Lahore, Pakistan - Plane crash victims laid to rest

KARACHI/HYDERABAD, Feb 24: The young pilot and co-pilot of a two-seater light plane that crashed in Lahore on Thursday were laid to rest in Hyderabad and Karachi, respectively, on Friday.

The female pilot and instructor, Anita Qureshi, and the trainee co-pilot, Waqar Asif, both in their 20s, died when the plane crashed into the lawn of a house in Model Town, Lahore.

Their bodies were flown to Karachi in the morning before Ms Qureshi`s body was transported to Hyderabad for burial.

She was buried in the Shah Bukhari graveyard of the Qasimabad area in Hyderabad.

Mr Asif was buried in the Bhitaiabad graveyard of Gulistan-i-Jauhar.

Eldest among two brothers and two sisters, Mr Asif was taking his last flight on Thursday to complete his training with a total of 120 hours of flying.

He was to marry his cousin after a few months. Nikah had already been performed.

Ms Qureshi, who started her aviation career in 2007, got her flying licence the following year. She then joined the Walton airport-based commercial flying service, Hybrid Aviation.

She was second last among six siblings.

Her brother, Arshad Qureshi, said that his family had recently come to know that the plane was to be grounded soon.

While expressing a lack of confidence in the crash inquiry ordered by the Civil Aviation Authority, he demanded a judicial probe into the incident.

According to police, a seven-member investigation team of the Civil Aviation Authority have found that fuel shortage was not the cause of the crash.

The police said the experts suspected that the crash might have occurred due to the negligence of the co-pilot. This was the second incident in which a light airplane flown from the Walton Airport crashed.

Earlier, a two-seater sports aircraft crashed while landing at the airport on Sept 29, 2006, leaving the veteran pilot and his friend dead.

http://www.dawn.com

The Sport of Hunting from a Plane?

ELBOW LAKE, Minn. – (KSAX) A new bill proposed this last week has one Minnesota Representative flying high with this new idea that will send you hunting in the sky.

Wiley Coyote once tried to hunt down the roadrunner from a plane, but the tables could soon be turned around if one greater Minnesota lawmaker gets his wish in a new proposed bill.

"It would bring back a new dimension of hunting coyotes in the state of Minnesota. Simply allows the DNR to permit without charge anyone that would like to hunt from an airplane or an aircraft, coyotes in the state of Minnesota with reasonable restrictions," explains Minnesota Representative Torrey Westrom.

Westrom said with the bill briefly introduced this last week, the people he has talked to first, take a pause and secondly, think, ‘Hey, we should take a look at this.’

"The idea was brought to me by constituents over the years and recently a constituent asked me to draft the bill and recalled the years back in the 60's and 70's when they used to hunt coyotes and wolves from the airplane. It was a great sport, successful at times and just another dimension to the hunting sport that so many people enjoy.”

The proposed bill would serve two purposes.

"It’s two fold. One, its gives people incentive and another way to hunt the coyote and two, it is to deal with the nuisance problem that coyotes have become,” continues Westrom.

Even though it doesn’t seem too common of a practice, it would serve its purpose of just adding another dimension to the sport.

"It’s not going to be for everybody, but there are some people that would rather do it that way and it might make it more enjoyable for somebody that has an aircraft or a pilot’s license and wants to take on that dimension of hunting.” "And this would be just one more way to incent and entice people that like to go out and hunt and enjoy the sport of hunting."

The state legislature started to allow counties to have bounties for coyotes last year. Westrom also announced today he has decided to run for the District 12 Senate seat for November's election.

http://ksax.com

The Museum of Flying Grand Opening: Santa Monica plane place is set for its redebut.

The Museum of Flying

The Museum of Flying reopens on Saturday, Feb. 25.

When the Museum of Flying opened in 1989, it was located not in a downtown area, or next to other museums, but probably at the best place it could be: an airport.

And if you visited the Santa Monica Airport in the decade or so that followed, you saw a number of planes that chronicled the arc of flight, from its early years to more modern times. But the institution shuttered in 2002; planes were stowed here and there and some were loaned out.

Now, just about a decade later, the museum is set to take off once more. The Museum of Flying reopens on Saturday, Feb. 25 with a grand ribbon cutting.

Inside on this go-around? Two dozen planes that tell the story of the sky. A Wright replica is in the collection, says a rep, as well as more zoom-zoom engines like the BD-5 micro jet.

Admission is five bucks, but if you're a wing-loving kid who is five and under, you get in for free.

http://www.nbclosangeles.com

Piedmont Triad International (KGSO) contract goes to company under investigation

A Burlington company facing a federal criminal investigation into its hiring practices has been awarded a $2.3 million contract to handle a project at Piedmont Triad International Airport.

Triangle Grading & Paving will clear about 60 acres at the airport to make room for a $20 million maintenance, repair and overhaul center for Honda Aircraft Co.

Jack Bailey, chief operations officer with Triangle, said Friday the company expects to complete the overall project by August.

It is the latest multimillion dollar contract in the Triad for the company.

It also is currently working on the Brushy Fork Greenway project in Winston-Salem, which will connect Winston Lake in the northeastern part of the city with the Salem Creek Greenway – and Salem Lake – in the eastern part of the city.

The Winston-Salem Journal reported Jan. 25 that Triangle was fined more than $400,000 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2011.

It also has racked up the largest ICE fine total in North Carolina going back to at least 2009, according to information the agency provided through a Freedom of Information Act request.

ICE has not explained the reasons for its fines, citing its criminal investigation.

Spokesman Vincent Picard said ICE fines could be for hiring illegal immigrants or helping illegal immigrants falsify documentation, as well as several other immigration-related violations.

Kevin Baker, PTI's director, said the Triangle bid was properly vetted by airport officials and was the lowest of 14 bidders.

"They have done work here before, and we had no reason to reject them," Baker said.

"We have specific requirements for contractors to work on our projects, including certified labor reports every month. We know who they have on the work site, and we will be watching."

Bailey said ICE has made its complaint, and Triangle has responded. "We're awaiting direction on if or when we go to court to fight this out," Bailey said.

Bailey said he thinks the Jan. 25 article "was blown way out of proportion."

"There have been no criminal charges filed," Bailey said. He said the ICE investigation may be centered "on some I-9s that weren't properly filled out." The I-9 form is used to verify employment eligibility.

Winston-Salem and N.C. Transportation Department officials said they didn't know about the company's immigration-related fine until contacted by the Journal, despite having numerous contracts with the company and the well-publicized deaths last year of two Latino men who worked for Triangle in Durham.

The N.C. Labor Department fined Triangle $16,000 after that incident, in which Luis Castaneda Gomez of Durham and Jesus Martinez Benitez of Clayton went inside an 11-foot-deep manhole, lost consciousness because of a lack of oxygen and suffocated.

Triangle is fighting that fine. The citations said Triangle didn't perform tests to make sure the men could enter the manhole safely, didn't have a supervisor on hand and didn't provide appropriate respiratory protection or rescue equipment.

Triangle has a long record of public-construction projects in North Carolina, at least partly because it frequently is a low bidder, government documents show. State law requires agencies to accept the lowest qualified bidder; the same rules apply to cities.

The state labor department has inspected Triangle sites 34 times since 1997 and cited the company 25 times, according to records from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

It has won 18 contracts from the N.C. Transportation Department since 2000. It will stay on the agency's list of qualified contractors despite the ICE fines, spokesman Steve Abbott said.

The DOT reviews its list of contractors each year, and "although safety records will be considered at that time, immigration fines would not be a factor," Abbott said.

The ICE fines might affect Triangle's relationship with Winston-Salem, which has hired the company seven times since July 2006 for projects worth a combined $8.9 million.

Greg Turner, an assistant city manager, said Friday the ICE fines cannot be used for removing the company from existing contracted jobs. However, if the city determines that the company is violating any laws, the city can terminate the contract, he said.

http://www2.journalnow.com

Navy pilots in good condition after F/A-18F Super Hornet crashes

Two pilots are in good condition after their single F/A-18F Super Hornet crashed this afternoon during a training flight about 30 miles northeast of Fallon in an unpopulated, dry lakebed.

The pilots ejected safely from the aircraft and were recovered by a U.S. Navy helicopter shortly after the incident. Neither of the pilots sustained major injuries, and they have been transported to Naval Air Station Fallon for a complete medical evaluation.

The pilots are attending the Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor course conducted by the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center.

The cause of the crash is unknown and a Navy investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the accident.

Pictured: Brave model Lauren Scruggs seen in public for first time with prosthetic eye since horrific propeller accident. Aviat Aircraft Inc., Husky A-1C, N62WY. Accident occurred December 03, 2011 in McKinney, Texas

Model and fashion blogger Lauren Scruggs has been pictured for the first time with the prosthetic eye she was fitted with after accidentally walking into a plane propeller last year.

The 23-year-old was seen leaving a gym on Tuesday with her mother Cheryl in her home town of Dallas, Texas having made a remarkable recovery.

She was wearing her favourite blue Cowboys cap and a long-sleeved jacket covering her missing left hand.

Miss Scruggs was nearly killed on December 3 when she walked into a plane propeller after taking a ride with a friend to see the Dallas Christmas lights from the sky.

She suffered a fractured skull, broken collarbone, brain injuries and lost her left hand. Two weeks after the tragic accident, doctors decided that they had to remove Lauren's eye.

Read more and photos: http://www.dailymail.co.uk

NTSB Identification: CEN12LA125

14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation

Accident occurred Saturday, December 03, 2011 in McKinney, TX

Aircraft: AVIAT AIRCRAFT INC A-1C-180, registration: N62WY

Injuries: 1 Serious.

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 December 3, 2011, about 2050 central daylight time, a passenger of a parked Aviat Aircraft Inc., Husky A-1C, N62WY, contacted its rotating propeller after exiting the airplane on the ramp of the Aero Country Airport (T31), McKinney, Texas. The airplane was registered to Shell Aviation, LLC, McKinney, Texas, and was being flown by a private pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Dark night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The passenger was seriously injured and the pilot, who was the only other person remaining on board, was not injured. The flight had originated from T31 and had just returned from flying in the local area to view holiday lights from the air.

According to the pilot (as he recalls the event), after landing from the planned 20-minute flight, he stopped the airplane on the ramp with the engine running in anticipation of taking another passenger to view the holiday lights. He opened the door on the right side of the airplane expecting a friend to come out and assist his passenger in deplaning. After he opened the door, the passenger started to get out of the airplane. Upon noticing that she was exiting in front of the strut, the pilot leaned out of his seat and placed his right hand and arm in front of her to divert her away from the front of the airplane and the propeller. He continued to keep his arm extended and told the passenger that she should walk behind the airplane. Once he saw that the passenger was at least beyond where the strut was attached to the wing, and walking away, he dropped his right arm and returned to his normal seat position. The pilot then looked to the left side of the airplane and opened his window to ask who was next to go for a ride.

The pilot then heard someone yell, "STOP STOP," and he immediately shut down the engine and saw the passenger lying in front of the airplane.

Jack Garland Airport getting snow removal equipment

Jack Garland Airport is getting more than $500,000 in federal funding to purchase replacement snow removal equipment and runway lighting.

The funding, which was announced by Nipissing-Timiskaming MP Jay Aspin at a news conference at the airport Friday, will be used to purchase a snow blower vehicle and to install an omni directional approach lighting system on the main runway.

Airport manager Jack Santerre said the lion’s share of the funding will be used to replace an existing snow removal vehicle that’s more than 20 years old. He said the new lighting will improve runway safety and allow planes to land in less than ideal weather conditions.

Santerre said the new equipment is more efficient and will also help to reduce airport operating costs.

“North Bay has made a conscious decision to create jobs and grow its economy though the creation of the airport business park,” said Aspin. “Our government is supporting the city wholeheartedly in the effort. This funding is the third in a series of federal investments which total $6 million and will ensure the North Bay airport has the infrastructure required to create jobs and growth.”

The federal government has previously provided the airport with $3.5 million to resurface the main runway and $2 million to help develop its industrial park. The latest funding comes from the government’s Airport Capital Assistance Program.

Mayor Al McDonald, who was on hand for the announcement, welcomed the funding, saying it will aid in the continuing expansion of the airport.

In addition, McDonald said the city will make use of the airport’s old snow blower vehicle, particularly in areas where large amounts of snow need to be cleared.

http://www.nugget.ca

Rockwell-Gulfstream 695 Jetprop Commander 980, Policía Federal, XC-PFB: Accident occurred February 21, 2012 in El Refugio en el Municipio de Acatic - Mexico

NTSB Identification: DCA12WA137 
 Accident occurred Tuesday, February 21, 2012 in El Refugio, Mexico
Aircraft: ROCKWELL 695, registration:
Injuries: 3 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. The foreign authority was the source of this information.

On 21 February 2012, a Rockwell Gulfstream 695 Commander 980, registration XC-PFB, crashed near El Refugio Mexico, after slowing and departing controlled flight at 20,000 feet. Ther aircraft was destroyed, and the three occupants were fatally injured.

The accident is being investigated by the Mexican Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC). The NTSB designated a U.S. Accredited Representative to the DGAC's investigation under the provisions of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Annex 13 as the state of manufacturer of the airplane.

All inquiries should be directed to:

Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil
Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes
Providencia No. 807 — 6° piso
Colonia del Valle
Codigo Postal 03100
México, D.F.
Mexico

Website: www.sct.gob.mx

Members of the Mexican Federal Police work at the site of an airplane crash, near the town of Refugio Padrone, in the State of Jalisco, Mexico, on the last hours of Feb. 21, 2012. The airplane was on its way to Mexico City from the city of Los Cabos. The pilot and copilot were killed in the accident. [Xinhua]

Members of the Mexican Federal Police work at the site of an airplane crash, near the town of Refugio Padrone, in the State of Jalisco, Mexico, on the last hours of Feb. 21, 2012. The airplane was on its way to Mexico City from the city of Los Cabos. The pilot and copilot were killed in the accident. [Xinhua]

Wreckage of the plane with registration number XC-PFB, belonging to the Mexican Federal Police, seen after a plane crash, near the town of Refugio Padrone, in the State of Jalisco, Mexico, on the last hours of Feb. 21, 2012. The airplane was on its way to Mexico City from the city of Los Cabos. The pilot and copilot were killed in the accident. [Xinhua]

Sunwing Boeing 737 makes emergency landing at Pearson International Airport (With Video)

Officials with Sunwing and Pearson International Airport say there was no fire aboard a flight that was diverted to Toronto Friday evening.

Video footage captured from CP24 cameras show an extremely bright light emanating from the aircraft. Officials from both the Greater Toronto Aiport Authority and Sunwing Tour Operations say the plane was not on fire at any time and that the light seen in the video was likely a reflection of the landing light.

Andrew Dawson, President of Sunwing Tour Operations told CP24 that the wing root light routinely becomes brighter before landing.

CP24 received word a Sunwing flight was making an emergency landing at Pearson because of a fuel-related problem. Our live cameras caught a Sunwing plane descending with a visibly large bright light glowing from the side of the aircraft.

The plane landed safely. Emergency vehicles were seen on the tarmac of the airport. No injuries were reported.

Dawson told CP24 that the flight caught on CP24 cameras was not suffering from any fuel problem. The aircraft diverted to Toronto because of bad weather in Montreal, he said.

An official with the GTAA agreed the bright light was likely caused by a reflection. He told CP24 that the aircraft would not have been allowed to land close to a terminal if it was on fire.

He said the aircraft would be inspected and certified.

Watch Video

A plane made an emergency landing at Pearson Airport early Friday evening after reporting a slight fuel shortage.

Peel police say the Sunwing Boeing 737 reported slightly less fuel than usual on approach to Pearson, where the plane was scheduled to land.

Instead of circling around the airport as a plane might do sometimes if several are to land at the same time, it was put on priority landing.

Police say this type of incident is quite common and the plane landed safely with no injuries to the passengers.

Public hearings scheduled for upcoming F-35 debate

BOISE, Idaho - The Air Force is considering a training base for the F-35 at Gowen Field.

But that proposal is sparking some concerns over the amount of noise those jets will create.

The military says it would bring jobs to the area, however, neighbors say it will make their lives miserable.

The U.S. Air Force will present the public with results of an environmental impact study.

Citizens who are against the proposal say it would expand the not so suitable residential use zone from 142 people to more than 10,000 people.

"That means that the Federal Aeronotics Administration based on studies they've done over the last 20 years indicate if you see that much noise that loud for hat many times a day it's not suitable for residential use," said Monty Mericle, a concerned citizen.

"Thats a matter of opinion and we want to hear those opinions," Col. Tim Marsano with the Idaho National Guard. "Certainly the F-35 is a louder aircraft from what's being flown right now out of Gowen Field which is the A-10 which is about as quiet as a small commercial jet liner. The F-35 is a fifth generation high performance aircraft and it is a bit louder than the A-10."

The Air Force is considering three different proposals for basing the F-35 at Gowen Field. They include having 24, 48, or 72 F-35s stationed at the base.

You can see what the Air Force says will be the areas affected by the increased noise levels for the different proposals here.

There will be three upcoming public hearings on the matter.

Feb. 27

Capitol City Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 63.

8931 W. Ardene Street

Boise, Idaho 83709

Feb. 28

Boise Hotel and Conference Center - Cascade Room

3300 Vista Avenue

Boise, Idaho 83705

Feb. 29

Marsing American Legion Community Hall

126 N. Old Bruneau Highway

Marsing, Idaho 83639

http://www.kboi2.com

1 Assumed Dead After Car Plunges Off Runway Into Canal - Tracy Municipal Airport (KTCY), California

Eric Rode Olsen

A BMW 328i was reportedly to have been racing down the runway late Thursday night and crashed through the chain link fence and into the Delta Mendota Canal drowning one passenger.

Photo Credit: Glenn Moore/Tracy Press

 

Debris marks the path of the as it tumbled across the Delta Mendota Canal bank’s gravel road and into the water.

Photo Credit: Glenn Moore/Tracy Press

A car plunged into the Delta Mendota Canal west of the Tracy Municipal Airport after it raced down a runway, through a chain link fence and launched into the canal late Thursday night.

Photo Credit: Glenn Moore/Tracy Press

 

A Stanislaus Towing Service crewman watches the sonar screen as they search Friday morning for the body of man believed to have drowned in a car accident late Thursday night.

Photo Credit: Glenn Moore/Tracy Press

An East Bay Regional Parks helicopter helps search Friday morning for the body of a man on who officials believed drowned in the Delta Mendota Canal late Thursday night.

Photo Credit: Glenn Moore/Tracy Press

Crews from Stanislaus Towing Service use a sonar Friday morning to search for the body in the Delta Mendota thought to have drowned in a car accident late Thursday night

Photo Credit: Glenn Moore/Tracy Press

TRACY (CBS13) — A man with three passengers lost control and drove his BMW into a canal late Thursday night, and one of the passengers is presumed dead after never re-emerging from the water.

Investigators say it appears 32-year-old Eric Olsen was on a Tracy Municipal Airport runway when he lost control of his BMW 328i, raced through the fence and then slammed the car in the Delta Mendota Canal just feet from the end of the runway at about 11:40 p.m..

“Three people were able to escape from the canal and one occupant is still missing,” Tracy Police Sgt. Luis Mejia said.

Olsen and a pair of passengers managed to pull themselves out of the water. But one of their friends was left behind and presumed dead.

After crews pulled the car from the canal, police called in a special crew to help locate the missing man’s body.

They spent two hours Friday taking underwater pictures of the mile-and-half stretch of water.

Police say they found something where the canal meets Tracy Boulevard, but there was no immediate word if divers will recover what could be the remains of the missing passenger.

On Olsen’s Facebook page he lists his occupation as the chief operating officer at Sky View Aviation. A pilot at the airport tells CBS13 the car’s passengers are all flight school students with access to the runway.

Crime scene investigators took pictures inside the office. No one with the school wanted to answer questions from CBS13.

Police say the passenger who is presumed dead was visiting from Europe. His name hasn’t been released.

Olsen was arrested on a charge of vehicular manslaughter. Police are also investigating to see if alcohol was involved.

A Swedish man in his early 20s was killed Thursday night when the car in which he was riding drove through an airport fence and crashed into the Delta Mendota Canal.

Police spent Friday, Feb. 24, dredging the canal using water sonar and an overhead helicopter from East Bay Parks to try and recover the man’s body. He was last seen in the vehicle when it crashed around 11:40 p.m. The sonar team was seen walking along the canal from Tracy Boulevard west toward Corral Hollow Road.

According to police, 30-year-old Eric Rode Olsen of Tracy was driving a 328i late model BMW with three male passengers when it crashed through a fence at the Tracy Municipal Airport and launched into the canal.

Sgt. Tony Sheneman of the Tracy Police Department said Olsen is being charged with vehicular manslaughter.

Emergency dispatch records show a caller reported that a car was allegedly racing on the airport’s 4,005-foot east-west runway. The canal runs perpendicular to the end of the runway.

The car reportedly crashed through a fence along the airport border, hit a dirt levy leading up to the canal and launched into the air. The car likely rolled at least once on the canal levy before it crashed into the water.

Dispatch records indicate that the caller saw three of the car’s occupants were pulled from the water, but the driver told police that the victim was still trapped in the backseat.

Tracy Fire Division Chief Dave Bramell said that two of the survivors drove themselves to Sutter Tracy Community Hospital and the third man refused ambulance treatment at the scene, but was later taken in a private vehicle to the hospital. No medical information about the three survivors was released, but it was reported that they did not sustain any life-threatening injuries.

Also assisting at the crash scene was three fire companies — two from Tracy Fire and the third from the Tracy Defense Depot — and the Lathrop/Manteca Fire Department Dive Team responded but weren’t needed once the search shifted from a rescue to a recovery.

Bramell said divers remained at the ready on the bank of the canal, while officials of the Borges Towing company began to dredge the water shortly after midnight. The car was pulled from the water at 1:36 a.m., but the body of the missing man was not found inside.

According to Bramell the fact that anyone survived the swift water of the Delta canal is extremely rare.

“The majority of the time they are unable to get out,” he said. “It moves south and its fast moving water. Very difficult once you’re in the water to find your way out.”

http://www.tracypress.com

Tracy Municipal (KTCY), California: Officials vouch for airport's security

Padlocks and warning signs are some of the security measures meant to keep people away from the aircraft at Tracy Municipal Airport off Tracy Boulevard. 
Glenn Moore/Tracy Press
~

Aircraft at Tracy Municipal Airport sit on the tarmac behind two fences. 

Glenn Moore/Tracy Press
~

Aircraft are lined up along the tarmac at Tracy Municipal Airport off Tracy Boulevard behind two fence meant to keep unwanted people out. 
Glenn Moore/Tracy Press

~

Signs mark the restricted area at Tracy Municipal Airport off Tracy Boulevard. 
Glenn Moore/Tracy Press
~

Aircraft at Tracy Municipal Airport sit on the tarmac behind two fences. Glenn Moore/Tracy Press

by Denise Ellen Rizzo / Tracy Press

Feb 16, 2012

Pilots and officials at Tracy Municipal Airport are in agreement that security at the facility is fine, following reports of a Tracy man stealing a plane near Fresno.

Raymond Romero Pirro, 52, allegedly stole a Cessna 172 from Buchanan Field Airport around Feb. 5 and crashed it a mile outside of Fresno on Feb. 7.

Tracy airport, although not guard-patrolled, is believed secure with the help of staff and facility users, officials said. By using a program similar to the residential Neighborhood Watch, airport users have become the security watchdogs of the facility.

“People out there have a strong sense of security,” Police Capt. John Espinoza said. “We don’t know who does and doesn’t belong on the airport, but people out there know everybody. They will call us with anything suspicious.”

Espinoza said it’s not the first time he has heard of someone taking a plane for a joyride, but he said it does raise a concern about what they would do with it. He said law enforcement and other city staff conduct tabletop emergency preparedness exercises for different scenarios, including a plane crashing in city limits.

“You can’t stop them (in the air), but you can deal with the aftermath,” he said.

Pilots who utilize the airport said they feel safe for themselves and their aircraft.

“It’s locked up pretty tight,” Tracy Airport Association Vice President Dave Anderson said. “We drive through on our way out and make sure the gates are locked and (that there’s) no suspicious activity. The tenants keep it fairly self-policed, and the police department is pretty responsive.”

But pilot Gary Harding said he wished there were people out there 24-hours a day.

“We all know the way the economy is going, so I wouldn’t mind having camera surveillance,” he said. “It’s cheap. I think it would be a great idea. Nobody has taken the chance yet (to steal a plane). Everything is fine right now.”

http://www.tracypress.com

TSA seized merchandise for sale at Pennsylvania's state surplus store

One person's loss could be your gain. Friday, CBS 21 got a tour of State Surplus Warehouse, where merchandise confiscated by the TSA is up for sale at discount prices.

Believe it or not, plenty of people still try to get on planes with all types of things that get confiscated by the TSA, like a drill that our photographer bought Friday. When this stuff gets confiscated from all around the country, much of it makes its way to PA for you to buy.

“It's very important to know what you are taking onto a plane before you get on, or else it winds up here,” commented Troy Thompson of the Department of General Services.

At the State Surplus Warehouse, you will find all sorts of things that people tried to take onto a plane and failed. There's power tools, utility knives, snow globes, sun glasses, scissors, wrenches and then there's even samurai swords, a giant spoon, ammunition and of course fuzzy handcuffs.

“We have things from Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware,” Thompson explained. “We have items from little regional airports as well.”

All but three states have a surplus program. But when the TSA confiscates materials at airport checkpoints, much of it comes to PA because we have one of the largest operations, and this site can handle the volume.

Amazingly, since 2004, the state has made $700,000 in revenue from this program, which goes into the general fund for the state to spend. The State Surplus Warehouse is open to the public Monday through Friday 9:00 to 2:45.

“It's not something that is brought onto a plane for the most part with malicious intent,” Thompson addressed. “When you're dealing with different cultures those things are more for decorations and not for use.”

Much of the stuff you saw in the story will soon be available online in bulk at better prices at Govdeals.com. That will be available in April. 

Watch Video

Aircraft makes emergency landing near New Underwood, South Dakota

The pilot and passenger in a single engine airplane safely walked away from an emergency landing near New Underwood Friday afternoon, according to the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.

The fixed-wing Piper aircraft took off from Rapid City Regional Airport at about 1:10 p.m., according to Pete Girtz, the airport's director of operations.

The sheriff’s office was contacted at 1:36 p.m. after the plane set down in a field 9.5 miles east of the airport and three miles south of New Underwood.

Deputies located the pilot and passenger in the area of 161st Avenue and 232nd Street.

Girtz said the plane, which had flown into Rapid City from Huron on Friday, was returning to Huron when it experienced engine problems.

The plane received some damage to the prop and nose gear, which is common in emergency landings, Girtz said.

Rep. Torrey Westrom proposes allowing coyote hunting from aircraft, snowmobiles

Minnesotans could hunt coyotes from aircraft and snowmobiles as part of a new proposal designed to curb animal populations.

“The coyote population seems to be exploding,” said state Rep. Torrey Westrom, a sponsor of the bill. “This would be just one more way to continue the intrigue and enjoyment many people get out of hunting as well as a creative way to help control the coyote population.”

The proposal would require the state to grant hunters free aerial coyote hunting permits. It also allows hunters to shoot a coyote from a stationary snowmobile.

Critics said the proposal is fraught with potential dangers for hunters and could leave scores of wounded animals suffering around the state.

“It’s nutty,” said state Rep. Jean Wagenius, a Minneapolis DFLer who serves on the House Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Policy and Finance Committee.

Minnesota would join a handful of other states that allow aerial hunting to control everything from nuisance wolves, coyotes to wild hogs. Typically, a hunter and a pilot use a small, highly maneuverable aircraft that allows them to make the shot when an animal is in the clear.

Federal law has prohibited aerial hunting for decades, but a loophole allows states to permit hunting from aircraft to control animals threatening livestock, wildlife or crops.

Westrom said people have been telling him for years how much fun they had hunting wolves from aircraft in the 1960s and 1970s.

“I want to bring back something that younger generations have never had the chance to experience,” said Westrom, from Elbow Lake.

Col. Jim Konrad, enforcement director with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, said aerial hunting can be dangerous.

Pilots generally have to fly very low and slow, making it difficult to fly safely and shoot accurately, he said. That makes it more likely animals will be wounded and difficult to track down.

Konrad said he is more concerned about hunting from snowmobiles. He said there is a troubling history of people using snowmobiles to run down animals, like foxes and deer.

“They run them until they can’t move anymore and then kill them,” he said.

Coyotes are so wily that hunters would likely not be successful unless they chased them down first, Konrad said.

The bill does not yet have a companion in the Senate, but it does have at least one Demoratic supporter in the House.

Rep. David Dill, DFL-Crane Lake, called aerial coyote hunting “a great idea.”

“Farmers are having tons of trouble of them,” Dill said. “Trying to keep the coyotes away from sheep and other livestock is very difficult.”

http://www.startribune.com

Cold Bay's aviation plans up in the air

One of Alaska's rural hubs for air-traffic faces an uncertain future as the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration discuss modifications in Cold Bay.

A number of things are shifting at the Alaska Peninsula airport, including the length of the main runway. In a response to retroactive safety requirements, the DOT is moving the runway's south threshold 235 feet. This adds to the safety zone at the end, but takes away from the overall length of this runway.

At this point, they haven't identified any aircraft currently using Cold Bay facilities that won't be able to continue using the newly shortened 10,180 foot runway when the threshold is moved this summer, said DOT project manager Morgan Merritt.

Cold Bay is a hub for smaller flights transporting goods and people to area villages, and often a stop for flights headed to Dutch Harbor.

March 21 is the tentative date set for a public meeting with DOT officials in Cold Bay to discuss the runway change and a number of other decisions surrounding the community's airport.

Lights out

While Pen Air representative Missy Anderson did say that shortening the main runway would not be an issue for the company at this time, one of the fallout effects of that decision is going to be issue.

When the threshold is moved, one set of the current approach lights will no longer point to the correct landing spot, said Merritt. They'll be shut down as soon as the threshold shifts. At this time the FAA, which owns the equipment, is choosing to shut down the lights without replacing them.

The runway can still operate with the remaining lights in place; however, those additional lights do add a quarter-mile visibility during landing. This potentially creates a situation limiting conditions in which aircraft will be able to land at Cold Bay. Merritt did not think that limitation would be significant, but Pen Air as well as local officials are not convinced.

"We want them to install new lights," Anderson said. "We have submitted a statement that it is not acceptable (not to)."

Merritt estimates the cost of updated lights in the right spot to be between two and three million dollars.

Community balks at reductions

Leaders at the Aleutians East Borough have taken part in discussions concerning the airport since the retroactive decision to change the runway began. While they feel a compromise has been reached concerning the main runway, said borough administrator Sharon Boyette, they are still concerned about the planned shortening of Cold Bay's second runway — the crosswind runway. The discussion in general makes Boyette nervous for the future.

"We are a little concerned in that every time something happens to downgrade the airport it makes it even harder to grow the community," she said.

While residents make efforts to expand seafood exports, including talks to develop live crab shipments straight from Cold Bay to China, they are watching their means of export undergo potential limitations.

"We want to make sure that airlines and air carriers can still come to Cold Bay," Boyette said. "We are still hoping that in the public meeting in March we'll be able to convince the DOT there's another solution to shortening runways in rural Alaska."

She is particularly concerned about large cargo jets, and the continuing effort to get Alaska Airlines to stop in Cold Bay.

Terminal in limbo

One of the primary reasons Alaska Air has given the borough over the years for not stopping in Cold Bay has been its lack of a full service terminal, Boyette said. So, a few years ago, they built one.

Due to visibility restrictions, the terminal had to be built away from the current apron and taxiway. According to Boyette, DOT committed to providing the new apron and taxiway if the borough put up the terminal.

The $5 million terminal building was completed in 2007, and so far, no airplanes can sidle up to it. The upstairs houses flight and weather service staff, but the downstairs is empty.

The borough and Cold Bay residents feel shortchanged as they watch their expensive building gather dust, Boyette said. But Merritt and DOT planning representative Judy Chapman said they will be bringing this issue to the March meeting as well.

"We are starting an environmental document that will include construction of a taxiway and apron," Merritt said. "We are proceeding with ... the design for it and we'll see if between the borough and the state if the money can be put together to build it."

So while progress is being made on paper at this point, financing the project is far enough behind to make the project a thing of the undetermined future.

While the DOT has accepted the building of the apron and taxiway to its list of projects, only a certain number of those projects will rate high enough in necessity to scoop up the federal funds allocated for such endeavors.

"Those funds are highly competitive," said Chapman, "and not eligible for strictly economic development." These funds are federal Airport Improvement Program dollars, and go through a strict checklist before awarded to a particular project.

The Cold Bay project rated low when compared to other projects addressing safety or access issues, so for now, the terminal waits. Either until it jumps up the list of necessary projects, or until alternative funding comes from the state or borough.

Planes will still be flying in and out of Cold Bay — but how long the landing strip, how well it's lit and where you'll be picking up your checked bag is still, up in the air.

 http://www.thedutchharborfisherman.com

Cessna 310F, N6725X: Accident occurred January 01, 2011 in Orange, Massachusetts

NTSB Identification: ERA11FA102 
 14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, January 01, 2011 in Orange, MA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 02/23/2012
Aircraft: CESSNA 310F, registration: N6725X
Injuries: 1 Fatal,1 Minor.

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.

The pilot and passenger were on a pleasure flight in the multi-engine airplane and at the last moment the pilot decided to conduct a touch-and-go landing and takeoff at a nearby airport. During a short final leg of the landing approach, the pilot recalled seeing white and red lights on the left side of the runway and believed these were visual approach slope indicator lights. He was uncertain of what light color arrangement indicated a proper glide path to the runway. As the airplane approached the runway, the lights started to flicker, at which time the pilot applied full engine power, but the airplane immediately collided with trees and came to rest inverted. The pilot stated that there was less ambient light than he had anticipated and that there was haze in the air. He was not aware of the trees at the approach end of the runway. The airport was not tower controlled and none of the 4 runways were equipped with visual approach slope indicator lights. The intended landing runway has a published displaced threshold that is 850 feet from the runway’s original threshold. Published information cautions about trees at the approach end of that runway. The pilot did not review any publication for the intended airport before the flight. Additionally, the pilot did not hold a multi-engine rating or a multi-engine solo endorsement. The last entry in his flight logbooks for night flight was in 2000. The pilot reported no mechanical issues with the airplane before the accident.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot did not maintain separation from trees during landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inadequate preflight planning and lack of recent night flight experience.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On January 1, 2011, about 1757 eastern standard time, a Cessna 310F, N6725X, registered to and operated by an individual, crashed in a wooded area adjacent to the Orange Municipal Airport (ORE), Orange, Massachusetts, during a visual approach to runway 19. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. The personal flight was conducted under Title 14 of Federal Regulations Part 91, and no flight plan was filed. The airplane incurred substantial damage. The pilot received minor injuries and the passenger was killed. The flight departed from Dillant-Hopkins Airport (EEN), Keene, New Hampshire, earlier that day, about 1630,

A Massachusetts State Police representative (MSPR) stated that there were no eye witnesses to the accident. Residents near the airport, along the approach path to runway 19, reported hearing the airplane and noted from its sound that it was flying low compared to what they were accustomed to. Moments later they heard the crash. One witness ran toward the area where a person (the pilot) was yelling the passenger’s name, the pilot instructed the witness to call 911.

The pilot stated to the MSPR that he became a pilot in 1989 and has about five hundred hours of flight experience. For a period of 6 to 7 years he stopped flying and resumed about a year ago with an instructor. He purchased the accident airplane around May or June of 2010. About 1630 he and the passenger departed from EEN and flew over Franklin County where the pilot is originally from. He had decided to practice a “touch and go” landing at ORE before returning to EEN; the pilot mentioned he had flown to ORE previously. When the pilot approached the airport there was less ambient light than he’d anticipated and there was a “haze” in the air; he also found the airplane to lose altitude faster than his previous airplane. He recalled seeing white and red lights off to the left near the runway, believing there were a visual slope indicator. He was uncertain of what arrangements indicate a proper glide path onto the runway. As the airplane approached the runway, the lights started to flicker, at which time he applied full engine power. He was unaware of the tree until after the crash and he was on the ground. He reported no mechanical issues with the airplane prior to the accident.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot, who was seated in the left seat, held a private pilot certificate with rating for airplane single engine land. He did not hold a multiengine rating. He was issued a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) third-class medical certificate on September 10, 2010, with limitations that he must wear correcting lenses for distant and possess glasses for near vision. He had documented 500 total hours at that time. A review of the pilot’s flight logbook by FAA showed the pilot had about 50 hours of multi-engine instructional time. There was no multi-engine solo endorsement. The last entry for night time flight was in 2000.

The passenger, seated in the right seat, held no FAA certificates.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The Cessna 310F, a 4 place all metal, low wing, multi-engine airplane, with retractable landing gear, serial number 310-0025, was manufactured in 1960, and issued a standard airworthiness certificate, in the normal category. The airplane was powered by 2 each Continental IO-470-D, 260-horsepower engine and equipped with Hartzell two bladed, variable-pitch, propellers.

The airplane’s last annual inspection was February 1, 2010 and had a total of 5,416, hours at that time. The airplane’s engines were last inspected on February 1, 2010. The airplane last had maintenance on September 4, 2010; addressing a FAA Condition Notice. At the time of the accident, the airplane had accumulated a total of 5,471 hours.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

The ORE 1752 METAR, was winds from 310 degrees at 3 knots; visibility, 9 statute miles; clear sky; temperature 02 degrees Celsius (C); dew point minus 1 degrees C; altimeter 30.00 inches of mercury.

The United States Naval Observatory Astronomical Applications Department recorded the phase of the Moon, on 1 January, 2010 for Orange, Massachusetts, as waning crescent with 8 percent of the Moon's visible disk illuminated. The Moon’s position was recorded just above the horizon during the time of the accident. The sunset was at 1648 and the end civil twilight was 1658.

AIRPORT INFORMATION

Runway 19 at ORE is an asphalt, 5000 foot long by 75 foot wide, with a 850 feet displaced threshold, at an elevation of 533 feet mean sea level (msl). The airport does not have a control tower and none of the 4 runways are equipped with a visual slope indicator. Information cautioning trees at the approach end of runway 19 are published. The runway lighting system is controlled by the airport’s common traffic frequency.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The main wreckage came to rest at latitude 42 degrees, 34.604 minutes north and longitude 072 degrees, 17.407 minutes west, at an elevation of 536 feet msl; the nose of the airplane was on a heading of 080 degrees. The airplane’s energy path was on a 200 degrees heading. The airplane initial contact was with a 70 foot tall tree, about 202 feet north from the main wreckage. The second contact was with a tree at a height about 55 feet above ground level (agl). The right aileron was located 125 feet north from the main wreckage. The third contact was with a thick tree at a height of 45 feet agl. Near that location a section of the right outboard wing was located on the ground. The fourth contact was with a thick tree at a height of 40 feet agl. The mid section of the right wing along with the right main landing gear, in the extended position, was located at the base of that tree.

Several trees were impacted thereafter along the energy path until the airplane’s left forward inboard wing to fuselage area struck a large diameter tree about a height of 25 feet agl. The airplane lodge itself at that location. The tree broke over near the base, which resulted in the airplane impacting the ground, in a fresh water creek, inverted. The left out board wing section with the tip fuel tank was located 20 feet southeast of the main wreckage. The nose gear assembly was located the furthest from the initial tree contact, about 45 feet east of the main wreckage. The left engine came to rest about 5 feet from the main wreckage, left wing area. The right engine came to rest about 30 feet east of the main wreckage. The engines and the left outboard wing section came to rest across the creek on public property. The distant from the initial tree contact to the beginning of the displaced threshold was about 640 feet and 1,490 feet to the touch down zone of runway 19.

An on-scene wreckage examination showed all of the flight control surfaces and control cable continuity were accounted for. The right wing was the first to contact the trees separating, the tip tank, the wing section between the engine nacelle and tip tank and then separating the wing from outboard of the engine to the fuselage. The right aileron was observed separated from the wing and early in the wreckage path. The right fuel tip tank was observed stuck in the tree approximately 60 feet agl. The left wing was observed separated just outboard of the engine. There was an impact with a tree approximately, 12 inches in diameter, just outboard of the left side of the fuselage which severed the main spar.

Both horizontal stabilizer were observed to have impact damage from the trees approximately 6 inches inboard of the tip. Both control yokes were observed in the respective locations in the instrument panel and moved together. The rudder pedals moved when the rudder was moved by hand. The elevator cables in the tailcone were observed connected; impact damage to the forward fuselage prevented the control yokes from moving when the elevator was moved by hand.

The aileron cables were continuous from the cockpit to the left wing aileron bellcrank. The aileron cables for the right wing were not observed, due location of the wreckage and damage to the right wing. All four of the flap panels were observed extended. The flap actuator was not observed due to the position of the wreckage. The empennage flight control surfaces were observed attached to their respective aerodynamic surfaces. All three trim tabs were observed attached to their respective control surfaces. The trim tab actuator measurement for the rudder was observed beyond the limits displacing the rudder tab to the right. The right aileron was observed separated from the wing. The left aileron was observed attached to the left wing.

Both front seats were observed separated from the seat pedestals and found outside the aircraft. The seat pedestal for the left front seat was observed distorted. The seat pedestal for the right front seat was observed with minor damage. The top forward section of the cabin area was crushed inward. The left side of the cabin area absorbed most of the impact. Both forward center attachment tabs for the front, left and right, lap seat belt systems were observed with their respective bolts ripped through the metal tab. The forward windshield was broken; remnants remained. Both of the rear seats remained attached to the fuselage. The left engine magneto switch was observed in the “Both” position. The right engine magneto switch was observed in the “Left” position. The left fuel selector was observed in the “Left Main” position. The right fuel selector was observed in between “Right Main” and “Right Aux” position. Engine control levers (throttles, propellers, and fuel mixtures) were observed in the full forward position. The altimeter setting was observed at 29.95 inches of mercury.

The left engine’s number 2 cylinder’s valve cover was observed with impact damage. Tree debris was observed in the area in between the engine cowling and top cylinders. Engine continuity was established by rotating the propeller and observing the alternator belt rotate. The fuel control assembly was intact. The fuel divider was observed with clean screen and fuel was present when opened. All top cylinder spark plugs were removed and observed with indication of the engine running rich. The left engine’s propeller was attached at the engine crankshaft flange. The propeller hub was compromised by impact damage. Both blades were bent aft at mid span. One blade was observed in the low pitch and the other in the high pitch angle. No cord scoring was observed on the blades.

The right engine’s number 1 cylinder valve cover was observed with impact damage. The oil sump pan was crushed. The fuel control assembly separated and was observed with impact damage. Engine continuity was established by rotating the propeller and observing the alternator belt rotate. The fuel engine driven fuel pump drive shaft was intact. The fuel divider’s top screws were not properly safety wired. The fuel divider was observed with clean screen and fuel was present when opened. The top cylinder spark plugs were removed; unremarkable. The right engine’s propeller was attached at the engine crankshaft flange. The propeller hub was unremarkable. One of the blades was observed with cord “S” twisting and bent aft, the other blade was bent aft at mid span. Erosion on the leading edge of the blades was observed. One blade was in the low pitch and the other in the high pitch angle.

TEST AND RESEARCH

The airport’s runway and taxiway lighting system was inspected and discovered one red lens cover separated from a light assembly for the left side threshold displacement lighting system for runway 19. There were no other discrepancies noted.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

The Medical Examiner’s Office in Holyoke, Massachusetts, conducted a postmortem examination of the passenger. The cause of death was blunt force trauma.

Steven T. Fay of Hillsborough, New Hampshire

GREENFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - A New Hampshire man charged with involuntary manslaughter for his daughter’s plane crash death appeared in a Franklin County courtroom Friday.

On New Year’s Day, 2011, Steven Fay was practicing touch-and-go landings at Orange Municipal Airport when his plane crashed; killing his daughter.

On February 1, a not-guilty plea was entered for Fay by a judge , and he was ordered to appear at the court Friday with a lawyer. Fay and his attorney did not want to be interviewed on camera, but after his arraignment a few weeks ago, he told 22News that he has been sick for over a year because of this.

According to a news release from the Northwestern District Attorney’s office, Fay was neither licensed nor qualified to fly the twin-engine plane without an instructor on board. When the plane struck some trees near the runway in Orange, it crashed. His daughter and passenger, 35 year-old Jessica Malin, was killed.

Fay, of Hillsboro, New Hampshire, will return to Franklin County Superior Court on May 16 for a pre-trial hearing.

If found guilty, Fay could be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in state prison, but other penalties include up to two and a half years in the house of correction or probation.

http://www.wwlp.com