Saturday, December 08, 2012

ANA All Nippon Airways Boeing 737-800, JA57AN, Flight NH-899: Aircraft on landing overran runway

An All Nippon Airway (ANA)'s overran airplane is seen at Shonai Airport in Sakata, in this photo taken by Kyodo, December 9, 2012.   An ANA Co flight from Tokyo's Haneda airport overran the runway at Shonai Airport in Yamagata Prefecture on Saturday night.
  --PHOTO: REUTERS

 TOKYO - An All Nippon Airways flight from Tokyo's Haneda airport overran the runway at a northern Japanese airport, the airline said Sunday.

None of the 161 passengers and six crew members were injured and no damage to the Boeing 737-800 plane was reported after the incident late Saturday, ANA said in a statement.

Japan's transport ministry however considered it a serious incident that could have caused a disaster and sent investigators to the scene.

An ANA spokesman denied an earlier report that the aircraft's automatic braking system failed.


All Nippon Airways:   http://www.ana.co.jp

http://www.channelnewsasia.com

TOKYO, Dec. 9 — An airplane overshot the runway at the Shonai Airport in Japan’s Yamagata Prefecture late Saturday and injured no one.

The flight, which belongs to All Nippon Airways Co., was from Tokyo’s Haneda airport to the Shonai airport.

The plane’s automatic braking system did not work after landing at the airport. The pilot put on the brake manually, but most of the plane’s body overran the runway, according to the company.

About 161 passengers and six crew members were on board. No one was injured and the plane was also not damaged, said the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

It was snowing at the time of the accident. The plane hovered more than an hour over the airport before ground crew finished snow removal. 


http://www.nzweek.com

Piper PA-31-350 Chieftain, N30SC: Engine fire - Barnstable Municipal Airport-Boardman/Polando Field (KHYA), Hyannis, Massachusetts


HYANNIS - Around 5 p.m. Friday night, Hyannis firefighters responded to a small engine fire at Barnstable Municipal Airport in Hyannis. The fire was reported aboard a fixed wing multi-engine Piper. The fire in the right engine was reportedly out by the time firefighters arrived. The plane is registered to MJLG, LLC (Marine Lumber Company) out of Nantucket. Video and report by David G. Curran. 

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N30SC

http://registry.faa.gov/N30SC 

http://www.airnav.com/airport/KHYA 

http://www.capecodtoday.com

Teens Crash Car Speeding Down Runway: Ava Bill Martin Memorial Airport (KAOV), Ava, Missouri

Four teenagers are hospitalized after their car sped off the end of the runway at the Ava Municipal Airport in Douglas County, went down an embankment and overturned. 

The Missouri Highway Patrol says the driver, 17-year old Elias David of Wasola, sustained moderate injuries. Three passengers, all of Ava, were seriously injured. 

According to the report, 18-year old Marcus Cox and 17-year old Dakota Merriett were not wearing seat belts. 

The driver and 19-year old Zachary Knee, who was seriously injured, were restrained.   

The crash occurred just before 10:30 Friday night.
 
http://www.khozradio.com

http://www.ktts.com
 
http://www.airnav.com/airport/KAOV

 

Has Chicago Midway International Airport (KMDW) missed its takeoff?


Renewed efforts to privatize Midway International Airport may not clear the runway. 

After distancing himself from a Midway deal during last year's election, Mayor Rahm Emanuel is preparing to put the airport on the market again. But to avoid another controversy like the city's parking meter deal, he reportedly wants a shorter lease and more restrictions, which investors won't like.

Huge private infrastructure funds still are interested in concessions to run airports, such as a 40-year deal for Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, now nearing final approval by the Federal Aviation Administration. But the price investors are willing to pay is about half the going rate before the financial crisis scuttled the city's original $2.5 billion deal to lease Midway for 99 years, according to airport privatization experts.

The original effort promised to pay off $1.2 billion in airport debt and other charges and net more than $1 billion for city pension funds and other needs. But with airport pricing suppressed and $200 million more debt added in 2011, it will be much harder to retire the city's IOU and have money left over, particularly if Mr. Emanuel demands a shorter lease and more control over the private operator.

Read more: http://www.chicagobusiness.com

Hardy back in the air after misreading Civil Aviation Safety Authority letter

Hardy Aviation planes will return to Northern Territory skies today after what the airline says was a misunderstanding with regulators over its license.

All Hardy flights were cancelled yesterday when the airline thought it had been grounded by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).

But Hardy says it misread a letter sent to it by CASA, which outlined concerns about its pilot training.

CASA spokesman Peter Gibson says the regulator has raised concerns with Hardy but did not force it to ground flights.

"We've given them until Monday afternoon to respond so we can work through this in a constructive manner [and] can reach the right safety outcomes," he said.

"Naturally the Civil Aviation Safety Authority regrets any inconvenience to Territory air travelers."

Hardy says it will work with CASA over the coming weeks to resolve the safety issues the regulator raised.

Hardy's subsidiary, Fly Tiwi, remains grounded after two senior pilots failed a qualifications test.

The airline is confident safety issues with that service will be resolved soon.


Source:  http://www.abc.net.au

http://www.hardyaviation.com.au

Bellanca 7ECA Citabria, N8595V: Accident occurred December 07, 2012 in Tehachapi, California

http://registry.faa.gov/N8595V

NTSB Identification: WPR13CA065  
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, December 07, 2012 in Tehachapi, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 04/10/2013
Aircraft: BELLANCA 7ECA, registration: N8595V
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.

NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.

The non-instrument-rated pilot stated that prior to departure, weather reports indicated that clear sky conditions prevailed at the departure airport with areas of fog at his destination. Despite the possibility of fog at his destination, he decided to attempt the flight with the intention of diverting to an alternate airport if the weather conditions deteriorated. While en route over mountainous terrain, he observed fog encroaching the foothills near the destination airport. The pilot attempted to listen to the airport’s automated weather observation system but could only discern the altimeter reading due to radio static. He initiated a descent to the traffic pattern altitude and observed fog approaching the airport’s perimeter. The pilot further stated that as the airplane was on the final approach path, about 3 miles from the airport, the visibility began to decrease. In an effort to maintain visual contact with the airport, he maneuvered the airplane below a fog bank and elected to continue the approach in instrument meteorological conditions. The airplane descended to about 500 feet above ground level and became surrounded by fog, resulting in the pilot losing visual reference. Shortly thereafter, the airplane touched down in a plowed field and rolled onto its right side, sustaining substantial damage to the fuselage and the right wing. Weather records revealed that at the time of the pilot’s initial weather briefing, the destination airport was reporting instrument meteorological conditions. The accident occurred just before dusk. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The non-instrument-rated pilot's continued descent into instrument meteorological conditions during the landing approach and his loss of situational awareness, which resulted in a collision with terrain.

The non-instrument rated pilot stated that prior to departure, weather reports indicated that clear sky conditions prevailed at the departure airport with areas of fog at his destination. Despite the possibility of fog at his destination, he decided to attempt the flight with the intention of diverting to an alternate airport if the weather conditions deteriorated. While en route over mountainous terrain, he observed fog encroaching the foothills near the destination airport. The pilot attempted to listen to the airport’s automated weather observation system, but could only discern the altimeter reading due to radio static. He initiated a descent to the traffic pattern altitude and observed fog approaching the airport’s perimeter.

The pilot further stated that as the airplane was on the final approach path, about 3 miles from the airport, the visibility began to decrease. In an effort to maintain visual contact with the airport, he maneuvered the airplane below a fog bank and elected to continue the approach. The airplane descended to about 500 feet agl and became surrounded by fog, resulting in the pilot losing visual reference. Shortly thereafter, the main landing gear touched down in a plowed field and the airplane rolled onto its right side, sustaining substantial damage to the fuselage and the right wing.

Weather records revealed that at the time of the pilot’s initial weather briefing, the destination airport was reporting instrument meteorological conditions. The accident occurred just before dusk.

The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

 
 Ken Hetge and his crew are pictured disasemblying the Citabria that crashed just east of Steuber Road, southeast of the City of Tehachapi on Dec. 7. 


The unidentified pilot of a two seat Citabria aircraft was overtaken by the fog on approach to Tehachapi Airport on Friday and went down about two miles from the runway just east of Steuber Road, southeast of the City of Tehachapi. 

 The accident occurred at about 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 7.

According to Ken Hetge, whose crew was on scene disassembling the plane on Saturday afternoon to remove it from the field, the fact that the area had been plowed contributed to the destruction of the aircraft.

"The plane could have landed in the field with no problem had the field not been plowed," Hetge said.
 

He said the wheels got caught in the ruts from plowing and flipped the aircraft over.

The pilot, who would not give his name, is said to be from Tehachapi. He walked away with no injuries.

The Citabria is a light single-engine, two-seat, fixed conventional gear airplane typically used for flight training, utility and personal use.


A feature of the aircraft is its ability to sustain aerobatic stresses from +5g to -2g. Its name spelled backwards, "airbatic", reflects this.

Jetstar aircrew dishing up free festive feast for homeless

About 2500 appreciative Kiwis will tuck into a free Christmas lunch, courtesy of your Sunday newspaper and airline Jetstar.

The airline and the Herald on Sunday have teamed up on a three-week campaign to help those less fortunate during the festive period.

Jetstar kicks things off today with a $25,000 donation towards the huge Christmas Day event hosted by the Auckland City Mission.

"This gesture will give New Zealand's biggest Christmas lunch a very welcome boost," Auckland City Missioner Diane Robertson said. "The money will go towards making an awful lot of people happy at what can be a very lonely time of year. It will pay for the food, hire of the hall, entertainment and a present for everyone."

Up to 500 volunteers will help dish up the meal at the Viaduct Events Centre.

Preparations for the event are mind-boggling. A small army of chefs will cook 240kg of ham and the same amount of chicken. On top of that, 240kg of potatoes must be peeled and an equal weight of kumara must be prepared, along with 120kg of beans and carrots.

There is also dessert on the menu.

Robertson said the event wasn't just for homeless people. In recent years, hard-up families have been attending because of rising unemployment.

"We also now have families coming along who otherwise might be trapped in an abusive or unpleasant environment at Christmas - as we host an alcohol-free event, they feel safe," she said.

Jetstar boss David Hall said a big part of the airline business was bringing people together.

"New Zealanders have really rallied behind Jetstar and we are happy to give something back to the community," Hall said.


Source:  http://www.nzherald.co.nz

Mistaken jet fuel delivery shuts two gasoline stations in Monmouth County, New Jersey

Police shut down two Monmouth County gasoline stations on Friday that each received deliveries of jet fuel.

At least seven customers of the Delta station on Route 36 in Keyport reported damage to their vehicles, police Chief George Casaletto said.

Police in Manasquan, where the Route 71 Lukoil station also received the jet fuel, said Saturday afternoon they hadn’t received any damage reports yet.

Casaletto said there are no criminal charges for what he called “a mistaken delivery.” The gasoline station will be responsible for any damage, he said.

Casaletto wasn’t exactly sure what adding jet fuel to a car’s gas tank can do, though he could say there is no concern of a fire. People calling to report damage after receiving gasoline from the station said their vehicles had become disabled or just broke down, he said. Nothing like this has happened in his 30 years with the department, he said.

Keyport police received notice of the jet fuel situation from Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office at 6:52 p.m. Friday and officers immediately responded to the station to stop operations. It wasn’t clear how long the station supplied the jet fuel, how many gallons of the jet fuel were dispensed or from what fuel tank it came from.

The gas station will remain closed until Monday, Casaletto said.

“They have to pump out the tanks and jet fuel,” he said.

He wasn’t sure what company delivered the jet fuel or if it was the same company that delivered jet fuel to the Lukoil in Manasquan.

Manasquan police Sgt. Michael Stoia said the department also learned of the incident from the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office at 6:42 p.m. and shut down the Lukoil station immediately afterward. Stoia said he isn’t sure if any customers received jet fuel in their tanks before the station closed, but the department has not received any reports from customers.

Monmouth County’s hazardous materials team, Keyport Fire Department and the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, Weights and Measurements office and Service of Emergency Response Team were all notified of the incident, Casaletto said.

The state Service of Emergency Response Team is investigating the matter, he said.

Anyone who received a fuel delivery from the Delta station who is having car trouble should contact Keyport Police Department at 732-264-0706. Callers should keep their receipts and report the time they received the fuel.


Source:   http://www.app.com

Court impounds second ‘Windjet’ Airbus in Malta

Mr. Justice Ray Pace, presiding over the First Hall of the Civil Courts, threw out two judicial applications filed by two separate Irish-based aircraft leasing companies from taking repossession of their airplanes, currently impounded in Malta by order of Sicilian airport operator 'Catania Aeroporto S.p.A'.

The two Airbus A320-211 are the remaining airplanes sporting Windjet tails, which have been sitting at Malta International Airport since the airline went bankrupt last August. Another five aircraft, which were held at Lufthansa Technik hangars at Gudja, which were also leased to Windjet by third parties have since left Malta, after their owners deposited financial guarantees with the Maltese Courts.

Lawyer Nikolai Vella Falzon who appeared for the legal owners of the planes  -  Eden-Irish Aircraft Leasing and ALS Ireish Leasing - called on the Maltese Courts to release the airplanes, and countered the Sicilian airport's warrant of seizure with the threat of holding it responsible for mounting financial damages being incurred.

In obtaining the warrant of seizure, Catania Aeroporti S.p.A invoked the 1995 Capetown Convention, to qualify its right to holding a 'security interest' over the aircraft for the monies owed to it by the defunct airline.  Malta ratified the Convention in 2011.

The Irish company argued that it had just landed its aircraft in Malta as part of a  repossession process due to Windjet's default on its payment obligations, when the Sicilian airport obtained the seizure order.

Eden-Irish Aircraft Leasing insisted that it has nothing to do with the debts owed by Windjet to Catania Aeroporti S.p.A, and there was no way it could have ever known about its client's debts with third parties.

The company pointed out that the Sicilian airport operator had managed to obtain a provisional warrant of seizure against Windjet, on condition that it notifies other parties within an established time-frame.

According to Eden-Irish and ALS Irish Leasing, the airport did not notify anybody and proceeded with implementing the seizure, impounding its Airbus A320 in Malta over a claim for €2.3 million in pending debts for airport services costs.

Lawyer Joseph J. Vella, appearing for Catania Aeroporti S.p.A quoted a Canadian Supreme Court judgement which ruled that "it is difficult to endorse the indignation of the legal titleholders with respect to detention of their aircraft until payment is made for debts due to the service providers. They are sophisticated corporate players well versed in the industry in which they have chosen to invest. The detention remedies do not affect their ultimate title.

Investors who have done their due diligence will recognise that detention remedies have deep roots in the transport business."

When quoting the judgment, Catania Aeroporti S.p.A reminded the Court that in the wake of Malta's developing Aviation Register, many eyes were set on the Maltese Courts handling of such a case.

In passing judgment, Mr. Justice Raymond Pace ruled that there was no reason for the Courts to lift the warrant of seizure or to forfeit Catania Aeroporti S.p.A's interest in protecting its legal and financial interests. It ruled that the warrant of seizure remains in place.

Lawsuit

Last month, Windjet filed a suit for €162.5 million in damages from Alitalia, following the collapse of talks to save the bankrupt Sicilian airline this summer.

The suit was filed just days after Italian tax police (Guardia di Finanza) searched Alitalia and Windjet offices in a probe into the failed talks between the two.

Catania prosecutors have meanwhile opened an investigation against "person or persons unknown" and no one has so far been formally placed under investigation.

In October, Italy's civil aviation agency said it had received no requests by anyone wanting to resume Windjet's business despite reports that it was being given a new life,

The Italian National Civil Aviation Authority said it had not received any request for a new licence that would permit Windjet to take flight, and if such a request was received, the agency said it would be bound by European regulations to carefully confirm the new company's "financial, technical and operational sustainability".

However, Windjet owner Nino Santos told newspaper La Sicilia that he had a provisional licence to resurrect the low-cost carrier under a new name, Aero Sicilian, while retaining the W brand on its planes.

Flights were provisionally scheduled to resume this week, but so far the airline remained with its wings clipped.

 Windjet declared bankruptcy in August, stranding thousands of passengers and leaving many more holding worthless tickets.

A Sicilian politician recently warned that although a new carrier might save Windjet jobs, it should not expect financial support from the government.

"The Windjet story must be resolved, but not by asking Sicilians to put their hands in their pockets," warned Simona Vicari, provincial coordinator for former premier Silvio Berlusconi's party in Palermo.

Angry Windjet workers have been fighting for their jobs since the carrier collapsed under the weight of debt reaching about €140 million.


Source:  http://www.maltatoday.com.mt

Baltic Aviation Academy: The Romance of Pilot's Profession ... Take-offs and Landings

 Published on Nov 30, 2012 

The view of 7 take-offs and landings in various airports and conditions was filmed in Boeing 737 full flight simulator at Baltic Aviation Academy. Pranas at the controls.

Aircraft crashed at Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport in Road Town, British Virgin Islands: Flight was reportedly coming from Anegada at the time of incident

 
An airline was forced to crash land one of its aircraft at the TB Lettsome airport due to difficulties experienced with its landing gear.
Photo Credit: Team of Reporters


BEEF ISLAND, VI - A local airline was forced to crash land one of its aircraft at the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport around 4 P.M. on December 6, 2012 due to difficulties experienced with its landing gear.

According to information received, the aircraft is a Cessna belonging to VI Airlink and one of its three landing gears failed during an attempt to land.

Sources revealed that the aircraft, which was coming in from Anegada at the time, was forced to circle for almost an hour before a decision was finally taken to make a crash landing after the lack of fuel became an issue.

Two persons, including the pilot, were reportedly on board the aircraft at the time of landing.

While the runway is said to be off limits currently, there have been no reports of any injuries. No information on the extent of the damages suffered by the aircraft has been received so far.

Details are sketchy at the moment and Virgin Islands News Online will continue to work on this story to bring you further information.


Story, photo, reaction/comments:    http://www.virginislandsnewsonline.com

VI Airlink:  http://viairlink.com

Los Angeles International Airport (KLAX) Through The Years

Fascinating, magnificent shots:  http://jonproctor.net/lax-through-the-years/

Hat tip to Rob "BizJets"...  this was my first time seeing this. Thanks for sharing! 

Epic Aircraft wants to expand in Bend, Oregon

 
Epic Air team building a fantastic airplane with its customers 
 http://epicaircraft.com

 
  Epic Aircraft in Bend is hoping to expand from producing parts for kit airplanes that buyers put together to manufacturing FAA-certified airplanes. 
The Associated Press 


A kit-plane manufacturer is eyeing a vacant manufacturing plant to expand its operations in Bend.
 

The City Council voted last week to transfer a lease of airport land from Cessna Aircraft to Epic Aircraft, and officials say the two companies are negotiating on a sale of the building. 

Epic wanted Cessna's vacant building to expand production beyond kit planes into aircraft certified by the Federal Aviation Administration, City Councilor Jim Clinton told The Bulletin. He noted that central Oregon is still home to a large group of workers skilled in aircraft assembly, many of whom have been getting by with part-time work since the loss of Cessna.

Epic Chief Executive Doug King said he couldn't discuss the deal because of a nondisclosure agreement.

"What I can say is that Epic Aircraft is growing, both in kit sales, as well as our certification effort," King wrote in an email. "We expect to hire 40 to 80 new staff in 2013. Our commitment to Bend continues."

FAA certification of Epic's plane would let the company's workers manufacture and assemble the plane model's parts, instead of selling them to buyers in packaged kits.

The city owns the Bend Municipal Airport land. Companies that buy property in the airport can own their building, but lease the land it sits on. The lease transfer has an effective date of Dec. 14, the date the city believes Epic and Cessna plan to close a deal on the building, Assistant City Manager John Skidmore said.

Cessna formerly employed nearly 500 people in Bend before leaving the city in 2009 saying it wanted to consolidate operations closer to its headquarters in Wichita, Kansas.


Story and photo:  http://www.oregonlive.com

Epic Aircraft:   http://epicaircraft.com

Qatar Airways wins recognition for safety training success

Qatar Airways has been recognized by Qatar International Safety Centre (QISC) and the Engineering Construction Industry Board (ECITB) for training 1,000 employees to date, in the internationally accredited Health & Safety Passport Programme developed by them.

The airline’s chief technical officer Kieran James Graham received the award from QISC business development manager Andy Reid and ECITB main board director Julian Gammage.
 

Graham said the efforts of the airline’s technical team were instrumental in this achievement.

“Such a large number of employees were trained in a short period of time without impacting the day to day running of the maintenance operations,” he said.


Qatar Airways’ participation in the Safety Passport Scheme in conjunction with QISC and ECITB will enhance the safety culture and health and safety education of the airline’s engineering staff, Graham explained.

ECITB international business development manager Jason Reily, director Antony Featherstone, QISC commercial manager Steven Hickey and Qatar Airways technical training manager (operations) Prasad Kulathilaka, senior manager (technical training) Abdulsalam al-Aamri, vice president (quality assurance and maintenance training) Mohamed Talaat Mahmoud, controller (technical training) Prarthana Shetty, technical training manager (standards and compliance) and Ajith Samarasena were also present.


QISC, the only approved ECITB training provider in Qatar, worked together with Qatar Airways to ensure that the Health and Safety program would suit and meet the needs of the airline’s employees.

The program, delivered in Arabic, Hindi, Nepali, Urdu, Tagalog, Malayalam and English, is a mix of behavioural safety and group interaction exercises.


The subjects covered include safety culture, hazards and risks, confined space, working at height, scaffolding, manual handling, excavation and trenching.


Source:   http://www.gulf-times.com

http://www.qatarairways.com

Cessna 421C Golden Eagle, N297DB: Accident occurred December 08, 2012 in Lake Worth, Florida

NTSB Identification: ERA13FA082  
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, December 08, 2012 in Lake Worth, FL
Probable Cause Approval Date: 01/13/2014
Aircraft: CESSNA 421C, registration: N297DB
Injuries: 1 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 twin-engine airplane was released to the pilot (who was also the airplane owner) after an annual inspection and repainting of the airplane had been completed. Before the accident flight, which was the second flight after maintenance, the pilot performed an engine run-up for several minutes before taxiing to the end of the departure runway for takeoff. According to witnesses, the airplane lifted off about halfway down the runway and initially climbed at a normal rate. Several witnesses then observed the airplane suddenly yaw to the left for 1 or 2 seconds, and the airplane's nose continued to pitch up before the airplane rolled left and descended vertically, nose-down, until it disappeared from view. One witness, a flight instructor, said, "The airplane just kept pitching up, and then it looked like a VMC [the airplane’s minimum controllable airspeed with only one engine operating] roll."

Examination of the left engine revealed signatures consistent with contact between the piston domes and the valves. The crankcase halves were separated and the No. 1 cylinder main bearing was rotated, and damaged and distorted severely, with bearing fragments located in the oil sump. Bearing material was also extruded from its steel backing. The No. 3 cylinder main bearing showed accelerated wear and wiping of the bearing material. Damage and signatures consistent with excessive heat due to oil starvation were observed on the No. 1 and No. 3 cylinder main bearing journals as well as the No. 1 and No. 2 cylinder connecting rod journals. The camshaft gear was also damaged, with five gear teeth sheared from the gear. A review of engine maintenance records revealed that no maintenance had been performed on the engine that would have required breaking of crankcase thru-bolt torques (such as cylinder removal) since its most recent overhaul, which was completed more than 3 years and 314 flight hours before the accident flight. The reason for the engine failure could not be determined because of the impact and postaccident fire damage.

Examination of the wreckage revealed that the landing gear was in the down and locked position, the left engine propeller blades were in the feathered position, and the left fuel selector valve was in the off position. Examination of the manufacturer's Pilot Operating Handbook revealed that if properly configured, with the landing gear retracted, the airplane would have been capable of a 500 foot-per-minute rate of climb with only one operating engine on the day of the accident. As found, the airplane was not configured in accordance with the after-takeoff checklist or the engine failure after takeoff checklist.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot's failure to follow established engine-out procedures and to maintain a proper airspeed after the total loss of engine power on one of the airplane’s two engines during the initial climb. Contributing to the accident was the total loss of engine power due to a loss of torque on the crankcase bolts for reasons that could not be determined because of impact- and fire-related damage to the engine.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On December 8, 2012, at 1334 eastern standard time, a Cessna 421C, N297DB, operated by a private individual, was destroyed when it collided with trees and terrain following a loss of control after takeoff from North Palm Beach County Airpark (LNA), Lantana, Florida. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight, which was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

The pilot took delivery of the airplane from a maintenance facility that had just completed an annual inspection and repainting of the airplane. According to the owner of the facility, who was a certificated pilot and an airframe and powerplant mechanic, the pilot completed the preflight inspection and the airplane was towed outside. The pilot started the airplane, but then shutdown to resolve an alternator charging light. Afterwards, the pilot stated that he planned to fly to Okeechobee, Florida, complete a few landings, and then continue to Miami.

According to the mechanic, the pilot performed a ground run of the airplane for several minutes before taxiing to the approach end of Runway 3 for takeoff. The airplane lifted off about halfway down the runway and climbed at a "normal" rate. The mechanic then observed the airplane suddenly yaw to the left "for a second or two" and the airplane's nose continued to pitch up before rolling left and descending vertically, nose-down, until it disappeared from view.

Several witnesses provided similar accounts to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector and the local sheriff's department. One witness, a certificated flight instructor said, "The airplane just kept pitching up, and then it looked like a VMC roll."

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and sea, airplane multiengine land and instrument airplane. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on February 27, 2008. An examination of the pilot's logbook revealed that he had logged 1,217 total hours of flight experience, of which 175 hours were in multiengine airplanes.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

According to FAA and maintenance records, the airplane was manufactured in 1980. Its most recent annual inspection was completed December 3, 2012, at 7,039.9 aircraft hours. The airplane had accrued 2.2 hours of flight time after the inspection.The No 2 (right) engine was overhauled at RAM Aircraft, Waco, Texas, on September 13, 2006. At the time of its most recent annual inspection, the engine had accrued 966.3 hours since major overhaul (SMOH).The No. 1 (left) engine was overhauled at RAM Aircraft, Waco, Texas, on October 16, 2009. At the time of its most recent annual inspection, the engine had accrued 312.6 hours SMOH.Oil samples were taken from each engine at the most recent annual inspection, and sample testing was completed at Aviation Oil Analysis, Phoenix, Arizona, on October 29, 2012. According to the report, for metals and contaminants content, "All values appear normal." The owner of the maintenance facility where the annual inspection was completed held FAA commercial pilot, flight instructor, and airframe and powerplant certificates. In an interview, he said he performed a test flight with the accident pilot at the completion of the annual inspection. Prior to takeoff on the test flight, the propeller rpm was matched on both engines on the ground, but after takeoff the left engine showed 100 rpm above maximum when the right engine was at maximum.

Once the rpm was matched manually by the pilot, the fuel flow on the left engine was about 1.5 to 2.0 gallons per hour below that of the right engine. The fuel flow rate on the left engine was also below that prescribed in the engine maintenance guidance. (SID 97-3).

The airplane was flown for 1.2 hours, and during the flight cabin pressurization, prop synchronization, flight controls, and the autopilot were tested. About mid-flight, the left alternator segment light illuminated, and the ampmeter/voltmeter showed a drop in voltage. About 5 minutes later, the light extinguished, and the ampmeter/voltmeter showed normal voltage for the remainder of the flight.

After landing, the airplane was shut down, and the accident pilot was told that the propeller rpm and the fuel flow needed adjustment on the left engine only. There were also some cosmetic corrections that needed to be made.

After the corrections were made and prior to delivery of the airplane to the pilot, a complete run-up was performed, and the maintenance records were reviewed to confirm all the work that was done during the annual inspection.

The airplane was equipped with two hydraulic pumps, and therefore the hydraulic system would remain pressurized with only one engine operating.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

At 1332, the weather reported at Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), 5 miles north of LNA included a scattered cloud layer at 2,600 feet and a broken ceiling at 3,500 feet. The wind was from 110 degrees at 11 knots. The temperature was 27 degrees C, the dew point was 20 degrees C, and the altimeter setting was 29.97 inches of mercury.

WRECKAGE INFORMATION

The wreckage was examined at the accident site on December 9, 2012, and all major components were accounted for at the scene. The airplane was consumed by postimpact fire back to the aft pressure bulkhead. The wing spars were intact, and control cable continuity was established from the cockpit to the flight control surfaces. Examination of the main landing gear actuators revealed positions consistent with a down-and-locked configuration.

Both engines were significantly damaged by postcrash fire. All three propeller blades of the left engine were attached at the hub, and in the "feathered" position. The right engine's propeller blades were destroyed by impact and fire. One blade was separated and not recovered. The remaining blades showed positions consistent with low pitch.Examination of the right fuel selector valve revealed that it was in the "main" position. Examination of the left fuel selector valve revealed that it was in the "off" position.

Preliminary external and borescope examinations of both engines revealed continuity throughout and no mechanical anomalies. The engines were retained for detailed examination at a later date.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

The Office of the District Medical Examiner, West Palm Beach, Florida, performed the autopsy on the pilot. The autopsy revealed the pilot died from blunt force and thermal injuries. The FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed forensic toxicology on specimens from the pilot. Thirty percent (30%) carbon monoxide, and 3.86 (ug/ml) cyanide were detected in the specimens tested. These levels are consistent with exposure to products of combustion.

TESTS AND RESEARCH

The engines were examined in Mobile, Alabama from February 19 to 22, 2013 under the supervision of an FAA inspector. Each was a 520 cubic-inch, six-cylinder, horizontally-opposed, air-cooled, fuel-injected, turbo-charged, geared engine that produced 375 horsepower at 3,350 rpm.Examination of the No. 2 (right) engine revealed no preimpact mechanical anomalies.Examination of the No. 1 (left) engine revealed signatures consistent with contact made between the piston domes and the valves. The crankcase halves were separated and the No. 1 cylinder main bearing was "rotated," and "damaged and distorted severely," with bearing fragments located in the oil sump. Bearing material was extruded from its steel backing. The No. 3 main bearing displayed signatures consistent with accelerated wear and "wiping" of the Babbitt material.Damage and signatures consistent with excessive heat due to oil starvation were displayed on the No. 1 and No. 3 main bearing journals, as well as the No. 1 and No. 2 connecting rod journals. The camshaft gear was damaged, with five gear teeth found sheared from the gear.Examination of maintenance records revealed that the manufacturer's main bearings and rod bearings were installed in the engine during overhaul. Further examination of the records revealed that no maintenance was performed on the engine that would have required breaking of crankcase thru-bolt torques (such as cylinder removal) since overhaulThe item 98 write-up on the most recent annual inspection invoice stated, "Investigate no oil pressure on left engine; reprime left oil pump, filter, standpipe."When interviewed, the proprietors at the maintenance facility said that the airplane's engines sat idle for an extended period (weeks) due to the annual inspection and the painting of the airplane. Because engine oil has a tendency to "settle" in the sump, and cause the oil pump to lose its prime, the engines were motored. When motored, the left engine showed no oil pressure. The oil system was then primed, and oil pressure was restored prior to engine start.

Examination of maintenance records revealed that as of the most recent inspection, all Airworthiness Directives were complied with and up to date.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The manufacturer's normal procedure for "TAKEOFF:1. Power – SET FOR TAKEOFF2. Mixtures – CHECK fuel flows in the white arc3. Engine Instruments – CHECK4. Air Minimum Control Speed – 80 KIAS5. Takeoff and climb to 50 feet – 100 KIAS at 7450 pounds"The manufacturer's normal procedure for "AFTER TAKEOFF:1. Landing Gear – RETRACT2. Best Angle-of-Climb Speed – 86 KIAS at sea level to 92 KIAS at 20,000 feet with obstacle3. Best Rate-of-Climb Speed With Wing Flaps Up – 111 KIAS at sea level and 7450 pounds"The manufacturer's emergency procedure for "ENGINE FAILURE DURING TAKEOFF (Speed below 100 KIAS or Gear Down):1. Throttles – CLOSE IMMEDIATELY2. Brake or Land and Brake – AS REQUIRED"The manufacturer's emergency procedure for "ENGINE FAILURE AFTER TAKEOFF (Speed above 100 KIAS with Gear Up or In Transit):1. Mixtures – FULL RICH2. Propellers – FULL FORWARD3. Throttles – FULL FORWARD4. Landing Gear – CHECK UP5. Inoperative Engine:a. Throttle – CLOSEb. Mixture – IDLE CUT-OFFc. Propeller – Feather6. Establish Bank – 5 [degrees] toward operative engine7. Climb to Clear 50-Foot Obstacle – 100 KIAS8. Climb at One Engine Inoperative Best Rate-of-Climb Speed – 111 KIAS9. Trim Tabs – ADJUST 5 [degrees] toward operative engine…10. Inoperative Engine – SECURE as follows:a. Fuel Selector – OFF (Feel for Detent)"A WARNING at the end of the procedure stated: "The propeller on the inoperative engine must be feathered, landing gear retracted and wing flaps up or continued flight may be impossible."Using weather conditions that were current at the time of the accident, interpolation of the airplane manufacturer's "RATE-OF-CLIMB – ONE ENGINE INOPERATIVE" chart revealed that with the landing gear retracted, and the propeller on the inoperative engine feathered, the airplane was capable of an approximate climb rate of 400 feet per minute. With the landing gear down and locked, as found, the airplane was capable of an approximate climb rate of 50 feet per minute.The FAA Airplane Flying Handbook defined VMC as: "Minimum control speed. The minimum flight speed at which the airplane is controllable with a bank of not more than 5 [degrees] into the operating engine when one engine suddenly becomes inoperative and the remaining engine is operating at takeoff power… At low airspeed and high-power conditions, the downward moving propeller blade of each engine develops more thrust than the upward moving blade…When the right engine is operative and the left engine is inoperative, the turning force is greater… In other words, directional control is more difficult when the left engine (the critical engine) is suddenly made inoperative."


NTSB Identification: ERA13FA082 
 14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, December 08, 2012 in Lake Worth, FL
Aircraft: CESSNA 421C, registration: N297DB
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 December 8, 2012, at 1334 eastern standard time, a Cessna 421C, N297DB, was destroyed when it collided with trees and terrain following a loss of control after takeoff from North Palm Beach County Airpark (LNA), Lantana, Florida. The certificated commercial pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight, which was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

The pilot took delivery of the airplane from a maintenance facility that had just completed an annual inspection and repainting of the airplane. According to the owner of the facility, a certificated pilot and an airframe and powerplant mechanic, the pilot completed the preflight inspection and the airplane was towed outside. The pilot started the airplane, but then shutdown to resolve an alternator charging light. Afterwards, the pilot stated that he planned to fly to Okeechobee, Florida, complete a few landings, and then continue to Miami.

According to the mechanic, the pilot performed a ground run of the airplane for several minutes before taxiing to the approach end of Runway 3 for takeoff. The airplane lifted off about halfway down the runway and climbed at a “normal” rate. The mechanic then observed the airplane suddenly yaw to the left “for a second or two” and the airplane’s nose continued to pitch up before rolling left and descending vertically, nose-down, until it disappeared from view.

Several witnesses provided similar accounts to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the local sheriff’s department. One witness, a certificated flight instructor said, “The airplane just kept pitching up, and then it looked like a VMC roll.”

The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single engine land and sea, multiengine land and instrument airplane. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on February 27, 2008. An examination of the pilot’s logbook revealed that he had logged 1,217 total hours of flight experience, of which 175 hours were in multiengine airplanes.

According to FAA records, the airplane was manufactured in 1980. Its most recent annual inspection was completed December 3, 2012, at 7,039.9 aircraft hours. The airplane had accrued 2.2 hours of flight time after the inspection.

The wreckage was examined at the accident site on December 9, 2012, and all major components were accounted for at the scene. The airplane was consumed by post-impact fire back to the aft pressure bulkhead. The wing spars were intact, and control cable continuity was established from the cockpit to the flight control surfaces. Examination of the main landing gear actuators revealed positions consistent with a down-and-locked configuration.

Both engines were significantly damaged by post-crash fire. All three propeller blades of the left engine were attached at the hub, and in the “feathered” position. The right engine’s propeller blades were destroyed by impact and fire. One blade was separated and not recovered. The remaining blade hubs showed positions consistent with low pitch.

Preliminary external and borescope examinations of both engines revealed continuity throughout and no mechanical anomalies. The engines were retained for detailed examination at a later date.


==================

  On Saturday, at 1:34 pm, a Cessna 421 crashed inside John Prince Park.  The pilot has been identified as Timothy Johnson, Jr., 33, of Miami. He was pronounced dead on scene.

The pilot had taken off from Lantana Airport to fly to Tamiami Airport in Miami-Dade.  The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said witnesses saw the plane at an awkward angle after takeoff, then it banked and disappeared nose down into the ground, where it crashed and burned.  The NTSB is now trying to determine what caused the crash.

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 297DB        Make/Model: C421      Description: 421, Golden Eagle, Executive Commuter
  Date: 12/08/2012     Time: 1840

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

LOCATION
  City: WEST PALM BEACH   State: FL   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT CRASHED SHORTLY AFTER DEPARTURE, THE 1 PERSON ON BOARD WAS FATALLY 
  INJURED, 1 MILE FROM WEST PALM BEACH, FL

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: Take-off      Operation: OTHER


  FAA FSDO: SOUTH FLORIDA, FL  (SO19)             Entry date: 12/10/2012 
 

 http://registry.faa.gov/N297DB

LAKE WORTH, Fla. (WSVN) -- A South Florida pilot endured a fatal flight when his plane went down in flames at a park packed with people. 

 "It was loud," said Robert Ginebra. "It was a loud boom." Ginebra was fishing in a small pond in John Prince Park in Lake Worth when he heard a strange sound in the sky. "I hear a weird noise in the sky from the plane," said Ginebra. "I take a look, and I see the plane and it looked like they were struggling a little bit. The left engine went out and it was kind of walking in the air."

Officials said the small Cessna had just taken off from a nearby airport when the engines failed. The pilot, who was alone on the plane, did not survive.

Witnesses said the plane came down fast. "The left propellor stopped spinning," said Ginebra. "The right propellor was engaged and kept spinning and it kind of made the plane go straight up in the air and then just straight nose-dived into a complete fireball."

Andrew Thompson and his son saw smoke from the highway so they went to see it for themselves. "I thought it was just a building that caught on fire or something," said Andrew Thompson. "All of a sudden, it was too black of a smoke for it to be something."

It was a sad day in a cozy park. The loss of a life left witnesses reflecting. "That's a death over there and it's really sad," said Andrew Thompson. "I can't imagine what he was going through in the last moments before it hit."

Police don't have a lot of detail on the accident. They said it was a Cessna 421 and they believe it lost power shortly after takeoff.

Story and video:  http://www.wsvn.com


 A Cessna 421 that had just left the Lantana airport slammed into a stand of trees and exploded in front of startled picnickers at John Prince Park, west of Lake Worth, on Saturday afternoon, killing the sole person aboard, according to authorities and witnesses.

Authorities Saturday afternoon had not yet identified the pilot. Palm Beach County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Teri Barbera said the National Transportation Safety Board was expected to send an investigator Sunday.

An aviation source identified the plane as a 1980 Cessna 421C sold in September 2011 to SDSEF Leasing of Miami Lakes.

The plane crashed around 1:30 p.m. on the south shore of Square Lake, a small arm of Lake Osborne in the middle of the park, which sits between Palm Beach State Colleage and the Lantana airport.

Maria Rocha of Greenacres was with her family at a pavilion at John Prince Park and saw the plane heading from northwest to southeast, almost aiming back toward the airport, with its wings wobbling.

She said it made an arc following the shore of Square Lake until it was almost traveling due east, then angled down and into the palm trees on the lake’s southern shore.

“Immediately, it just hit the ground and burst into flames, a black cloud,” Rocha said.

Rocha’s father, Salvadore Rocha, said he and his son were not looking in the same direction but heard the explosion and turned around. He said people were running up to the plane, but there were no signs anyone was alive.

He also said some type of official, perhaps a ranger or sheriff’s deputy, must have been close because the official was on the scene within a minute. Rescuers arrived within 10 minutes. As firefighters sprayed water on the plane, flames would shoot up from the burning airplane fuel.

Ruben Lopez was with two friends playing tunes at the pavilion in John Prince Park on the north side of the lake when they heard a plane that sounded louder than the aircraft normally do in the park.

Then, “an explosion. Bang! By the time we turned around, it was already in flames,” Lopez said.

More than a half hour after the crash, dozens of Palm Beach County sheriff’s cars and Palm Beach County Fire Rescue vehicles surrounded the tight, charred circle of ground bearing a pile of small pieces of metal.

Of the plane itself, almost nothing was recognizable. A small yellow flame flicked one one of the pieces, And smoke still steamed from one of the burning palm trees.

Story, photos, reaction/comments:  http://www.palmbeachpost.com
 
A Cessna that took off from Palm Beach County Park Airport in Lantana crashed this afternoon in John Prince Park in Lake Worth, killing the pilot, according to county sheriff and fire-rescue officials. 

The pilot’s name was not available. The plane clipped several trees and burst into flames on the shore of Lake Osborne.

Maria Rocha of Greenacres was with her family at a pavillion at John Prince Park and saw the plane heading from northwest to southeast in the direction of airport, its wings wobbling. She said it made an arc along the shore of the lake until it was almost due east then angled down and slammed into a stand of palm trees right at the lake shore.

“Immediately, it just hit the ground and burst into flames, a black cloud,” Rocha said.

Rocha’s father, Savadore Rocha, said he and his son were not looking in the same direction but heard the explosion and turned around. He said people were running up to the plane, but there were no signs anyone was alive.

He also said some type of official, perhaps a ranger or sheriff’s deputy, must have been close because the official was on the scene within a minute. Rescuers arrived within 10 minutes. As firefighters sprayed water on the plane, flames would shoot up.

Susan Lopez was with two friends playing tunes at the Pavilion in John Prince Park on the north side of the lake when they heard a plane that sounded louder than the aircraft normally do in the park adjacent to the Lantana airport.

Then, “an explosion. Bang! By the time we turned around, it was already in flames,” Lopez said. The plane ended up on the shore of the lake, south of 6th Avenue South, across the street from JFK Medical Center.

Even after the crash, smoke still wafted from one of the palm trees scarred in the fire. But of the plane itself, there is almost nothing recognizable. Within a pile of jumbled pieces of metal, a small yellow flame flickered on one of the pieces. It struck at least four trees.

Dozens of Palm Beach County sheriff’s cars, Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue vehicles and bystanders are on the scene at the southeast corner of 6th Avenue South and Congress Avenue.

Brooksville-Tampa Regional Airport customs facility pitched as plus for Hernando

By Barbara Behrendt, Tampa Bay Times

In Print: Sunday, December 9, 2012

BROOKSVILLE — When Gov. Rick Scott visited Brooksville-Tampa Regional Airport late last month to celebrate a business success, Gary Schraut took the opportunity to hand him something that Schraut considers important to the airport's future.

Schraut, a local Realtor and chairman of the county's Aviation Authority, gave Scott a letter formally seeking the governor's support for the airport to add a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility.

It is the first step in what could be a lengthy process.

If Scott lends his support, the Aviation Authority will begin to analyze whether the cost of a customs office and inspector will pay for itself in benefits for current and future businesses and how long that might take.

Building an office for a customs inspector could cost $240,000 to $300,000, Schraut said. But the bigger concern is the ongoing operational cost. In the first year, the inspector cost would be approximately $141,000. That is what the authority would have to weigh.

"Operating costs are forever,'' he said.

The two air ambulance companies that are based at the airport have already lent their support to the effort. Since August 2007, Jet ICU has cleared customs 488 times in Tampa or in South Florida.

"We feel we can do 90 percent of these clears into the Hernando County airport,'' Jet ICU president and chief executive officer Michael Honeycutt wrote in a letter of support included in the packet to the governor.

Schraut explained that Jet ICU transports patients headed for Florida hospitals from the Caribbean and Central and South America. But since it must land at an airport with customs, those patients end up in hospitals outside Hernando County.

If the air ambulances could land at Brooksville, the patients could be treated at local hospitals, and it would make the operation of the air ambulances more efficient, Schraut said.

Honeycutt noted in his letter that his good relationship with Hospital Corporation of America has allowed his company to bring more patients to Florida. If Hernando could snag a customs office, he said, "it would not only benefit us, but the members of HCA and their patients as well.''

Oak Hill Hospital in Spring Hill is owned by HCA.

Honeycutt also said he thought that the benefit of having the customs inspector would help the county's economy because having an international option could be a plus for other local businesses.

Bart Gray, president of Global Jet Care, also wrote a letter in support of a customs office.

Just this year, his company has used Tampa International Airport for 80 outbound and 60 inbound clearances. The company operates two Learjet aircraft and plans to add a third and expand international operations. Gray noted that should increase the number of clearances by 50 percent next year.

In his letter to Scott, Schraut notes that adding customs would benefit a larger scope of businesses as well.

"The airport with its continuing marketing program is having success in generating interest from the international business aviation community,'' Schraut wrote. "A number of the companies that have shown an interest in opening a facility have informed us a customs facility at the airport would greatly enhance the ability of their organization to do business.''

One business that would find the Hernando airport a more attractive option with a customs operation would be a charter plane service traveling to and from the Caribbean and Central America, Schraut noted.

"I think we have a really great opportunity here,'' he said.

Another possible plus down the road could be bringing federal prisoners back to the Hernando County Detention Center, said county Commissioner Diane Rowden. She has been working with Honeycutt for several months to get the customs office idea rolling by serving as a liaison with the office of U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson.

The county could generate additional revenue if the jail could again house federal prisoners through U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Rowden said.

The jail is across the street from the airport, and there is hope that the facility will be more attractive to ICE after completion of a freestanding medical facility early next year, Rowden said.

"There are just a lot of possibilities once you have customs in there … a lot of moneymaking possibilities,'' she said.

Michael McHugh, the county's business development manager agreed. While no local officials expect commercial passenger flights out of the airport, he said another industry — cargo shipping — could get a boost from customs.

"There are multiple options,'' McHugh said. "And you don't get there until you start here,'' seeking the support of the governor.

Schraut said the customs discussion is just the next step in improving what the airport has to offer.

A customs office was not a possibility prior to the opening of the new air traffic control tower at the airport in October.

"These are the steps we had to take,'' Schraut said. "It's a procession of steps to accomplish what we wanted, to create more jobs at the airport.''

Article:   http://www.tampabay.com

Rose Hynes confident that Shannon Airport plan will fly

By Mike Dwane
Published on Saturday 8 December 2012 16:00


Fears that the new Shannon Airport company will start life in a weak cash position and be starved of revenue after separation from the DAA have been dismissed this week by Rose Hynes, chair of the aviation business development task force.

Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar also rejected financial worries raised by trade unions and Fianna Fail’s Timmy Dooley, saying the government’s plans had been robustly tested by KPMG. He expressed confidence that Shannon would achieve the modest passenger traffic growth and attract the aviation industry necessary for the plan to succeed and for the airport to prosper.

The final report of the Hynes task force, published this week, states that the “new entity has already put in place adequate working capital facilities, and transition plans for both the Shannon Airport Authority and the DAA have been completed”.

Ms Hynes - who is being mooted this week as a potential chair of a reconstituted Shannon Airport Authority board - expressed confidence that the airport would have the revenue stream to make the plan work.

“The revenue will come from the traditional aeronautical and non-aeronautical (shops, parking etc) activity of the airport as well as the rental income stream from the Shannon Free Zone and Shannon Development property,” she told the Leader.

“We would be starting out with sufficient positive funds for operating as well as with money for capital expenditure,” she said, while two banks had already agreed to extend loan facilities to the new company.

Rental income from the Free Zone alone is in the region of €14 million but the industrial estate could perform much better, according to Ms Hynes. She disagreed with criticism that the new airport company was taking on too many dilapidated Shannon Development properties which would require significant investment.

“Currently, there is only a 44% occupancy rate in the Shannon Free Zone and that is one of the things that will have to be immediately addressed. Until now there has been a policy not to reduce rent in the Free Zone and that can be looked at. On the state of the buildings, some of them were refurbished only five years ago and still haven’t been occupied,” she said.

The plan provides for the possible provision of new aircraft hangars by extending the airside into the Shannon Free Zone. This could attract new aircraft maintenance firms or allow existing operators to expand. The Department of Finance has already made approaches to the European Investment Bank in relation to the provision of hangars and aircraft parking facilities at Shannon. In time, this could see the supersized Boeing 787s visit Shannon regularly for maintenance.

On what many in the region regard as the unfair loss to the DAA of the highly profitable Aer Rianta International, Ms Hynes said the task force had to focus on what was realistic.

“We saw it from the earliest stage as unattainable and on that basis we said we would just have to move forward and get on with it rather than focusing energy on the unattainable,” she said.

She appealed to the 220-strong Shannon workforce - many of whom are to be balloted for industrial action as they demand guarantees that terms of employment will be honored by the new company - and to other dissenting voices to now row in behind the plans.

“In fact the terms and conditions of the workers in Shannon are there and provided for as far back as the (2004) State Airports Act and the only basis on which they can be transferred is that they keep those terms,” she said.

“It is an important and momentous day for Shannon and what we need now is for everybody to buy into the idea that there is a whole new era. In the shape of the International Aviation Services Centre, we can look forward to welcoming new business and jobs into the region. The airlines likewise would like to come up to the line but similarly were waiting for an end to the uncertainty around the airport. I understand some of the concerns the trade union people have but I hope that they will come round because we need everybody collaborating and working together so that we can turn things around sooner,” Ms Hynes said.

Minister Varadkar, meanwhile, acknowledged that while the strategy of separation was not without risk, it would be far riskier to do nothing in the context where the airport had lost over two million passengers inside five years.

“What we did not want to see was Shannon continuing to lose business and end up being a regional airport. That would be a disaster for the region,” he said.

Targets to bring total passenger traffic - currently at 1.6 million - up to 2.3 million by 2018 and 2.5 million by 2021 were “modest and achievable”, according to the minister.

“Quite frankly, if Shannon can’t achieve that number by 2021, then there is no future,” he added.

On Aer Rianta International, Minister Varadkar said it was never going to be the case that Shannon would have its €100 million debts wiped and hold on to the lucrative semistate company. Shannon’s historical debts, he said, would be paid off in the coming years by passengers at Cork and Dublin. Allowing Shannon retain ARI could jeopardize the other airports while ARI itself needed the DAA balance sheet to borrow against if it wanted to invest in overseas assets.

Fianna Fail’s Timmy Dooley said that the ARI trade-off amounted to a sell-out of the region and thundered: “it defies logic how Government Oireachtas representatives in the region can stand by and allow a Dublin-based minister to gift Dublin Airport such a valuable asset”.

But Minister Varadkar reminded him that it was the State Airports Act introduced by a Fianna Fail government in 2004 which established that ARI would remain a DAA company.

Story and photo:   http://www.limerickleader.ie

Piper PA-32, German registration, D-EUEU, and Robin Regent DR400, German registration D-EHJP: Accident occurred December 08, 2012 in Melbach, Germany

NTSB Identification: CEN13WA092A
 Nonscheduled 14 CFR Unknown
Accident occurred Saturday, December 08, 2012 in Melbach, Germany
Aircraft: PIPER PA-32, registration:
Injuries: 8 Fatal.

The foreign authority was the source of this information.


On December 8, 2012, about 1513 coordinated universal time, a Piper PA-32, German registration, D-EUEU, and a Robin Regent DR400, German registration D-EHJP, collided while on cross country flights near Melbach, Germany. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot and 4 passengers onboard the Piper and the pilot and 2 passengers onboard the Robin were fatally injured. The Piper originated from Stadtlohn-Vreden, Germany, and the Robin originated from Reichelsheim, Germany, at undetermined times.

The German investigators received reports that these two aircraft collided in midair near Melbach, Germany.

The investigation is under the jurisdiction and control of the German government. This report is for informational purposes only and contains only information released by or obtained from the German government or German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation. Further information pertaining to this accident may be obtained from:

German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation
Bundesstelle fuer Flugunfalluntersuchung (BFU)
Hermann-Blenk Strasse 16
38108 Braunschweig
Germany


NTSB Identification: CEN13WA092B
14 CFR Unknown
Accident occurred Saturday, December 08, 2012 in Melbach, Germany
Aircraft: Robin Regent, registration:
Injuries: 8 Fatal.

The foreign authority was the source of this information.


On December 8, 2012, about 1513 coordinated universal time, a Piper PA-32, German registration, D-EUEU, and a Robin Regent DR400, German registration D-EHJP, collided while on cross country flights near Melbach, Germany. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot and 4 passengers onboard the Piper and the pilot and 2 passengers onboard the Robin were fatally injured. The Piper originated from Stadtlohn-Vreden, Germany, and the Robin originated from Reichelsheim, Germany, at undetermined times.
 

The German investigators received reports that these two aircraft collided in midair near Melbach, Germany.

The investigation is under the jurisdiction and control of the German government. This report is for informational purposes only and contains only information released by or obtained from the German government or German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation. Further information pertaining to this accident may be obtained from:

German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation
Bundesstelle fuer Flugunfalluntersuchung (BFU)
Hermann-Blenk Strasse 16
38108 Braunschweig
Germany


  A forensic investigator walks near wreckage of aircraft in Woelfersheim in the German province of Hessen December 9, 2012. Eight people were killed on Saturday when two small planes collided midair around 30 kilometres north of the German city of Frankfurt.

Photo: http://www.trust.org
Read more: 

http://www.fr-online.de

http://www.bild.de

Translation to English:

Wölfersheim (Hesse) - Four adults and four children died when two small planes collide in Wölfersheim (Hessen) in the air. 

 The aircraft crashed on two adjacent fields from a distance of about 400 meters. "The debris field is huge," said police spokesman Jörg Reinemer to BILD.de.

"It's a horrible image that offers the emergency services," said the Chief Executive of the Wetterau, Joachim Arnold, at the crash site: The ruins are spread over several hundred meters in a field near the village of Melbach. A police helicopter illuminated the widely cordoned accident. A large contingent of police, firefighters and rescue workers were in use.

The smaller of the two aircraft was smashed to the ground. Some of the bodies had drilled through the force of the impact partially in the frozen ground. The forces searched in the freezing cold on the illuminated with spotlights fields for the dead.

"Several forces are trying at the moment to obtain more information on Zielfughafen and the identity of the victims," ​​the police spokesman said.

The cause of the crash is still unclear. In the accident against 16.15 clock just the sun had shone. "It was very clear vision," said Reinemer. The Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Investigation in Brunswick has been turned on. "Probably it will take days, until the results", said the spokesman.

Just a few kilometers from the crash site lies the airfield Reichelsheim, which is served primarily by business and leisure equipment. Whether the planes were on the way there or are started from there is not yet clear. Both aircraft had started in Germany.

On the airfield Reichelsheim also the rescue helicopter air rescue center Hesse is stationed. This was alarmed by the Leitfunkstelle Frankfurt, for the victims but all help came too late.

Only in March was near the southern Hesse Egelsbach airport (also in Hessen) crashed an airplane. Again, this is mainly served by smaller aircraft. Three men and two women had died.

In just the past six months, there occurred nearly a dozen fatal accidents involving small aircraft. In early August accident four occupants of a single-engine propeller plane, which was near Coburg in Bavaria plunged into a wooded area and then burst into flames.

A month later, during a flight at an airfield festival in Baden-Württemberg Backnang collapsed staffed with four people small plane crashed shortly after takeoff. The 67-year-old pilot died at the scene, a 15 year old female passenger on the way to hospital. A 30-year-old succumbed to his injuries several days later.

CT-33 Silver Star flight with Jet Aircraft Museum, Ontario, Canada

 


Published on November 24, 2012 

By Ken Mist

"Forward view of my flight in a CT-33 Silver Star jet trainer. Provided by my friends at the Jet Aircraft Museum."

 http://www.jetaircraftmuseum.ca

Theodore Francis Green State Airport (KPVD), Providence, Rhode Island: FAA reevaluates "environmental impact statement" for the airport improvement program



Published on December 6, 2012 

The FAA is taking a second look at its plans for TF Green Airport.  This morning they announced a reevaluation of the "Environmental Impact Statement" for the airport improvement program.

 http://www.airnav.com/airport/pvd

Flights grounded at Benghazi airport Friday after altercation between pilot and air-traffic controller

Benghazi, 8 December:

Air traffic was disrupted for several hours at Benghazi International airport yesterday following a bizarre dispute between the head of air traffic control and a Libyan Airways pilot.

Captain Hassan Zariba was preparing to take off for Tripoli when he was ordered to disembark to sign-off his flight plan in the presence of the manager.

Zariba refused on the grounds that he had already signed the flight-plan and the order did not conform to proper procedures. Quite why the manager, who has not been named, demanded the plan be signed a second time in his personal presence is not known.

“I have served as a captain since 1984 and this is the first time I ever encountered such a request”, Zariba said. “This was a humiliation and degrading to my status.” The captain added that, in his opinion, the official in question did not understand his job and was “alien to the field of administration”.

In retaliation, air traffic controller grounded all flights in and out of the airport, leading to disruption that continued for several hours.

The Libyan Airways flight eventually took off at around 15:00, having been scheduled for departure at 12:20, after the captain eventually relented, and regular service was able to resume thereafter.

Source:   http://www.libyaherald.com

VIDEO: Come Fly With Me (and Selfridge) During a Fighter Jet Air Refueling Mission

If you're a Top Gun fan, than you'll appreciate this video aboard a KC-135 Stratotanker Air Refueler as it gases up three fighter jets in mid-air.

Patch.com's Marina Cracchiolo was one of six members of the media to be invited on the Nov. 20 flight from Selfridge Air Base.

During the flight, the Stratotanker, which carries up to 30,000 pounds of jet fuel, refuled three A-10 fighter jets, also known as "Warthogs" at 19,000 feet in the air.  There are currently eight KC-135 planes at Selfridge Air Base, and have been used in missions ranging from aerial medical transport to cargo transporters. However, its primary mission since the 1960s has been to to refuel air force planes mid-air.

The KC-135 is flown by the 171st Air Refueling Squadron.

Story, video, reaction/comments:    http://clintontwp.patch.com