13 NOV 2008 _____________________________________ *Cargo plane crashes in Iraq (AN-12) *Civilian aircraft crashes in Iraq *Civilian cargo aircraft crashes in western Iraq *Nigeria to ban aircraft without ELT ************************************* Cargo plane crashes in Iraq (AN-12) BAGHDAD, (CNN) - A civilian cargo plane carrying six crew members and a passenger crashed in Iraq on Thursday, a U.S. military spokesman said. The military said mechanical failure or pilot error appears to have caused the accident. The status of the people on board is not yet known, the spokesman said. No coalition personnel were among them. The fixed-wing aircraft was headed from Al Asad Airfield in Anbar province to the Baghdad International Airport. A quick reaction force was dispatched to the crash site to assist with security and relief efforts. ************ Civilian aircraft crashes in Iraq A civilian cargo aircraft has crashed to the south of Falluja, in western Iraq, US officials have said. The cargo plane was carrying four to six people, the US military said, when it crashed because of a "malfunction". Witnesses said the plane took off from Habbaniya base in Anbar province but was seen in flames before crashing. There was no word on whether the crew of the plane survived the crash. Their nationalities were also unknown, the US military said. "It was a malfunction. It lost radio contact, then it crashed. We have no information on the fate of the crew," a US military spokeswoman said. Iraqi police told the Associated Press that the plane, which took off near Falluja, crashed in the desert without causing Iraqi casualties. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7727911.stm ************** Civilian cargo aircraft crashes in western Iraq BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A civilian cargo aircraft with seven people on board crashed shortly after take-off in western Iraq on Thursday, the U.S. military said, adding that there was little hope of any survivors. The ex-Soviet built AN-12 airplane, operated by a German firm, crashed shortly after take off, army Captain Charles Calio said. It had just left an air base near the western city of Falluja. Earlier reports had described it as a U.S. civilian cargo plane. Calio said no American citizens or soldiers were on board. A damage assessment was being done, but it was unlikely that any of the six crew and one baggage handler had survived. "It looks like everybody was lost," he said. http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE4AC54Y20081113 ************* Nigeria to ban aircraft without ELT The Nigerian Federal Government will by January 1, 2009 ban aircraft that operate without Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT). Similarly government has directed that no aircraft will be registered or granted certificate of airworthiness without installing the device. The decision was made known in Abuja by authorities of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) at a meeting of stakeholders called by National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), to review the search and rescue operation during the accident of a Beechcraft 1900, which disappeared over Obudu in Cross River State, on March 15, 2008. (aviation-safety.net) *************