Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Changing angle for that perfect landing

MUMBAI: In a bid to make landing at Mumbai airport more accurate, Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) and Airports Authority of India (AAI) are changing the glides path angle. The glide angle at the main runway (27) is 3.3 degrees now. It will be changed to 3 degrees.

On Tuesday, the main runway was unavailable for landing and the other end (09) was in use. Officials said that while work is under way, the glide scope on the main runway (27) will not be available for the coming two months. This means, that if visibility drops, all flights would land on the secondary runway or on the 09 end of the main runway. This may mean a delay of 10-15 minutes.

Airport officials say the glide angle on the main runway was steeper than globally recommended standards. This means aircraft descend at a steep angle and at a higher speed. This is now being changed so that aircraft can land more accurately and at the right speed. Glide path is an equipment that gives vertical guidance to a landing aircraft. The aircraft locks the signal and descent angle from the glide path and starts descending. Its function is to bring the aircraft to a proper spot or touchdown zone on the runway. Three degrees is considered optimum.

Though flights at Mumbai airport can land easily on runway 09, there are no rapid exit taxiways (RET). Hence, aircraft take 30-50 seconds extra to vacate the runway. Also, low visibility during winters can hamper flight operations. Officials said that without the glide path, main runway 27 will be used only when visibility is at least 2,800 meters. Else, runway 09 or the secondary runway will have to be used. These two face heavy tail wind conditions making it tough for big aircraft to land.

"With the glide path, the minimum required visibility on the main runway is 550m. Without it, it goes up to 2,800m. During winters, such high visibility is scarcely possible and landing will have to be moved to the other end of the runway where tail winds are heavy," said an airport official. "This means that certain airlines operating long haul flights on bigger aircraft will have to cut load and fly into Mumbai," he added. Officials also said that in case visibility drops below 1,800m (the required minimum for the 09 end and the secondary runway, the airport will have to be shut. "This, however, is an extreme case scenario," said an airport official.

An MIAL spokesperson said, "A higher glide angle has inherent operational disadvantages such as its unsuitability for Cat-II and Cat-III ILS approaches. MIAL is working jointly with AAI, Airlines and DGCA on this. Trials of the new flight procedures if successful will further enhance CSIA's operational efficiency and safety standards. Also taking all the historical weather pattern into consideration, the trial period is chosen at the best time of the year for getting desired results."


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Piper PA-28 Cherokee, N5076W: Accident occurred November 23, 2012 in Tacna, Arizona

NTSB Identification: WPR13FA058
 14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, November 23, 2012 in Tacna, AZ
Aircraft: PIPER PA-28-160, registration: N5076W
Injuries: 1 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.


On November 23, 2012, at an undetermined time, a Piper PA-28-160, N5076W, impacted desert terrain near Tacna, Arizona. The owner/pilot was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The private pilot was fatally injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The personal flight departed Tucson International Airport (TUS), Tucson, Arizona, at 0957, with an unknown destination. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.

The pilot’s husband reported that he had received a voicemail from her. He stated that she appeared to be “acting paranoid” stating she was going to take the airplane flying to get away from “Them.”

Fueling records at Atlantic Aviation-Tucson established that the airplane was last fueled on November 23, 2012, with the addition of 15.1 gallons of 100LL octane aviation fuel. At the pilot’s request, the service technician also added air to the nose wheel tire. Afterwords he watched as the pilot taxied out and then saw her take off using taxiway “D” and flew southbound.

Air traffic controllers at TUS reported that at 0957 MST an unknown airplane departed using taxiway “D” without any coordination or communication with air traffic controllers. The airplane was not transmitting any transponder information. The airplane was tracked with radar until it neared Eloy, Arizona.

On November 28, 2012, a US Customs and Border Protection agent was on patrol and found the airplane wreckage with one deceased female person within the wreckage. The accident site was located 28 miles south of highway 8, about 650 feet west of Papago Road, and located inside the restricted area R-2301W. The terrain was flat desert small trees and shrubs.

Investigators responded to the accident site and documented the wreckage. The wreckage was recovered for further examination.


  | News for Yuma, Imperial Valley, El Centro, AZ
 
IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 5076W        Make/Model: PA28      Description: PA-28 CHEROKEE, ARROW, WARRIOR, ACHER, D
  Date: 11/23/2012     Time: 1830

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Substantial

LOCATION
  City: YUMA   State: AZ   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE 1 PERSON ON BOARD WAS 
  FATALLY INJURED, WRECKAGE LOCATED IN RUGGED TERRAIN 50 MILES FROM YUMA, AZ

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


OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER


  FAA FSDO: SCOTTSDALE, AZ  (WP07)                Entry date: 11/29/2012 
 
http://registry.faa.gov/N5076W 

YUMA, Ariz. (AP) — The Yuma County sheriff's office says one person has been found dead after a small civilian plane crashed on a military bombing range in southwestern Arizona.  

 The single-engine plane was found by U.S. Border Patrol agents Wednesday morning about 15 miles south of Interstate 8 and 50 miles southeast of Yuma on the Air Force's Barry Goldwater bombing range.

The sheriff's office was withholding the name of the person killed until next of kin are notified.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor says searchers had been looking for a Piper Cherokee that took off from Tucson on Nov. 23. The pilot's husband reported her missing and a search was launched.

A Yuma Sector Border Patrol agent who was on routine patrol found the wreckage of a small plane Wednesday morning on the Barry M. Goldwater Bombing Range. One person was found dead inside.

Agents Spencer Tippets, of the Yuma Sector Public Affairs Office, said the agent located the scene at approximately 8:42 a.m. on the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge.

“The U.S. Border Patrol notified the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office,” Tippets said.

According to Capt. Eben Bratcher, of the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office, his office received the report of a downed aircraft on the range just west of the Mohawk Mountains, approximately 10 to 15 miles south of Interstate 8.

“It had been out there for at least 24 hours, maybe even longer. It could have been there for several days,” Bratcher said. “We don’t know what the pilot was doing over the range. I think it is restricted airspace, and it’s something we will be looking into.”

Bratcher said the initial information is the plane was a civilian single-engine passenger plane, not a military aircraft.

The National Transportation Safety Board is on its way from Tucson and will be investigating the crash. The identity of the occupant is being withheld pending next of kin notification.

Capt. Staci Reidinger, director of public affairs at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, said the plane was located on the southeastern section of the range.

She added because the area is a protected refuge, it is restricted airspace and the air station does not conduct any training exercises in the area.



http://www.yumasun.com

Iberia Airlines: Scorpion injures plane passenger

An Iberia aircraft had to be cordoned off after a passenger was found to have been bitten by a scorpion.

 Sources from the airline say the Airbus 340 covering flight IB6316 had just landed in Madrid's Barajas airport from San José, the capital of Costa Rica, when a Swiss woman on board had to be taken to hospital.

She was kept in observation overnight due to a bite on the arm and was released the next morning.

The woman and another five in her group were due to catch a connecting flight to Zürich, but one of them stayed behind with her in hospital.

An Iberia spokesperson said the scorpion must have got onto the plane at the point of departure, in Costa Rica.

It had to be cordoned off and fully disinfected once the scorpion was found. 


http://www.thinkspain.com

Caribbean Airlines takes disciplinary action against 3 employees

State carrier Caribbean Airlines (CAL) has taken disciplinary action against three employees following an incident involving one of its aircraft on a flight to Caracas, Venezuela last month. 

Industry sources close to CAL confirmed to the Express yesterday that a trainee mechanic was dismissed while the pilot on the aircraft and another employee have been suspended pending further investigations into the incident on October 26.

Flight BW300, bound for Caracas with four crew and 44 passengers, returned to Piarco International Airport, after a section of exterior paneling became detached on lift-off at 6.49 a.m.

The aircraft, an ATR72, landed at 7.15 a.m. without incident.

The passengers and crew deplaned and were transported to the terminal where passengers were offered refreshments as they awaited the resumption of their flight, CAL said in a statement on its website last month.

Following authorisation from the Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority, CAL said it removed the aircraft from its position on the runway where the captain, in keeping with safety protocols, had switched off the engines on landing. The aircraft underwent an inspection as part of an investigation into the event.

No other damage to the aircraft was noted then.

All 44 passengers of the original flight boarded a replacement aircraft and Flight BW300 departed at 10.30 a.m. for Caracas.

Contacted for comment yesterday on the dismissal and suspension of its employees, CAL issued a statement through head of corporate communications, Clint Williams.

The statement read: "As a result of findings coming from the investigation into the incident involving Flight BW300 of October 26, 2012, Caribbean Airlines has reviewed all relevant safety procedures and is taking appropriate action in accordance with good HR practices."

Story, reaction/comments:  http://www.trinidadexpress.com

Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee C, N8826J: Accident occurred November 19, 2012 in Canton, Connecticut

http://registry.faa.gov/N8826J

NTSB Identification: ERA13FA064  
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, November 19, 2012 in Canton, CT
Probable Cause Approval Date: 11/06/2013
Aircraft: PIPER PA-28-180, registration: N8826J
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.

The pilot was flying to the destination airport at night on the second day of a long cross-country trip. Radar data showed that when the airplane was about 12 miles from the destination airport, it began to descend. The airplane eventually descended into trees and terrain about 6 miles from the destination airport, at an elevation nearly 400 feet below the airport's traffic pattern altitude, and 1,400 feet below the maximum elevation figure published for that area.

A state police helicopter dispatched to search for the airplane following the accident reported that the terrain surrounding the accident site was "surprisingly" dark, and that some of the only nearby ground lighting came from a parking lot about 1 mile beyond the accident location and along the airplane’s course . According to the aeronautical information manual, lights along a straight path can easily be mistaken for runway lights at night. The pilot’s logbook indicated that he had flown 1 hour at night in the accident airplane in the preceding year. Given the pilot's lack of recent night flying experience, it is possible that he initiated the early descent because he had mistaken the nearby parking lot lights for those of the destination airport.

Postaccident examination of the airplane showed no evidence of preaccident failure or malfunction that would have precluded normal operation.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from terrain while performing a night visual approach to an airport. Contributing to the accident were the dark night and the pilot's lack of recent experience flying at night.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On November 19, 2012, about 1824 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-28-180, N8826J, registered to and operated by a private individual, was substantially damaged when it impacted trees and terrain near Canton, Connecticut, while on approach to Simsbury Airport (4B9), Simsbury, Connecticut. The private pilot and passenger were fatally injured. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The flight last departed from Heritage Field Airport (PTW), Pottstown, Pennsylvania, about 1700. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

The pilot departed Suwanne County Airport (24J), Live Oak, Florida, on November 18, 2012 and flew to Orangeburg Municipal Airport (OGB), Orangeburg, South Carolina, where he and his passenger remained overnight. The pilot and his passenger were traveling to Connecticut to attend a funeral. On November 19, the pilot departed OGB, about 1130, with fuel stops at Dinwiddie County Airport (PTB), Petersburg, Virginia, and PTW. A fuel receipt from PTW indicated the pilot received 22.5 gallons of 100 LL at 1636.

According to air traffic control (ATC) communication transcripts and radar data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Yankee Terminal Approach, Windsor Lock, Connecticut, the pilot contacted ATC at 1810 and reported he was at 2,500 feet mean sea level (msl) and inbound to land at 4B9. The air traffic controller then informed the pilot he was in radar contact and 30 miles west of Bradley International Airport (BDL), Windsor Locks. At 1814, the pilot contacted ATC stating he was at 2,500 and was advised to report when he had the destination in sight. At 1819, an air traffic controller instructed the pilot to maintain visual flight rules (VFR) at or below 3,000 feet for traffic, and the pilot responded he was at 2,500 feet. About the same time, the airplane began to descend. Two minutes later, the airplane had descended to about 1,900 feet msl, airspeed remained relatively constant, and the airplane was headed directly to 4B9, on about a 050 heading. At 1822, the average descent rate increased to about 1,000 feet per minute, airspeed decreased to about 108 knots, and the airplane remained headed directly to 4B9. About that time, the pilot acknowledged a traffic advisory. No further transmissions were received from the pilot. Radar contact was lost at 1824 at an altitude of 900 feet msl and 70 feet above ground level, about six miles southwest of 4B9, in the vicinity of Onion Mountain.

A Connecticut State Police helicopter conducted an aerial search and rescue after the Alert Notice was issued for the airplane. Upon reaching the accident site, the helicopter pilot observed a lighted area about 1 mile east of the accident site. The lighted area was a large parking lot with pole lighting that stood out in the darkness. The airplane's flight trajectory would have passed right over the top of the parking lot. The helicopter pilot, who was using night vision goggles, stated he was "surprised" by how dark it was in the area of the crash site.


PILOT INFORMATION

According to FAA records, the pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single engine land. He did not hold an instrument rating. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on April 20, 2011. According to the pilot's most recent logbook entry, dated September 12, 2012, he had a total of 962 total hours of flight experience; of which, 786 of those hours were in the make and model; and 128 hours were accumulated at night. The pilot had recorded about 1 hour of flight experience at night within the preceding year in the accident airplane.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The four-seat, low-wing, fixed tricycle-gear airplane was manufactured in 1965. It was powered by a Lycoming O-360, 180-horsepower engine, equipped with a Sensenich fixed pitch propeller. Review of maintenance logbooks revealed that its most recent annual inspection was completed on March 1, 2012, at 2,657 total airframe hours. The engine had accumulated approximately 2,657 total hours of operation and 708 hours since its most recent overhaul. The airplane had accumulated about 45 additional flight hours since the most recent annual inspection.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

The weather conditions at BDL, at 1851, located about 10 nautical miles northeast of the accident site, included wind from 010 degrees at 3 knots, 10 statute miles visibility, and few clouds at 25,000 feet. The temperature was 2 degrees C, the dew point was -2 degrees C, and the barometric altimeter setting was 30.35 inches of mercury.

Other than night time conditions, no significant weather advisories for turbulence, icing, or instrument meteorological conditions were noted. The 1900 upper air sounding at BDL depicted light winds below 5,000 feet and freezing level above 7,000 feet. There were no pilot reports of turbulence or low level wind shear in the vicinity.

Astronomical data from the United States Naval Observatory indicated that sunset occurred at 1624 and end of civil twilight occurred at 1657. Moonrise occurred at 1144 and set after the accident at 2253. At the time of the accident the moon was 35 degrees above the horizon at an azimuth of 200 degrees. The phase of the moon was a waxing crescent with 43 percent illumination.




AIRPORT INFORMATION

4B9 was a non-towered airport that operated under class C airspace and had no published instrument procedures. The airport was equipped with pilot controlled lighting and the traffic pattern altitude for fixed wing aircraft was 1,200 feet msl. The field elevation for the airport was 195 feet msl. The airport was equipped with one asphalt runway. Runway 3/21 was 2,205 feet in length and 50-feet wide. Bradley International Airport was located 4 nautical miles east of the airport. The maximum elevation figure (MEF) west of 4B9 was 2,200 feet msl.

WRECKAGE INFORMATION

The accident site was located about 6 miles southwest of 4B9, at an elevation of 830 msl, on a heavily wooded ridgeline. The distance from the last radar contact to the initial impact area was less than a 1/4 nautical mile. The initial impact point was identified by several damaged tree limbs, and a wreckage path about 75 feet in length, oriented approximately 070 degrees magnetic, extending through the impact area. Fragments of the airplane, including portions of the right wing, right main landing gear, and outboard portion of the left wing were located along the wreckage path. The engine remained attached to the fuselage, and one of the two propeller blades exhibited impact-related damage.

The right wing was located in the initial tree impact area. Aileron control cable continuity was traced from the control sector thru the cable separations to the fuselage, forward to the control "T"-Bar. The left wing was segmented into two sections, inboard and outboard. The left flap was attached to its hinge points on the trailing edge. The left aileron was segmented at its inboard hinge. Continuity of the left aileron control cable was traced to the forward cabin area and the control "T'-Bar. Rudder pedal control continuity was established aft. The stabilizer control cables were attached to the balance weight and control continuity was established and no hammering condition was noted on the stabilator primary stops. The rudder control cables were separated from their clevises, which were attached to the rudder control horn. Control continuity was established from the cable separation at the clevises forward to the cabin area.

The engine was suspended from a lift and partially disassembled to facilitate the examination. The propeller was removed and the engine was rotated by means of a tool inserted in the vacuum pump drive pad. Continuity of the crankshaft to the rear gears and to the valve train was confirmed. Compression and suction were observed from all four cylinders. The propeller remained attached to the crankshaft flange and the propeller spinner was crushed. One propeller blade was curved aft about 5 degrees; about 5 inches of the outboard blade was bent forward about 60 degrees; and, about 1 inch of the blade tip was bent forward. The other propeller blade was curved aft about 20 degrees and exhibited leading edge abrasion and impact damage. The propellers blade also exhibited twisting and trailing edge “S” bends. The carburetor was disassembled and no damage was noted to the float assembly or other internal components. No fuel was observed in the airframe fuel strainer. About 1 teaspoon of a liquid, with color and odor consistent with that of aviation 100LL fuel, was observed in the carburetor float bowl. No water was observed in the bowl. Fuel was observed in the engine driven fuel pump and the pump produced fuel when actuated by hand. Fuel was also observed in the aircraft electric fuel pump. The fuel screens from the carburetor, aircraft fuel strainer and the airframe electric fuel pump were examined and no debris noted. All eight spark plugs exhibited normal wear. An undetermined quantity of oil was observed in the engine and the engine oil filter was impact separated from the engine and was not recovered. The oil cooler remained attached to the engine baffling and was impact damaged.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

An autopsy was performed on the pilot by the State of Connecticut, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Farmington, Connecticut, on November 19, 2012. Review of the autopsy report revealed that the cause of death was "multiple blunt traumatic injuries" and the manner of death was "accident."

The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute toxicology report was negative for all drugs in the screening profile. In addition, the report stated that no ethanol was detected in vitreous fluid, nor was any carbon monoxide detected in a blood sample.

TESTS AND RESEARCH

A handheld global positioning system (GPS) receiver was recovered in the wreckage and examined by the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Laboratory. Data was successfully downloaded; however, there was no data for the accident flight.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Ground Lighting Illusions

According to the Aeronautical Information Manual, lights along a straight path, such as a road, and even lights on moving trains can be mistaken for runway and approach lights.



NTSB Identification: ERA13FA064 
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, November 19, 2012 in Canton, CT
Aircraft: PIPER PA-28-180, registration: N8826J
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. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On November 19, 2012, about 1825 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-28-180, N8826J, was substantially damaged when it impacted trees and terrain near Canton, Connecticut, while on approach to Simsbury Airport (4B9), Simbury, Connecticut. The private pilot and passenger were fatally injured. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed from Heritage Field Airport (PTW), Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and was destined for 4B9. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

Review of preliminary air traffic control information provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that the pilot contacted Bradley Approach at 1810 and reported he was at 2,500 feet mean sea level (msl) and inbound to land at 4B9. Bradley Approach informed the pilot he was in radar contact and 30 miles west of Bradley International Airport (BDL), Windsor Locks, Connecticut. At 1814, the pilot stated he was at 2,500 feet and was told to report 4B9 in sight. The pilot’s last transmission to Bradley Approach was at 1822 when he acknowledged a previous traffic advisory was no longer a factor. No further transmissions were received from the flight, and radar contact was lost about 1 minute later at an altitude of 900 feet msl.

According to FAA records, the pilot held a private pilot certificate. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on April 20, 2011, at which time he reported 960 total hours of flight experience.

The accident site was located on a heavily wooded ridgeline approximately 6 miles southwest of 4B9. The initial impact point was identified by several damaged tree limbs, and a wreckage path about 75 feet in length, oriented approximately 070 degrees magnetic, extending through the impact area. Fragments of the airplane, including portions of the right wing, right main landing gear, and outboard portion of the left wing were located along the wreckage path. The engine remained attached to the fuselage, and one of the two propeller blades exhibited impact-related damage. One blade was bent aft about 45 degrees near the mid-span and had no leading edge gouging or chord-wise scratching. The other blade was under the engine and will be examined along with the engine after the aircraft is recovered.


IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 8826J        Make/Model: PA28      Description: PA-28 CHEROKEE
  Date: 11/19/2012     Time: 2334

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Unknown

LOCATION
  City: CANTON   State: CT   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE 2 PERSONS ON BOARD WERE 
  FATALLY INJURED, 10 MILES FROM CANTON, CT

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


OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER


  FAA FSDO: WINDSOR LOCKS, CT  (EA63)             Entry date: 11/20/2012 




 
The plane wreckage on Onion Mountain.
 Credit John Fitts 

A Connecticut company is scheduled to airlift the wreckage from the recent plane crash on Onion Mountain between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 29, Canton Police said. 

 Central Connecticut Aircraft out of Plainville will use a helicopter to help hoist the wreckage out of the woods and people should not be alarmed if they hear it operate for an extended period of time, Canton Police Chief Christopher Arciero said.

The Monday, Nov. 19 crash claimed the lives of Donald Derocher, 73, and Josephine Derocher, 74. According to family members, the couple was returning to the state to attend funeral services for Mr. Derocher's father.

Donald Derocher was piloting the craft and headed toward Simsbury airport, officials said.

The couple has family in Canton and lived for many years in Tolland and for a short time in Windsor Locks before moving to Florida about three years ago, said Bob Derocher, Donald Derocher's brother.

The state Chief Medical Examiner's Office said an autopsy on Donald Derocher's body revealed no evidence of a medical emergency and ruled the cause of death as accidental multiple blunt trauma.

The National Transportation Safety Board has finished its field work and continues to investigate the likely cause of the crash.

Belize Airports Authority: Punta Gorda

United Continental sues passenger complaint website: Lawsuits allege violations of copyright and employee privacy

 
United Continental sued the man behind Untied.com, which airs grievances from disgruntled customers. (November 28, 2012)

United Continental Holdings has sued a Canadian man who maintains the 15-year-old complaint website Untied.com, which airs complaints from disgruntled United Airlines passengers. 

 Two suits filed in Canada allege the complaint site violates the airline's copyright, trademarks and privacy of senior airline employees. United says in one of the suits it is not trying to prevent the site's owner, Jeremy Cooperstock, from operating a website where people can express their views about United, but instead is trying to protect its intellectual property, such as its logo.

Cooperstock denies the airlines' allegations and claims the effectiveness of his site is the reason for the lawsuits, which he calls SLAPP suits, standing for "strategic lawsuit against public participation."

"They are trying to shut down my site instead of dealing with their problems," Cooperstock said in a written statement. "If they had put as much effort into improving their service as into these SLAPP-suits, there'd be no reason for the website."

The site claims to have "collected more than 25,000 passenger complaints against United, along with hundreds of postings from mistreated employees."

The lawsuits, filed by United and Continental airlines, was filed Nov. 19 in both the Federal Court of Canada and Superior Court of Quebec.

United Airlines officials did not immediately return a request for comment.


http://www.chicagotribune.com

http://www.united.com

http://www.untied.com

Calhoun, Georgia: Civil Air Patrol looking for new members

For those with an adventurous spirit and an interest in flying, the Civil Air Patrol might be right down your alley.

The Calhoun Composite Squadron #134 of the Civil Air Patrol-U.S. Air Force Auxiliary has openings for a safety officer, communications officer, and emergency services officer, among others.

Cadet slots (ages 12-17) are also open.

Civil Air Patrol members learn about aerospace topics, receive Air Force approved training, and emergency management procedures.

Members also participate in search and rescue missions and in disaster relief, among other duties.

If a plane goes down in north Georgia, the Air Patrol is called in to work with local Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) to help find the plane,” said Cpt. Hayden Collins of Calhoun Composite Squadron #134.

The Calhoun Composite Squadron meets at the Tom B. David Calhoun Airport on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

For more information please attend a meeting for orientation or contact Capt. Hayden Collins; htcollins@earthlink.net or visit Gocivilairpatrol.com
 

Calhoun Times - Civil Air Patrol looking for new members

Long Island Mac Arthur (KISP), New York: Airport to begin charging landing fees

Long Island MacArthur Airport will begin charging landing fees for general aviation and business aircraft next month, officials said Tuesday.

 The Islip Town Board voted unanimously to institute the fee, which deputy airport commissioner Terry Hennessy estimated will generate about $150,000 in annual revenue.

The vote came after the board last month tabled the proposal following protest from some in the local aviation industry.

Councilwoman Trish Bergin Weichbrodt said the board wanted to ensure the proposed fees were in line with similar fees at other nearby airports. She said officials researched the issue and found that MacArthur was the only airport in the region not charging the fees, which are lower than what others are charging.

The fees, which go into effect Dec. 1, charge noncommercial transient aircraft — planes not based at hangars at the airport — $1.44 per 1,000 pounds of gross landing weight to touch down at the facility. A minimum $10 fee will be assessed.

The fees increase from 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., with aircraft paying $2.16 per 1,000 pounds.

The fee will increase annually by a minimum of 3 percent, not to exceed 9 percent.

Commercial carriers at MacArthur have been paying the fee since 1991, officials said, and airport officials have said they want to take advantage of all revenue streams.

The board also unanimously approved a contract with Vector Airport Systems, Llc, to provide aircraft tracking and landing fee management at MacArthur.

Vector was the only company that bid on the contract, which runs three years and will pay the company 20 percent of the fees collected annually, officials said.
 

http://www.newsday.com

Taylorcraft BC12-D, N94973: Accident occurred November 28, 2012 in Clutier, Iowa

http://registry.faa.gov/N94973

NTSB Identification: CEN13FA078
 14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, November 28, 2012 in Clutier, IA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 11/06/2013
Aircraft: Taylorcraft BC12-D, registration: N94973
Injuries: 1 Fatal,1 Serious.

NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

The airplane was on approach to an unimproved airstrip when it struck power lines and then impacted terrain. The pilot had previously flown into this airstrip but had not done so recently. When the field was previously used as an airstrip, the power lines were buried; however, the power lines had recently been moved above ground. The pilot may not have been aware that the power lines had been moved above ground, and the lines were not marked. The surviving passenger stated that he never saw the power lines before the airplane struck them.

The pilot's medical records revealed diagnoses of hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, and bipolar disease. Toxicology testing showed the presence of medications consistent with the treatment of these conditions. Although the pilot’s medical records and toxicology results indicated that the pilot had recently stopped taking some medications that could have adversely affected his performance, his bipolar disease would have had significant negative effects on cognition, including memory and executive functioning/judgment, and would have been disqualifying for a medical certification. Therefore, although it is possible that the pilot's underlying psychiatric disease and its treatment may have affected his judgment, it is not possible to determine the extent to which it may have contributed to the accident.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot’s failure to monitor, recognize, and identify obstacles on approach to landing, which resulted in an inadvertent collision with power lines. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s expectation and assumption that there were no above-ground power lines in the area.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On November 28, 2012, about 1057 Central Standard Time, a Taylorcraft BC12-D, N94973, struck power lines on approach to an unimproved airstrip in Clutier, Iowa. The pilot was fatally injured and the passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed. The local flight originated from Traer (K8C6) Municipal Airport, Traer, Iowa, at an undetermined time.

Witnesses told Tama County Sheriff’s deputies that they saw the airplane flying very slow at treetop level. It flew west then turned south. They didn’t think it was high enough to clear a hill. The airplane then disappeared from their line of sight. The witnesses heard the crash and saw smoke.

When Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors arrived on the scene, the Tama County Sheriff’s Office told them the airplane was on approach to an unimproved airstrip near the intersection of 245th Street and R Avenue. The passenger told first responders that they were “attempting to land.” The passenger told his son they “never saw the wires.” The pilot had flown into this airstrip on previous occasions, but had not done so recently. When the field was used as an airstrip, power lines were buried underground along the approach end of the runway. Recently, however, the lines had been strung up on power poles. It could not be determined if the pilot was aware of the raised power lines.


PERSONNEL (CREW) INFORMATION

The pilot, age 69, held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. His expired third class airman medical certificate, dated June 19, 2001, contained the restriction for wearing corrective lenses. At that time, the pilot reported he had logged approximately 700 hours total flight time.

The Taylorcraft BC12-D is defined by FAA as a light sport aircraft (LSA). Pilots flying LSAs are only required to possess a valid driver’s license and comply with Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations 61.53(b), which states that no person may act “as pilot in command, or in any other capacity as a required pilot flight crewmember, while that person knows or has reason to know of any medical condition that would make the person unable to operate the aircraft in a safe manner.”


AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

N94973 (serial number 9373), a model BC-12D, was manufactured by Taylorcraft Aircraft Corporation in 1946. It was a 2-place, high-wing monoplane. The fuselage was constructed of welded steel tubing and covered with fabric. The wings employed braced steel tube struts. It was powered by a Continental C-65-8 engine, rated at 65 horsepower, driving a Sensenich 2-blade, fixed pitch wooden propeller. The airplane’s gross weight was 1,200 pounds.


METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

Weather recorded at 1053 by the Marshalltown (KMIW), Iowa, Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS), located about 26 miles west of Clutier, was as follows:

Wind, 220 degrees at 3 knots; visibility, 10 statute miles; sky condition, clear; temperature, 1 degree C. (Celsius); dew point, -4 degrees C.; altimeter, 30.39 inches of Mercury.

AERODROME INFORMATION

The airstrip had one runway, aligned on a magnetic heading of 136 degrees. It was about 1,760 feet long and 105 feet wide. The field elevation was 999 feet msl (mean sea level).


WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The wreckage was located near the threshold of the runway at geographical coordinates 42 degrees, 05.159’ North latitude, and 092 degrees, 26.527 West longitude. The nose of the airplane was aligned on a magnet heading of 261 degrees.

Four severed strands of electrical transmission cables extended from the west utility pole to the airplane wreckage and were wrapped around the landing gear, engine, and passenger cabin. Fire had consumed much of the fabric covering back to the empennage. Both wings were consumed by the fire.

According to the Grundy County Rural Electric Cooperative, the exact time of the power outage was recorded at 10:57:06. Four wires were severed, interrupting power to 300 residents. The wire type was 000 ACSR (aluminum conduit, steel reinforced), transmitting 12,500 volts. The wires were not marked with orange balls.


MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

The passenger succumbed to his injuries on January 6, 2013. Because more than 30 days had elapsed since the accident, his injuries did not meet the definition of “fatal injury” as contained in Title 49 CFR Part 830.2.

According to the autopsy report, the pilot’s death was attributed to thermal and blunt force injuries. The report also noted the pilot had severe hypertensive and arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The toxicology report noted the presence of amlodipine, carbamazepine, chlorthalidone, glipizide, losartan, and rosuvastatin in blood and liver.

NTSB’s medical officer was consulted. According to her factual report, amlodipine (marketed under the trade name Norvasc), chlorthalidone (marketed under the trade name Thalitone), and losartan (marketed under the trade name Cozaar) are medications used to treat hypertension. Glipizide (marketed under the trade name Glucotrol) is an oral agent used to treat diabetes, and rosuvastatin (marketed under the trade name Crestor) is used to treat high cholesterol. Carbamazepine (marketed under the trade name Tegretol) is used to prevent seizures, treat bipolar disease, and prevent migraine headaches. Examination of the pilot’s personal medical records revealed a diagnosis of hypertension (the pilot had reported controlled hypertension to the FAA), diabetes, high cholesterol, prostate cancer in remission, peripheral vascular disease, and bipolar disease with two psychiatric hospitalizations in the year preceding the crash. The records did not indicate that cardiac disease had been diagnosed.


IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 94973        Make/Model: BC12      Description: TAYLORCRAFT BC-12D
  Date: 11/28/2012     Time: 1701

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Substantial

LOCATION
  City: TRAER   State: IA   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT STRUCK POWERLINES AND CRASHED,  THERE WERE 2 PERSONS ON BOARD, 1 
  WAS FATALLY INJURED, 1 SUSTAINED UNKNOWN INJURIES, 6 MILES FROM TRAER, IA

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


OTHER DATA
  Activity: Pleasure      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER


  FAA FSDO: DES MOINES, IA  (CE01)                Entry date: 11/29/2012 
 




William "Willy" Konicek, 69, of Traer, died Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012, in rural Clutier from an airplane accident. 

There will be a guest book signing from 4 to 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 3, 2012, at the Overton Funeral Home in Traer. The family will not be present at the signing. 
Private family graveside services with full military honors will be held at the Oneida Cemetery, rural Clutier. For a full obituary or to leave online condolences go to: www.overtonservice.com.

He is survived by his three children: Kelly (Kirk) Fink and James Konicek and his fiancee Mary Schesselman, all of Clutier, and Lori Tyler, of Des Moines; five grandchildren; a sister Diane (William) Vesey, of Marion, and his ex wife and best friend Jean Konicek, of Clutier.

Overton Funeral Home is caring for William and his family.

Tama County Sheriff Dennis Kucera says when officials arrived at the crash site, the plane's passenger was trying to get the pilot out of the plane. Kucera says the pilot died and the passenger was taken to a burn center for treatment of his injuries. 

 
Debris from a plane crash west of Clutier, Iowa, on Wednesday, November 28, 2012.

 
The site of the plane crash in Tama County on Wednesday, November 28, 2012.

 
Debris from a plane crash west of Clutier, Iowa, on Wednesday, November 28, 2012. 



 
CLUTIER, Iowa --- Authorities say one person died when a small plane carrying two people crashed in a farm field near Clutier this morning. 

 The site of the plane crash in Tama County on Wednesday, November 28, 2012. (Kyle Grillot/The Gazette-KCRG)

 The single-engine plane crashed near the intersection of 245th Street and R Avenue, just west of Clutier, at 10:50 a.m. Wednesday.

Clutier is roughly 30 miles south of Waterloo.

Aircraft records show the plane is a single-engine 1946 Taylorcraft registered to William Konicek of Traer.

Konicek purchased the plane earlier this year.

The person killed in the crash will be identified by local officials, said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory. Local police and fire officials did not immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.

Bill Huntley with the Traer Fire Department says crews from his department were called in to help Clutier firefighters respond to the plane crash.


CLUTIER (KWWL) - One person is dead after a plane crashed near Clutier on Wednesday morning. 

 Crews were called to the area of 245 R Avenue Wednesday morning for a report of a small plane crash.

Bill Huntley with the Traer Fire Department says they were called to assist the Clutier Fire Department in responding to the crash.

FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory says one person died and the plane is registered to a Traer man.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.


UPDATE: Authorities say one person died when a small plane carrying two people crashed in eastern Iowa. 

 Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory said the single-engine plane crashed near Clutier on Wednesday morning. Clutier is roughly 90 miles northeast of Des Moines.

Witnesses told KCRG-TV9 that the plane was flying low over the area prior to the crash.

Cory says the person killed in the crash will be identified by local officials. Local police and fire officials did not immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.

FAA records show the plane was registered to a Traer, Iowa, man.

Bill Huntley with the Traer Fire Department says crews from his department were called in Wednesday morning to help Clutier firefighters respond to the plane crash.


 http://thegazette.com

 CLUTIER, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say one person died when a small plane carrying two people crashed in eastern Iowa.

 Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory the single-engine plane crashed near Clutier on Wednesday morning. Clutier is roughly 90 miles northeast of Des Moines.

Cory says the person killed in the crash will be identified by local officials. Local police and fire officials did not immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.

FAA records show the plane was registered to a Traer, Iowa, man.

Bill Huntley with the Traer Fire Department says crews from his department were called in Wednesday morning to help Clutier firefighters respond to the plane crash.


 CLUTIER, Iowa - Emergency crews are on the scene of a small plane crash near the Tama County community of Clutier. It happened late Wednesday morning near the intersection of 245th Street and R Avenue, just west of Clutier.

A neighbor tells KCRG.com that a medevac helicopter is on the scene of the crash.

Witnesses said that the plane was flying low over the area prior to the crash.


CLUTIER, Iowa (AP) — Emergency crews are responding to a small plane crash in eastern Iowa. 

The plane crashed near Clutier on Wednesday morning. Clutier is roughly 90 miles northeast of Des Moines.

Many details of the crash remained unclear Wednesday morning because police and fire officials did not immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press.

Bill Huntley with the Traer Fire Department says crews from his department were called in Wednesday morning to help Clutier firefighters respond to the plane crash.

Low-flying aircraft still trouble local towns

by Dave Boyce

For years, at Peninsula community roundtable discussions with noise-abatement officials, representatives from Portola Valley and Woodside have complained about arriving commercial aircraft flying too low, and too noisily, as they pass over a navigation beacon in the Woodside hills.

Despite these efforts and those of Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Menlo Park, on behalf of her constituents, the cause of the noise — low-flying aircraft — appears likely to continue.

Ms. Eshoo extracted an agreement in 2001 with the Federal Aviation Administration that arriving aircraft will stay at least 8,000 feet above sea level when passing over the beacon. Ms. Eshoo reminded the FAA with another letter in 2005. And yet incoming planes continue to violate that minimum altitude.

In recent presentations to the Portola Valley Town Council, Vic Schachter of Portola Valley, in partnership with Jim Lyons of Woodside, claimed that 23,000 arriving flights now cross the beacon annually. Between May 2005 and February 2010, their average altitude dropped to 6,600 feet from 7,500 feet, while the number of flights rose by 70 percent. Between January 2009 and May 2012, more than 88 percent crossed at altitudes below 8,000 feet, with about 28 percent lower than 6,000 feet, Mr. Lyons told the Almanac.

Pilots speak

The Almanac sat down with Mr. Lyons and two retired commercial pilots, Chris Zwingle of Hillsborough and Bud Eisberg of Portola Valley. Asked about roundtable complaints from the vantage point of the cockpit, Macbeth's ghost could have been whispering into Mr. Zwingle's ear: tales told by the hopeful, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

"Nothing of what (the roundtable) works on is communicated to the pilots who operate the aircraft. Nothing," Mr. Zwingle said. "Pilots have and always have had complaints about noise-abatement-driven procedures. ... Not only is it not going to happen, it's never going to happen."

The Almanac contacted noise-abatement and air traffic representatives from Northern California, all of whom deferred to FAA spokesman Ian Gregor, who replied via email. "Pilots follow (air traffic) controllers' instructions, and controllers do not communicate with individual pilots about the terms of any local noise abatement agreements," Mr. Gregor wrote. "There is no need to explain the reason for an instruction, and indeed we need to keep controller-pilot communications as simple, direct and concise as possible to limit the chances of a miscommunication."

Mr. Zwingle, when informed about Ms. Eshoo's letters to the FAA, replied: "I sincerely doubt that there's a formal letter of agreement." When Mr. Lyons produced a copy of Ms. Eshoo's letter, Mr. Zwingle said that the identifying number assigned to the letter indicated a policy. "There may be a policy, but there is no rule," he said. "Anna Eshoo can sign letters of agreement or whatever until she's blue in the face."

A spokesman for Ms. Eshoo, asked to comment on Mr. Zwingle's remark, replied via email that Ms. Eshoo "continues to work on the issue of airplane noise abatement for the Portola Valley and Woodside areas with all parties involved. She has brought together impacted residents, FAA and SFO officials, and the airlines, who all continue to show good faith in reaching an agreeable end."

"There is no firm requirement that airplanes fly at 8,000 feet over the Woodside (beacon)," Mr. Gregor of the FAA said. "Northern California controllers have noise abatement Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and use them when traffic volume permits. Often, however, traffic volume prevents us from using them. ... While we keep almost all SFO arrivals at 8,000 feet at night, it is not possible to keep all SFO arrivals at that altitude during the day because that would create conflicts with other aircraft using that busy airspace."

A quieter future?

Mr. Zwingle unfolded a navigation chart depicting the airspace above the Bay Area. The route over the Woodside beacon showed two numbers: 4 and 10. Those numbers, Mr. Zwingle said, establish a minimum altitude of 4,000 feet and a maximum of 10,000 feet. "If traffic controllers agreed to do this, then they should be doing it," he said. "When traffic gets congested, the whole area is used."

Presentations by officials that project a quieter future, including the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen), may "look glowing. They may or may not be accurate. They may or may not be true," Mr. Zwingle added. "You can go to all the meetings you want. I've never seen anything operational come out of any of it. Never."

Asked to comment, Mr. Gregor said that the FAA "can't speculate about the impacts from Bay Area NextGen procedures that are still in development. We will do a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for those procedures and until we complete the Draft EA, we won't know what the possible impacts of the new procedures will be."

One aspect of NextGen is ocean-tailored arrival, in which aircraft are assigned a 200-mile-long glide path to the runway, "like sliding down a bannister rather than walking down steps," Mr. Gregor said. Aircraft using this method "burn less fuel, emit fewer pollutants and make less noise because they are using minimal power." But NextGen requires that aircraft be outfitted with GPS devices, which they don't yet have, Mr. Eisberg noted.

In a traditional approach, pilots reduce air speed using wing flaps and the engines, both of which create noise. "NextGen will not change that," Mr. Zwingle said. Gliding in at a fixed low speed is "a concept," he said. "It's debatable." An air traffic controller may order a pilot to slow to 200 mph from 250, a maneuver that may require traditional, and noisy, techniques, Mr. Eisberg added.

Air traffic control is a delicate business. "I've been scared in that control room, knowing what could happen," Mr. Eisberg said. A supervisor constantly paces the room, peering at radar screens over the shoulders of controllers. Any hint of a problem and "he'll yell out 'Spin 'em,' to put the planes in a holding pattern," Mr. Eisberg said.

A complicating factor is the required gap between arriving planes; it must be large enough to avoid the effects on the air of wake turbulence and wake vortices, the pilots said. Then there is the fact that the San Francisco International Airport is not suited to handle the volume it receives. "The complexity of it is huge," Mr. Zwingle said. "A Cessna has as much right to the airspace as anyone else."

Mr. Zwingle did offer one bit of solace. The Woodside navigation beacon is no longer vital to arriving aircraft staying on course, he said. Authorities could "move the fix," he said, meaning that flights could be redirected to cross the Santa Cruz Mountains farther south, away from populated communities.


Article:   http://www.almanacnews.com

Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche, C-GLGJ: Okanagan plane crash death sparks calls for shoulder belts

The family of a young Surrey, B.C. woman who died from injuries suffered in a plane crash last August are raising concerns about seatbelt regulations on small aircraft.

Lauren Sewell, 24, died after the PA 30 Piper Twin Comanche she was aboard went down last August west of Peachland, B.C.

Sewell survived the crash, but died in hospital from severe head injuries. One other passenger died in the crash, but two people survived, including the pilot, who was wearing a shoulder belt.

Sewell's parents, Greg and Fran Sewell, say they believe if there was a shoulder belt available to her instead of just a lap belt, their daughter would still be alive.

"Safety recommendations, such as the mandatory requirement for shoulder restraints, that is something I believe [in] after looking at the fuselage of the plane,” Greg Sewell told CBC News. “That would have saved her life.”

The Transporation Safety Board says there are no current recommendations about small aircraft passengers requiring shoulder seatbelts, such as those that are mandatory in cars.

The pilot still can’t recall how the crash happened.

 "As people begin to recover, hopefully, they can remember more and shed more light on what went wrong, because we just don't know what went wrong,” Fran Sewell said.


The TSB expects to release a report on the crash investigation next summer.

“We want to make sure those safety recommendations are not forgotten about. I will personally be on a mission to make sure those recommendations are enacted into law,” said Greg Sewell.

Although Lauren Sewell did not survive the accident, her parents opted to donate her organs, which were later transplanted into six other people.

http://www.cbc.ca
  

Live shotgun shell found on Delta Air Lines flight: General Mitchell International Airport (KMKE), Milwaukee, Wisconsin



>br> MILWAUKEE (AP) — Passengers on a Delta Air Lines flight were taken off a plane in Milwaukee and rescreened after a man found a live shotgun shell at his seat.

 Milwaukee County sheriff’s spokeswoman Fran McLaughlin says the passenger notified flight crew at about 6:45 a.m. Wednesday of the live shotgun shell while it was at General Mitchell International Airport.

She says deputies and Transportation Security Administration officials had the passengers leave the plane and screened them again and found nothing. She says a canine unit also swept the plane and didn’t find anything.

The passengers again boarded the plane, which was bound for Detroit.

Delta spokesman Michael Thomas says the flight was delayed about an hour and landed safely in Detroit at 9:55 a.m.

http://www.foxnews.com


http://southshore.fox6now.com

http://www.mitchellairport.com

http://www.delta.com

http://www.airnav.com/airport/KMKE