HIGHLAND — At 2:20 p.m.
Sunday residents along rural Baumann Road about four miles east of this
village heard a single engine plane slow down, and then cut its engine.
The
aircraft, which took off in Michigan bound for Arkansas, had simply run
out of fuel, said Highland Police Department Ptl. Rob Horner.
"We
got a call from the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) that a pilot
had run out of fuel and was about to land," Horner said. "The next call
we got was from a passerby who said there was a plane on the road."
The
impromptu landing went without a hitch, said Horner. A message went out
to the nearby Greenville Airport, who sent a driver with a five-gallon
can of aviation fuel that allowed the unidentified pilot to fire up his
craft's engine and take off again.
Baumann Road's intersection with St. Rose Road is near where the landing took place.
http://www.airnav.com/airport/KGRE
December 30, 2012
NasJet, FlightSafety in pilot training pact
ARAB NEWS
Monday 31 December 2012
Last Update 30 December 2012 9:12 pm
NasJet has signed a deal with the premier provider of aviation training, FlightSafety in Dubai, to provide NasJet pilots with the latest in state-of-the-art aviation training.
Headquartered in Riyadh, NasJet is the luxury private aviation carrier operated by NAS Holdings, with a large managed fleet size of 65 aircraft exceeding a retail value of $ 1.5 billion.
NasJet is the only operator in the Middle East offering a complete range of services including aircraft sales, completions, management, flight support, fractional and charter, and enjoys one of the few licenses to operate within the Kingdom.
Flying an elite group of clients to destinations across the globe on demand, NasJet currently employs over 300 aviation experts of which 120 are full-time pilots.
FlightSafety International is the world’s leading professional aviation training company and supplier of flight simulators, visual systems and displays to commercial, government and military organizations.
The company provides more than a million hours of training each year to pilots, technicians and other aviation professionals from 154 countries and independent territories.
FlightSafety operates the world’s largest fleet of advanced full flight simulators at Learning Centers and training locations around the world.
James Dailey, chief operating officer at NasJet, comments: “Our alignment with FlightSafety enables NasJet to train toward the highest levels of safety, at multiple locations throughout the world, ultimately affording us tremendous flexibility while instilling superior skill sets concerning safety in our pilots.”
David Davenport, senior vice president at FlightSafety International, states: “NasJet flight crews will receive the highest quality training available, tailored to their specific needs and operational requirements.”
Davenport added: ‘FlightSafety’s training programs meet or exceed regulatory requirements and are designed to enhance aviation safety by helping pilots to achieve the highest level of proficiency. NasJet will also appreciate and benefit from FlightSafety’s outstanding customer service and ongoing investment in the development of new programs and services.”
http://www.arabnews.com
Monday 31 December 2012
Last Update 30 December 2012 9:12 pm
NasJet has signed a deal with the premier provider of aviation training, FlightSafety in Dubai, to provide NasJet pilots with the latest in state-of-the-art aviation training.
Headquartered in Riyadh, NasJet is the luxury private aviation carrier operated by NAS Holdings, with a large managed fleet size of 65 aircraft exceeding a retail value of $ 1.5 billion.
NasJet is the only operator in the Middle East offering a complete range of services including aircraft sales, completions, management, flight support, fractional and charter, and enjoys one of the few licenses to operate within the Kingdom.
Flying an elite group of clients to destinations across the globe on demand, NasJet currently employs over 300 aviation experts of which 120 are full-time pilots.
FlightSafety International is the world’s leading professional aviation training company and supplier of flight simulators, visual systems and displays to commercial, government and military organizations.
The company provides more than a million hours of training each year to pilots, technicians and other aviation professionals from 154 countries and independent territories.
FlightSafety operates the world’s largest fleet of advanced full flight simulators at Learning Centers and training locations around the world.
James Dailey, chief operating officer at NasJet, comments: “Our alignment with FlightSafety enables NasJet to train toward the highest levels of safety, at multiple locations throughout the world, ultimately affording us tremendous flexibility while instilling superior skill sets concerning safety in our pilots.”
David Davenport, senior vice president at FlightSafety International, states: “NasJet flight crews will receive the highest quality training available, tailored to their specific needs and operational requirements.”
Davenport added: ‘FlightSafety’s training programs meet or exceed regulatory requirements and are designed to enhance aviation safety by helping pilots to achieve the highest level of proficiency. NasJet will also appreciate and benefit from FlightSafety’s outstanding customer service and ongoing investment in the development of new programs and services.”
http://www.arabnews.com
Beechcraft B100 King Air, N499SW: Accident occurred December 18, 2012 in Libby, Montana
Carl J. Douglas
NTSB Identification: WPR13FA073
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, December 18, 2012 in Libby, MT
Aircraft: BEECH B100, registration: N499SW
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 December 18, 2012, about 0002 mountain standard time (MST), a Beech B100, N499SW, collided with trees at Libby, Montana. Stinger Welding was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The noncertificated pilot and one passenger sustained fatal injuries; the airplane sustained substantial damage from impact forces. The cross-country personal flight departed Coolidge, Arizona, about 2025 MST on December 17th, with Libby as the planned destination. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the nearest official reporting station of Sandpoint, Idaho, 264 degrees at 46 miles, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that the pilot had been cleared for the GPS-A instrument approach procedure for the Libby Airport. The clearance had a crossing restriction of 10,700 feet at the PACCE intersection, which was the initial approach fix for the GPS-A approach. The pilot acknowledged that clearance at 2353. At 2359, the airplane target was about 7 miles south of the airport; the pilot reported the field in sight, and cancelled the IFR flight plan.
A police officer reported that he observed an airplane fly over the city of Libby, which was north of the airport; the airplane then turned toward the airport. The officer went to the airport to investigate, but observed no airplane. He noted that it was foggy in town, but the airport was clear. He also observed that the rotating beacon was illuminated, but not the pilot controlled runway lighting.
When the pilot did not appear at a company function at midday on December 18, they reported him overdue. The Prescott, Arizona, Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS) issued an alert notice (ALNOT) at 1102 MST; the wreckage was located at 1835.
The National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge (IIC) and investigators from the FAA and Honeywell examined the wreckage on site. A description of the debris field references debris from left and right of the centerline of the debris path. The debris was through trees on a slope that went downhill from left to right.
The first identified point of contact (FIPC) was a topped tree with branches on the ground below it and in the direction of the debris field. About 50 feet from the tree were composite shards, and a piece of the composite engine nacelle, which had a hole punched in it.
The next point of contact was a 4-foot tree stump with shiny splinters on the stump. The lower portion of the tree had been displaced about 30 feet in the direction of the debris field with the top folded back toward the stump. Underneath the tree trunk were the nose gear and a couple of control surfaces followed by wing pieces.
One engine with the propeller attached was about 50 feet from the stump, and on the right side of the debris path. Next on the left side of the debris path was the outboard half of one propeller blade; another propeller blade was about 10 feet further into the debris field.
Midway into the debris field were several trees with sheet metal wrapped around them. Near the midpoint of the debris field, a portion of the instrument panel had imbedded into a tree about 15 feet above the ground. The wiring bundle hung down the tree trunk to ground level. To the left of the instrument panel was one of the largest pieces of wreckage. This piece contained the left and right horizontal stabilizers, vertical stabilizer, and part of one wing with the landing gear strut attached. The rudder separated, but was a few feet left of this piece.
Next in the debris field was a 6- by 8-foot piece of twisted metal, which contained the throttle quadrant.
About 100 feet right of the debris path centerline and downhill from the throttle quadrant was a 10-foot section of the aft cabin. This section was connected by steel cables and wires to a 4- by 7-foot piece of twisted metal.
The furthest large piece of wreckage was the second engine; the propeller hub with two blades attached had separated.
--------------------------
--------------------------
Alan Lewis Gerstenecker/The Western News
“Our job is only to hold up the mirror — to tell and show the public what has happened.”
— Walter Cronkite
* * * * *
Last week was one of those weeks when a journalist will look back on and say, remember when?
Yes, we remember, but there are those instances we’d just as soon forget.
Somehow, all the years and millions of typewriter and keyboard keys depressed cannot erase the memories.
Sometimes, a tragedy like the one that took the lives of Stinger Welding CEO Carl J. Douglas and employee John Smith harkens back three-plus decades to a similar snowy evening when a heavy-wet snowstorm brought down a single-engine Cessna.
I was just weeks out of college, and not really prepared for what an Illinois State Trooper and I found in a corn-stubble field. The images are vivid still.
On that April night 33 years ago, inclement weather played a part in bringing down a small aircraft that took the lives of three people, one of whom was just a boy of 10 years.
And, while the investigation of the Douglas accident is yet to be completed, the result is the same: A small aircraft was lost in the blinding nighttime snowfall, coming down in a disaster.
I knew nothing of the boy in the Pittsburgh Steelers jacket who perished with his parents in that crash so many years ago. All I know is he and his parents died as they tried to reach family for an Easter weekend.
Douglas and Smith died the same way, trying to get to their Stinger family. And while I didn’t know the lad and his parents, I did come to know Carl Douglas as someone who fiercely defended his company as he worked to keep a corporation afloat in tough economic times without the aid of a federal highway bill that could have provided multi-million dollar contracts.
No, Carl Douglas didn’t like to hear from me when I made inquiries that ultimately affected his business and his workers.
Similarly, I got no pleasure from hearing him struggle to answer. Ultimately, Douglas stopped trying to answer.
Just as it was his job to defend the company he had built, it is my job to ask the questions.
Actually, I always thought one day, I’d get the opportunity to sit down with Carl and clear the air, explain to him it is my job to make the inquiries.
It wasn’t until his death that I learned Carl and I were just about the same age — he was a 1977 high school grad, and I was two years earlier.
Instead, I came to know him from others as our staff here at The Western News put the proverbial “Cronkite mirror” up to reflect on Carl Douglas and his final days and minutes.
In the end, Carl Douglas’ story was a biography and not an autobiography. ... Told to all of us by Libby Patrolman Darren Short, Swede Mountain resident Shannon Myslicki, Ron Denowh, the family members interviewed by our Publisher Matt Bunk and reporter Ryan Murray and even an executive at the Libby Stinger Welding operation who previously introduced himself to me only as “I’m Mr. No Comment.”
All of these people are hurting for a man who built a company and died too soon.
I have no doubt under Douglas’ leadership Stinger Welding would have succeeded, and we hope it does in his absence.
To hear his family members describe him, Carl Douglas was a loving husband and a great father, and I’m sure that’s the way he was reflected in the “Cronkite mirror” of his employees.
And like that lad in the Steelers’ jacket, it’s my guess Douglas hadn’t reached his potential either.
I just wish I had gotten the chance to know them better.
(Alan Lewis Gerstenecker is editor of The Western News. His column appears weekly.)
Article and Photo: http://www.thewesternnews.com/opinion
Stinger, creditor sued for payment: Steelmaker seeks $1.1 million balance
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 499SW Make/Model: BE10 Description: 100 KING AIR (U-21F UTE)
Date: 12/19/2012 Time: 0702
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Destroyed
LOCATION
City: LIBBY State: MT Country: US
DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE 2 PERSONS ON BOARD WERE
FATALLY INJURED, SUBJECT OF AN ALERT NOTICE, WRECKAGE LOCATED 3 MILES FROM
LIBBY, MT
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: HELENA, MT (NM05) Entry date: 12/20/2012
http://registry.faa.gov/N499SW
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N499SW
http://www.myaviation.net
http://flightaware.com/photos
http://www.libbymt.com/community/airport.htm
http://www.airnav.com/airport/S59
http://www.deckjoint.com/index.htm
VIDEO: "What really is going on at CARIBBEAN AIRLINES - have YOU ever heard of so many TECHNICAL problems?"
Published on Dec 23, 2012
"Its all well and good passing these technical problems off as 'normal'- well they are NOT!
- what is going on with their MAINTENANCE?"
Iris Riesen and Candy Chung fly high on private business jet success
Dynamic duo have excelled in male-dominated private-jet business as the industry has taken off in HK and the mainland over the past few years
Iris Riesen and Candy Chung know what it's like to fly high above the glass ceiling.
Both women are executives of private-jet aviation companies, an industry typically dominated by men. Riesen is managing director at Jet Aviation Hong Kong and Chung heads Global Aviation Asia in Hong Kong. Both have made a name in the industry piloting their companies as the business aviation market has taken off in the city and the mainland over the past few years.
Riesen was fascinated by the aviation industry as a young girl in Payerne, Switzerland, which is home to a military airfield. She was so into aviation that she recalls feeling uneasy unless there was a scent of the kerosene that powers jet engines in the air.
She joined Jet Aviation, a Swiss-based unit of America's General Dynamics, in 1995 after working in the flight dispatch department of Swissair, where she oversaw everything it takes to get an aircraft off the ground.
The only thing that would set her back occasionally was a debrief with an old-fashioned pilot. Back then, she said, the pilots would "give me that look of 'who do you think you are'". Her response? She just kept smiling. But for most of her time with Swissair (renamed Swiss International Air Lines in 2002) and then at Jet Aviation, she has felt recognised for her ability rather than being judged according to her gender. Still, Riesen feels she has had to work harder to prove that she knew her job as well as, if not better than, her colleagues knew theirs.
Relocating to Hong Kong to set up the local office for Jet Aviation in 2001, she found the city an open and easy place for a female executive, in contrast to an encounter she had in the United States. "I was attending a business jet conference in the US where 70 men were standing in a room. The moment I walked through the door, all of them stared at me as if I was in the wrong room."
When she arrived in Hong Kong, the private-jet market was just taking off and there was a lone operator, Metrojet, the aviation arm of Kadoorie Group, which had only one private jet.
A decade later, the number of private jets based in the city exceeds 60, and is expected to total 80 by the end of the year. Jet Aviation manages more than 10 private jets in Hong Kong. From 2008, the company expanded its maintenance operation to include the repair of airframes and engines.
The use of business jets in Hong Kong had "grown extremely fast over the past 10 years but it won't grow at that speed again", Riesen said. Besides potentially slower economic growth on the mainland, infrastructure constraints at Hong Kong's airport would hinder development, she added.
"Buying a private jet is quick but getting a parking space and maintenance service here is not that quick," Riesen said. Until the planned third runway was finished and the Hong Kong airport expanded by 2023, it would remain a headache, "and there are 20 more planes coming by year-end".
Candy Chung said it was her own curiosity that propelled her into business aviation. "Why on earth is it that the super-rich on the mainland can afford to buy fancy sports cars or a 100,000-yuan-a-head dinner but not a private jet? It really puzzled me about three years ago," she said. "Private jets are quite common in Europe. Some of my classmates at the boarding school in Britain would invite me for a retreat to Spain or France and travel on their own jets."
Three years ago, the concept of owning a private jet was still nascent on the mainland, crimped by regulatory restrictions and a lack of information about the aircraft.
"When I came to the mainland and asked the super-rich about owning a private jet, to my surprise, they all thought I was talking about Mars. I sensed that there was a huge market opportunity, so I started looking up information about private-jet acquisitions on the internet. However, there was very little information available on the web," Chung said.
She spent the following year on the road visiting air shows for business aviation across the globe, hoping to meet industry insiders who would tell her more. It was a sometimes discouraging endeavour. "I was mingling and building connections by making my way through a VIP gathering at Britain's Farnborough International Air Show. A private-jet manufacturing executive came up to me and asked about my background," she said.
"When he knew I had no aviation background but planned to sell private jets to the mainland, he said: 'It's a very professional industry for people like us who have been around for 20 years but not for a young lady like you.'"
Five air shows in Europe and the United States later, Chung has contacts that can advise on buying aircraft and knows lenders that specialise in private-jet financing and can introduce her to potential clients. In the past 18 months, she has closed 10 deals in mainland China, Singapore and Africa.
But still, Chung is conscious that her gender and age could be disadvantageous, so her marketing tactic has been to offer extra attention. "For example, when my client requests three aircraft to choose from, I will present eight or 10."
Chung said the mainland market for private jets was huge, particularly for pre-owned aircraft as buyers wanted immediate delivery - and a discount. She plans to focus on "Hong Kong-listed mainland enterprises" because it's easier to run a credit check on those companies.
Story and Photo: http://www.scmp.com
Iris Riesen and Candy Chung know what it's like to fly high above the glass ceiling.
Both women are executives of private-jet aviation companies, an industry typically dominated by men. Riesen is managing director at Jet Aviation Hong Kong and Chung heads Global Aviation Asia in Hong Kong. Both have made a name in the industry piloting their companies as the business aviation market has taken off in the city and the mainland over the past few years.
Riesen was fascinated by the aviation industry as a young girl in Payerne, Switzerland, which is home to a military airfield. She was so into aviation that she recalls feeling uneasy unless there was a scent of the kerosene that powers jet engines in the air.
She joined Jet Aviation, a Swiss-based unit of America's General Dynamics, in 1995 after working in the flight dispatch department of Swissair, where she oversaw everything it takes to get an aircraft off the ground.
The only thing that would set her back occasionally was a debrief with an old-fashioned pilot. Back then, she said, the pilots would "give me that look of 'who do you think you are'". Her response? She just kept smiling. But for most of her time with Swissair (renamed Swiss International Air Lines in 2002) and then at Jet Aviation, she has felt recognised for her ability rather than being judged according to her gender. Still, Riesen feels she has had to work harder to prove that she knew her job as well as, if not better than, her colleagues knew theirs.
Relocating to Hong Kong to set up the local office for Jet Aviation in 2001, she found the city an open and easy place for a female executive, in contrast to an encounter she had in the United States. "I was attending a business jet conference in the US where 70 men were standing in a room. The moment I walked through the door, all of them stared at me as if I was in the wrong room."
When she arrived in Hong Kong, the private-jet market was just taking off and there was a lone operator, Metrojet, the aviation arm of Kadoorie Group, which had only one private jet.
A decade later, the number of private jets based in the city exceeds 60, and is expected to total 80 by the end of the year. Jet Aviation manages more than 10 private jets in Hong Kong. From 2008, the company expanded its maintenance operation to include the repair of airframes and engines.
The use of business jets in Hong Kong had "grown extremely fast over the past 10 years but it won't grow at that speed again", Riesen said. Besides potentially slower economic growth on the mainland, infrastructure constraints at Hong Kong's airport would hinder development, she added.
"Buying a private jet is quick but getting a parking space and maintenance service here is not that quick," Riesen said. Until the planned third runway was finished and the Hong Kong airport expanded by 2023, it would remain a headache, "and there are 20 more planes coming by year-end".
Candy Chung said it was her own curiosity that propelled her into business aviation. "Why on earth is it that the super-rich on the mainland can afford to buy fancy sports cars or a 100,000-yuan-a-head dinner but not a private jet? It really puzzled me about three years ago," she said. "Private jets are quite common in Europe. Some of my classmates at the boarding school in Britain would invite me for a retreat to Spain or France and travel on their own jets."
Three years ago, the concept of owning a private jet was still nascent on the mainland, crimped by regulatory restrictions and a lack of information about the aircraft.
"When I came to the mainland and asked the super-rich about owning a private jet, to my surprise, they all thought I was talking about Mars. I sensed that there was a huge market opportunity, so I started looking up information about private-jet acquisitions on the internet. However, there was very little information available on the web," Chung said.
She spent the following year on the road visiting air shows for business aviation across the globe, hoping to meet industry insiders who would tell her more. It was a sometimes discouraging endeavour. "I was mingling and building connections by making my way through a VIP gathering at Britain's Farnborough International Air Show. A private-jet manufacturing executive came up to me and asked about my background," she said.
"When he knew I had no aviation background but planned to sell private jets to the mainland, he said: 'It's a very professional industry for people like us who have been around for 20 years but not for a young lady like you.'"
Five air shows in Europe and the United States later, Chung has contacts that can advise on buying aircraft and knows lenders that specialise in private-jet financing and can introduce her to potential clients. In the past 18 months, she has closed 10 deals in mainland China, Singapore and Africa.
But still, Chung is conscious that her gender and age could be disadvantageous, so her marketing tactic has been to offer extra attention. "For example, when my client requests three aircraft to choose from, I will present eight or 10."
Chung said the mainland market for private jets was huge, particularly for pre-owned aircraft as buyers wanted immediate delivery - and a discount. She plans to focus on "Hong Kong-listed mainland enterprises" because it's easier to run a credit check on those companies.
Story and Photo: http://www.scmp.com
Gadget Batteries Get New Scrutiny
By DANIEL MICHAELS And ANDY PASZTOR
The Wall Street Journal
Stricter international safety rules will kick in next year to tackle hazards from shipments of lithium batteries aboard planes, but pilot groups and power-cell makers are battling over whether there should be even tougher measures.
Each year, more than one billion rechargeable batteries—used in mobile phones, laptops, electric cars and other products—are produced globally, with a total value exceeding $9 billion, according to several industry estimates. The ubiquitous batteries normally are safe, but damaged or overheated cells can spontaneously ignite and create fierce fires—especially when thousands are jammed in cargo planes.
Debate is escalating over the safest ways to package, label and handle the potentially volatile shipments. In the U.S. alone, air-safety regulators say, lithium cells have been implicated in at least 24 combustion incidents on or around aircraft in the past three years, both in cargo and carry-on bags.
Lithium batteries are suspected of contributing to two fiery crashes of jumbo-jet freighters since 2010, including an Asiana Airlines Inc. Boeing Co. 747 that plunged into the Pacific Ocean in July of last year.
The accidents, which killed four pilots, helped persuade the air-safety arm of the United Nations, the International Civil Aviation Organization, to adopt stricter shipping standards that take effect Jan. 1, closing loopholes that have allowed some battery packages to avoid special precautions.
The final report is expected in coming weeks on the other accident, a United Parcel Service Inc. UPS 747 that went down in Dubai in 2010 after thick smoke obscured cockpit instruments an arm's reach from the pilots.
The report's findings, coupled with a recent call by U.S. crash investigators for improved fire-suppression systems on all cargo planes, are heightening pressure for additional action.
"Lithium batteries are becoming a big risk issue," said Alain Bassil, chief operating officer of Air France. The Air France-KLM SA unit recently decided to limit the number of batteries it carries in freighter aircraft and isolates them in compartments with enhanced firefighting equipment. On passenger planes, Air France is training cabin staff to douse smoldering personal electronics with water or juice because fire extinguishers are generally ineffective.
Pilot unions and independent safety experts want further protections, particularly because of the skyrocketing popularity of rechargeable electronics world-wide. They want strict controls on the number of batteries permitted in individual shipments, along with greater safeguards for damaged batteries and certain oversize versions that power vehicles.
Lithium-battery technology "is going to be part of our lives and transportation, so we need to step up and find a way to appropriately oversee it," said Bill Voss, president of the Flight Safety Foundation, a global safety advocacy group.
Battery suppliers and a powerful array of consumer-electronics manufacturers oppose tougher regulations, saying they are unnecessary. "What should be done is a lot more enforcement" of existing standards, said George Kerchner, executive director of the Rechargeable Battery Association, which represents companies that produce and use 70% of the world's lithium cells.
The association, which led an industry coalition that killed earlier U.S. proposals to unilaterally tighten shipping controls, continues to emphasize that investigators haven't officially cited batteries for causing either of the two recent crashes.
Despite resistance, many aviation officials see momentum for change. "It's a top priority and a very hot-button issue for industry leaders," said Guenther Matschnigg, the top safety official at the International Air Transport Association, the largest airline trade group.
People on both sides of the issue expressed concerns about substandard batteries, often sold on the Internet as replacements or that end up in low-quality products. Cargoes of such cells, which industry officials say are mostly produced in China and shipped globally from ports around East Asia, frequently carry insufficient or misleading labels to avoid scrutiny, regulators warn. Officials worry that some governments in the region lack resources or the political will to aggressively police battery shipments.
The potential danger of lithium batteries stems from the same chemistry that makes them so useful: the ability to store a huge amount of energy. If one overheats or something slams into it, combustion can begin and a single battery can ignite others. The internal reaction can take hours to become dangerous, which means an incident that goes unnoticed on the ground can spark a fire once a plane is airborne.
For now, advocates of tighter regulation can claim several victories. January's International Civil Aviation Organization rule change will close a loophole that permitted routine air transport of battery bundles weighing up to 22 pounds without any special protective packaging, warning labels or pilot alerts about the location of such shipments. Starting next year, any battery shipment containing more than two lithium-ion batteries will have to comply fully with those detailed ICAO hazardous-goods requirements.
ICAO and postal officials around the world last month agreed to begin cracking down on bulk shipments of batteries, as well as on portable devices containing them, that are sent through the mail.
Potential dangers of lithium batteries have been widely debated among aviation officials since 2006, when a UPS DC-8 cargo jet caught fire and was destroyed on landing in Philadelphia. The crew escaped.
After that fire, and again after the UPS crash in Dubai, U.S. regulators considered tightening rules for handling lithium batteries. The latest proposals withered under intense industry and congressional opposition, and federal regulators have no plans to resurrect them. Companies that make and use the batteries argued the compliance costs would far outweigh the benefits of combating what they described as a minimal risk.
Before new global rules take effect, UPS is taking steps, on its own, to minimize exposure to battery fires. The Atlanta-based shipping company is developing a new class of flame-retardant cargo containers and aerosol fire suppressants. "We're trying to give the crew more time" to get back on the ground, said Capt. John Ransom, the company's chief pilot for McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft.
"The UPS crash was a big shock to a lot of us," said Tim Clark, president of Dubai's Emirates Airline, which has put special fireproof bags in the cabins of its passenger jets in case portable electronic devices catch fire.
The cause of the 2010 UPS accident may never be determined because the inferno and the impact of the crash destroyed critical evidence. Yet many air-safety specialists are confident that bulk shipments of batteries on board aggravated the blaze.
"Whatever started the fire, lithium batteries significantly exacerbated the situation," said Capt. Mark Rogers, chairman of the dangerous-goods committee of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations.
Source: http://online.wsj.com
The Wall Street Journal
Stricter international safety rules will kick in next year to tackle hazards from shipments of lithium batteries aboard planes, but pilot groups and power-cell makers are battling over whether there should be even tougher measures.
Each year, more than one billion rechargeable batteries—used in mobile phones, laptops, electric cars and other products—are produced globally, with a total value exceeding $9 billion, according to several industry estimates. The ubiquitous batteries normally are safe, but damaged or overheated cells can spontaneously ignite and create fierce fires—especially when thousands are jammed in cargo planes.
Debate is escalating over the safest ways to package, label and handle the potentially volatile shipments. In the U.S. alone, air-safety regulators say, lithium cells have been implicated in at least 24 combustion incidents on or around aircraft in the past three years, both in cargo and carry-on bags.
Lithium batteries are suspected of contributing to two fiery crashes of jumbo-jet freighters since 2010, including an Asiana Airlines Inc. Boeing Co. 747 that plunged into the Pacific Ocean in July of last year.
The accidents, which killed four pilots, helped persuade the air-safety arm of the United Nations, the International Civil Aviation Organization, to adopt stricter shipping standards that take effect Jan. 1, closing loopholes that have allowed some battery packages to avoid special precautions.
The final report is expected in coming weeks on the other accident, a United Parcel Service Inc. UPS 747 that went down in Dubai in 2010 after thick smoke obscured cockpit instruments an arm's reach from the pilots.
The report's findings, coupled with a recent call by U.S. crash investigators for improved fire-suppression systems on all cargo planes, are heightening pressure for additional action.
"Lithium batteries are becoming a big risk issue," said Alain Bassil, chief operating officer of Air France. The Air France-KLM SA unit recently decided to limit the number of batteries it carries in freighter aircraft and isolates them in compartments with enhanced firefighting equipment. On passenger planes, Air France is training cabin staff to douse smoldering personal electronics with water or juice because fire extinguishers are generally ineffective.
Pilot unions and independent safety experts want further protections, particularly because of the skyrocketing popularity of rechargeable electronics world-wide. They want strict controls on the number of batteries permitted in individual shipments, along with greater safeguards for damaged batteries and certain oversize versions that power vehicles.
Lithium-battery technology "is going to be part of our lives and transportation, so we need to step up and find a way to appropriately oversee it," said Bill Voss, president of the Flight Safety Foundation, a global safety advocacy group.
Battery suppliers and a powerful array of consumer-electronics manufacturers oppose tougher regulations, saying they are unnecessary. "What should be done is a lot more enforcement" of existing standards, said George Kerchner, executive director of the Rechargeable Battery Association, which represents companies that produce and use 70% of the world's lithium cells.
The association, which led an industry coalition that killed earlier U.S. proposals to unilaterally tighten shipping controls, continues to emphasize that investigators haven't officially cited batteries for causing either of the two recent crashes.
Despite resistance, many aviation officials see momentum for change. "It's a top priority and a very hot-button issue for industry leaders," said Guenther Matschnigg, the top safety official at the International Air Transport Association, the largest airline trade group.
People on both sides of the issue expressed concerns about substandard batteries, often sold on the Internet as replacements or that end up in low-quality products. Cargoes of such cells, which industry officials say are mostly produced in China and shipped globally from ports around East Asia, frequently carry insufficient or misleading labels to avoid scrutiny, regulators warn. Officials worry that some governments in the region lack resources or the political will to aggressively police battery shipments.
The potential danger of lithium batteries stems from the same chemistry that makes them so useful: the ability to store a huge amount of energy. If one overheats or something slams into it, combustion can begin and a single battery can ignite others. The internal reaction can take hours to become dangerous, which means an incident that goes unnoticed on the ground can spark a fire once a plane is airborne.
For now, advocates of tighter regulation can claim several victories. January's International Civil Aviation Organization rule change will close a loophole that permitted routine air transport of battery bundles weighing up to 22 pounds without any special protective packaging, warning labels or pilot alerts about the location of such shipments. Starting next year, any battery shipment containing more than two lithium-ion batteries will have to comply fully with those detailed ICAO hazardous-goods requirements.
ICAO and postal officials around the world last month agreed to begin cracking down on bulk shipments of batteries, as well as on portable devices containing them, that are sent through the mail.
Potential dangers of lithium batteries have been widely debated among aviation officials since 2006, when a UPS DC-8 cargo jet caught fire and was destroyed on landing in Philadelphia. The crew escaped.
After that fire, and again after the UPS crash in Dubai, U.S. regulators considered tightening rules for handling lithium batteries. The latest proposals withered under intense industry and congressional opposition, and federal regulators have no plans to resurrect them. Companies that make and use the batteries argued the compliance costs would far outweigh the benefits of combating what they described as a minimal risk.
Before new global rules take effect, UPS is taking steps, on its own, to minimize exposure to battery fires. The Atlanta-based shipping company is developing a new class of flame-retardant cargo containers and aerosol fire suppressants. "We're trying to give the crew more time" to get back on the ground, said Capt. John Ransom, the company's chief pilot for McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft.
"The UPS crash was a big shock to a lot of us," said Tim Clark, president of Dubai's Emirates Airline, which has put special fireproof bags in the cabins of its passenger jets in case portable electronic devices catch fire.
The cause of the 2010 UPS accident may never be determined because the inferno and the impact of the crash destroyed critical evidence. Yet many air-safety specialists are confident that bulk shipments of batteries on board aggravated the blaze.
"Whatever started the fire, lithium batteries significantly exacerbated the situation," said Capt. Mark Rogers, chairman of the dangerous-goods committee of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations.
Source: http://online.wsj.com
Guatemalan Congresswoman Dies in Plane Crash
Governing Patriotic Party Congresswoman Catarina Castor died in the crash of a private plane in the northwestern Guatemalan province of Quiche, while the pilot was killed and another politician was injured, officials said Sunday.
Pilot Julio Giron, 36, died in the accident and Quiche Gov. Heber Cabrera was transported to a Guatemala City hospital, where he is being treated for his injuries.
The accident happened Saturday afternoon in Nebaj, a town about 240 kilometers (149 miles) from the capital, Congressman Valentin Gramajo, leader of the Patriotic Party group in Congress, told reporters.
The 32-year-old Castor and the governor were heading to the city of Santa Cruz for a ceremony marking the 16th anniversary of the signing of the peace agreements that ended Guatemala's civil war, Gramajo said.
The pilot lost control of the plane on take-off from the air strip in Nebaj due to mechanical problems, emergency services officials said.
http://latino.foxnews.com
Pilot Julio Giron, 36, died in the accident and Quiche Gov. Heber Cabrera was transported to a Guatemala City hospital, where he is being treated for his injuries.
The accident happened Saturday afternoon in Nebaj, a town about 240 kilometers (149 miles) from the capital, Congressman Valentin Gramajo, leader of the Patriotic Party group in Congress, told reporters.
The 32-year-old Castor and the governor were heading to the city of Santa Cruz for a ceremony marking the 16th anniversary of the signing of the peace agreements that ended Guatemala's civil war, Gramajo said.
The pilot lost control of the plane on take-off from the air strip in Nebaj due to mechanical problems, emergency services officials said.
http://latino.foxnews.com
N507LX Replublic Airlines Flight 4914 Bombardier DHC-8: Aircraft on departure, an access panel separated onto the runway, aircraft returned and landed without incident, no injuries - Kansas City, Missouri
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 507LX Make/Model: DH8D Description: DHC-8-400 DASH 8
Date: 12/30/2012 Time: 1657
Event Type: Incident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Minor
LOCATION
City: KANSAS CITY State: MO Country: US
DESCRIPTION
N507LX REPUBLIC AIRLINES FLIGHT4914 BOMBARDIER DHC-8 AIRCRAFT ON DEPARTURE,
AN ACCESS PANEL SEPARATED ONTO THE RUNWAY, AIRCRAFT RETURNED AND LANDED
WITHOUT INCIDENT, NO INJURIES, KANSAS CITY, MO
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 0 Fat: 0 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: Business Phase: Take-off Operation: Air Carrier
FAA FSDO: KANSAS CITY, MO (CE05) Entry date: 12/31/2012
A passenger on board the flight sent FOX 4 this photo.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A United flight bound for Denver Sunday morning from Kansas City International Airport had to turn around after an engine panel fell off the plane.
Flight 4914 left KCI around 9:44 a.m. and had to circle the airfield for approximately 22 minutes before landing again.
No one was hurt and the plane was able to make a safe landing.
No other information was immediately available. FOX 4 has reached out to United Airlines and KCI for more details.
Chopper crash-lands; pilot, 5 Vaishno Devi pilgrims injured
Police personnel near the crashed helicopter carrying five Vaishno Devi pilgrims which made an emergency landing near Katra on Sunday. Five Vaishno Devi pilgrims from Delhi and the pilot of a Pawan Hans helicopter that they were travelling in from Katra were injured when the helicopter crash-landed at Chamera village in Reasi district on Sunday afternoon.
While the injured pilgrims have been identified as Anita Puri, Meenakshi, Arun Kumar, Arti Devi and Raj Rani, the pilot has been identified as Captain A S Parmar. Another person on board, Chetan Kumar, escaped unhurt.
The helicopter was flying from Katra to Sanji Chhat enroute to Vaishno Devi shrine at that time, said Senior Superintendent of Police, Reasi, Raghubir Singh.
Sources said the helicopter was nearly 400 metres short of Sanji Chhat when its rear router suddenly broke and fell apart.
The victims have sustained spinal and head injuries, a doctor at Katra hospital said. While Captain Parmar and Anita Puri were airlifted to Army’s Command Hospital at Udhampur and Government Medical College at Jammu respectively, the others were taken to the Government Medical College Hospital at Jammu by road.
Villagers rushed to the spot to bring victims out of the wreckage. Senior officials from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, district administration and state police officers also reached at the site to supervise the rescue operations.
A two-member team of the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will visit the spot, where the helicopter made an emergency landing, on Monday to inquire into the causes of the mishap.
However, this is not the first time a mishap has occurred on the Katra-Sanji Chhat corridor enroute to Vaishno Devi shrine.
Following mishaps in 1988 and 2007 due to technical snags, locals from Katra and near-by areas have repeatedly complained that helicopter operators are not adhering to the route prescribed by DGCA between Katra and Sanji Chhat.
http://www.indianexpress.com
Swearingen SA227-BC Metro III, EC-ITP: Cork, Ireland, plane crash families sue American manufacturer in Illinois court
An American plane manufacturer is to be sued by the Irish relatives of the victims of a horror smash in Cork two years ago.
Four passengers and the pilot and co-pilot died when a twin turbo prop Fairchild Metroliner crash-landed in thick fog.
The plane, operated by the Manx 2 airline, crashed on its third attempt when it flipped over.
Now the families of the four Irish victims are to sue the American company for millions of dollars in compensation.
Six passengers who survived the horror crash may also sue according to a report in the Irish Sun.
A lawsuit on behalf of the families has been lodged in Cook County Circuit Court in Illinois.
The deceased are named in the document as Patrick Cullinane, Richard Noble, Michael Evans and Brendan McAleese, a cousin of the husband of former Irish President Mary McAleese.
The report says that the families are suing M7 Aerospace, the plane’s manufacturer, and Honeywell International and Woodward Governor Company, the makers of sub-components for the plane.
The lawsuit claims: “The aircraft contained conditions which rendered it defective and not reasonably safe.”
A full safety report into the fatal Cork crash will be published in 2013.
http://www.irishcentral.com
Four passengers and the pilot and co-pilot died when a twin turbo prop Fairchild Metroliner crash-landed in thick fog.
The plane, operated by the Manx 2 airline, crashed on its third attempt when it flipped over.
Now the families of the four Irish victims are to sue the American company for millions of dollars in compensation.
Six passengers who survived the horror crash may also sue according to a report in the Irish Sun.
A lawsuit on behalf of the families has been lodged in Cook County Circuit Court in Illinois.
The deceased are named in the document as Patrick Cullinane, Richard Noble, Michael Evans and Brendan McAleese, a cousin of the husband of former Irish President Mary McAleese.
The report says that the families are suing M7 Aerospace, the plane’s manufacturer, and Honeywell International and Woodward Governor Company, the makers of sub-components for the plane.
The lawsuit claims: “The aircraft contained conditions which rendered it defective and not reasonably safe.”
A full safety report into the fatal Cork crash will be published in 2013.
http://www.irishcentral.com
Cirrus SR22, N436KS: Accident occurred September 15, 2012 in Willard, Missouri
Suit filed over fatal SW Missouri plane crash
Posted: June 11, 2013
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) - A new lawsuit blames pilot "negligence and carelessness" for causing a southwest Missouri plane crash that killed five people.
The suit was filed Monday in Springfield by Janis Melton, the mother of one of the victims, 46-year-old Robin Melton. It seeks unspecified damages from the estate of the pilot, 44-year-old John Lambert of Springfield.
Melton, Lambert and Lambert's three children were killed in the crash on Sept. 15 after flying back from a Kansas City Royals game. The single-engine plane went down near Willard, Mo., about six miles from Springfield-Branson National Airport.
There was no listed attorney for Lambert's estate.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.
A National Transportation Safety Board investigation into the cause of the crash continues and isn't expected to be complete until September at the earliest.
NTSB Identification: CEN12FA633
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, September 15, 2012 in Willard, MO
Aircraft: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22, registration: N436KS
Injuries: 5 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 September 15, 2012, about 0023 central daylight time, a Cirrus Design SR22, N436KS, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain near Willard, Missouri. The pilot and four passengers were fatally injured. The aircraft was registered to and operated by JL2, LLC under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan. The flight originated from Lee’s Summit Municipal Airport (LXT) about 2340 on September 14, 2012. The intended destination was the Springfield-Branson National Airport (SGF), Springfield, Missouri.
Springfield Approach was providing air traffic control services to the flight at the time of the accident. The pilot contacted Springfield Approach about 0002 as the flight entered their airspace. About 0017, the pilot was cleared for an Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach to runway 14 at SGF. The pilot was instructed to contact the control tower at that time. At 0020, about 3 minutes after establishing contact with the control tower, the pilot requested radar vectors in order to execute a second ILS approach. About 30 seconds later, radar contact was lost. The controller’s attempts to contact the flight were not successful.
The accident site was located in a pasture about 6 miles northwest of SGF. Ground impact was located in an open area of the lightly wooded pasture field. The airplane was fragmented. The main impact crater contained the propeller, engine, instrument panel, and portions of the fuselage. Linear ground impact marks, consistent with being formed by the wings, emanated from the main impact crater. Based on the ground impact markings, the airplane was oriented on an approximate heading of 340 degrees at the time of impact. The debris field extended to approximately 110 feet east of the main impact crater. Located within the debris field were the airplane flight control surfaces and wing flaps.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Three months ago, a small plane flown by a Springfield man crashed in a field six miles from the airport. All five people on board died instantly.
For the families of John Lambert, his three kids, and his friend Robin Melton, that day in September seems like a never-ending nightmare.
"I think that as parents you think this will never happen to you and I just think that it's not real. I see them every day in my mind. Talk to them every day. Yeah, it's like it's a dream, really it's a nightmare," explained Trisha Lambert, John Lambert's mother.
"It's a nightmare because we miss them. We truly do," agreed John's dad Mike. "We'll always miss them. But they have always been here. And we have memories that fill the blank spaces."
Memories of fallen family members pepper the Lambert household. Homemade birthday cards from the kids to their dad sit on a shelf. Pictures of the happy family line a wall. For John's parents, it is a simple way to remember.
"(John and Robin's) influence touched so many people and so many people who needed help got help through them. And that's just the way they were. They cared about the community, they cared about people," said Mike Lambert.
That caring spirit continues even after death. Lambert's parents distributed money donated to the family to causes John and the kids believe in. They have taken a tragedy and turned it into good will towards others.
"For McKinley, we donated to the American Heart Association. She had open-heart surgery when she was 12-years-old and then in 2010 she was their poster girl," smiled the proud grandmother. "Grayson, we made a donation to the Glendale debate club. He just came alive in the debate team."
For the youngest child, Joshua, money went for a new church playground. For John, a lifetime scholarship is set up in his name, and donations to the Drury Business School and Swimming program were made in his honor.
All the donations are a way for the family to memorialize and celebrate the lives lost.
"We just feel really positive about what's been done in all four of their names. And it's just very, it's a wonderful feeling," said Trisha Lambert.
For the New Year, Lambert's parents hope people will remember the family and see how much can be accomplished, even when life is cut short.
"We have the wonderful memories and we hold onto those, we hold onto those very tight, and celebrate their lives," the mother said. "Our faith tells us there's a promise that our family will be in heaven and so I've felt that from the very beginning. I've felt a peace about the five of them being with the Lord. I'm not saying that my heart's not broken and I didn't cry. I cried so much I didn't know how to cry anymore. But I celebrated the fact that the promise is being fulfilled and that they are safe. I know that Josh and McKinley and Grayson are looking after the Newtown children."
As the National Transportation Safety Board continue to investigate the cause of the crash, Lamberts parents said they have a new lease on life. They constantly learn new things about their son and grandchildren and continue to be amazed at how many people supported the family after the crash.
"Faith, friends and close family have lifted us up and took care of us. After it all, we fell like we are stronger, but we've had to be stronger," John's father said. "John could see the best in people. And people saw the best in him."
Story and video: http://www.kspr.com
Posted: June 11, 2013
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) - A new lawsuit blames pilot "negligence and carelessness" for causing a southwest Missouri plane crash that killed five people.
The suit was filed Monday in Springfield by Janis Melton, the mother of one of the victims, 46-year-old Robin Melton. It seeks unspecified damages from the estate of the pilot, 44-year-old John Lambert of Springfield.
Melton, Lambert and Lambert's three children were killed in the crash on Sept. 15 after flying back from a Kansas City Royals game. The single-engine plane went down near Willard, Mo., about six miles from Springfield-Branson National Airport.
There was no listed attorney for Lambert's estate.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.
A National Transportation Safety Board investigation into the cause of the crash continues and isn't expected to be complete until September at the earliest.
NTSB Identification: CEN12FA633
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, September 15, 2012 in Willard, MO
Aircraft: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22, registration: N436KS
Injuries: 5 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 September 15, 2012, about 0023 central daylight time, a Cirrus Design SR22, N436KS, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain near Willard, Missouri. The pilot and four passengers were fatally injured. The aircraft was registered to and operated by JL2, LLC under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan. The flight originated from Lee’s Summit Municipal Airport (LXT) about 2340 on September 14, 2012. The intended destination was the Springfield-Branson National Airport (SGF), Springfield, Missouri.
Springfield Approach was providing air traffic control services to the flight at the time of the accident. The pilot contacted Springfield Approach about 0002 as the flight entered their airspace. About 0017, the pilot was cleared for an Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach to runway 14 at SGF. The pilot was instructed to contact the control tower at that time. At 0020, about 3 minutes after establishing contact with the control tower, the pilot requested radar vectors in order to execute a second ILS approach. About 30 seconds later, radar contact was lost. The controller’s attempts to contact the flight were not successful.
The accident site was located in a pasture about 6 miles northwest of SGF. Ground impact was located in an open area of the lightly wooded pasture field. The airplane was fragmented. The main impact crater contained the propeller, engine, instrument panel, and portions of the fuselage. Linear ground impact marks, consistent with being formed by the wings, emanated from the main impact crater. Based on the ground impact markings, the airplane was oriented on an approximate heading of 340 degrees at the time of impact. The debris field extended to approximately 110 feet east of the main impact crater. Located within the debris field were the airplane flight control surfaces and wing flaps.
On Saturday, September 15, 2012, John M. Lambert, 44, Grayson M. Lambert, 16, McKinley Rae Lambert 15, and Joshua Robert Lambert, 10, died in a tragic plane crash when returning to Springfield from a Kansas City Royals baseball game. Also with them was family friend Robin Melton, 46.
Robin E. Melton
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Three months ago, a small plane flown by a Springfield man crashed in a field six miles from the airport. All five people on board died instantly.
For the families of John Lambert, his three kids, and his friend Robin Melton, that day in September seems like a never-ending nightmare.
"I think that as parents you think this will never happen to you and I just think that it's not real. I see them every day in my mind. Talk to them every day. Yeah, it's like it's a dream, really it's a nightmare," explained Trisha Lambert, John Lambert's mother.
"It's a nightmare because we miss them. We truly do," agreed John's dad Mike. "We'll always miss them. But they have always been here. And we have memories that fill the blank spaces."
Memories of fallen family members pepper the Lambert household. Homemade birthday cards from the kids to their dad sit on a shelf. Pictures of the happy family line a wall. For John's parents, it is a simple way to remember.
"(John and Robin's) influence touched so many people and so many people who needed help got help through them. And that's just the way they were. They cared about the community, they cared about people," said Mike Lambert.
That caring spirit continues even after death. Lambert's parents distributed money donated to the family to causes John and the kids believe in. They have taken a tragedy and turned it into good will towards others.
"For McKinley, we donated to the American Heart Association. She had open-heart surgery when she was 12-years-old and then in 2010 she was their poster girl," smiled the proud grandmother. "Grayson, we made a donation to the Glendale debate club. He just came alive in the debate team."
For the youngest child, Joshua, money went for a new church playground. For John, a lifetime scholarship is set up in his name, and donations to the Drury Business School and Swimming program were made in his honor.
All the donations are a way for the family to memorialize and celebrate the lives lost.
"We just feel really positive about what's been done in all four of their names. And it's just very, it's a wonderful feeling," said Trisha Lambert.
For the New Year, Lambert's parents hope people will remember the family and see how much can be accomplished, even when life is cut short.
"We have the wonderful memories and we hold onto those, we hold onto those very tight, and celebrate their lives," the mother said. "Our faith tells us there's a promise that our family will be in heaven and so I've felt that from the very beginning. I've felt a peace about the five of them being with the Lord. I'm not saying that my heart's not broken and I didn't cry. I cried so much I didn't know how to cry anymore. But I celebrated the fact that the promise is being fulfilled and that they are safe. I know that Josh and McKinley and Grayson are looking after the Newtown children."
As the National Transportation Safety Board continue to investigate the cause of the crash, Lamberts parents said they have a new lease on life. They constantly learn new things about their son and grandchildren and continue to be amazed at how many people supported the family after the crash.
"Faith, friends and close family have lifted us up and took care of us. After it all, we fell like we are stronger, but we've had to be stronger," John's father said. "John could see the best in people. And people saw the best in him."
Story and video: http://www.kspr.com
Seawind 3000, N514KT: For online readers of the Daytona Beach News-Journal, this astonishing plane crash was the top local news story of 2012
Kim E. Presbrey
Kim Presbrey, a prominent attorney, died May 26 at Loyola University Medical Center. The crash that claimed his life gave him serious burns he fought to recover from for months. Presbrey was a nature enthusiast, a hunter, a fisherman, an attorney, a lobbyist, a labor advocate, a sports fan, a master shopper, a pilot, and above all, a family man.
About 100 people were inside a local Publix on a Monday evening in April when an airplane — or rather a "big ball of fire" to witnesses — came through the ceiling near the meat department.
By the end of the night, thousands more eyes were on the DeLand grocery store as black smoke lifted out of the hole in the roof with media crews on the ground and in the air capturing the chaotic scene.
For online readers of the Daytona Beach News-Journal, that astonishing plane crash was the top local news story of 2012...
Source: http://www.news-journalonline.com
NTSB Identification: ERA12FA265
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, April 02, 2012 in Deland, FL
Aircraft: SAPP LARRY E SEAWIND 3000, registration: N514KT
Injuries: 3 Serious,2 Minor.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators 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 April 2, 2012, about 1920 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Seawind 3000, N514KT, owned and operated by a private individual, was substantially damaged when it impacted a building shortly after takeoff from the Deland Municipal Airport (DED), Deland, Florida. The certificated private pilot owner and a commercial pilot in the airplane were seriously injured. One person inside the building was seriously injured, and two other individuals inside the building sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the flight that was destined for the Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB), Daytona Beach, Florida. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
According to records obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the amphibious airplane was issued an experimental airworthiness certificate in July 2002, and was purchased by the private pilot during January 2012.
According to witnesses and information obtained from the FAA, the pilot/owner and pilot-rated passenger flew from Aurora, Illinois, to DED on April 1, 2012, with a refueling stop in Tennessee, to begin training for a seaplane rating in Altamonte Springs, Florida, on the morning of the accident. The owner originally intended to land in Sanford, Florida; however, he elected to land at DED after the airplane's transponder malfunctioned while en route. The purpose of the accident flight was to fly to DAB to have the transponder replaced at a maintenance facility.
During a telephone conversation with an employee at the maintenance facility, the pilot/owner reported that he was new to the airplane, which he had purchased about 6 weeks earlier, after it had not been flown for about 3 years.
The airplane departed from runway 23, a 4,301-foot-long, asphalt runway.
A pilot at DED reported that he landed on runway 23, and while taxiing, observed the accident airplane depart. The airplane rotated about 500 feet prior to the end of the runway, and began a shallow climb, while mostly maintaining a high pitch angle. Shortly thereafter, he observed the airplane "stall" and enter a descending left spin, before it disappeared behind a tree line. He did not hear any communications from the accident airplane over the airport common traffic advisory frequency after the takeoff.
A witness, who was in a car that was parked outside the front entrance of a supermarket, reported that she heard two "sputtering" engine sounds. She then looked up and observed the airplane in a climb attitude, very low in the sky. The airplane turned left and immediately descended straight down, nose first.
The airplane descended into the roof of a supermarket, located about 1 mile from the departure end of the runway. The airplane penetrated the roof, and impacted shelving before coming to rest upright, on a heading of about 260 degrees.
A postcrash fire destroyed the cockpit and consumed a majority of the airframe, which was constructed of composite materials. The airplane was equipped with a tail-mounted Lycoming IO-540 series, 300-horsepower engine, with a three-bladed Hartzell constant-speed propeller assembly. One propeller blade was melted about 24-inches from the hub. A second blade was fractured about 17-inches from the hub, with its outboard section located in the debris. A third blade was intact. Two of the propeller blades had curled tips; however, all of the propeller blades were relatively straight, with no twisting damage. The engine, including all accessories sustained fire damage. Initial external examination of the engine did not reveal any catastrophic failures; however, the engine was retained for further examination.
Federal Government to go tough on private jet owners -Nigeria
There are indications that the Federal Government will impose stringent measures on private jet owners and charter aircraft operators to avert disaster in the general aviation section, investigation by our correspondent has revealed.
This, it was learnt, was the outcome of an emergency meeting between the Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Stella Oduah, and heads of the aviation agencies, with some top players in the aviation sector in Abuja last Wednesday.
The minister reportedly said at the meeting, which ended around 3am, that there was need to look deeply into the operation of the general aviation sector, which involves private and chartered aircraft.
Part of the measures, it was learnt, would include imposing heavy sanctions on any non-compliance with standard safety procedure.
A source at the meeting said the new arrangement would also forbid pilots of private and chartered jets from flying above the normal flying hours to avoid any accident occasioned by fatigue.
“So, nothing will be taken for granted in the general aviation sector now,” the source said.
The recent Naval Augusta crash in Bayelsa State, it was learnt, brought the issue to the front burner.
The development also followed the increasing number of private jets and chartered aircraft, including helicopters in the nation’s airspace.
Although the crash in Bayelsa involved a military aircraft, which Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority and the Ministry of Aviation had no regulatory power over, the civil aviation authorities saw the crash as a wakeup call and the need to focus more attention on the operations and activities of lighter aircraft, sources close to the ministry said.
It was also gathered that the recent private aircraft crash involving the Governor of Taraba State, Mr. Danbaba Suntai, made development pertinent.
Consequently, it was learnt that government had decided that the ministry and the NCAA would henceforth pay more attention to the activities of airstrips, heliports, helipads, airports, private jets and chartered aircraft.
The ministry oversees airstrips while the NCAA oversees aircraft.
“Most of the people that own private jets in Nigeria are big people who ordinarily may not want to obey rules at times. But the minister said that the recent happening in the military circle was also a wakeup call for the civil aviation as well.
“It now means that the Ministry of Aviation and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority will be paying more attention to the operators of private and chartered jets/ helicopters in the country.”
The source added that the development could lead to a situation where some airstrips, helipads and helidecks would be re-examined or audited.
The general aviation sector in Nigeria has witnessed tremendous growth in recent years and stakeholders are happy that the sub-sector is attracting more foreign and local investors.
But an aviation industry analyst, Mr. Olumide and Ohunayo, said the latest development was not expected to retard this growth, rather it should strengthen it.
Story and reaction/comments: http://www.punchng.com
This, it was learnt, was the outcome of an emergency meeting between the Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Stella Oduah, and heads of the aviation agencies, with some top players in the aviation sector in Abuja last Wednesday.
The minister reportedly said at the meeting, which ended around 3am, that there was need to look deeply into the operation of the general aviation sector, which involves private and chartered aircraft.
Part of the measures, it was learnt, would include imposing heavy sanctions on any non-compliance with standard safety procedure.
A source at the meeting said the new arrangement would also forbid pilots of private and chartered jets from flying above the normal flying hours to avoid any accident occasioned by fatigue.
“So, nothing will be taken for granted in the general aviation sector now,” the source said.
The recent Naval Augusta crash in Bayelsa State, it was learnt, brought the issue to the front burner.
The development also followed the increasing number of private jets and chartered aircraft, including helicopters in the nation’s airspace.
Although the crash in Bayelsa involved a military aircraft, which Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority and the Ministry of Aviation had no regulatory power over, the civil aviation authorities saw the crash as a wakeup call and the need to focus more attention on the operations and activities of lighter aircraft, sources close to the ministry said.
It was also gathered that the recent private aircraft crash involving the Governor of Taraba State, Mr. Danbaba Suntai, made development pertinent.
Consequently, it was learnt that government had decided that the ministry and the NCAA would henceforth pay more attention to the activities of airstrips, heliports, helipads, airports, private jets and chartered aircraft.
The ministry oversees airstrips while the NCAA oversees aircraft.
“Most of the people that own private jets in Nigeria are big people who ordinarily may not want to obey rules at times. But the minister said that the recent happening in the military circle was also a wakeup call for the civil aviation as well.
“It now means that the Ministry of Aviation and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority will be paying more attention to the operators of private and chartered jets/ helicopters in the country.”
The source added that the development could lead to a situation where some airstrips, helipads and helidecks would be re-examined or audited.
The general aviation sector in Nigeria has witnessed tremendous growth in recent years and stakeholders are happy that the sub-sector is attracting more foreign and local investors.
But an aviation industry analyst, Mr. Olumide and Ohunayo, said the latest development was not expected to retard this growth, rather it should strengthen it.
Story and reaction/comments: http://www.punchng.com
Etihad to fly higher than its 10 million passengers target
Etihad Airways has broken
its 10 million passenger target for 2012, notching up a 22 percent
increase on the number of people it carried last year.
By midnight on 31 December, the airline will have carried over 10.29 million, and increase of 1.88 million on 2011.
The performance means Etihad Airways will have carried 73 percent of all passengers through Abu Dhabi international airport, a 5.3 percent increase on 2011's figure of 67.7 percent.
If passenger numbers on Etihad Airways' equity partners' flights into Abu Dhabi - Air Berlin, Virgin Australia and Air Seychelles - are added, then the combined total for 2012 rises to 76 percent of all passengers.
And if passengers on Etihad Airways' codeshare partners are added, the total percentage of all Etihad-generated passenger traffic through Abu Dhabi increases to 81 percent.
"Etihad Airways has achieved significant expansion in 2012 and therefore it's very satisfying to pass our target of flying more than 10 million passengers during a year for the first time," James Hogan, Etihad Airways' president and chief executive officer, said.
"An example of the success of this cooperation is the 300,000 passengers airberlin and Etihad Airways have delivered onto each other's networks during the last 12 months.
"We have launched flights to six new destinations during the last year - Tripoli, Shanghai, Nairobi, Basra, Lagos, and Ahmedabad - which have all contributed to the 22 percent increase in passenger numbers."
The carrier's global network now covers 87 of its own passenger and cargo destinations, and 245 codeshare destinations. According to figures released by the airline yesterday, Etihad Airways and its equity partners will have collectively carried more than 74m passengers in 2012.
The passenger growth for equity partners by the end of 2012, will be 33.4m on Air Berlin, 19.5m passengers on Virgin Australia, almost 11m on Aer Lingus, and 241,000 passengers on Air Seychelles.
The Etihad code share partners that operate into Abu Dhabi international airport are Air Astana, Alitalia, Czech Airlines, Garuda Indonesian, Hainan Airlines, Jet Airways, KLM, MEA, nasair, RAK Airways, Safi Airways, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Sri Lankan Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and Ukraine International.
In 2012 Etihad Cargo also contributed 87 percent of tonnage into, out of, and through the Abu Dhabi hub. The total handled hub tonnage by the end of the year will be more than 640,000 tonnes. Overall in 2012 Etihad Cargo carried a record 365,000 tonnes, up 18 per cent on 2011.
Etihad Airways' busiest route was Bangkok with the airline carrying nearly 691,000 passengers to the Thai capital during the year, a 38 per cent increase on 2011.
This was closely followed by Manila, Heathrow and Jeddah. Sydney, Paris, Frankfurt, Manchester, Doha and Dublin complete the list of the 10 most popular routes.
During 2012 Etihad Airways beat its previous record for the number of passengers carried in a single day with 33,766 passengers flying on Saturday 14 July.
In the course of 2012, the airline took delivery of seven new aircraft - three Airbus A320s and four Boeing B777s. Next year it will take delivery of 14 new aircraft - four Airbus A320 and one A321 passenger aircraft, and one A330 freighter, as well as two Boeing B777 freighters, and six B777-300ER passenger aircraft.
The airline will also commence three new scheduled routes in 2013, to Washington DC in March, Sao Paulo in June, and Ho Chi Minh City in October.
Source: http://www.thenational.ae
By midnight on 31 December, the airline will have carried over 10.29 million, and increase of 1.88 million on 2011.
The performance means Etihad Airways will have carried 73 percent of all passengers through Abu Dhabi international airport, a 5.3 percent increase on 2011's figure of 67.7 percent.
If passenger numbers on Etihad Airways' equity partners' flights into Abu Dhabi - Air Berlin, Virgin Australia and Air Seychelles - are added, then the combined total for 2012 rises to 76 percent of all passengers.
And if passengers on Etihad Airways' codeshare partners are added, the total percentage of all Etihad-generated passenger traffic through Abu Dhabi increases to 81 percent.
"Etihad Airways has achieved significant expansion in 2012 and therefore it's very satisfying to pass our target of flying more than 10 million passengers during a year for the first time," James Hogan, Etihad Airways' president and chief executive officer, said.
"An example of the success of this cooperation is the 300,000 passengers airberlin and Etihad Airways have delivered onto each other's networks during the last 12 months.
"We have launched flights to six new destinations during the last year - Tripoli, Shanghai, Nairobi, Basra, Lagos, and Ahmedabad - which have all contributed to the 22 percent increase in passenger numbers."
The carrier's global network now covers 87 of its own passenger and cargo destinations, and 245 codeshare destinations. According to figures released by the airline yesterday, Etihad Airways and its equity partners will have collectively carried more than 74m passengers in 2012.
The passenger growth for equity partners by the end of 2012, will be 33.4m on Air Berlin, 19.5m passengers on Virgin Australia, almost 11m on Aer Lingus, and 241,000 passengers on Air Seychelles.
The Etihad code share partners that operate into Abu Dhabi international airport are Air Astana, Alitalia, Czech Airlines, Garuda Indonesian, Hainan Airlines, Jet Airways, KLM, MEA, nasair, RAK Airways, Safi Airways, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Sri Lankan Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and Ukraine International.
In 2012 Etihad Cargo also contributed 87 percent of tonnage into, out of, and through the Abu Dhabi hub. The total handled hub tonnage by the end of the year will be more than 640,000 tonnes. Overall in 2012 Etihad Cargo carried a record 365,000 tonnes, up 18 per cent on 2011.
Etihad Airways' busiest route was Bangkok with the airline carrying nearly 691,000 passengers to the Thai capital during the year, a 38 per cent increase on 2011.
This was closely followed by Manila, Heathrow and Jeddah. Sydney, Paris, Frankfurt, Manchester, Doha and Dublin complete the list of the 10 most popular routes.
During 2012 Etihad Airways beat its previous record for the number of passengers carried in a single day with 33,766 passengers flying on Saturday 14 July.
In the course of 2012, the airline took delivery of seven new aircraft - three Airbus A320s and four Boeing B777s. Next year it will take delivery of 14 new aircraft - four Airbus A320 and one A321 passenger aircraft, and one A330 freighter, as well as two Boeing B777 freighters, and six B777-300ER passenger aircraft.
The airline will also commence three new scheduled routes in 2013, to Washington DC in March, Sao Paulo in June, and Ho Chi Minh City in October.
Source: http://www.thenational.ae
United States Plane Stranded in Iran as Oil Struck Under Airport Runway
A United States plane which made an emergency landing in Iran's Ahvaz airport has been stranded there for nearly three weeks amid reports of a "sudden" discovery of oil deposits at the airport.
The aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing due to technical problems, according to Tehran. No other details about the plane have been disclosed, except that it is a small commercial aircraft.
"After landing, the crew traveled on to countries around the Persian Gulf and the plane is currently being repaired," Mohammad Rasoulinejad, managing director of the Iranian Airports Company, told the Mehr News Agency.
Rasoulinejad did not disclose who owns the American plane or identify its crew members. He said the plane would be ready to take off soon.
The incident comes at a time when Iran is planning to relocate Ahvaz airport because of rich oil deposits discovered under the runway.
The state-owned National Iranian Oil Company "intends to buy Ahvaz airport due to the existence of oil deposits under the airport's tarmac," said Rasoulinejad, adding, "The government has approved the relocation of the airport."
The company is solely responsible for any oil reserves found inside Iran but has made a formal statement about the discovery.
All that is being said is that Iran is planning to move the "busiest airport" in the country 15km away from its present location.
Ahvaz city, which lies near the Iran-Iraq border, is home to a significant proportion of Iran's oil reserves.
The aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing due to technical problems, according to Tehran. No other details about the plane have been disclosed, except that it is a small commercial aircraft.
"After landing, the crew traveled on to countries around the Persian Gulf and the plane is currently being repaired," Mohammad Rasoulinejad, managing director of the Iranian Airports Company, told the Mehr News Agency.
Rasoulinejad did not disclose who owns the American plane or identify its crew members. He said the plane would be ready to take off soon.
The incident comes at a time when Iran is planning to relocate Ahvaz airport because of rich oil deposits discovered under the runway.
The state-owned National Iranian Oil Company "intends to buy Ahvaz airport due to the existence of oil deposits under the airport's tarmac," said Rasoulinejad, adding, "The government has approved the relocation of the airport."
The company is solely responsible for any oil reserves found inside Iran but has made a formal statement about the discovery.
All that is being said is that Iran is planning to move the "busiest airport" in the country 15km away from its present location.
Ahvaz city, which lies near the Iran-Iraq border, is home to a significant proportion of Iran's oil reserves.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)