Sunday, October 18, 2015

Exploration of Flight Center takes wing • Air/space museum opens new facility

The 1942 Boeing Stearman PT 17 biplane is used as a teacher-training plane for Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum.



A yellow 1942 Boeing Stearman biplane with an open cockpit flew over Centennial Airport — a rusted B-25H Barbie III was parked on the runway below.

The parade of classic planes drew a crowd for the opening celebration of a new flight ramp.

Visitors included World War II veterans, students and teachers from Wings Aerospace Academy, aerospace leaders of Colorado and community members.

“Thank you to Centennial Airport for being the best place in the world for something like this,” said Greg Anderson, CEO and president of Wings over the Rockies Air & Space Museum.

Wings Over the Rockies opened its flight ramp on Oct. 14, marking the start of its Exploration of Flight Center, a flight-based, education and technology center along 15 acres of Centennial Airport.

The center will include a Spreading Wings Teacher Flight Program. One teacher from every school in Colorado's Front Range will get the chance to fly a plane.

“We will have many features dedicated to aviation and education,” Anderson said.

The development is funded by the $21 million Wingspan Capital Campaign and has received $9 million in pledges to date, according to a press release from Wings Over the Rockies.

The development will begin its next construction phase in 2016 and will be completed in the following years, said Anderson.

“This is an amazing milestone for us,” said Colleen Murray, director of advancement.

-Source:  http://centennialcitizen.net

Among the crowd was Lucille Wise, a veteran who was enlisted in Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) from 1943-45 during World War II. "Our job was to replace males who were pilots so they could fight in combat," she said.

Cessna 172 Skyhawk, N6636A: Incident occurred October 18, 2015 in Campobello, Spartanburg County, South Carolina

Date: 18-OCT-15 
Time: 23:12:00Z
Regis#: N6636A
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: 172
Event Type: Incident
Highest Injury: None
Damage: Unknown
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
FAA Flight Standards District Office: FAA West Columbia FSDO-13
City: CAMPOBELLO
State: South Carolina

AIRCRAFT FORCE LANDED IN A FIELD AND FLIPPED OVER, NEAR CAMPOBELLO, SC

GENNADY MYALIK: http://registry.faa.gov/N6636A 

SPARTANBURG (WSPA) – A small plane crashed Sunday in Campobello just after 7:30 p.m. The crash happened at 9416 Highway 11, near Interstate 26. 

According to officials with the Campobello Fire Department, three people were on the aircraft.

They managed to escape with only minor injuries.  One teenage girl was taken to Spartanburg Medical Center.

Officials say the engine sputtered and the plane lost power before crashing in the field.

The single-engine plane is registered to Dickson Rd. in Inman, Spartanburg County.

Lt. Kevin Bobo with the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office says officials have been in touch with the Atlanta office of the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FAA is expected to send investigators to the scene Monday.

- Source:  http://wbtw.com



SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. —A plane crashed along a Spartanburg County Highway Sunday night.

The single-engine aircraft went down around 7:30 p.m. in a field along Highway 11 in Campobello, according to the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office.

Campobello Police Chief Chad McNeill said that the plane flipped when it landed.

The plane was not damaged in the crash, according to McNeil

The pilot and the two passengers did not suffer any injuries that required medical attention, according to Lt. Kevin Bobo.

Investigators with the Atlanta office of the Federal Aviation Administration are expected to visit the scene Monday morning.

- Source:  http://www.wyff4.com


CAMPOBELLO, SC (FOX Carolina) - Officials in Spartanburg County were called to the scene of an aircraft emergency on Sunday.

Chief Eddie McNeill with the Campobello Fire Department said a small plane carrying three people took off from Fairview Airport and was flying around the area.

McNeill said the plane was heading back toward the airport when it encountered possible engine failure around 7:15 p.m. A FOX Carolina crew on scene said the small plane appeared to be upside down in a field off of Highway 11 near Interstate 26.

McNeill said the three occupants of the plane were treated on scene by Spartanburg County EMS.

The Federal Aviation Administration will be investigating the incident in the morning. The plane will remain in the field overnight.

  - Source: http://www.foxcarolina.com

Mac Aero: Learning on the fly

Ian McFall talks about the building instructions that his company is following for the construction of the plane in his hangar at Apex Airpark. 



SILVERDALE — The world headquarters of the Mac Aero airplane company take up half of a hangar in a Silverdale backyard.

Last week inside the shop, Mac Aero founder Ian McFall and employee Garrett Stanley were at work on the company’s latest project, a four-seat, 200-mph Van’s RV-10 kit plane. Plywood boxes the plane parts arrived in still leaned against the hangar walls.

“You start out with a lot of flat aluminum and a packet of rivets and turn it into an airplane,” McFall, 74, said.

Of course, it’s not quite as simple as that. McFall’s employees, four cadets in the Civil Air Patrol’s youth program, ages 16 to 18, have spent more than a year painstakingly assembling the RV-10. They’ve sunk thousands of rivets, shaped fiberglass and composite components, fabricated metal parts and wired in complex autopilot systems, all to exacting specifications.

The 24-foot-long plane has gradually taken shape in the hangar. Its slender fuselage awaited wings and a final jacket of aluminum Tuesday. In the next few months the plane will be flight tested, disassembled and shipped to a buyer in South Africa.

McFall views his business as a training academy as much as a moneymaking operation. Mac Aero might be a tiny company, building a tiny plane, but the skills his young employees learn assembling the RV-10 can be applied on a far larger scale.

“Most of the things involved in building a full-sized airplane are involved in building this,” McFall said.

McFall had education in mind when he launched Mac Aero early last year at his home off Apex Airpark. The longtime pilot once was a cadet himself in the British equivalent of the Civil Air Patrol. He now serves as a glider instructor for local cadets.

McFall staffed his fledgling company with eager aviation students, hiring Garrett Stanley and fellow cadets Christian Stanley, Keenan Boudon and Joseph Buxton.

“The most exciting part is the young people we’ve gotten in here,” McFall said. “They’re all aviation enthusiasts. That’s the kind of people we want, the people who are driven to do this kind of thing.”

To begin with, all of Mac Aero’s finished airplanes will be exported to South Africa, where McFall has family. South African customers are hungry for small planes that can shorten travel times between the country’s far-flung cities or whisk tourists into the back country. The speedy, efficient RV-10 “is an ideal plane for that,” McFall said.

The company’s employees started work on the plane in August 2014. Mac Aero already has an order for a two-seat RV-8 to start once the RV-10 is shipped.

McFall would like to expand Mac Aero into a full-fledged school, taking on more plane projects and more students. The program could become a jumping off point for jobs in the state’s aerospace industry, he said.

“They’ll walk away with a skill and be ready to be hired by someone like Boeing or Alaska Air,” McFall said.

Garrett Stanley, who’s reached the rank of cadet colonel in the Civil Air Patrol, has other plans. He’s pursuing a career as a military pilot.

“I do this because it pays me,” he said last week, taking a pause from his work. “I’d much rather fly them.”

- Source:  http://www.kitsapsun.com

Garrett Stanley cuts part of the engine cove.

Ian McFall points out the different components of the tail of the plane that is being built in his hangar at Apex Airpark.


Ian McFall is framed by the window of the plane under construction in his hangar.


Building instructions sit on a work bench in Ian McFall’s hangar at Apex Airpark.

Star Marianas makes maiden flight to Guam via Rota



Despite Tropical Storm Champi, Star Marianas Air was able to proceed with its maiden Rota-Guam flight.

Star Marianas Air president Shaun Christian told Variety on Sunday: “We made the decision to cancel all flights on Friday morning including our inaugural Rota-Guam flights. We resumed flying on Saturday morning.”

Tropical Storm Champi passed through the Marianas on Friday — the day Star Marianas Air was supposed to make its initial Rota-Guam flight.

Star Marianas, a regional carrier, flies twice a day to Guam from Rota.

The launch of the flights hinged on the Commonwealth Ports Authority and U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s resolving an issue on procedures, equipment and processing of outbound passengers from the Saipan commuter terminal.

For the Guam flights, Star Marianas Air is using its twin engine Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftains which feature air-conditioning and upgraded GPS Navigation Systems.

In other news, Delta Air Lines said one of its flights on Friday was delayed due to strong winds.

Cape Air canceled several of its flights on Friday.

- Source:  http://www.mvariety.com

Few Glitches in American Switchover • Transfer of its US Airways unit to its passenger-reservations system went smoothly overall



The Wall Street Journal
By Susan Carey
Oct. 18, 2015 8:05 p.m. ET


American Airlines Group Inc. ’s transfer of its US Airways unit to its passenger-reservations system appeared to go smoothly overall in its first two days despite some temporary glitches.

The world’s largest airline by traffic said on Sunday, however, that it remains on alert for possible problems as passenger traffic builds in the next few days.

American made the complex switch early Saturday, after nearly two years of preparation. The US Airways website went dark early Saturday and directed customers to aa.com after the last US Airways flights Friday night reached their destinations. All booked reservations now are transferred to American’s system, provided by Sabre Corp. , and all flights are operated and sold under the AA flight code.

American said more than 90% of its flights arrived within 14 minutes of schedule on Saturday. Among the initial glitches, American said airport information displays at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport briefly didn’t show flights and their departure and arrival times, due to a problem with third-party providers who supply that information. American said the problem was fixed in a few hours.

Some customers arriving Saturday for flights at Los Angeles International Airport and New York’s La Guardia Airport ended up at the wrong terminals because their boarding passes were printed so early they didn’t contain gate information. And the switch meant some former US Airways flights now operate from LAX’s Terminal 6, while most American flights continue to operate out of Terminal 4—confusing some passengers. A similar situation arose at La Guardia.

Some passengers also encountered misunderstandings about their frequent-flier status and were mistakenly asked to pay for their checked luggage, according to the airline, which said check-in agents used helplines to receive guidance on the information in their training manuals.

To prepare for the shift, American had reduced the number of flights to and from its three US Airways hubs on Saturday, temporarily increased staffing at its airports around the world and managed the transition from a main “command center” in Fort Worth, Texas, and 23 satellite offices, which are slated to remain open until Oct. 27.

Some other airlines have struggled with similar information-technology transitions after mergers of their own, although Delta Air Lines Inc., made the change smoothly in 2010 when integrating Northwest Airlines Corp.

United Continental Holdings Inc. had more problems when it switched its United unit onto the Continental reservations platform in 2012, in part because it chose to integrate frequent-flier plans, websites and all reservations on a single day.

American, like Delta, has used a phased approach and merger their frequent-flier plans months ahead of the reservations system alignments.

- Source:  http://www.wsj.com

Union decries shortage of air traffic controllers • Federal Aviation Administration links chronic staffing woes to budget cuts and the past shutdown of the government



WASHINGTON -- A chronic shortage of controllers has reached a crisis that will lead to widespread flight delays if left unchecked, officials for the union that represents air traffic controllers said last week.

The Federal Aviation Administration has failed to meet its hiring goals for controllers for five consecutive years, leaving the number of controllers at its lowest level in 27 years at a time when air traffic is increasing, National Air Traffic Controllers Association officials said at a news conference.

The number of "certified professional controllers" -- those who are no longer in training and can direct air traffic without assistance from a more experienced controller -- has declined 10 percent from the recent peak of 11,753 in September 2012 as of Aug. 22 of this year, the union said.

Meanwhile, of the 10,859 certified controllers, 30 percent are currently eligible to retire, the union said.

Trish Gilbert, the union's executive vice president, likened the situation to April 2013 when automatic, government-wide spending cuts imposed by Congress forced the furlough of 10 percent of the controller workforce. During the seven days the furlough was in place, 12,760 flights were delayed -- about three times the normal number. The disruptions were greatest at some of the nation's busiest airports. Amid complaints from disgruntled travelers, Congress passed an exception to the budget cuts for controllers.

Gilbert denied the union simply wants to increase its numbers.

"We see that they are in dire straits and therefore we must speak up," she said. "We have far too few controllers in our towers and radar rooms."

The FAA said in a statement that the agency shares the union's "frustration with air traffic controller staffing levels."

"The past government shutdown and budget cuts closed the FAA's controller training academy for nine months, delaying initial training for several classes of new air traffic controllers. As a result, the FAA has been working hard to hire at an increased rate to meet its air traffic controller staffing targets," the statement said.

Gilbert blamed the situation on "bureaucratic inertia." She said FAA officials have long been aware of the problem and have been working to resolve it, but have simply been unable to overcome red tape and lack of communication, among other issues.

Part of the blame belongs to Congress because the FAA also has been hindered by uncertainty over how much money the agency will be able to spend, making planning difficult, she said. In 2013, the agency was able to hire almost no controllers because of budgetary uncertainty, she said.

The shortage has meant controllers at some of the nation's busiest air traffic facilities have been working six-day work weeks for years, union officials said. They said safety isn't at risk, but they also acknowledged that controllers' work schedules are causing widespread chronic fatigue.

NASA warned the FAA four years ago that chronic controller fatigue was undermining safety and urged the agency to eliminate six-day work weeks as soon as possible. The FAA had asked NASA to study controller scheduling and its impact on fatigue.

Jim Marinitti, the union's southern regional vice president, said controllers at the Atlanta approach control facility, one of the nation's busiest air traffic facilities, have been routinely working mandatory six-day weeks since 2006.

The continual six-day work weeks "definitely raise the safety risk," said John Goglia, a former National Transportation Safety Board member and aviation safety expert.

The union's complaints were especially unusual because labor relations at the FAA have improved markedly during the Obama administration, and the controllers association rarely airs complaints publicly.

As of August, the FAA had only hired 1,178 of a planned 1,772 air traffic controllers it had planned to hire in the 2015 federal budget year, which ended on Sept. 30, Gilbert said.

The union provided some examples of the problems at five busy approach control facilities:

* The Atlanta facility has 74 fully certified controllers, 27 percent short. Eighteen are eligible for retirement.

* The Chicago facility has 70 fully certified controllers, 30 percent short. Twenty-seven are eligible for retirement.

* The Dallas-Fort Worth facility has an all-time low of 52 fully certified controllers, a drop of 38 percent since 2006. Controllers have been working mandatory six-day work weeks since January.

* The Houston facility has 73 fully certified controllers, 22 percent short.

* The New York facility has a 25 year-low of 147 fully certified controllers, 35 percent short. Many work six-day weeks.

- Source:  http://www.thonline.com

Incident occurred October 18, 2015 at Ellington Airport (KEFD), Houston, Texas



HOUSTON, TX (KTRK/CNN) - There were some scary moments at the Wings over Houston airshow on Sunday, when a parachutist landed in the crowd.

The Thunderbirds’ high-flying performances steal the show in the air, but this year, a single parachutist is what some spectators will remember. It began with a warning over the PA system - for the crowd to give the parachutist plenty of room.

Four members of a skydiving team were scheduled to perform at the Ellington Airport, but high winds forced the stunt to be called off. Unfortunately, one member of the team had already made the jump.

After landing  on a tent and sending vendor merchandise scattering across the field, the parachutist was the only casualty - sent to the hospital with what onlookers said was a broken limb.

"We knew he was coming into the crowd, we just didn't know where," vendor John Alcot said. "Actually, that was probably the best place for him to come because he didn't hit anybody."

- Source:  http://www.wtol.com

Beech 60 Duke, HK-3917 G: Fatal accident occurred October 18, 2015 in Engativá, Bogotá, Colombia

Captain Juan Pablo Angulo Reyes

Las autoridades reportaron que el capitán Juan Pablo Angulo Reyes, era quien estaba al mando de la avioneta de matrícula HK-3917 G que en la tarde de este domingo se precipitó a tierra luego de despegar del aeropuerto El Dorado con destino al de Guaymaral. Este inceidente dejó cinco muertos, 
según el comandante de la Policía de Bogotá.

El siniestro se produjo en el barrio Villa Luz, al noroccidente de Bogotá hacia las 16:20 este domingo. El aparato cayó encima de una casa donde funcionaba una panadería.

Las personas fallecidas son el piloto de la aeronave, Juan Pablo Angulo; el dueño de la misma, José Alberto Olivares. Además, entre las víctimas mortales se encuentran un hombre, una mujer y una menor de edad.

En redes sociales, varios de los amigos de la víctima expresaron su pesar por la trágica noticia. Algunos de estos mensajes:

‎Juan Pablo Paz Concha: Una triste y sentida noticia que mi tocayo se nos haya adelantado en este vuelo a la eternidad, A su bella familia mi abrazo de condolencia.

‎Alejandro Olaya Velásquez: Que tristeza. Se fue un buen amigo de toda la vida.

José Luis Rivera Sulez: Con mucho pesar en el corazón manifiesto mis sentimientos de tristeza a toda la familia de nuestro amigo Juan Pablo, en compañía de mi familia elevamos una oración por su descanso al lado de Nuestro Señor.

Monica Molina Pablito amigo de niños. De adolescentes. Dios te reciba y un abrazo a su familia

Maria Clara Rivera Restrepo‎: Pablo…. triste noticia Dios te tenga en su gloria, un abrazo a toda la familia, Carlos y fría acompañándolos, muy triste

Germán Pabón Gómez: Juan Pablo, hermano, ahora Dios te llama a tu morada, Dios bendiga tu viaje, hermano

Andres Reyes De Quevedo: Una gran persona nos abandona mil gracias por todo lo que siempre me ayudaste en los momentos más difíciles que Dios te tenga en tu santa gloria y mis grandes condolencias a toda su familia

María Alejandra Olano Carrillo‎: Te recordare por siempre!! Uno de mis tres Pilotos preferidos. Vuela alto.

José Julio Zamorano C.:‎ Mi capitán buen viaje, fue un placer compartir contigo en estos caminos.

Condolencias a toda su familia.

Leer más en: http://elnuevoliberal.com

Colombia will seek assistance from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board in investigating a weekend plane crash that killed six and left 14 injured, Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas said.

He said in a statement that Colombia would look to have the NTSB assign an investigator to determine what caused the plane to go down outside Bogota.

The Beech 60 Duke crashed Sunday afternoon into a bakery near Avenida Ciudad de Cali in Engativa, a city located close to Bogota's El Dorado International Airport.

All four people aboard the plane were killed along with two people inside the bakery.

The plane had taken off from El Dorado a short time before the crash and was bound for Guaymaral airport, a facility located north of the capital that handles private planes.

Four prominent politicians, led by former President Andres Pastrana, were supposed to board the aircraft at Guaymaral, La FM radio reported Monday, citing the original passenger list.

Pastrana, however, told EFE late Monday that he had canceled his plans at around 2:00 p.m. Sunday, just over two hours before the plane crashed.

The former head of state, a foe of the government's peace process with the FARC guerrillas, inquired Monday in a Twitter post addressed to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos whether a "national and international" investigation of the crash would be conducted "before evidence disappears."

Villegas said Tuesday he had asked the Colombian air force to assist in the investigation and also contacted domestic civil aviation authorities about enlisting the involvement of American military aircraft manufacturer Beechcraft and U.S.-based Lycoming, the maker of the plane's engine, in the probe.

The initial hypothesis of Colombia's air force and civil aviation investigators is that that plane crashed due to engine failure, the defense minister said. 

Un trágico accidente se presentó al occidente de Bogotá, con más exactitud en el barrio Luján, producto de la caída a tierra una avioneta Beech 60 Duke con matrícula HK3917, que tenía solo dos minutos de vuelo.

Según los informes, la avioneta impactó contra la panadería Suiza y posteriormente esta se incendia. La avioneta, que partió a las 4:18 pm, y solo dos minutos después se precipitó a Tierra, se dirigía hacía Guaymaral, al norte de la capital de la República 

El incidente dejó tres viviendas afectadas y 15 personas heridas. Además, hay cinco personas muertas, casi todos ocupantes de la avioneta, dentro de los que se encuentran un capitán de la Aerocivil y el dueño de la aeronave.

"(El aparato) se precipitó a tierra luego de despegar del aeropuerto El Dorado con destino a Guaymaral (y) se accidentó con 4 personas a bordo, entre ellas el capitánJuan Pablo Ángulo Reyes y José Alberto Olivares, propietario de la aeronave quienes hasta el momento se reportan como fallecidos", confirmó la Aerocivil en un comunicado.

El listado de heridos que confirmó la Secretaría de Salud de Bogotá, con edad y estado, es el siguiente.

Read more here:  http://hsbnoticias.com




Five people, including the pilot, were killed Sunday and six others were injured when a small plane crashed into a bakery in the Engativá neighborhood of Bogotá, Colombia, fire officials and the national aviation agency said. 

The plane, a Beech 60 Duke flying from El Dorado to Guaymaral, "fell out of the sky" about 4:20 p.m. (5:20 p.m. ET) into a residence that houses a bakery, Aerocivil said in a statement Sunday night. All of the dead were on board the plane, it said, including the plane's owner, identified as José Alberto Olivares, and its pilot, Juan Pablo Angulo Reyes.

Six people, ages 11 to 50, were injured on the ground and were treated at hospitals, Aerocivil and fire officials said. Their conditions weren't immediately reported.

Investigators were working at the scene to determine the cause of the accident, about which Aerocivil said it had had no further information.


Según información oficial, una avioneta se estrelló en el barrio El Luján, al occidente de Bogotá, hacia las 4:20 pm de este domingo. De momento autoridades informan que el hecho deja 5 personas fallecidas (4 que hacían parte de la tripulación de la aeronave y 1 que se encontraba en el segundo piso de la edificación) y 15 heridos. 

Según el reporte preliminar del Cuerpo de Bomberos la aeronave cayó sobre una panadería en la Avenida Boyacá con calle 66, tres viviendas resultaron afectadas.


Según información de la Aerocivil la avioneta, una Beechcraft 60 Duke con placa HK-3917 G, se dirigiría del Aeropuerto El Dorado hacia Guaymaral con 4 personas a bordo.

Las autoridades confirmaron la lista de personas lesionadas y el hospital al que fueron remitidas:

-Lilian Tatiana Arenas, 37 años. Hospital San José Infantil.

-Fabio Antonio Rojas Medrano, 25 años. Hospital Simón Bolívar.

-Pedro Pablo Vargas González, 47 años. Simón Bolívar.

-Gloria Esperanza Antonio, 45 años. Simón Bolívar.

-Constanza Ramos Jiménez, 36 años. Simón Bolívar.

-María Paola Vargas, 12 años. Simón Bolívar.

-Diego Rodríguez, 25. Simón Bolívar.

-Nilson Parra, 35 años. No acepta traslado.

-Morelia Guzmán, 21 años. No acepta traslado.

-Carlos Libardo Gutiérrez, 69 años. No acepta traslado.

-Bili Pastrana, 35 años. No acepta traslado.

-Andrés Uribe, 14 años. No acepta traslado.

-Rosalba González, 62 años. Virrey Solís-Castellana.

-Blanca Lilia Triana, 74 años. Méderi.

-Ayleq Pastrana, 6 años. No requiere traslado.

Las autoridades evacuaron a todos los habitantes de la zona y quitaron la energía eléctrica, pues en el sitio del impacto hay fuga de gasolina.

Blu Radio conoció también que habría una persona desaparecida entre los habitantes de las viviendas afectadas.

Uno de los testigos del hecho relató a este medio que la aeronave se precipitó a tierra acompañada por un fuerte estruendo. “Hubo una llamarada terrible cerca de 3 carros, nos hizo temer por nuestra seguridad”.

Hacia las 6 pm el Cuerpo de bomberos liquidó la conflagración que se originó como consecuencia de la caída de la avioneta. Personal de la Sijin se dispone a ingresar al sitio para el levantamiento de un cuerpo.


47 bomberos aproximadamente atienden la emergencia, en colaboración con bomberos del grupo Técnico de Rescate, USAR y MATPEL.

El siguiente es el comunicado oficial de la Aerocivil:

Una aeronave de matrícula HK-3917 G se precipitó a tierra luego de despegar del aeropuerto El Dorado con destino a Guaymaral se accidentó con 4 personas a bordo entre ellas el capitán Juan Pablo Ángulo Reyes.

El hecho ocurrió en la localidad de Engativá en la Av. Ciudad de Cali entre 65 - 67, a las 4:20 de la tarde de hoy.








According to official information, a small plane crashed in the El Lujan, west of Bogota, at 4:20 pm on Sunday. So far authorities report that fact leaves 5 people dead (4 that were part of the crew of the aircraft and 1 was in the second floor of the building) and 15 injured.

According to the preliminary report of the Fire Department the aircraft crashed on a bakery on Avenida Boyaca with 66 street, three houses were affected.

According to information from the plane Aerocivil a Beechcraft 60 Duke, registration HK-3917 G, would head to El Dorado Airport Guaymaral with 4 people aboard.

The authorities confirmed the list of injured persons and the hospital to which they were sent:

Tatiana -Lilian Arenas, 37 years. San Jose Children's Hospital.

Fabius Antonio Medrano Rojas, 25 years. Hospital Simon Bolivar.

-Peter Paul Vargas Gonzalez, 47 years old. Simon Bolivar.

Gloria Esperanza Antonio, 45 years. Simon Bolivar.

Constanza Ramos Jimenez, 36 years. Simon Bolivar.

-Mary Paola Vargas, 12 years. Simon Bolivar.

-Diego Rodriguez, 25. Simon Bolivar.

-Nilson Parra, 35 years. Does not accept transfer.

-Morelia Guzman, 21. Does not accept transfer.

Libardo Carlos Gutierrez, 69 years. Does not accept transfer.

-Bili Pastrana, 35 years. Does not accept transfer.

Andres Uribe, 14 years. Does not accept transfer.

Rosalba Gonzalez, 62. Viceroy Solis-Castellana.

Lilia -Blanca Triana, 74. Mederi.

-Ayleq Pastrana, 6 years. It does not require transfer.

Authorities evacuated all residents of the area and took the power, because of the impact on the site is leaking gasoline.

Bluradio also knew there would be a missing person among the inhabitants of the affected homes.

One of the eyewitnesses told this newspaper that the aircraft fell to the ground accompanied by a loud bang. "There was a terrible blaze about 3 cars, made us fear for our safety."

By 6 pm the Fire Department settled the conflagration that was a consequence of the fall of the plane. SIJIN staff prepares to enter the site for lifting a body.

47 firefighters about attending the emergency in cooperation with Fire Department Technical Rescue group, use and HAZMAT.

The following is the official statement of the Aerocivil:

An aircraft registration HK-3917 G fell to the ground after taking off from El Dorado airport to Guaymaral it crashed with four people on board including the captain Juan Pablo Reyes angle.

The incident occurred in the town of Engativá in Ciudad de Cali Avenue between 65 -. 67, at 4:20 pm today.

JetBlue Embraer ERJ-190, N216JB, Flight B6-2020J: Logan International Airport (KBOS), Boston, Massachusetts

WORCESTER – A mechanical failure caused a JetBlue Flight bound for Worcester Sunday to be diverted to Boston’s Logan Airport.

As Flight 2020 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was making its approach toward the hilltop Worcester Regional Airport, the pilot told passengers aboard the Embraer ERJ-190 that the plane’s flaps were stuck in an upright position, and that he would be circling while trying to correct the problem.

The jet made several turns, making several passengers become sick. After about 10 minutes of circling, the pilot said he would need to divert the flight to Logan because it has a longer runway than Worcester. In a steady voice, he explained that the plane would land at fast-than-normal speed, and passengers would see fire engines rolling toward the plane on the ground as a precaution.

Several passengers then took out their phones and starting texting and tweeting, including this writer, who was a passenger on Flight 2020.

The plane landed safely, albeit at a fast speed, and fire officials came out to check the plane’s brakes to make sure they weren’t too hot before allowing it to proceed to the terminal.

Via Twitter, a JetBlue spokesman said the aircraft needed maintenance on a flap and an inspection, so it was diverted and a new aircraft was provided.

“I think he did a hell of job pulling it off,” said Richard Boucher, a passenger who was traveling from Florida to visit his daughter in Oxford, of the pilot’s work landing the plane safely.

“It was a little scary,” said Elaine Sarto of Hubbardston, adding that she wished the pilot had given out more information as the plane was circling to explain what was going on.

Curt Lemay of Leominster, who had been in Florida for a business convention, said he thought the pilot handled the problem very professionally and “he seemed pretty routine.”

JetBlue has issued an apology and a $50 credit to the Flight 2020 passengers via email.

“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you experienced on JetBlue Flight #2020. We understand how challenging it is when your travel plans are disrupted,” said the email from Danny Cox, director of JetBlue’s Customer Support Department. “As a gesture of apology and goodwill, we have issued each person on this flight a service credit in the amount of $50.”

The airline also gave passengers a voucher to take a taxi from Logan to Worcester, and in some cases, directly to their homes.

- Source: http://www.telegram.com

Are Computers Making Airline Pilots Obsolete?

Answer from Tom Farrier, Retired U.S. Air Force pilot; Chair, Unmanned Aircraft Systems Working Group

From my perspective, the opposite situation to what you describe actually is the case, at least for the foreseeable future. Emergencies are where automation can get fouled up the most, and any non-standard operational situations encountered mid-flight are likely to create electronic confusion.

Routine flights where everything goes exactly as anticipated are increasingly easy to automate, to the point that the pilots tend to find themselves in the role of being system managers and monitors more than actually getting to exercise their skills. On-board systems can indeed manage flight parameters and optimize the efficient operation of the aircraft more precisely than the average pilot...as long as everything follows the playbook.

The biggest limitations associated with letting robots fly and dispensing with pilots are:

1. Not every flight remains routine. The design philosophy of some airframe manufacturers basically is to keep the pilots out of the way of the automation as much as possible while allowing them to monitor what's actually going on. When something out of the ordinary crops up, or when the normal progression of a flight must be modified to respond to an unexpected situation, it can be tough even for pilots aboard an aircraft and directly participating in the progress of the flight to intervene as needed. The abstract describing a 2007 MIT paper on "mode confusion" (Aspects of automation mode confusion) addresses this issue as follows:

"Complex systems such as commercial aircraft are difficult for operators to manage. Designers, intending to simplify the interface between the operator and the system, have introduced automation to assist the operator. In most cases, the automation has helped the operator, but at times operator confusion as to what the automation is doing has created dangerous situations that lead to property damage or loss of life. This problem, known as mode confusion, has been difficult to analyze and thus solutions tend to be reactive instead of proactive."

2.  Not every flight follows exactly the same sequence of events every single time. The aviation system is a chaotic system; for example: 

Weather forces changes in routes;

Different types of aircraft operate at different speeds and climb and descend at different rates, leaving different amounts of wake turbulence behind them;

Aircraft operating under "instrument" and "visual" flight rules often share the same airspace;

Emergencies may require reshuffling the priority of landing aircraft;

People get sick on airplanes and need to be taken to the nearest acceptable location for treatment; and

Forest fires and volcanoes can affect flight conditions.

Any and all of these conditions require pilots and air traffic controllers to respond to and manage them in real time. Sophisticated unmanned aircraft like the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk can fly literally thousands of miles with hardly any pilot input at all; the tradeoff is that the RQ-4s were not designed to play well with others (requiring all other traffic basically to be routed in consideration of the drone's flight plan), and each mission requires dozens of hours of route planning to execute.  Imagine if every single plane in the sky was subject to such requirements, and you start seeing the real-world implications of turning flying over to inflexible programming.

3. Garbage in = garbage out. If anything interferes with the computer's ability to perceive the world, everyone aboard the aircraft is likely to have a very bad day. Damaged or malfunctioning airspeed indicators, altimeters, angle-of-attack sensors and the like have been at the center of many accidents over time. As I see it, their potential contribution to accidents would be magnified many times over if a ground-based pilot starts getting gibberish over the downlink and has to try to sort out truth from electronic hallucinations in realtime, without the benefit of being able to directly perceive what the heck is going on. 

There probably will be workable, 100% (or close enough) reliable solutions to everything I've described above. However, we aren't there yet. Even if Moore's Law continues to operate and on-board computational power continues to double every couple of years, I doubt even the smartest artificial intelligences will be capable of handling all aviation operations on their own until mid-century at the earliest. (I don't plan on riding on anything like that until I'm satisfied that it can handle everything that's thrown at it, so I'll probably be in the ground before I get a chance to do so.)

- Source:  http://www.newsweek.com

Bell 47G-3B, N73224, US Helicopter LLC: Accident occurred October 18, 2015 in Searchlight, Clark County, Nevada

Date: 16-OCT-15
Time: 00:00:00Z
Regis#: N73224
Aircraft Make: BELL
Aircraft Model: 47G
Event Type: Accident
Highest Injury: Unknown
Damage: Substantial
Flight Phase: UNKNOWN (UNK)
FAA Flight Standards District Office: FAA Las Vegas FSDO-19
City: SEARCHLIGHT
State: Nevada

N73224 BELL 47G ROTORCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, NEAR SEARCHLIGHT, NV

US HELICOPTER LLC: http://registry.faa.gov/N73224



> SEARCHLIGHT, NV (FOX5) - A helicopter crashed near Searchlight early Sunday afternoon, according to police.

Ian Gregor, Public Affairs Manager with the Federal Aviation Administration, said a Bell helicopt

er crashed at an unknown time,  under unknown circumstances near State Route 164 in Searchlight.

According to Lt. Jeff Goodwin with Las Vegas Metro police, the privately owned aircraft was being used to help Bureau of Land Management round up cattle when it started to run out of fuel. The pilot attempted to land but was caught in a crosswind which caused him to make a hard landing.


No injuries were reported.


- Source: http://www.fox5vegas.com


SEARCHLIGHT, Nev. Officers have located the pilot of a helicopter that crashed near Searchlight Sunday afternoon.

The private helicopter went down on State Route 164 at mile marker 11.  


Lt. Jeff Goodwin of Metro Police said it received a call from Nevada Highway Patrol around 12:35 p.m. to assist them with what is being called a "hard impact" crash.


Metro said initially when law enforcement officers went to the scene, they had trouble locating the pilot.  


However, he was found hours later.  No word on his injuries.


- Source: http://www.lasvegasnow.com


(1:40 P.M. UPDATE): Radio traffic indicates the helicopter went down about 8:30 a.m. west of Searchlight while the pilot was rounding up wild cattle. The pilot declined medical treatment but said he had a sore back. He was the only person on board the helicopter.

SEARCHLIGHT (KSNV News3LV) -- A two-seat helicopter crashed near State Route 164 shortly after 12:30 p.m. Sunday.


The extend of injuries or damage is unknown, according to Metro Lt. Jeff Goodwin.


A Flight for Life rescue helicopter was requested as a precaution, Goodwin said.


"We have contacted the FAA and the NTSB," Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Chelsea Stunkel told News 3. "It is a privately owned helicopter and we don't know if one or two people were on board."


The Clark County Fire Department has secured the scene, at mile marker 11 near State Route 164.


- Source:  http://www.news3lv.com

Cessna 120, N2099V: Accident occurred October 17, 2015 at McKinney National Airport (KTKI), Dallas, Texas

GARRY ACKERMAN:   http://registry.faa.gov/N2099V

NTSB Identification: GAA16CA024 
Accident occurred Saturday, October 17, 2015 in McKinney, TX
Aircraft: CESSNA 120, registration: N2099V

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

Date: 17-OCT-15
Time: 15:36:00Z
Regis#: N2099V
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: 120
Event Type: Accident
Highest Injury: None
Damage: Substantial
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
FAA Flight Standards District Office: FAA Dallas FSDO-05
City: MC KINNEY
State: Texas

AIRCRAFT ON LANDING FLIPPED OVER, MC KINNEY, TX


MCKINNEY (CBSDFW.COM) — A single-engine plane flipped at McKinney National Airport Saturday morning.

The Federal Aviation Administration says the plane flipped after landing. “The pilot wasn’t injured, but the plane had to be removed,” Lynn Lunsford, an FAA representative, said.

The FAA is investigating.

- Source:  http://dfw.cbslocal.com

Dyess airman killed in vehicle crash south of Abilene, Texas

ABILENE, Texas -

According to the 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs Office, a Dyess airman assigned to the 7th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron was killed in a vehicle accident at FM 89 and CR 653 southwest of Abilene early Sunday morning.

Department of Public Safety officials are investigating and have not yet released a statement outlining what caused the accident.

The airman, whose identity will be released pending notification of next of kin, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

7th Bomb Wing Commander Col. Bob Starr expressed his sympathies for the airman's family.

"Whenever we lose an Airman from Dyess, it is felt across the base and the Big Country," Starr said. "Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the family members and friends who grieve the loss of this airman today."

KTXS will update this article as we learn more.

Melbourne International Airport (KMLB) pushes 'Orlando Melbourne' name

Looking to lure more passengers and air service, Melbourne International Airport is stepping up its efforts to connect with one of the world's top tourism destinations by marketing itself as Orlando Melbourne International Airport.

The Melbourne airport — which has been overshadowed by Orlando International Airport and even Orlando Sanford International Airport — wants travelers from outside Florida to consider Melbourne as a less congested alternative to the Orlando airports.

Melbourne International Executive Director Greg Donovan detailed his plan to tourism officials at a recent Brevard County Tourist Development Council meeting, and they liked what they heard.

"The 'Orlando Melbourne' brand is a no-brainer," said Bob Baugher, a hotel owner in the Cocoa Beach/Cape Canaveral area and a member of the Tourist Development Council. "The whole world knows about Orlando, Mickey Mouse, the whole thing."

Space Coast Office of Tourism Executive Director Eric Garvey said "identifying the airport as part of the Greater Orlando market is a very smart thing to do."

The theory is that, the more people who fly into Melbourne, instead of Orlando, the more likely they will stay for at least several days at Space Coast hotels if they want a vacation that includes the Orlando-area theme parks, the beach, and perhaps a visit to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex or another local attraction.

The idea, Garvey said, is to "provide an easier and affordable way to enjoy the theme parks in Orlando. We're so close to Orlando, from a tourist's point of view. People will think nothing of an hour's drive. It's a very easy drive."

Garvey said many tourists coming to Florida to visit the Orlando-area theme parks also want to spend some time on the beach. So they will drive to the Space Coast for a day or two.

"The attractions in the Space Coast all rely on tourists coming out of the Orlando market," Garvey said, adding that the Office of Tourism and the airport "can flip that script" so people spend most of their time here, then a few days at the theme parks.

Tourism officials say the approach also will help in having more Port Canaveral cruise passengers who are flying into Florida use Melbourne International, instead of Orlando International. That could lead them to extend their stay at a Space Coast hotel either before or after their cruise.

Trying to connect Orlando with the Space Coast market is not unprecedented. The Space Coast Office of Tourism has marketed the Space Coast  as "Orlando's Closest Beaches." And cruise lines have marketed port-of-call stops at Port Canaveral as a stop in Orlando.

Melbourne International Airport as far back as 2010 had referred to itself in certain instances as "Orlando Melbourne," including a campaign involving US Airways, in which website traffic soared.

But Donovan's newest initiative will be more focused, especially in out-of-state marketing. It's also tied in with efforts to have Melbourne International Airport and its flights show up when air travelers are searching for flights to the Orlando area on Internet searches and online booking systems.

"Orlando is what people know," Donovan said.

Orlando Sanford International — whose airport code is SFB — markets itself as: "We Are SFB: Simpler, Faster, Better" in an effort to contrast itself with Orlando International.

Much of the issue at Melbourne International Airport is its relative lack of flights, compared with the Orlando and Sanford airports.

But Donovan said he is trying to change that, citing new nonstop service to Toronto that will start Dec. 19, and increased seating capacity on flights operated by American Airlines and Delta Air Lines out of Melbourne.

Passenger traffic at Melbourne is up 8 percent for the first eight months of 2015, compared with 2014 figures.

Donovan said the Toronto-to-Melbourne flights — which also use a secondary airport in Toronto, Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport — will provide air travelers with a welcome alternative to the "cattle call" experience they sometimes find at major airports.

He said having more flights also could help attract more Space Coast residents to use Melbourne International.

Donovan cited a study showing that Melbourne's airport is losing 74 percent of local residents taking flights — or more than 3,400 people a day — who fly out of Orlando, instead of Melbourne, mainly to Northeast and Midwest markets.​

He said Melbourne International also has extensive incentives in place to attract new airlines and new routes. Among them:

• Waiving landing fees, terminal rent and gate fees for up to two years.

• Providing airport staff to assist in passenger check-in and baggage handling.

• Providing airline marketing assistance worth $50,000 to $150,000, depending on various benchmarks, including the type and frequency of service added.

• Providing up to $50,000 worth of help in establishing new ticket counters, podiums, gates or office improvements at the airport.

Melbourne International is one of the lowest-cost airports in Florida for airlines to operate in, based on cost per passenger.

The airport also is planning an upgrade to its passenger terminal complex, which dates back to 1989.

As part of the upgrade, Donovan said, the terminal will have "a coastal, business-casual feel," with a color scheme reflecting beach sand and the ocean.

Garvey said he has been working with Donovan "to promote Melbourne as the gateway to Central Florida," something local tourism sector leaders have been meeting "with great enthusiasm and passion."

The Office of Tourism plans to align its own marketing efforts with those of Melbourne International Airport, Garvey said.

By combining a beach and theme park vacation, Garvey said, tourists can get "the best of all worlds."

- Source:  http://www.floridatoday.com