19 JAN 2010 _________________________________________ *Wind gust forces SFO-bound jet to make emergency landing in San Jose *Vermilion inventor, wife and two pilots die in plane crashes near Lorain County Airport *Images suggest engine problem preceded Iran A300 run-off *Airbus Signs Contract for High-Memory RFID Tags *JAL files for bankruptcy protection *Airbus hands A350 elevator work to Chinese venture ***************************************** Wind gust forces SFO-bound jet to make emergency landing in San Jose Evacuations ordered in Southern California as storms move in Hazardous weather, heavy winds today in Bay AreaAn American Airlines jet flying from Texas to San Francisco made an emergency landing in San Jose this morning after it was hit by a powerful gust of wind, a spokesman for the airline said. The plane, Flight No. 1965 from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, developed a minor problem with its throttle during the flight, American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner said. As it was making its approach to San Francisco International Airport, the plane encountered a short, intense gust of wind known as a microburst, Wagner said. The wind, combined with the throttle problem, prompted the pilot to declare an emergency and divert the plane to Mineta San Jose International Airport, Wagner said. Firefighters were called to the airport as a precaution, but the plane landed safely and nobody was hurt, said David Vossbrink, a spokesman for the airport. The plane, a McDonnell Douglas MD-80 that seats 140 people, landed at 10:22 a.m. and passengers were bused to San Francisco, Wagner said. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_14216807 **************** Vermilion inventor, wife and two pilots die in plane crashes near Lorain County Airport Plane1.jpg ELYRIA, Ohio -- The Vermilion inventor of drop ceilings and his wife were passengers on a plane that crashed Monday afternoon at Lorain County Airport as they were returning from visiting their son in Florida. Four people were killed in the crash. Donald and Shirley Brown of Vermilion were on the Mitsubishi MU-2B turbo-prop plane that left Gainsville, Fla., and was headed to Ohio. The State Highway Patrol said four people were killed on the flight including the Browns and two pilots. The patrol said the plane was approaching a runway when it crashed at 2:08 p.m. at the rural airport at Russia and Oberlin roads in New Russia Township in the southern part of the county. Melinda Mengelson of Florahome, Fla., said in a phone interview with the Plain Dealer that she was informed by authorities that her husband, John, was killed in the crash. The plane was registered to Mitts Corp., a subsidiary of Kenn-Air Corp, a company that flies planes out of the Gainesville, Fla., Regional Airport, according to federal records. The documents show the plane left Gainesville shortly before 11:10 a.m. Its last contact with authorities in Northeast Ohio was at 2:01 p.m. when it was traveling at 160 mph, according to FlightAware.com, which tracks planes. The plane was a Mitsubshi twin engine that could seat 10. Only four people were on board. In the past three months, the same plane flew in and out of Lorain County Airport, according to FlightAware.com. A secretary at Mitts Corp. hung up the phone on a reporter. Authorities said three bodies were found in the plane's wreckage, while another was outside of it. The damage was so severe that it took hours to remove the bodies. Lorain County Coroner Dr. Paul Matus declared the four people dead at the scene. The cause of the crash is still under investigation. The plane was found several thousand yards short of the runway, just inside a fence, said State Highway Patrol Lt. Travis Hughes. Besides the Browns, pilots John Mengelson, 46, of Florahome, Fla., and Wesley Roemer, 30, of Gainesville, Fla., were aboard the plane, according to the patrol. The Gainesville Sun reported that Mengelson was the chief mechanic and co-pilot and Roemer was a pilot for Kenn Air, the company owned by the Browns' son, Kenneth. "They were flying Mr. and Mrs. Brown home," Melinda Mengelson, wife of the co-pilot, said in a phone interview with the Plain Dealer. She said that she was informed of her husband's death by authorities. Based on reports she had heard, Melinda Mengelson said the plane had no mechanical problems. She said that when the plane came out of the clouds, it was in a 90-degree bank and then flew into the ground. "They said the plane was flying fine," she said. Donald Brown, 89, was widely known for his inventions, including drop ceilings that have become common place in homes, schools and businesses. In 1961, Brown obtained a patent for drop ceilings. "The primary object of the present invention is to provide a suspended ceilng construction in which access may be obtained at any desired location," Brown wrote in the patent. In the 2000s, Brown also became known for building a nuclear shelter across the street from his home that frightened neighbors and angered officials. Brown, however, was proud of the structure. In later years, he also worked with polymers for adhesives. Cleveland Magazine featured the Browns' Lake Road mansion in Vermilion in the Top 250 homes in the region. Theirs was ranked eighth. The article cited the legend of the dining room, where the floor rotated to allow each guest a view of Lake Erie. "He was a nice man," said Janet Knittle, a former Vermilion Township trustee. "He kept pretty much to himself. He was very quiet." Knittle said Shirley Brown, 87, spent a great deal of time in Florida. The Browns and the two pilots were flying in a plane registered to Mitts Corp., a company affiliated with Kenn Air Corp. Kenneth Brown owns Kenn Air, according to public records and interviews. The company flies planes out of Gainsville Regional Airport. The Browns' plane left Gainesville shortly before 11:10 a.m., according to Web sites that track planes. Its last contact with authorities was at 2:01 p.m. when it was traveling at 160 mph, according to FlightAware.com. In the past three months, the same plane flew in and out of Lorain County Airport, according to FlightAware.com. For years, the airport served many of the major manufacturers in the county and small plane enthusiasts. Executives seeking quick access to this area often bypassed Cleveland Hopkins and flew into Lorain County. The airport recently has come under scrutiny as Lorain County officials debate closing it. That discussion, however, appeared quiet on Monday as investigators worked on the plane's wreckage. "This is a very tragic incident, and we are waiting for more information," said Lorain County Commissioner Ted Kalo. http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/01/three_die_as_small_plane_crash.html ***** Date: 18-JAN-2010 Time: 2:05 pm Type: Mitsubishi MU-2B-60 Operator: Registration: N80HH C/n / msn: 732 Fatalities: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Elyria, Ohio - United States of America Phase: Unknown Nature: Departure airport: Gainesville, FL Destination airport: KLPR Narrative: The twin engine prop aircraft crashed near Lorain County regional Airport. Four persons reported killed. (aviation-safety.net) **************** Images suggest engine problem preceded Iran A300 run-off http://www.planespotting.nl/newphotos/ams/EP-IBB.JPG Video images of the runway run-off by an Iran Air Airbus A300 at Stockholm Arlanda indicates that the aircraft suffered a technical problem with its left-hand engine shortly after starting its take-off roll. The images clearly show a brief burst of flame from the left-hand General Electric CF6 engine. This appears to result in a reduction of thrust on the left side and a yaw to the left, causing the A300 to veer off the runway into the snow. The twin-jet - identified as serial number 727 - had been departing as flight IR762 for Tehran on 16 January, and the images indicate that the aircraft was using runway 19R located on the west side of the airport. Stockholm Arlanda Airport's operator states that the aircraft had 172 occupants, including 149 passengers, but that no-one was injured in the incident. While runway 01L/19R had to be closed, it adds, the impact on flight was minimal because the run-off occurred during off-peak hours. Swedish air accident investigators have opened an inquiry into the event. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news **************** Airbus Signs Contract for High-Memory RFID Tags http://www.rfidjournal.com/ezimagecatalogue/catalogue/phpwsuyzM.jpg The aircraft maker plans to use the EPC Gen 2 RFID tags—which will have as much as 8 kilobytes of memory—to track thousands of repairable parts for its new A350 XWB planes. Jan. 19, 2010—Airbus has signed a seven-year contract with a supplier of high-memory, passive EPC Gen 2 RFID tags. This deal comes as part of the aircraft manufacturer's plan to use radio frequency identification to track thousands of pressurized and non-pressurized parts and components on Airbus' new A350 extra-wide body (XWB) fleet, expected to enter service beginning in 2013. The 8-kilobyte tags that Airbus will purchase will be used to track flyable aircraft parts and components, as well as store data, such as information regarding a part's initial construction and maintenance. In total, Airbus plans to tag approximately 3,000 parts per plane. Roughly half of these—or 1,500 parts—will require high-memory tags on which such data can be stored. The FLYtag, available in two different sizes, will initially have 4 kilobytes of memory. The high-memory tags, to be placed primarily on repairable parts, will enable Airbus, aircraft owners and aircraft repair companies to improve their processes, such as maintenance and warehouse logistics. In mid-2009, Airbus provided RFID requirements to its suppliers of repairable parts, but it was unclear which company the manufacturer would select as its primary tag supplier (see Airbus Issues RFID Requirements, Expands RFID Usage). Last Tuesday, MAINtag, a French provider of RFID solutions, and Tego, a Massachusetts-based chipmaker, announced that they were chosen to supply the tags. "The Airbus story is only the beginning for high-memory, passive RFID tags," says Holger Kisker, a senior analyst at Forrester Research, in Germany. "Smart solutions with intelligent tags will find their way quickly into many industries in asset management and other business areas." MAINtag and Tego teamed up in summer 2009 to bid for the chance to provide Airbus and its suppliers with high-memory RFID tags for flyable parts. MAINtag is designing and manufacturing the tag, while Tego is providing the tag's high-memory RFID chip. The two partners also have a marketing agreement, under which Tego helps MAINtag bid on business in the United States, and MAINtag, in return, assists Tego in bidding on business in France. http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/7323/1/1/ **************** JAL files for bankruptcy protection Japan Airlines (JAL) has filed for bankruptcy protection, but will continue to operate as it undergoes a financial restructuring plan led by a government-backed body. The Japanese government has pledged up to ¥900 billion ($10 billion) in funds to keep JAL operating while it restructures. Japan's Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corporation (ETIC), tasked to turn JAL around, will inject ¥300 billion into the carrier, says the corporation. A separate ¥600 credit line will also be available to JAL, adds the ETIC. Creditors have also agreed to forgive ¥730 billion of the airline's ¥2.3 trillion in debt. Under the restructuring plan, JAL will renew its aircraft fleet, slash its workforce and cut unprofitable routes, says the airline. The airline is expected to shed a third of its workforce - or 15,700 jobs - over the next three years. It will switch from "low-efficiency large aircraft to high-efficiency small aircraft" and restructure and reconsolidate low-demand routes, adds JAL. Reports indicate that the airline will retire its 37 Boeing 747-400s. JAL has obtained approval from the Tokyo District Court to continue payments for commercial transactions to keep its operations afloat while it restructures, says the airline. These include payments for fuel, leasing fees and other supplies and services, it adds. Airline tickets and the frequent flyer mileage scheme will also be protected, says JAL. The airline will proceed with cuts to its current and former employees' pension schemes, after it earlier obtained the go-ahead from both groups. JAL's board of directors, including representative director and president Haruka Nishimatsu, resigned today to take responsibility for the airline's financial situation, says the carrier. A new management structure will be decided in early February, it adds. In the meantime, senior managing executive officer Masato Uehara will be JAL's temporary chief operating officer. "We are confident that the swift revitalisation of JAL Group will be achieved after which JAL will be reborn as a leading airline group that could again lead the global airline industry," it adds. JAL, a Oneworld carrier, is also in the process of considering offers of financial aid from two airline alliances. Delta and SkyTeam have offered a $1 billion financing package to JAL to persuade it to switch alliances. American Airlines, Oneworld and private investment firm TPG said last week it was prepared to invest up to $1.4 billion in JAL, sweetening its previous $1.1 billion offer. Delta Air Lines and SkyTeam say it is "ready to provide assistance and support in any way possible" to JAL. "Delta fully expects that JAL, with the support of ETIC, will be successful in its restructuring and return the airline to a position of prominence," it says. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ************** Airbus hands A350 elevator work to Chinese venture Desktop Wallpapers · Motors · Aircraft A350 - 800 Airbus Airbus' Chinese composite manufacturing joint venture is to supply elevators for the A350 XWB aircraft from 2012. The venture, Harbin Hafei Airbus Composite Manufacturing Centre, is to supply the elevators to Spanish aerostructure firm Aernnova Aerospace. Aernnova is providing the horizontal stabilizer for the A350. The Chinese company has signed a contract to become the sole supplier of elevators for the twin-jet. It marks the largest A350 work package for the type assigned to China so far. "Production in China is expected to start in 2012 after an initial industrialization phase in Europe," says Airbus. The Chinese venture is already responsible for providing the A350 rudder and a maintenance door, part of an agreement for China to contribute 5% of the airframe. It also supplies elevators to the A320 family. Airbus China holds 20% of the company, establishment of which was agreed a year ago, while Chinese partners have the balance. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news *************** Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC