell city limits was a topic of discussion during Monday night's Kalispell City Council meeting.

While one man spoke in support of the Kalispell airport a spokesman for Quiet Skies, a local group opposed to the proposed airfield expansion, said he believes the airport is a danger.

Scott Davis asked the Kalispell City Council to take a closer look at moving the airport, to either Glacier Park International Airport or another location northwest of town, to prevent any further crashes.

"We're just concerned about our neighborhoods, we're concerned about our historical district downtown, we're concerned about our Main Street and we do not need this type of distraction and danger in the city limits of Kalispell any longer," Davis said.

He also asked the Kalispell City Council to look into the possibility that the gas being emitted from Kalispell Waste Water Sewer Plant could be causing engine cut outs that could lead to plane crashes.


IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 38906        Make/Model: PA28      Description: PA-28 CHEROKEE, ARROW, WARRIOR, ACHER, D
  Date: 02/04/2012     Time: 2045

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

LOCATION
  City: KALISPELL   State: MT   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT CRASHED INTO A HOUSE, KALISPELL, MT

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   0
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   1     Unk:    
                 # Pass:   2     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   1     Unk:    
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    

WEATHER: 041955Z 34003KT 10SM OVC016 M02/M06 A3045

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER


  FAA FSDO: HELENA, MT  (NM05)                    Entry date: 02/06/2012 

Beechcraft C35, N8974A: Plane In Crash May Have Made Emergency Landing. Accident occurred August 04, 2010 in Rollinsville, Colorado


DENVER (AP) — Investigators say a plane involved in a crash that killed three people in Colorado appears to have made an emergency landing days earlier because of a propeller issue.

A National Transportation Safety Board report issued last week quotes the daughter of one of the passengers as saying the pilot made the emergency landing because of a wiring problem in the propeller governor, which limits the speed of the propeller.

The single-engine plane crashed Aug. 4 in the mountains near Rollinsville, killing everyone aboard.

Authorities identified the victims as the 70-year-old pilot, John Howard of Sunnyvale, Calif., and his passengers, 56-year-old Catherine Heveran of Sunnyvale and 25-year-old James Chatham of Spokane, Wash.

The plane took off from Boulder en route to San Jose, Calif.

The NTSB has not determined the cause.

NTSB Identification: CEN10FA458
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, August 04, 2010 in Rollinsville, CO
Aircraft: BEECH C35, registration: N8974A
Injuries: 3 Fatal.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On August 4, 2010, about 0620 mountain daylight time, a Beechcraft C35 airplane, N8974A, impacted trees and terrain in the Roosevelt National Forest near Rollinsville, Colorado. The commercial pilot and the two passengers were fatally injured. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The cross-country flight departed Boulder Municipal Airport (BDU), Boulder, Colorado, at 0600 and was en route to Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC), San Jose, California.

Old airport price could have been lower

PANAMA CITY — The story of how the final purchase price of the old airfield in Panama City went from $56.5 million placed in escrow in 2007 to $51.4 million this week is a short tale of twin, two-word phases, “complicated contract” and “intense negotiations.”

Airport attorney Franklin Harrison said Tuesday the minimum purchase price set in the contract with St. Andrew Bay Land Co. always had been $45 million, although the larger amount was set aside.

Because of the length of time between December 2007 and the anticipated final closing, a series of detailed specifications was placed in a complex contract before the new owner would accept the land, including environmental testing and cleanup, Harrison said.

“We did some environmental cleanup that pushed the price to $50 million,” Harrison said. After that, “it was just a matter of sitting down and negotiating” to get the price to $51.4 million.

The sale is supposed to go through either Wednesday or Thursday, enabling the Airport Authority board to receive the money and finally settle a $50.37 million construction loan with Regions Bank used to build the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport near West Bay.

As late as March 2011, Harrison was telling airport board members he was pushing to raise the purchase price to a hard floor of $51 million as the environmental cleanup continued.

In addition, the final closing on the land was delayed in December, 2011, because there still were disagreements over whether the exact terms of the contract had been met, he said.

Harrison said Tuesday one of the reasons the final price was accepted by both the airport and St. Andrew Bay Land Co. was the parties did not want to hire breach of contract experts and environmental consultants if negotiations broke down.

Both types of experts had been lined up and ready to go, but the process of going that route was expensive, he said.

“We looked at the realities of the situation and that is what we came to,” Harrison said. In the end, “there was a willing seller and a willing buyer.”

Raytheon Executive Fined in $1 Billion FAA Contract Lawsuit

By Tom Schoenberg

Feb. 7 (Bloomberg) -- A Raytheon Co. executive was fined by a Washington court for failing to give opponents in a lawsuit a reprimand letter stemming from an affair with a subordinate while both worked at the Federal Aviation Administration.

Charles E. Keegan, leader of Raytheon’s Civil Aviation Solutions division, violated a court order to turn over the document showing he had an improper romantic relationship with the woman to the Washington Consulting Group Inc., Judge A. Franklin Burgess Jr. of the District of Columbia Superior Court ruled yesterday.

For the past two years, Washington Consulting Group, or WCG, has argued that the relationship began at the FAA, and continued after Keegan left for Raytheon and Maureen Knopes, now Keegan’s wife, became responsible for a contracting program to train air traffic controllers. WCG had held the contract for more than 20 years until Raytheon won it in 2008.

The Bethesda, Maryland-based company is seeking $1 billion in damages from Raytheon and Keegan, claiming the relationship contaminated the bidding process on the 10-year contract. Keegan and his wife, now Knopes-Keegan, conspired with others to reconfigure the FAA’s contracting program and stole WCG’s trade secrets to ensure Raytheon would take the business, the lawsuit claims.

‘Conflicting Evidence’

“Though it is faced with conflicting evidence as to whether Keegan’s failure to produce the reprimand letter was inadvertent or intentional, the court reaches the same conclusion in either case,” the judge said, ordering Keegan to pay a portion of legal fees to opposing counsel.

The couple’s romance was investigated by the Transportation Department’s inspector general. In 2004, a top FAA official reprimanded Keegan in a letter for having an “inappropriate relationship” that created a “perception of favoritism” and the appearance of “giving preferential treatment” to Knopes- Keegan, according to the judge’s ruling.

The letter wasn’t disclosed to WCG until Keegan was being interviewed in the case in December. Keegan said in court filings that the document was found in a box in his basement that contained work papers along with a weather dial and a runner’s bib.

“These rulings are unrelated to the merits of the case,” Jon Kasle, a spokesman for Waltham, Massachusetts-based Raytheon, said in an e-mail. “Raytheon continues to maintain that WCG’s suit is without merit,” he said, adding that the company is reviewing the rulings and will defend itself and Keegan.

‘Public Scrutiny’

Steven Thomas, a lawyer for WCG, said in an e-mail the ruling means Raytheon “now must face public scrutiny of its misconduct.”

Raytheon has twice lost bids to have the case dismissed. Last year a judge in the U.S. District Court in Washington ordered the case transferred back to Superior Court. Judge Burgess in November ruled that WCG had presented enough specific allegations to allow the lawsuit to proceed.

Since the mid-1980s, WCG and the University of Oklahoma were awarded contracts to train air traffic controllers, according to the complaint. Controllers who were hired by the FAA would attend two to four months of training in Oklahoma City before moving on to a program run by WCG that lasted two to five years.

Single Contract

In 2006, the FAA in said it was creating a single contract and looking for a company that would recruit, hire, and train controllers. The company would be required to pay the trainees for as long as three years before the FAA would hire them, according to WCG’s complaint.

Knopes-Keegan was the FAA official in charge of the initiative and became the agency’s “public face” for the new program to contractors, according to the lawsuit.

WCG alleges the proposed contracting change was “a ruse” by Raytheon, Keegan, and Knopes-Keegan to make certain that WCG couldn’t bid.

Since WCG didn’t have the resources to compete directly for the new contract, it sought to remain a participant as a subcontractor to Bethesda-based Lockheed Martin Corp., according to court records.

Once WCG was “locked in” as subcontractor, the FAA said in August 2007 that it was dropping the hiring requirement of the initiative and would merely combine the two earlier contracts into one. At that point, WCG said it was too late for the company to enter a bid as a prime contractor for business, according to its lawsuit.

Trade Secrets

WCG alleges Knopes-Keegan, who left the FAA in 2007, gave Keegan company trade secrets that were contained in WCG’s earlier bids. Keegan then used the information for Raytheon’s bid, according to the complaint.

That data, which WCG describes as an “accurate roadmap” for the bid it was presenting with Lockheed, included line-item pricing of subcontractors, instructors, and other vendors as well as staffing plans for the more than 50 facilities where it conducted controller training.

The case is Washington Consulting Group Inc. v. Raytheon Technical Services Co. LLC, 10-00296, Superior Court of the District of Columbia (Washington).

Source:  http://www.businessweek.com

South Africa - Fire bomber in forced landing

Cape Town - A Dromader aircraft taking part in the water bombing of the veldfires raging in the Stanford area has made a forced landing just after take-off late this afternoon.

FFA Group spokesperson Evelyn Holtzhausen says the pilot walked away from the crash but was taken to hospital for observation.

The Dromader is one of five used for fire bombing in South Africa.

The FFA Group supplies helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to supplement aerial firefighting efforts.

A full Civil Aviation Authority investigation will take place.

VOR frequency, identifier changing at Anchorage International Airport

Accomplished pilots and users of the VOR/DME at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport will be interested to note that the VOR frequency and identifier is changing Thursday, Feb. 9.

The new VOR (Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Radio) will change at 12:01 a.m. Alaska Standard Time to a new frequency -- 113.15 MHz -- and the Morse-code identification will be “TED.”

Critical to have on board an aircraft will be updated high/low enroute charts, terminal procedures and a new Alaska Supplement. Terminal procedures for the enroute structure from Valdez to Homer, and Homer to Big Lake have changed, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Information for GPS units can be found herewhere information on navigational aids, airport details and other pertinent information can be searched. When searching “TED” on the VDME information like Elevation 85 feet, LAT N61-10-04.32, and Longitude 149-57-35.54, DATUMS Horz: NAD83 VERT: NAVD88, Channel 78Y.
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Aircraft using the VOR transiting the Anchorage area can find more information in the Alaska Supplement, or check with the FAA Safety Team. You can see a PDF of the procedures changes, here.

Pilots’ drug lifestyles worrying

Yet another arrest of a pilot, this time from Lion Air, over the alleged use of crystal methamphetamine late last week has raised concerns over the safety of the country’s airline industry, with the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) suggesting that a large number of pilots could have drug problems.

BNN’s chief of operations, Brig. Gen. Benny Mamoto, said that the arrests of airline pilots may hint at a larger picture of drug abuse in the country.

“There is a possibility that airline crews are linked to drug networks,” he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Benny said the BNN is currently investigating cases of drug abuse in the transportation sector across the country. He also urged operators to seriously monitor their crews.

“This is a serious warning for airline crews and those on any other mode of transportation that they should not use drugs,” he said.

Benny called on crew members who are addicted to drugs to voluntarily submit themselves to the BNN and ask for rehabilitation.

The BNN had previously revealed that pilots considered crystal meth as being part of their lifestyle.

Lion Air pilot Syaiful Salam, 44, was arrested over the weekend in his room at the Garden Palace Hotel in Surabaya, East Java, with 0.04 grams of crystal meth in his possession. He tested positive to the drug in a urine test.

The arrest was made only three hours before he was due to fly one of the budget airline’s planes from Surabaya to Makassar, South Sulawesi, at 6:15 a.m.

The Transportation Ministry has revoked Syaiful’s pilot’s license.

“This is the consequence of his action and this also serves as a warning for other pilots to not commit such offences,” the Transportation Ministry’s air transportation director general, Herry Bhakti Gumay, said.

Syaiful was the third Lion Air pilot to be arrested for drug use within the past seven months.

Two days after Syaiful’s arrest, members of a joint team from the BNN and the Transportation Ministry arrested a copilot from a national airline for possible drug use.

Deputy Transportation Minister Bambang Susantono said the copilot was arrested at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Monday night during a random check.

“Out of the urine tests we carried out on 94 crew at terminals 1 and 2, this copilot’s urine test came back positive,” he said.

Bambang, however, declined to divulge the name of the airline at which the copilot was employed.

Lion Air’s general affairs director, Edward Sirait, said his company would go the extra mile to prevent drug abuse among its crew, including working with the National Police.

“We are ready to work with any agency that can help us to prevent drug abuse in Lion Air, including with the police, the BNN and the regulator,” he said.

National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia’s senior public relations manager, Ikhsan Rosan, rejected the BNN’s claim that the use of illegal substances had become a part of pilots’ lifestyles.

“The lives of airline pilots are governed by a great deal of strict rules, including fixed sleeping hours, to help them stay fit,” he told the Post.

Ikhsan said that a small number of pilots might have a drug habit but, in general, pilots in the country were drug-free.

President of the Indonesian Pilots Federation, Capt. Hasfrinsyah HS, ruled out stress as a cause for pilots, including Syaiful, to take drugs.

“A pilot’s job is not ‘stressful’. I could actually say the word is not in our dictionary,” he told the Post.

He said the federation applied strict rules that all pilots should follow. “We have a rule that states a pilot should fly no more than nine hours per day in order to balance their work load. After nine hours, he or she should take a rest and have at least a proper eight-hour sleep.”

Pilots who worked longer hours should report to their company’s designated doctors to obtain a rest permit, he said.

Hasfrinsyah also said a pilot should pass professional checks every six months, which included a health test, a skills test and a simulator test. “Practically speaking, a pilot’s license is only valid for half a year.”

The string of arrests of pilots belonging to private airlines has raised concerns among airline customers over their safety.

“With this drug case, we are now afraid to fly, especially with companies that already have a poor track record, like Lion Air,” one of Lion Air’s frequent flyers, Gentani Rahmaliana, said.

http://www.thejakartapost.com

Robinson R44 Raven II, CENAC Marine Services LLC, N369TL: Accident occurred January 19, 2012 in Centerville, Louisiana

NTSB Identification: CEN12FA139 
 14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, January 19, 2012 in Centerville, LA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 08/15/2012
Aircraft: ROBINSON R44 II, registration: N369TL
Injuries: 2 Fatal.

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.

Witnesses saw the helicopter circling at a low altitude and saw the pilot wave at them. None of the witnesses saw the impact, but they heard the impact and saw smoke. They responded to the site and used portable fire extinguishers to extinguish the fire. Examination of the accident site revealed that the helicopter struck several trees and fell straight to the ground in a nose-low attitude, coming to rest on its right side. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Impact signatures were consistent with the engine developing power at impact, and it is likely that, at the time of impact, the helicopter was in a steep descent consistent with settling with power.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot allowed the helicopter to settle with power while maneuvering at low altitude.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On January 19, 2012, at 0901 central standard time, a Robinson R44 II, N369TL, collided with trees while maneuvering at low altitude and impacted the Belle Isle salt dome, about 12 miles south of Centerville, Louisiana. There was a fire after impact. The pilot and the pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The helicopter was substantially damaged. The helicopter was registered to and operated by CENAC Marine Services, LLC, Houma, Louisiana, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed. The local flight originated from Houma (KHUM), Louisiana, at 0827.

Several witnesses told St. Mary’s Parish sheriff’s deputies that they saw the helicopter circling at a low altitude. They said the left seat pilot waved at them. None of the witnesses saw the impact, but heard the impact and saw smoke. They responded to the site and used portable fire extinguishers to extinguish the fire.


PERSONNEL (CREW) INFORMATION

According to the helicopter owner/operator the pilot-in-command, age 40, was seated in the left seat. He held an airline transport pilot certificate with airplane multiengine land rating, commercial pilot privileges with airplane single-engine land and rotorcraft-helicopter ratings, and a flight instructor certificate with airplane single/multiengine and instrument ratings. He was type rated in the Beech 300/350 King Air, Hawker Beechjet 400, Cessna 500 Citation, and the Mitsubishi MU-300 Diamond. He held a first class airman medical certificated, dated June 24, 2011, with no restrictions or limitations. According to his employer, the pilot had logged 8,700 total flight hours and 260 hours in the Robinson R44, of which 215 hours were as pilot-in-command. His list flight review was accomplished in the Beech 350 King Air on December 6, 2011.

The second pilot, age 43, was seated in the right seat. He held a private pilot certificate with a rotorcraft-helicopter rating. He also held a third class airman medical certificate, dated April 15, 2010, with the restriction that he wear corrective lenses while exercising the privileges of his airman certificate. According to his employer, the pilot had logged 450 total flight hours, the majority of which was in the Bell 47 helicopter. He had logged 18.9 hours in the Robinson R44, his last flight being on May 5, 2011. He had also flown the Brantley helicopter.


AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

N369TL (serial number 11055), a model R44 II, was manufactured by the Robinson Helicopter Company on January 16, 2006. It was powered by a Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5 engine (serial number L-30804-48A), rated at 300 horsepower. According the helicopter maintenance records, the last 100-hour/annual inspection was performed on March 31, 2011, at a total time of 461.5 hours.


METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

The following METARs (Aviation Routine Weather Report) were recorded at Houma (KHUM) and Patterson (KPTN), Louisiana:

KHUM 0850: Wind, 020 degrees at 3 knots; visibility, 6 miles, mist; ceiling, 1,800 feet broken; temperature, 12 degrees Celsius (C.); dew point, 11 degrees C.; altimeter, 30.15 inches of Mercury.

KPTN 0855: Wind, 070 degrees at 3 knots; visibility, 10 miles; ceiling, 2,400 feet overcast; temperature, 12 degrees C.; dew point, 11 degrees C.; altimeter, 30.14 inches of Mercury.


WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The accident site was situated at an elevation of 6 feet msl (above mean sea level), encompassing a perimeter of about 500 feet. The on-scene investigation revealed the helicopter struck several trees and fell straight to the ground in a nose-low attitude, coming to rest on its right side. A post-impact fire ensued. The tail boom and tail rotor blades remained attached to the helicopter, and 3-foot stubs of the main rotor blades remained attached. The tail rotor drive shaft was intact and, when turned by hand, continuity was observed. Nearby was a 2-foot gash deep in the ground, about the length of a main rotor blade. The helicopter sustained extensive thermal damage from the tail boom forward. All control rods and linkages remained attached to the rotor hub. All breaks were consistent with overload fractures.

The instrument panel was destroyed, but the vertical speed indicator registered 2,600 feet per minute descent, and the attitude indicator revealed a 35-degree left turn and nose-down attitude.

Impact signatures were consistent with the helicopter in a steep descent and the engine operating at the time of impact.


MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

Autopsies were performed on both pilots by the Louisiana Forensic Center. According to their reports, both pilots succumbed to blunt force injuries.

Toxicology protocols were conducted by FAA’s Civil Aeromedical Institute (CAMI). According to their reports, none of the pilot’s specimens were suitable for analysis due to putrefaction. The pilot-rated passenger had no carbon monoxide, cyanide or ethanol in the blood (cavity)`, but amlodipine, pravastatin, and valsartan were detected in the liver and blood (cavity). According to FAA’s Forensic Toxicology Drug Information website, amlodipine (Norvasc®) is a prescription calcium channel blocker medication used to treat high blood pressure and angina, pravastatin (Pravachol®) is a prescription HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor to reduce cholesterol biosynthesis and treat elevated blood lipids, and valsartan (Diovan®) is a prescription angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) that acts on the AT1 receptor subtype and is used to control high blood pressure.


TESTS AND RESEARCH

The engine was examined at Air Salvage of Dallas in Lancaster, Texas, under the auspices of the National Transportation Safety Board. Examination revealed that the intake and exhaust valves were seized due to thermal damage to the engine. There were no pre-impact anomalies with the engine which would have precluded normal operation.

The three servos were examined at the Robinson Helicopter Company under the auspices of the National Transportation Safety Board. Thermal damaged had compromised most of the servo seals. No foreign debris, scoring, or witness marks were observed on either spool or metering edges of the sleeve.


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who participated in the investigation, a former U.S. Army helicopter pilot and an FAA helicopter pilot examiner, submitted a written statement in which he noted what appeared to be a high velocity impact, large grooves in the ground indicating engine power at impact, and a near vertical descent consistent with “settling with power.”

The following is based on FAA’s “Helicopter Flying Handbook,” (FAA-H-8083-21, Chapter 11, p. 11-13):

“Vortex ring state” is an aerodynamic condition in which a helicopter may be in a vertical descent with 20 percent up to maximum power applied, and little or no climb performance. “Settling with power” occurs when the helicopter keeps settling even though full engine power is applied. Main rotor tip vortices generate drag and degrade airfoil efficiency. As long as the tip vortices are small, their only effect is a small loss in main rotor efficiency. However, when the helicopter begins to descend vertically, it settles into its own downwash, which greatly enlarges the tip vortices. In this vortex ring state, most of the power developed by the engine is wasted in circulating the air in a doughnut pattern around the rotor. A vortex ring state may be entered during any maneuver that places the main rotor in a condition of descending in a column of disturbed air and low forward airspeed. Airspeeds that are below translational lift airspeeds are within this region of susceptibility to settling with power aerodynamics. This condition is sometimes seen during quick-stop type maneuvers or during recovery from autorotation.

Some of the situations that are conducive to a settling with power condition are hovering above ground effect altitude, specifically attempting to hover out of ground effect (OGE) at altitudes above the hovering ceiling of the helicopter, attempting to hover OGE without maintaining precise altitude control, pinnacle or rooftop helipads when the wind is not aligned with the landing direction, and downwind and steep power approaches in which airspeed is permitted to drop below 10 knots, depending on the type of helicopter.


What exactly caused the helicopter crash in St. Mary Parish last month that killed two men remains unclear, according to a report released Monday by the National Transportation and Safety Board.

Lanny Ledet, 43, of Gheens, and Jason McKean, 40, of Amite, were killed when their helicopter, a 2006 Robinson R-44 owned by Cenac Marine Services of Houma, crashed on Jan. 19 in a remote area near Belle Isle about 13 miles southwest of Morgan City, authorities said.

Ledet was a longtime employee of the Cenac's Golden Ranch Plantation, while McKean was a pilot for Chet Morrison Contractors in Houma. The pair took off from the Houma-Terrebonne Airport and were headed to a business meeting in Plaquemines Parish, authorities said, though they had taken a detour over St. Mary Parish.

An autopsy performed by the St. Mary Coroner's Office reported that Ledet and McKean died from blunt-force injuries sustained in the crash.

On Monday, the NTSB released a preliminary report giving more details about the crash, though it did not say what caused it. The report says there was good weather, and “several witnesses reported seeing the helicopter circling at (a) low altitude and said the pilot waved at them.”

Nobody reported seeing the crash, the report says, but witnesses heard the impact, saw smoke and put out the flaming wreckage with extinguishers.

A full report that includes the probable cause will take up to 18 months to complete.

Ladd Sanger, a Dallas-based aviation law specialist and helicopter pilot, said the Robinson R-44 helicopter has a history of catching fire after crashes due to a problem with its internal fuel system.

“There are at least 20 instances where a Robinson is involved in a crash that had a post-crash fire where it shouldn't have happened,” Sanger said, adding that the problem causing the fires was fixed in helicopters made after December 2010 and that replacement parts were made available to those with older models. “I'm glad to see Robinson was proactive in changing the design of the helicopter, but there are still a lot of old ones out there that have this (faulty) design.”

This is the second Robinson R-44 helicopter to be involved in a fatal crash in the past month. On Saturday, two people died in Australia when their helicopter crashed soon after takeoff.

Sanger said the details of that crash are similar to the one in St. Mary, and it is peculiar that both caught on fire.

“This helicopter and the Australian helicopter were at relatively low altitudes and air speed, and there were tremendous post-crash fires,” Sanger said. “If the occupants survived the crash, they obviously did not survive the post-crash fire.”

Sanger also said R-44 models have been known to have issues maintaining blade speed while maneuvering. A maneuver can cause the blades to slow down, Sanger said, which can make the helicopter quickly drop.

A request for comment from Robinson Helicopters was not immediately returned.

Chet Morrison and Cenac share a helicopter hangar at the airport, though it is still unknown why McKean was flying Cenac's helicopter. Representatives from Chet Morrison have said McKean was not flying on their business.

Arnold Scott, NTSB investigator and the report's author, did not immediately return a phone call.

NTSB Identification: CEN12FA139
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, January 19, 2012 in Centerville, LA
Aircraft: ROBINSON R44 II, registration: N369TL
Injuries: 2 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

On January 19, 2012, at 0901 central standard time, a Robinson R44 II, N369TL, collided with trees while maneuvering at low altitude and impacted the Belle Isle salt dome, about 12 miles south of Centerville, Louisiana. There was a fire after impact. The pilot and a pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The helicopter was substantially damaged. The helicopter was registered to and operated by CENAC Marine Services, LLC, Houma, Louisiana, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed. The local flight originated from Houma (KHUM), Louisiana, at 0827.

Several witnesses reported seeing the helicopter circling at low altitude and said the pilot waved at them. None of the witnesses saw the impact but reported hearing the sounds of impact and seeing smoke. They responded to the site and used fire extinguishers to extinguish the fire.

The on-scene investigation revealed the helicopter struck several trees before hitting the ground, coming to rest on its right side. The tail boom and tail rotor blades remained attached to the helicopter, and 3-foot stubs of the main rotor blades remained attached. Nearby was a 2-foot gash in the ground, the length of a main rotor blade. All control rods and linkages remained attached the rotor hub. All breaks were consistent with overload failures.

La Grande man with serious eye issue benefits from free Angel Flight

Joe and Rosemary Pelissier of Angel Flight West talk with Bob Jurgensen, right, of La Grande Friday morning at the Union County Airport. Jurgensen had just returned to La Grande after receiving a round trip to the Hillsboro Airport from Angel Flight West. Jurgensen had to go to the Portland area to see a doctor at the Devers Eye Institute. Joe Pelissier is a volunteer pilot for Angel Flight West and his wife Rosemary is the Oregon Wing Leader for the program. 
DICK MASON / The Observer


Bob Jurgensen of La Grande was touched by the angelic spirit of Joe and Rosemary Pelissier of Hillsboro and the Oregon Lions late last week.

Jurgensen, recovering from surgery to repair a detached retina, was experiencing complications and needed to see a doctor in Portland at the Devers Eye Institute. He was in no condition to drive a long distance, could not afford a taxi and did not have any family or friends who were able to drive him to Portland.

Jurgensen did not know what he was going do. Enter Angel Flight West, a program in which pilots provide free non-emergency flights to people with compelling needs such as health conditions.

Jurgensen found that he qualified for a round trip Angel Flight from La Grande to the Portland area.

Pilot Joe Pelissier provided Jurgensen with his “flight of hope,” picking him up Thursday morning at the Union County Airport in his Piper Malibu Mirage. Jurgensen was flown to the Hillsboro Airport, where he was met by Oregon Lions members with their organization’s new Earth Angels program. The volunteers drove Jurgensen to Devers Eye Institute for his appointment.

A volunteer waited for him at Devers Eye Institute until his appointment was over and then drove Jurgensen to the home of family members in Hillsboro, where he spent Thursday night. On Friday morning, a Lion drove Jurgensen to the Hillsboro Airport.

Jurgensen was back in La Grande at 10 a.m. Friday without having spent any money for travel and having experienced limited travel stress.

“It was amazing. I am so thankful,’’ Jurgensen said.

Jurgensen is one of about 160 people who are provided with Angel Flights in Oregon each year, trips being made much easier by the Earth Angels program, which started in Oregon in 2009.

Oregon Lions members meet all Angel Flight passengers and provide free transportation to hospitals, clinics or other sites and later drive them back to the airport. This service is greatly easing travel stress and complications.

“Before the pilot would often have to provide a ride. A lot of times they (the Angel Flight passenger) could not afford a taxi,’’ said Carol Tate, a member of the La Grande Lions Club.

Tate and her husband, Gary, who live in North Powder, are the directors of the Lions’ Earth Angels program in Eastern Oregon. The Tates arranged for Jurgensen to be provided with ground transportation in the Portland area late last week.

Jurgensen is the first person from La Grande to receive an Angel Flight since at least 2009. He is about the 80th Angel Flight passenger pilot Joe Pelissier has had since he joined the program in 2004. He has used his own plane and paid for the expenses for each flight. He speaks humbly of his volunteer efforts.

“I love flying and am always looking for an excuse to fly,’’ Pelissier said Friday morning at the Union County Airport.

A professional pilot, Pelissier views his volunteer efforts as a means of giving back.

“I’ve been very fortunate and want to share my blessings.’’

Pelissier is almost always accompanied on his Angel Flights by his wife Rosemary, the Oregon Wing Leader for Angel Flight West.

Rosemary Pelissier helps lead Angel Flight West in Oregon, which provides about 160 air trips in the state each year.

Knowing how much the flights are helping people make working as a volunteer leader for Angel Flight West a fulfilling experience.

“They (the flights) take such a big burden off passengers,’’ Rosemary Pelissier said.

The majority of the flights are provided for people with health problems, including those who need to get to a hospital for cancer treatments. Flights are also provided to those with other compelling issues, including children who have special needs.

To be eligible for a flight, one must have financial need and be able to walk into a plane and sit up in it throughout the trip. No medical services are provided.

“We (Angel Flight pilots) are not doctors and do not have medical training,’’ Joe Pelissier said.

Pelissier is one of 65 Angel Flight pilots in Oregon. More pilots are needed, especially in Eastern and Central Oregon, said Rosemary Pelissier.

All told, Angel Flight West has 1,600 pilots in 14 western states. Angel Flight West is part of a national Angel Flight organization.

For additional information on Angel Flight West, call 1-888-426-2643.

Source:  http://www.lagrandeobserver.com