14 AUG 2008 _______________________________________ *NTSB: PA-23 Broke Apart Prior To Impact In NC Mishap *United Names Former USAF Thunderbird As VP of Flight Operations *Two injured in Erie plane crash (Colorado) *American quickens pace of jet replacement program *Qantas airplane suffers engine problem in flight *Engine problems on Qantas flight into Auckland *Fly540 F27 crash claims lives of three crew members *Virgin A340 aborted landing after coming off fogged runway **************************************** NTSB: PA-23 Broke Apart Prior To Impact In NC Mishap Pilot Reported Severe Turbulence Before Fatal Accident The National Transportation Safety Board says the pilot of a 1955 Piper PA-23-180 Geronimo twin reported severe turbulence in the vicinity of thunderstorms shortly before the aircraft apparently broke apart in midair, and crashed in western North Carolina last month. Duane Moorer Sr., 49, and his 22-year-old son Duane Jr. were flying from Louisville, KY to an airport south of Atlanta, GA when the aircraft impacted terrain near the city of Highlands on July 29. Both men were killed in the crash. According to the Board's preliminary report, the aircraft lost its left wing and empennage inflight shortly after the plane altered course to divert around an area of extreme turbulence. "Preliminary air traffic control (ATC) information provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), revealed the airplane was at 9,200 feet heading southeast, at 1448, when the pilot reported that he was encountering severe turbulence and intended to reverse direction to divert around the weather," the Board states. "Radar data indicated the airplane continued on its southeasterly heading for about another minute, and then made an approximate 270-degree left turn to a westerly heading. The airplane continued for about three more minutes until the last radar hit was observed at 1453, in the vicinity of the accident site." Conditions at the time of the crash were reported VFR, though thunderstorm cells were noted in weather bulletins at three airports located within a 70-mile radius of the accident site -- to the northeast, northwest, and southeast of Highlands. A witness on the ground told investigators he heard what "sounded like a helicopter when it starts up or shuts down." He looked up, and saw as the Piper's left engine departed the airframe, and continue to travel with some "upward momentum" in a west/northwest direction. The NTSB adds another section of the aircraft structure fell to the ground near where the witness was standing; at the same time, he heard the airplane impact in the wooded area across the street, impacting in a near-vertical attitude. Investigators found the wing and empennage about 1/4 mile from the primary accident site. The engine was recovered about a half mile away. Both men were licensed pilots. Duane Moorer Sr. was an ATP-rated pilot for UPS, with a reported 11,920 hours of flight time. His son held a private pilot license and first-class medical, but was rated only for single-engine land planes. The elder Moorer had recently purchased the accident aircraft from a Florida dealer. aero-news.net *************** United Names Former USAF Thunderbird As VP of Flight Operations Howard Attarian Tasked With Coordinating Flight Standards United Airlines announced this week that Howard Attarian has been named vice president of Flight Operations. In this role, Attarian will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of United's Flight Operations division, including pilot domiciles, flight standards and flight technical. "Captain Attarian brings more than three decades of aviation experience to United, including many years in ALPA leadership positions, making him well suited to lead our 6,600 professional aviators," said Joe Kolshak, senior vice president-Operations for United. "Howard's past experience will be an asset to us as we continue to build our company's competitive position in this economic environment." Attarian joins United after serving as a pilot for Northwest Airlines for 23 years. Throughout Attarian's career at Northwest he served in several officer positions with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), where he played a key leadership role in contract negotiations. Most recently, Attarian served for eight years as the executive administrator to the president of the Air Line Pilots Association International, where he led several projects to merge ALPA's six pilot groups, as well as serving as a key adviser in the collective bargaining negotiations for Northwest, Delta, Alaska, US Airways and United. Attarian is also a highly decorated and retired commissioned officer and aviator in the US Air Force. He was once a pilot on the renowned US Air Force "Thunderbirds Demonstration Squadron." Attarian will assume his role September 1, and will report to Kolshak. He will be based at United's operations center in suburban Chicago. FMI: www.united.com aero-news.net *************** Two injured in Erie plane crash (Colorado) Broomfield grandfather, grandson rushed to hospital Two people - a grandfather and grandson - were injured Tuesday morning when the single-engine, fixed-wing plane they were flying crashed in a field just southwest of the Erie Airpark. Paul Hinton, 68, of Broomfield, was piloting the plane, according to the Boulder County Sheriff's Office. He sustained moderate injuries, officials said, while his grandson, 16-year-old Robin Hinton, also of Broomfield, sustained serious injuries. They were both taken to Exempla Hospital in Lafayette by ambulance, officials said. The two had just taken off from the airpark and were headed south when the pilot radioed that he was experiencing engine trouble, officials said. The aircraft was a 2004 experimental-class, amateur-built plane that was painted to look like a vintage World War II aircraft. It is registered as a Flynn Van Munk model with a Fairchild engine. According to federal aircraft records, the plane is registered to Paul Hinton. Erie resident Wyatt Tackett, a paramedic in training, was among the first at the scene of the crash. "I was driving by, and I saw them do a sharp turn," Tackett said. "It dropped, and I knew something wasn't right." According to Tackett, who has piloting experience, the plane "bobbed" over a self-storage facility near the field before going down. He described the crash, which he witnessed from the road, as a violent cartwheel caused when one wing hit the ground and put the aircraft into a roll - tearing off both wings in the process. "They went end over end," Tackett said. Tackett said he ran to the victims and helped pull them out of the tangled wreckage. A passing private helicopter, piloted by a paramedic, landed in the area after the crash, officials said. The helicopter crew and Tackett provided aid until ambulances arrived. "We threw a shirt over the grandfather's head to stop the bleeding," Tackett said. "He was a little panicked." Both victims were awake and talking after the accident, Tackett said. "Those guys were pretty lucky," he said. According to Mountain View Fire Protection District spokesman Jesse Hodgson, reports came in about 10 a.m. that the aircraft was going down after suffering engine problems. The pilot radioed several "mayday" calls to the tower, he said. The plane had just fueled up at the airpark, and about 25 gallons of fuel spilled at the crash scene. Hodgson said the spill was quickly contained, and no fires broke out. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, officials said. http://www.coloradodaily.com/news/2008/aug/05/two-injured-erie-plane-crash/ ************** American quickens pace of jet replacement program Underscoring the crippling effects of high fuel prices, American Airlines executives said Wednesday that the company is accelerating deliveries of fuel-efficient Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The airline will take delivery of six more 737-800s in 2010, the executives said, bringing to 76 the total of 737-800s that Boeing Co. will deliver to American over the next two years - 36 in 2009 and 40 in 2010. "As part of the amendment we executed with Boeing, among other things, we were able to take advantage of the opportunity to acquire six more 737s for delivery in 2010 and exercise the 20 options for delivery in 2009 and 2010," American's spokesman Mary Sanderson said. "American has had a fleet renewal plan that we've been executing for the past couple of years, and accelerating it is a good financial decision for American and also should result in an enhanced customer experience," she said. "Customers always like new aircraft." As the deliveries are stepped up, American will accelerate the retirements of its 300 MD-80s, which are more than 20 years old, company officials said. The MD-80s, which are 35 percent less fuel efficient than the 737-800s, outnumber all other aircraft in American's 653-aircraft fleet. American now flies 77 Boeing 737-800s. American has firm commitments for 11 737-800s in 2013. Executives said American continues to evaluate opportunities to accelerate the replacement of MD-80s with additional 737-800s. American has arranged third-party financing for about two-thirds of its 737-800 deliveries during the next two years, the executives said, adding that the company may finance all of its aircraft deliveries in 2009 under the third-party agreement. "Today's announcement is another example of how American continues to take concrete steps in an effort to manage through the current industry challenges," Chief Financial Officer Tom Horton said in a statement. American executives declined to disclose the price of each 737-800 or the cost of the 76-aircraft deal. However, the company revealed the financial effects of the accelerated aircraft deliveries in its 10Q filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 30. Payments on the new 737-800 commitments by AMR Corp., the parent of American Airlines, will be about $400 million for the remainder of 2008, up from $278 million; $1.1 billion in 2009, up from $682 million; $785 million in 2010, up from $107 million; $100 million in 2011, down from $102 million; $218 million in 2012, down from $310 million; and $1 billion in 2013, down from $1.3 billion. Shares of AMR closed Wednesday at $10.86, down $1.33 or 10.9 percent. More than 34.5 million shares were traded. http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/article.aspx?articleID=20080814_45_E2_Und ers788451 ************** Qantas airplane suffers engine problem in flight WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - A Qantas Airways flight landed safely Wednesday night after a problem with one of its engines on a flight from Australia to New Zealand, the company said, the latest in a series of mechanical incidents for the airline. One of four engines on a Boeing 747-300 from Melbourne was "reduced to idle" speed while the airplane approached Auckland Airport on Wednesday night, Qantas spokeswoman Holly Williams said. However, the pilot managed to land the aircraft with 219 passengers and 16 crew safely, she told The Associated Press, blaming the problem on a "faulty fuel-flow regulator." Also Wednesday, Australia's airline safety body expanded an investigation of Qantas after the company announced it temporarily pulled six Boeing 737-400 airplanes from service because of irregularities in maintenance records. Wednesday's problems were the latest in a spate of incidents for the airline since one of its planes made an emergency landing in Manila last month after an explosion tore a large hole in the fuselage. Nobody was hurt in that mid-air incident. ************** Engine problems on Qantas flight into Auckland A Qantas Airways jumbo jet was tonight on its way to Los Angeles after it was grounded overnight in Auckland following an in-flight problem with one of its engines. "It took off just after 2pm," a spokeswoman for the airline said today. One of four engines on the Boeing 747-300 on a flight from Melbourne was unexepectedly "reduced to idle" speed - without a command from the pilots - as the plane approached Auckland Airport on Wednesday night, Qantas spokeswoman Holly Williams said. The pilot landed the aircraft with 219 passengers and 16 crew without further incident and a faulty fuel-flow regulator was replaced overnight . The incident occurred as Australia's airline safety body expanded an investigation of Qantas after the company announced it had temporarily pulled six Boeing 737-400 airplanes from service on Tuesday because of irregularities in maintenance records, AAP reported. In another incident on Wednesday, a Boeing 747 had to be taken out of service to replace a jackscrew crucial to the operation of the plane's tail, and the airline confirmed that urgent maintenance was needed. Another Qantas Boeing 747 was grounded temporarily in Melbourne on Wednesday because of a problem with a flap indicator in the cockpit. This week's problems are the latest in a spate of incidents for the airline since one of its planes made an emergency landing in Manila last month after an explosion tore a large hole in the fuselage. Nobody was hurt in that mid-air incident, which is thought to have been due to an exploding oxygen bottle. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10527085 ************** Fly540 F27 crash claims lives of three crew members An investigation has begun after a Fokker F27 freighter, operated by Kenyan regional carrier Fly540, crashed on approach into the Somalian capital of Mogadishu. The F27-500, registered 5Y-BVF, was operating a charter freight flight from the Kenyan city of Nairobi to Mogadishu North Airport - also known as K50 Airport - in the early hours of yesterday morning. Fly540 says the F27, which was carrying with two pilots and an engineer, crashed during an attempted landing in poor weather conditions. All three crew members perished in the accident. "Until investigations have been completed it will not be possible to ascertain the cause of the crash, but it seems likely to have been the result of bad weather," it says. "The Kenya civil aviation authority and ministry of transport officials are investigating the accident and will issue a report on their findings in due course." A Fly540 spokeswoman was unable to immediately give further details of the weather conditions at the time of the crash. Unconfirmed local media reports say the aircraft was seen approaching the airport twice before going around and colliding with a telecommunication antenna. The aircraft's captain had just under 30 years' flying experience on both jets and turboprop types and was also a qualified instructor. His co-pilot had been flying for over two years, says the airline. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ****** Status: Preliminary Date: 13 AUG 2008 Time: 07:30 Type: Fokker F-27 Friendship 500 Operator: Fly540 Registration: 5Y BVF C/n / msn: 10627 First flight: 1982-02-17 Engines: 2 Rolls Royce 532-7 Dart Crew: Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 Airplane damage: Written off Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: 2 km (1.3 mls) from j K-50 Airport (Somalia) Phase: Approach (APR) Nature: Cargo Departure airport: ? Destination airport: ? Narrative: The F-27 took off from an airport in Kenya, carrying a cargo of khat to Somalia. Destination was K-50 Airport, located about 50 km southwest of Mogadishu. Press reports indicate that weather was poor as the airplane arrived near K-50. The plane is said to have struck a telecommunication antenna on approach. It crashed, killing all three crew members. (aviation-safety.net) *************** Virgin A340 aborted landing after coming off fogged runway Pilots landing a Virgin Atlantic Airbus A340-300 at night in Nairobi were forced to execute a late go-around after the jet entered an unexpected fog bank on touchdown, and strayed almost completely off the side of the runway. Investigators from the UK are trying to understand why visibility information transmitted to the crew during the 27 April approach apparently differed greatly from the conditions recorded by automated sensors. Although both pilots had good visual contact with runway 06's approach lights at the 200ft decision height, the aircraft entered fog while still at 20ft and the first officer, flying the jet, lost sight of the right-hand runway edge lights. As the A340 touched down it remained on its two main landing-gear bogies, drifting to the left. "The commander became aware of the left runway edge lights moving rapidly closer to him before he lost the lights completely and was only aware of their position by the glow of the lights illuminating the fog," says the Air Accidents Investigation Branch. Although the commander immediately ordered a go-around, the aircraft's left gear came off the side of the runway, some 960m (3,150ft) from the threshold, travelling off the surface for 180m. The right gear left the runway surface but managed just to stay within the shoulder boundary. The A340 stayed on the ground for only about five seconds neither its nose-gear nor its centre-mounted main gear contacted the surface. It became airborne and diverted to Mombasa, where it landed without further incident. None of the 122 occupants was injured and the jet, G-VAIR, suffered only minor abrasion damage to its fuselage. During the approach to Nairobi, air traffic controllers relayed to the crew that a preceding aircraft had reported landing visibility of 3,000m and a cloudbase of 300ft. But an automated weather station recorded a minimum runway visual range of 550m. "The investigation will continue towards establishing the runway surface condition, the visibility of the markings, and condition of the lighting to quantify what, if any, contribution they may have made to this incident," says the AAIB. "Further enquiries will be made regarding the difference between the [runway visual range] recordedand that passed to the crew of [the A340]." The inquiry will also examine whether light luminescence from the edge lighting affected the runway visual range. Nairobi's runway 06 is 4,117m long and 60m wide, of which the outer 7.5m on either side is a paved shoulder. It has no centreline lighting - none is required - but the investigators point out that the runway edge lights are 7.5m from the declared strip, rather than the ICAO-standard maximum distance of 3m. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ****************