Tuesday, September 08, 2015

Lebanon Municipal Airport (M54) celebrates opening of new T-hangars

A ribbon cutting was held for the 17 new T-hangars at the Lebanon Airport on Thursday.



City leaders and aviation enthusiasts gathered at the Lebanon Municipal Airport on Thursday afternoon to celebrate their newest T-Hangars.

Construction on the 17 new T-Hangars began in February 2015, with aircraft starting to move in August 2015. The city will have 52 T-Hangars, 9 Box Hangars, 11 Private Corporate Hangars and a terminal with a community hangar.

Lebanon Mayor Philip Craighead welcomed folks to the ribbon cutting, held outside of the new T-Hangars. He said it had been a long project, started at the wrong time of the year.

"We started in the winter and everything caught us - but we got it done. It is just the start of where we are going for the future of the Lebanon Airport," he said. "We appreciate everybody who made this happen to make our community grow."

Direct Flight Solutions LLC Owner Heather Bay, who serves as Fixed Base Operator of the Lebanon Airport, managing the daily operations of the field, next took the opportunity to share a few words.

"The new T-Hangars are state of the art and meets the demands of the airfield for pilots to house their investment," she said.

The new hangars have 48-foot-wide bifold electric doors with 13-foot clear height. These hangars will house larger single engine aircraft according to a release from the City of Lebanon.

T.O. Cragwall, chairman of the Lebanon Airport Commission, wrapped by saying, "It's a great day for us. We are excited about what is going on at the airport."

Source:  http://www.wilsonpost.com

Incident occurred September 07, 2015 at Sikorsky Memorial Airport (KBDR), Bridgeport, Connecticut

STRATFORD - Witnesses reported seeing a plane go off of the runway into the grass at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford.

It happened after 1 p.m. on Monday, according to reports.

Witnesses at the scene told News 12 they watched the small plane attempt to land, but its right landing gear did not deploy properly. They say the plane spun out amid a cloud of dust, ending up in the grass off the landing strip.

Witnesses say a man was seen exiting the plane onto the grass, where he waited for first responders to arrive.

The airport was shut down following the incident. Other planes attempting to land were turned away.

Story and video:  http://connecticut.news12.com

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — A pilot was able to walk away without injuries after his plane went off the runway Monday at Sikorsky Airport in Bridgeport.

At about 1:20 p.m. Monday, September 7, Bridgeport firefighters received a call about an aircraft running off the runway at Sikorsky, the city said in a statement. 

The single engine aircraft, a Piper PA-24, was attempting to land when the incident occurred. 

The pilot veered off the runway while landing and went into the grass, the statement said.

The pilot was the only person aboard the aircraft.

The pilot did not suffer any injuries. 

No fire and no fuel leaks were reported from the accident.

The airport was closed for about two hours while airport personnel removed the aircraft from the runway area, the statement said.

Source: http://bridgeport.dailyvoice.com

Incident occurred September 08, 2015 near Albertus Airport (KFEP), Freeport, Illinois

FREEPORT — A pilot involved in a plane crash near Freeport's Albertus Airport was not seriously injured, according to Stephenson County sheriff's representatives.

A press release stated that the individual crashed in a field near the airport along Baileyville Road about 8:26 a.m. this morning. 

According to provided information, authorities believe the plane suffered a mechanical issue during takeoff, necessitating the emergency landing, during which the plane was damaged. 

The pilot, who was conscious and out of the plane when authorities arrived, was transported to Freeport Memorial Hospital for treatment, and the investigation is ongoing at this time, according to the press release. 

Source: http://www.journalstandard.com

Federal Aviation Administration airport evacuation study guides airport protocol based on priority of incident



KANSAS CITY, Mo - With safety always a top priority for airport administrators, certain events will trigger evacuations.


The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) commissioned a study just last year to look at this issue.

Investigators looked at 36 commercial airports of all sizes.

They found the highest priority incident type calling for an evacuation was most frequently a natural disaster.

This included snowstorms, earthquakes and tornadoes.

Further down on the list are structure fires, power failures and security breaches -- like Tuesday's incident at KCI.

The priority list for evacuations included bomb threats and active shooter situations.

The study said airports need to have a terminal incident response plan in place for evacuations -- which includes a plan to get operations back to normal.

Tuesday's partial evacuation comes as KCI has become an increasingly busy airport.

More than a million passengers passed through the terminals in July alone.

It was the first month the airport eclipsed that mark since 2008.

Story and video:  http://www.kshb.comt

United Continental CEO Jeff Smisek Departs Amid Continuing Investigation • CSX veteran Oscar Munoz named president and CEO

The Wall Street Journal 
By Nathan Becker,Ted Mann and Doug Cameron
Updated Sept. 8, 2015 6:47 p.m. ET


United Continental Holdings Inc. said Chief Executive Jeff Smisek has left the company amid a continuing federal investigation, and the airline named CSX Chief Operating Officer Oscar Munoz as its next president and CEO.

United Continental said Mr. Smisek’s departure is related to federal and internal investigations associated with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

United executives declined detailed comment on the continuing internal investigation and federal probe. A Port Authority spokesman declined to comment.

The relationship between United and former Port Authority Chairman David Samson has been under investigation by U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman’s office for more than a year. At issue, according to people familiar with the investigators’ inquiries, is whether Mr. Samson used his position as head of the Port Authority’s board to demand favorable treatment or personal benefit from United. The airline is the largest carrier by passenger volume at Newark Liberty International Airport and was seeking to renegotiate its lease agreement at the airport, among other matters, during Mr. Samson’s tenure.

Prosecutors have repeatedly subpoenaed records from the Port Authority, as recently as last month, that would date back to the early days of Mr. Samson’s tenure at the authority and that include correspondence and meeting records related to United’s attempts to negotiate an extension of its lease at Newark, according to people who have seen the subpoenas.

Among the areas of inquiry: a direct flight launched by United to Columbia, S.C., near where Mr. Samson keeps a vacation home. Published reports said the flight was referred to within the Port Authority as “the chairman’s flight.” It was canceled soon after Mr. Samson retired from the Port Authority in 2014.

Mr. Samson has previously declined to comment on the federal inquiry through a spokeswoman. He has defended his tenure and his career in public service, including a stint as Attorney General of New Jersey.

In a February filing, United Continental said some of its executives and employees had received federal grand-jury subpoenas related to people formerly associated with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and that it was cooperating with the government’s investigation.

Mr. Smisek will receive an array of compensation following his departure, including a lump sum severance payment of $4.875 million in cash, according to a regulatory filing. He will also receive outstanding salary and vested benefits such as share awards, alongside continued benefits such as lifetime flight and parking benefits, and the title to his company car.

The former Continental Airlines CEO, who outgunned American Airlines’ CEO Doug Parker to take control of United through a merger agreement in 2010, is subject to a two-year noncompete agreement.

United Continental also said its executive vice president of communications and government affairs and its senior vice president of corporate and government affairs have stepped down, moves related to the investigation.

Mr. Munoz leaves CSX after several years as operating chief. He had held the post since 2012 and was chief financial officer for nearly a decade before that.

Mr. Munoz has served on United Continental’s board since 2010 and on Continental Airlines’ board from 2004 until the merger with United in 2010. He said he expected to spend his first 90 days as chief visiting United locations and employees, and hoped to expedite efforts to secure outstanding labor deals, while continuing to expand capacity below the rate of GDP growth.

After 11 years on the board of United and its predecessor, he pledged to employ lessons learned from his rail-industry experience to continue the airline’s efforts to boost operational and financial performance following a period when it’s been weighed down by technical hitches and unstable labor relations.

He said U.S. airlines had been closely watching what analysts have called the “rail renaissance,” with a greater emphasis on service levels and pricing and cost discipline, and returning profits to shareholders.

“We’re not that unstable,” Mr. Munoz said of recent management changes and continuing problems with its ticketing system, describing the combination of United and Continental as “a rough integration.”

Mr. Munoz had been viewed by analysts as a potential successor to veteran CSX CEO Michael Ward. Mr. Munoz said it was a tough decision to leave the railroad, but United was a bigger company, and his background was in business-to-consumer channels.

Henry Meyer, who was also named the company’s nonexecutive chairman, said: “Oscar’s track record demonstrates that he has the right blend of strategic vision and strong leadership to continue United’s upward trajectory.”

United has seen a turnaround in its financials recently after a bumpy integration of United and Continental. It posted a record $1.1 billion profit last year. In July, the company announced a new $3 billion stock-buyback program and a sharply increased profit of $1.2 billion for its latest quarter.

Still, the company isn’t without glitches. In July, a computer problem temporarily grounded the company’s world-wide fleet. United Continental has also recently wrestled with unhappy unions, poor punctuality and a recent increase in maintenance-related delays and cancellations.

Original article can be found here:  http://www.wsj.com

Two twisted Shoreham cops face sack after they took sick 'human barbecue' selfie: Hawker Hunter T.Mk 7, Canfield Hunter Ltd., G-BXFI, fatal accident occurred August 22, 2015

Two rookie police officers are facing the sack after describing the Shoreham air disaster as a “human barbecue”.

They took a video selfie on a mobile phone while guarding the crash site in West Sussex, where 11 people died when a vintage jet crashed on the A27.

The pair sent the film to a colleague using social media network Snapchat, attaching the offensive words as a caption with a hashtag.

The shocked recipient reported them and they are now being investigated for gross misconduct.

Sussex Police said the incident had caused “unnecessary distress” to relatives before the first funerals.

Local councilor Barry Mear said: “I’m sure the police are disgusted two of their own have done this.”

Videos and pictures sent through Snapchat automatically delete.

Sussex Police Deputy Chief Constable Olivia Pinkney said she had thought of suspending the officers but decided to “keep their shoulder to the wheel.”

She added: “Nothing in that video showed any detail of the scene.”

Chauffeur Maurice Abrahams, 76, will be laid to rest in Rottingdean. The funeral of Jacob Schilt, 23, is in Hove.

The Hawker Hunter crashed doing a loop-the-loop at the Shoreham Airshow on August 22.

Pilot Andy Hill, 51, is in serious condition in hospital.

Source:  http://www.mirror.co.uk

Kitfox II, N52414: Incident occurred September 08, 2015 in Great South Bay, Bayport, New York



BAYPORT, N.Y. (WABC) -- An experimental Kitfox II plane flipped into the Great South Bay off Long Island Tuesday morning.

Suffolk County police said the pilot, Joseph Cannizzaro, was trying to fly the plane when the pontoon and left wing caught the water, causing the aircraft to crash into the water at about 6:45 a.m.

Peter Williams took cell phone video as he helped rescue pilot Joseph Cannizzaro.

"Are you tied or not?" Williams said in the video.

Williams says he was lying in his bed in the morning looking out at the Great South Bay watching the small plane.

"And then he crashed right in right down," Williams said.

Williams flew out of bed and got into his boat.

"I jumped right in the boat and that's when I called 911 at the same time that I'm trying to get out and get out to him," Williams said.

About 1,000 feet off shore he reached Cannizzaro who was calmly waiting on his flipped over plane.

A witness showed Eyewitness News a picture of Cannizzaro backing his plane into the water using a pickup truck around 6:30 a.m.

Jack Stevens says he was fishing around that time and also saw Cannizzaro struggling to maintain altitude.

"He was floating along there for a little bit and then he turned like he was going to take off again, and as he took off again I think the wind caught his upper wing and tipped him and the other wing hit the water and he flipped over," Stevens said.

Suffolk Marine Bureau officers were finally able to pull the plane to shore.

Williams says it was a good team effort.

"You're happy you could help?" Eyewitness News said.

"Oh definitely, definitely that's all you can do is try to help somebody," Williams said.

Eyewitness News tried to reach Cannizzaro, but he didn't return our calls or messages.

The Coast Guard says he refused medical attention at the scene.

The plane was towed to a nearby beach. The FAA is investigating the incident.

Story and video:  http://abc7ny.com

http://registry.faa.gov/N52414

Carilion Clinic: Keep drones away from medical helicopters

Carilion Clinic warned Tuesday against flying drones near medical helicopters, saying there have been two minor encounters so far this year.

Where medical helicopters land and take off, whether at hospitals or in the field, is no place for a drone, the Carilion personnel said.

Gathered at their Roanoke hangar, air ambulance pilots offered a public safety announcement: “When in doubt, land the drone.”

While admitting they don’t control the actions of drone operators, the Carilion medical helicopter team called on drone owners to voluntarily avoid medevac operations. There’s too much potential for conflict between the serious business of emergency medicine and hobbyists shooting video to put on the web or have as a keepsake, officials said.

When conventional aircraft share airspace, they stay in communication with each other and with people on the ground. The presence of a drone, whose operator isn’t linked into communications and may not be an aviator, raises the risk of a mishap or collision. “We don’t know what their intentions are and they don’t know what our intentions are,” said Susan Smith, who directs the air and specialty care divisions at Carilion patient transportation.

The bottom line: Medical chopper pilots, who cruise at 138 mph and pick up 1,500 patients yearly, have more than enough to think about without having to jockey around a drone.

Brian Wynne, president and CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems in Arlington, said he appreciated Carilion for urging drone owners to put the safety and privacy of medical pilots and their patients first.
Carilion’s advisory “sounds exactly right,” Wynne said.

Wynne said the website http://knowbeforeyoufly.org offers comprehensive guidance for safe drone operation for recreational, government or business purposes.

The FAA directs operators of small recreational drones, which it calls model aircraft, to avoid manned aircraft, fly no higher than 400 feet and stay in control of their devices. But twice this year drones flew near medical operations involving Carilion aircraft, Smith said. Neither pilot needed to evade the drone and neither was delayed or reported a near miss, Smith said. But with drone popularity climbing, and prices falling, more people will fly drones in the future, creating more possible conflicts, she said.

Smith belongs to groups at the Association of Air Medical Services and the Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Emergency Medical Services that will recommend means to curb the risks raised by drones. Under the latest thinking, an on-the-ground coordinator at each site who is assigned to assist with takeoff and landing scans the area for drones, notifies helicopter pilots of any drones present, identifies the drone’s owner if possible and asks him or her to land it, Smith said.

"When in doubt, land the drone,” Smith said.

In one of the two incidents, a drone hovered near a helicopter pickup of a patient at a Bluefield, West Virginia, hospital, Smith said.

In the other, pilot Tyson Le Roy landed his Life Guard helicopter near a Henry County traffic wreck, but the injured person was still being freed. A drone flew over the scene. Le Roy said that while the extraction continued, he wanted to reduce the weight of the aircraft before boarding the patient by taking a short flight to burn fuel. But he judged the drone was too close and stayed on the ground, missing the opportunity to shave a few minutes off the pickup.

Firefighters found the owner of the drone and the owner landed it, Le Roy said. It turned out that the person injured in the wreck didn’t need to go to the hospital. The lost time didn't matter, but under other circumstances could have.

“Ignorant and irresponsible use of these drones can create a hazardous situation for the patients that we serve in this business,” he said.

Source: http://www.roanoke.com

Allegiant Flight to Las Vegas Diverts to Airport in Utah

An Allegiant Air flight from Bismarck, North Dakota, made an unscheduled stop about 120 miles short of its Las Vegas destination, diverting to an airport in southern Utah for what the airline described on Tuesday as a possible maintenance issue.

Crew members reported a faulty fuel gauge, an airport official at St. George Regional Airport said.

No emergency was declared, but the interrupted flight became the latest incident involving the low-cost carrier that caters to vacation travelers.

An Allegiant flight aborted takeoff three weeks ago when the nose lifted prematurely while the aircraft hurtled down a Las Vegas runway, and another Allegiant flight made an emergency landing July 23 at a closed airport in Fargo, North Dakota, after company executives piloting the aircraft reported they were nearly out of fuel.

Flight 487 landed safely in Monday at 7:12 p.m. MDT in St. George, a statement from the Las Vegas-based airline said. The MD-83 jet had 141 passengers and six crew members aboard.

Brad Kitchen, airport operations supervisor in St. George, said he arranged for about 35 passengers to take a shuttle bus to Las Vegas. Other passengers waited in the terminal for another aircraft to arrive to fly them the short 30-minute flight to McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Kitchen said.

Allegiant said the flight arrived at 12:03 a.m., and baggage was being brought Tuesday to Las Vegas. Passengers were offered $100 vouchers for future travel, the airline said.

A Federal Aviation Administration official said he had no information about Monday's landing.

The FAA is investigating the aborted Aug. 17 takeoff at McCarran of an MD-83 bound for Peoria, Illinois. The aircraft returned safely to the gate, and no injuries were reported.

An initial probe found that a nut fell off a crucial component, causing a control surface to jam in the up position, the FAA said. That raised the nose as the aircraft accelerated down the runway.

In July, two Allegiant executives with pilot licenses were flying the Allegiant MD-80 jet that made the emergency landing at Hector International Airport in Fargo. The air field had been closed for an air show.

The airline said 144 passengers departed late from Las Vegas because a passenger had a medical emergency and had to be taken to a hospital.

The Las Vegas-based airline, a unit of Allegiant Travel Co., said it was cooperating with FAA investigators.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com

Air India says its aircraft are safe

NEW DELHI, SEPT 8:  

Despite an Air India Airbus A320 aircraft making an emergency landing at Delhi airport late on Monday night, the airline maintains that the aircraft in its fleet are safe and operating with full airworthiness certification of not only the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus but also the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).


Air India has a fleet of 64 Airbus aircraft in its fleet out of a total fleet strength of 130 aircraft. The Airbus A320 fleet is considered the workhorse of the airline even as officials maintain that the basic issue is with 15 of the 64 Airbus A320 which are called classic aircraft and are around 20 years old.


"All Aircraft Maintenance Programs recommended by Airbus Industry or any other aircraft manufacturer as also the Directorate General of Civil Aviation are strictly adhered to by Air India. All safety parameters are maintained to ensure safety of flight and people,” a senior AI official said adding that just like any other machine, an aircraft also faces technical issues with age.


Late on Monday night an Air India spokesperson told news reporters that the flight operating on the Varanasi- Delhi had an emergency landing due to a hydraulic leak. "This resulted in few sparks at the nose wheel. There was no fire. All 146 passengers were evacuated safely and taken to the terminal building. No passenger was injured,” the spokesperson said.


The Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), a body representing pilots’ interests, had written to the DGCA in March this year that the classic A320 aircraft which are 26 years old were being operated with repetitive snags endangering flight safety.


Countering the charge, a senior airline official told BusinessLine that there were several checks and balances built into the system to ensure that one or the other systems on the aircraft take over to ensure that it takes over from the system that has failed.


Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com