Flight Safety Information May 12, 2010 - No. 092 In This Issue Dutch boy believed to be sole survivor when plane carrying 104 crashes A330-202 Accident (Libya)... Boeing says Dreamliner on track for 2010 delivery European flights back to normal:...Eurocontrol BRUSSELS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dutch boy believed to be sole survivor when plane carrying 104 crashes The aircraft crashes in Tripoli, Libya, on a trip from South Africa. Reporting from Cairo A Dutch boy was believed to be the sole survivor Wednesday when a passenger jet bound from South Africa with 104 people aboard crashed while attempting to land in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, according to rescue officials and news organizations. The Afriqiyah Airways Airbus was descending toward a runway at Libyan International Airport about 6 a.m. on a flight from Johannesburg. There was no official word on survivors, but a number of media outlets quoted airport sources as saying a Dutch child was taken from the scene to a hospital. "I can confirm the crash but not the number of the dead," Bongani Sithole, an official of the airline at Johannesburg airport, told AFP. "We hear that it happened one meter [yard] away from the runway." Images from Libyan television showed a battered chunk of fuselage and debris scattered on the ground. Afriqiyah Airways announces "that our flight 8U771 had an accident during landing at Tripoli International airport," a statement from the airline said. "At this moment, we have no information concerning possible casualties or survivors. Our information is that were 93 passengers and 11 crew aboard. The competent authorities are conducting the search and rescue mission." The airline, which has operates an all Airbus fleet, is owned by the Libya-Africa Investment Portfolio. http://www.latimes.com/news/la-fgw-libyan-crash-20150513,0,6101570.story [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103390145011&s=6053&e=001Mhd7ClG3ZnAfdkPu2NfmBjyo7LyH2KXc2-oEDmEWDdlGdeH8zcC1h0Kod4vRv7uxJ9uwKEscHZMZ27ptDB-nQF52zSuowUu1InBtiWicG1yNo-dNudqFXc0KO5uM-ukU8HpGEX4QLjeT6dInfmHa7fWdnDxAmnvu3KW54wiGCM2-4F839mnZ713EBivakRs1] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A330-202 Accident (Libya) Status: Preliminary Date: 12 MAY 2010 Time: 06:10 Type: Airbus A330-202 Operator: Afriqiyah Airways Registration: C/n / msn: First flight: 2009 Engines: 2 General Electric CF6-80E1A3 Crew: Fatalities: / Occupants: 11 Passengers: Fatalities: / Occupants: 93 Total: Fatalities: 103 / Occupants: 104 Airplane damage: Written off Location: near Tripoli International Airport (TIP) (Libya) Phase: Approach (APR) Nature: International Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Johannesburg-O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB/FAJS), South Africa Destination airport: Tripoli International Airport (TIP/HLLT), Libya Flightnumber: 771 Narrative: An Airbus A330-202 passenger plane, operated by Afriqiyah Airways, crashed while on approach to Tripoli International Airport (TIP), Libya. The airplane, operating as Afriqiyah Airways flight 771 had left Johannesburg-O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB), South Africa on an international passenger flight to Tripoli International Airport (TIP). A statement by the airline indicated that there were 11 crew members and 93 passengers on board. Medai reports indicate that one passenger survived. Weather about the time of the accident (04:10 UTC): HLLT 120350Z VRB01KT 6000 NSC 19/17 Q1008= [03:50 UTC; Winds variable at 1 knot; visibility 6000m; Temperature 19°C; Dew point 17°C; Ceiling unlimited; 1008 hPa] HLLT 120420Z 27007KT 5000 BR NSC 19/17 Q1009= [04:20 UTC; Winds 270 degrees at 7 knots; visibility 5000m; Temperature 19°C; Dew point 17°C; Ceiling unlimited; 1009 hPa] www.aviation-safety.net [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103390145011&s=6053&e=001Mhd7ClG3ZnBqSn_rBzVWPIBt93smWwwcyOyAaLD6bZo0M6qeugvikPQO65HdU6OBHKrh_49xTt7b9FLLlHed4LqfWHJecDhOO0bEsf-BF3-eXDIktkkWtNgzk9Jwu0_K] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Boeing says Dreamliner on track for 2010 delivery HAMBURG, May 9 (Reuters) - Boeing Co (BA.N) is on track to deliver its first 787 Dreamliner, which will compete with Airbus's (EAD.PA) A350 jet, the company's head of commercial airplanes said late on Saturday. Boeing is due to deliver the first 787 to All Nippon Airways (9202.T) by the end of this year. "Testing is going well. If there are no unexpected discoveries, we'll be on track," said James Albaugh, President and Chief Executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes on the sidelines of an event. Production of the carbon-composite airplane was delayed five times in three years, and the first flight was postponed six times, due to a shortage of bolts, faulty design and a two-month strike at its factory. Some market experts have said the delivery schedule for the Dreamliner, which made its first test flight in December after two years of delays, is too ambitious. Boeing has already received more than 850 orders for the plane. Boeing and rival Airbus were dogged in 2009 by fewer orders for planes as carriers around the world grappled with falling travel demand in a sagging economy. But a recovering economy and brighter outlook for airlines point to a stronger 2010. Boeing shares have rallied about 26 percent this year on expectations of a commercial rebound. The company reported a higher-than-expected first-quarter profit despite making fewer deliveries as it held down costs at its commercial airplane division [ID:nN20252563]. EADS's shares have meanwhile eased 3.8 percent on persistent cost problems on the larger A380 superjumbo aircraft as well as concern that the company could be hit with additional costs related to the delayed A400M military transport plane. Commenting on the planned merger of United Airlines parent UAL Corp (UAUA.O) and Continental Airlines (CAL.N), which will create the world's biggest airline, Albaugh said he expected the carriers to profit from the deal. He sidestepped a question on whether the two airlines could cancel some outstanding aircraft orders as a result of the merger, saying only that he had sent the companies congratulatory notes via e-mail. The merger was expected to trigger a scramble between Boeing and Airbus, as well as engine makers, over the fate of almost $22 billion in outstanding plane orders and control of any future fleet replacement decisions. Both Continental and United have orders for Boeing planes, including 35 single-aisle 737s and 50 Dreamliners. "I expect they will rationalise their fleets," Albaugh said, without being more specific. Albaugh also said Boeing still plans to announce in June whether it will increase production of its 737 single-aisle plane from its current rate of 31 planes per month. The company has not yet said by how much it would raise the production rate. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ European flights back to normal: Eurocontrol BRUSSELS BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European flights were back normal on Wednesday after the ash cloud which caused difficulties over the Atlantic and the Iberian Peninsula dispersed on Tuesday night, air traffic agency Eurocontrol said. World Areas of high ash concentration at lower altitudes were, however, still causing some difficulties for transatlantic flights as well as for Madeira and the Azores. This could result in airport closures in the Mediterranean between the Spanish mainland and the Balearic Islands, Eurocontrol said, adding the ash cloud was moving north east. All airports were available, but the Balearic islands airports were operating at reduced capacity, Eurocontrol said. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC