Leeds Bradford Airport has reopened after a Tui jet landing at the airport yesterday overshot the runway yesterday whilst landing during storm Babet.
The flight was bringing 195 passengers and crew back from Corfu and suffered a runway excursion after it was believed to have aquaplaned during heavy rain. All on board disembarked the aircraft and there were no injuries reported.
More than twenty other flights have either been cancelled, delayed or diverted, with some aircraft going to Manchester, Liverpool and Teesside. Whilst the airport said there would continue to be some disruption to services, many later flights will operate as normal.
In a statement, the airport said: "We want to express our sincere gratitude to everyone involved in supporting the effort dealing with the incident, disruption and recovery of the aircraft in exceptionally difficult conditions.
"Once again, we would like to thank our passengers for their cooperation and understanding during this challenging period"
An investigation into the incident is now underway according to the UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch and the Boeing 737 jet has been towed away from its temporary resting place with some damage reported to the left undercarriage and engine cowlings.
Leeds Bradford Airport had been forced to close on Friday after a Tui jet skidded off the runway after landing due to stormy weather.
The TUI flight TOM3551 from Corfu landed at the airport during storm Babet and came off the runway, sliding onto the grass and getting stuck. A spokesperson for the airport said: "We can confirm there are no reported injuries from this incident and that all passengers have now safely disembarked the aircraft. The airport is now closed. We are working with the airline, relevant operations teams and emergency authorities to resolve this situation and return services safely as quickly as possible."
The airport has been closed and incoming flights were diverted to various other airports, including Birmingham, Luton and Manchester. The airport has advised passengers due to depart the airport today and tomorrow to contact their airlines to check on the status of their flights.
According to some eyewitnesses, the aircraft performed a hard landing and started to skid or aquaplane almost immediately before coming to a rest on the grass.
The airport's emergency services responded and surrounded the stricken jet within minutes and checked the safety of the situation before passengers were taken off the jet approximately 50 minutes after landing.
Earlier a TUI UK&I spokesperson commented: "We are aware of an incident at Leeds Bradford Airport this afternoon during the landing of flight TOM3551."There are no reported injuries, and our ground team are on hand to support passengers as they disembark."
The AP news agency is reporting that the search is on for the wreckage of a missing F-35 jet after a Marine Corps pilot ejected from the plane over North Charleston on Sunday afternoon.
The search for the missing multi-million dollar aircraft was being focused on two lakes north of North Charleston, according to officials. The search for the F-35 Lightning II jet was focused on Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion, north of North Charleston based on its speed and trajectory.
Military officials said that a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division helicopter has helped search for the aircraft after some localised bad weather and were seeking assistance from locals to locate the downed jet. This is the latest in a series of incidents involving F-35 jets that have crashed or suffered serious mechanical issues.
The pilot was taken to a local hospital and was said to be in 'a stable' condition after he ejected from the aircraft and parachuted safely down around 14:00 local time.
Hundreds of holidaymakers and leisure travellers have faced hours and hours of delays on the Spanish island of Ibiza after a Lufthansa jet burst several tires upon landing and blocked the runway.
The Lufthansa Airbus A321 jet was operating a flight from Frankfurt International Airport to the party island landing just before 15:00 on Saturday. According to initial reports, the aircraft registered D-AIRU, burst two tires on its right-hand main gear during the heavy landing, which also damaged the other parts of the gear.
The aircraft came to a halt some 2,300 meters and was carrying nearly 180 passengers at the time of the incident. Lufthansa said "there was no danger to the guests or crew at any time. All passengers and crew members exited the aircraft normally via the stairs. The aircraft was able to be towed off the runway and was investigated in detail by engineering."
'Lufthansa regrets any inconvenience caused to all passengers. Safety is a top priority at all times.'
It was nearly 7:40 in the evening of 27th October 2018 when a Leonardo AW169 helicopter lifted off from the pitch at the King Power Stadium, the home of Leicester City Football Club. The helicopter, registration G-VSKP was made in July 2016 and was carrying five people. The helicopter moved forward and started to climb up and out of the football stadium on a rearward flight path.
As the helicopter passed around 250 feet, the 53-year-old experienced pilot transitioned to forward flight, pitching the nose down and the landing gear retracted. The helicopter started to turn right and then more so, despite the pilot applying immediate corrective inputs. The blue and white helicopter reached a height of around 430 feet ft before descending with a high rotation rate and the pilot tried to recover normal flight.
The helicopter struck the ground on a stepped concrete surface, coming to rest on its left side. The impact with the ground damaged the lower fuselage and the helicopter’s fuel tanks which caused a big fuel leak. This fuel ignited shortly after the helicopter came to rest and an intense post-impact fire rapidly engulfed the fuselage. All five people in the helicopter perished in the disaster.
The full Air Accidents Investigation Branch report into the accident has now been published and makes stark reading for the helicopter manufacturer. The report indicates that those onboard experienced a deceleration force exceeding 30 g when the helicopter hit the ground and all the occupants suffered significant impact injuries; for one person, these were likely to have been fatal.
First responders arrived at the accident site within one minute of the helicopter striking the ground and they attempted to gain access to the cockpit and cabin. However, as the helicopter was on its side, the strength of the cockpit windscreen combined with the rapid increase in the power of the fire, they were unable to get in. The helicopter was rapidly engulfed by fire and the occupants who survived the initial impact, the AAIB report says, died from inhaling the products of combustion.
One of the conclusions of the investigation found that in simulator trials confirmed to the investigation that the loss of yaw control was irrecoverable.
This crash tragically took the lives of all five on board: the then Leicester City owner and Chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, pilots Eric Swaffer and Izabela Roza Lechowicz, as well as Kaveporn Punpare and Nusara Suknamai.
The AAIB was able to identify the source of the catastrophic failure and crash which was that a critical duplex bearing, which connected the control shaft running along the length of the tail to the rotor blades, seized. This seizure of the bearing was the result of fatigue, cracking, pitting, shearing, friction, grease degradation and heat generation.
The AAIB report lists a number of causal factors for this crash, including:
Seizure of the tail rotor duplex bearing initiated a sequence of failures in the tail rotor pitch control mechanism which culminated in the unrecoverable loss of control of the tail rotor blade pitch angle and the blades moving to their physical limit of travel.
The unopposed main rotor torque couple and negative tail rotor blade pitch angle resulted in an increasing rate of rotation of the helicopter in yaw, which induced pitch and roll deviations and made effective control of the helicopter’s flightpath impossible.
The tail rotor duplex bearing likely experienced a combination of dynamic axial and bending moment loads which generated internal contact pressures sufficient to result in lubrication breakdown and the balls sliding across the race surface. This caused premature, surface initiated rolling contact fatigue damage to accumulate until the bearing seized.
There are a number of issues arising from the report involving the manufacturer Leonardo, including the inactions listed below, leading to the bearing seizure and tragic crash:
Not sharing critical flight test results with the company which made the duplex bearing, in order to confirm that the bearing that they had chosen was actually suitable for use in the tail rotor. Had Leonardo shared the results, the bearing may not have been chosen.
Not requiring the routine inspection of critical parts removed from service (such as the duplex bearing) to confirm that they were in the condition that they expected them to be in based on their design. Had Leonardo done so, they would have found that the bearings were more damaged than expected and ought to have concluded that they needed to change their original design.
Not fully considering possible risk reduction and mitigation measures for the duplex bearing – which had been identified as a critical component by Leonardo during the design phase. It was recognised by Leonardo, the report notes, that if the bearing failed it could lead to the death of multiple occupants onboard. Had they included one of those mitigation measures, simply changing the thread direction of a key component, it is likely that the severity of the accident would have been reduced.
Former Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha purchased what he believed to be a state-of-the-art helicopter. Leonardo’s non-performance of key measures, raises serious questions about the safety of the company’s aircraft.
Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, who lost his father, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, commented: "I am deeply saddened by the course of events. Almost five years after my father’s passing, this report provides concerning evidence against Leonardo. My father trusted that he had bought a safe helicopter from a world-renowned manufacturer. Had he known what we know now he would never have risked his life in this machine. The pain this causes me and my family is immeasurable and as a family, we continue to struggle every day with our grief at the loss of my father. He was a great inspiration to me personally and we all loved him very much.”
The families of three of those lost in the crash – Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, Eric Swaffer, and Izabela Lechowicz – have retained leading litigation specialists’ Stewarts. The family of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha are now considering their legal recourse against Leonardo. Litigation has already been commenced in Italy on behalf of the families of Eric and Izabela.
Eric and Izabela were life partners and soulmates. Both were recognised and highly respected throughout the global aviation industry for their exemplary piloting skills. Both were also qualified instructors and examiners on a range of aircraft. Eric spent most of his career lobbying and advising on matters of safety in the rotary wing industry.
The report confirmed there was nothing either Eric or Izabela could have done to prevent this disaster, it stresses that effective control of the aircraft was impossible following the loss of the tail rotor. For the families, it has been important for the memories of Izabela and particularly Eric, who was piloting the helicopter, to have been cleared of any possible implication in the accident.
Deborah Sutton, mother of Eric Swaffer said: "This of course is every mother’s worst nightmare and time is not healing. Eric and Izabela were an inseparable couple, devoted to each other and to their flying. Without them there is an enormous hole in our lives. I think of them daily and miss them more than I can say.”
Peter Neenan, a partner in the aviation team at Stewarts, said: “This report is a frightening tale of missed opportunities.
The report confirms that the helicopter manufacturer, Leonardo, did not accurately model the forces affecting the helicopter during their design, did not provide the right information to the bearing manufacturer, did not then measure the forces actually affecting the helicopter, did not involve the bearing manufacturer to validate their assumptions despite not having the software needed to model the forces on the bearing, did not implement a routine inspection requirement for these bearings to identify and replace them during their degeneration prior to any risk of seizure and did not require discarded bearings to be examined to see whether their design assumptions were valid.
This was all done in circumstances where Leonardo had recognised that the duplex bearing was a critical component and that the failure of this component could be catastrophic for the helicopter and likely to result in the death of those onboard.
Nevertheless, and despite that concerning warning, they then also did not implement sufficient mitigation measures within the wider tail rotor control system to avoid a catastrophic loss of control of the helicopter from such a failure. Some of those measures would have been as simple as changing the thread direction on component parts, a measure that they had already implemented for an earlier variant of this helicopter, the AW139."
Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to a field serious incident in fields east of Darlton Airfield, near Retford, Nottinghamshire at 12:23 on Wednesday after reports of a plane crashing.
The single-engine light aircraft came down shortly after midday and was being flown by a single pilot said to be in his 70s who the local police confirm had died at the scene. Nottinghamshire Police said the pilot's family was being supported by specially trained police officers.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch - AAIB said it has launched an investigation into a fatal accident involving a single-engine light aircraft which occurred on 26 July 2023. "A team of inspectors arrived on site early in the evening of that day to gather evidence and begin an investigation." they advised.
A firefighting aircraft operating in Greece trying to combat the wildfires that have decimated swathes of the holiday islands of Corfu and Rhodes has crashed with two pilots onboard.
The state broadcaster ERT reported that the aircraft was near the town of Karystos on the island of Evia when the crash happened. The aircraft was among at least three other planes along with just over 100 firefighters tackling the wildfires on Evia.
TV reports have shown the Canadair aircraft flying low to drop water on a blazing hillside and as it was pulling up one of its wing tips seemed to strike a tree before control was lost and the aircraft plunged into the ground and burst into flames.
Defence Minister Nikos Dendias confirmed the two pilots had died "in the line of duty... while attempting to protect the lives and property of citizens, as well as the environment of our country".
FAA and NTSB investigations are underway into how a Delta Boeing 717 jet landed with its nose gear retracted at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CLT) Wednesday morning.
The crew of Delta flight 1092 received a “nose gear unsafe” indication as they were coming in to land and immediately initiated a missed approach procedure to further investigate the indication. During those procedures, reports say the crew flew by the air traffic control tower to enable controllers to make a visual inspection of the aircraft and see if the gear had come down. According to reports, the controllers advised that whilst the nose landing gear doors were open, the actual nose gear itself remained in the up position.
The flight from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport landed at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport with the nose gear up, at 8:58 a.m. EDT. Delta reported that the aircraft stayed on the runway during the landing and that there was no reported injuries to either passengers or crew.
A spokesperson said: “Our focus is now to take care of our customers on this flight, including retrieving their bags and seeing them to their final destinations safely,” Delta said in a statement. “We apologize to our customers for what they experienced.”
The airline has already deployed a TechOps aircraft recovery team as well as a flight safety team to Charlotte and was cooperating with the FAA and NTSB.
In total, there were 96 passengers and 5 crew on the aircraft at the time of the incident. One of the passengers spoke to local media Channel 9: "The crew told us there was an issue with the landing gear and instructed us to go over safety information. We came in low once and then climbed again. Second time had us brace but the landing was smooth. No jarring or even loud noises. We were in the back so that may have been why. Everyone evacuated via slides. No injuries as far as I know. Crew and pilots were wonderful!"
Delta Air Lines' Boeing 717-2BD (Reg. N955AT), performing flight #DL1092 from #Atlanta to #Charlotte, landed at Charlotte, NC (CLT / KCLT) airport this morning with the nose landing gear retracted. ✈️
.A video taken by a passenger inside the aircraft seems to show no wheel shadow on the ground as the aircraft came in and then a rather smooth landing.
Both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder have been collected from the crash site of a Yeti Airlines ATR72-500 that crashed yesterday on a flight from Kathmandu to the tourist town of Pokhara.
The authorities have stated that the crew of the doomed aircraft didn't report "anything untoward" as they approached the airport, and the "mountains were clear and visibility was good" at the time of the incident with just a light wind and "no issue with the weather".
Nepal's deadliest aircraft in 30 years appears to have claimed the lives of all 72 passengers and crew that were aboard the Yeti Airlines aircraft.
According to officials at the newly opened airport, the pilot asked to change from the assigned runway 30 to runway 12, which was granted by control staff and the aircraft was given clearance to land.
The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) said it was closely monitoring the developments related to the Yeti Airlines crash on final approach to Pokhara airport. 'Our thoughts are with the families of the reported 68 passengers and 4 crew members who were onboard the aircraft.' the association that represents more than 100,000 pilots in nearly 100 countries said in a statement. "Whilst emergency and recovery efforts are taking place, IFALPA stresses the need to avoid speculation and theories as to what happened to the aircraft. The Federation is reaching out to its network of Accredited Accident Investigators in the Region and will offer its expertise to the relevant Accident Investigation Bodies to help gather facts and any other safety and security information which may be pertinent to this occurrence."
Anju Khatiwada, the co-pilot of ill-fated aircraft lost her husband Dipak Pokhrel in an air crash in 2006 it has been revealed by local media and whilst Khatiwada's remains have not yet been identified she is believed to be within the 68 bodies that have thus far been recovered from the crash site.
An ATR 72 aircraft operated by Nepal's Yeti Airlines carrying 72 people has crashed near an airport in central Nepal killing at least 40 people according to local authorities.
The Yeti Airlines aircraft was operating a flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara an appears to have crashed whilst on approach to landing and caught fire, hampering rescue efforts, just under a mile from the airport.
In videos that have surfaced on social media appear to show the plane flying low over a built-up area before falling sideways out of control. Scores of Nepalese soldiers are reported to be involved in rescue and recovery operations at the crash site in a gorge by the Seti River.
According to Sudarshan Bartaula, a spokesperson for the carrier, there were 72 people on the ATR 72 aircraft at the time of the accident including two infants, four crew members and 10 foreign nationals.
Plane maker ATR issued a short statement, "ATR has been informed that an accident occurred in Nepal involving an ATR 72-500. Our first thoughts are with all the individuals affected by this. The ATR specialists are fully engaged to support both the investigation and the customer."
The Prime Minister called an emergency meeting earlier and the country will observe a national day of mourning tomorrow.
'Unlawfully killed' -Coroner Penelope Schofield has concluded at the end of the long inquest into the deaths of eleven men who died when at the Shoreham Airshow crash in 2015.
The men were either watching or driving past the airshow when a Hawker Hunter vintage jet, piloted by Andrew Hill, failed to pull up enough during a manoeuvre and crashed on a dual carriageway.
Previously Andrew Hill had been cleared of manslaughter by gross negligence, however, the coroner Penelope Schofield said the plane crash was "a result of the manner in which it was flown" and confirmed those that had been killed played "no part" in causing their own deaths. There were a series of errors serious enough to reach a conclusion, on the balance of probabilities, that the men had been killed as a result of gross negligence manslaughter, Schofield added.
The Hawker Hunter jet was said to have 'disintegrated' creating a 'massive fireball' upon impact with the ground as pilot Hill was performing a manoeuvre called a bent loop. Hill was lucky to escape the crash and was thrown into a ditch when the plane broke up.
The 11 that died were:
Matt Jones, 24.
Matthew Grimstone, 23.
Jacob Schilt, 23.
Maurice Abrahams, 76.
Richard Smith, 26.
Mark Reeves, 53.
Tony Brightwell, 53.
Mark Trussler, 54.
Daniele Polito, 23.
Dylan Archer, 42.
James "Graham" Mallinson, 72.
Video from the BBC below of the last few seconds of flight before the crash - the impact or devastating results are not shown.
Investigations are underway in Ontario Canada after a Flair Airlines 737 jet overshot the runway on arrival at Kitchener-Waterloo airport on Friday morning. The aircraft, registration C-FFLC had taken off from Vancouver International Airport (YVR) on Thursday evening at approximately 23:35 and overshot the tarmac in Waterloo shortly before 06:30 the following morning.
Flair Airlines issued a brief statement saying that "F8501 from YVR to Kitchener-Waterloo exited the runway at the end of its landing. There were no reported injuries. Passengers deplaned the aircraft and were taken to the terminal by bus. The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew is our top priority." but has since refused to make any further statement.
There were no reported injuries among the 134 passengers or six crew on board at the time of the incident and One passenger told local CTV News that nobody on the plane knew what to do and it was more than an hour before they could get off the aircraft.
Another passenger told them that the aircraft was 'dancing on the runway a bit. It was moving side to side' although despite the bumpy landing most of the passengers in his area of the aircraft seemed calm. 'Oops, we missed the runway' the passenger said, telling his row mate, ‘we’re in the grass.’.
Some passengers report receiving texts from the budget airline asking them how their experience flying with them was and asking them to leave a review.
The airport was closed for a while, however, local officials advised “The aircraft has been recovered and the Transportation Safety Board continues to conduct an investigation. - The airport has returned to regular operations.”
Commercial flights in and out of Region of Waterloo International Airport were cancelled Friday after a Flair Airlines plane carrying 140 people overran the runway during landing. https://t.co/BI7zFA2Tu8
#FlairAirlines Boeing 737-800 (C-FFLC) went off runway during landing at #Waterloo Airport, #Canada. Flight #F8501 departed from #Vancouver with 134 passengers and 6 cabin crew on board. Crew and passengers are safe.
The investigation is in its early stages into how a fire truck collided with an Abus A320 belonging to LATAM Airlines that was taking off from Lima's Jorge Chavez airport to operate flight LA2213 to the Peruvian city of Juliaca.
The Prosecutor's Office confirmed it was looking into the incident and seeking to 'clarify the facts regarding the possible crimes of culpable homicide and culpable injuries.'
The airline issued a brief statement which said the aircraft "collided with a fire engine that entered the runway during take-off at Lima’s Jorge Chávez International Airport. There are no fatalities among the 102 passengers and six crew members. As a precaution, all passengers and crew are being taken to health centres.
LATAM Airlines Peru regrets the passing of the two firefighters who were on the fire engine that collided with the aircraft, as informed by Lima Airport Partners, the operator of Jorge Chavez Airport.
Currently, LATAM Airlines Peru is focused on providing support to passengers and their families. At the same time, it is working in coordination with authorities to support the investigation into the event.
LATAM Airlines Peru is deploying all its resources to attend to those affected and has activated its emergency response plan."
According to the local health authorities, some 61 people had been transferred to nearby clinics and hospitals, although it is not believed any were in life-threatening conditions.
Various images and videos spread on social media show the aircraft sliding down the runway, with its main undercarriage appearing to collapse on one side, with flames and billowing black smoke filling the sky.
🚨 | LATAM Flight 2213, an Airbus A320neo has collided with a fire truck at high speed on takeoff in Lima, Peru. No fatalities have been reported on the plane but sadly, two firefighters have passed away as a result. pic.twitter.com/2rLOwgPx8B
There is some confusion why the fire truck entered the runway while an aircraft was in the process of taking off, during a press conference, LATAM CEO Manuel Van Oordt confirmed the aircraft had been cleared by the tower for take-off, "We don't know why [fire truck] was there, - We didn't ask for their services."
President Pedro Castillo used social media to pay tribute to the dead firefighters, "I express my heartfelt condolences to the relatives of Ángel Torres and Nicolás Santa Gadea, brave firefighters who died in the accident. My thoughts and my prayers are with them. I pray for the recovery of the wounded."
The airport said: "Lima Airport Partners deeply regrets the loss of the lives of two members of the Aeronautical Fire Department of LAP in the accident that occurred this afternoon between a fire engine and the aircraft that attended flight LA2213 that covered the Lima-Juliaca route.
We express our solidarity with the families of Angel Torres of the Garibaldi 6 Fire Company and Nicolás Santa Gadea of the Garibaldi 7 Fire Company, with whom we have already contacted to put ourselves at your disposal.
At this moment we are conducting all the necessary investigations to determine the causes of this fact."
Local media is reporting that a third firefight had been seriously injured in the crash and was undergoing treatment in hospital, however, this has yet to be confirmed.
The airport also reported that:
The Aviation Accident Investigation Commission (CIAA) of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, comes Working since last night to determine the causes of the accident and supervising the removal work on the runway of landing.
Although the work has been carried out intensively by the airline and in permanent coordination with LAP and the authorities, this is taking longer than estimated due to the complexity of the accident and the Treatment of fuel spillage caused.
In view of the revision, LAP has requested to extend the suspension of operations until 00:00hrs on November 20 of 2022.
LAP is working in parallel in the repair of pavement, lights and other affectations, in order to to ensure the safety of passengers and aircraft.
The reopening of the runway and aeronautical operations will only be possible with the approval of the authority corresponding.
Without wishing to preempt any investigation, it would seem that there has been a horrendous lack of communication or a tragic misunderstanding that has led to this crash, which could have been so much more serious.
LATAM Airlines said on Friday that one of its passenger jetliners suffered an accident on the runway of Peru's Jorge Chavez International Airport, adding that no passengers or crew members were killed in the incident.
The accident appears to have occurred when the jetliner collided with a vehicle on the runway, according to videos circulating on social media and broadcast by Peruvian media outlets.
Jorge Chavez in Lima, Peru's most important airport, suspended all operations and is investigating the causes of the accident, said Lima Airport Partners, which operates the airport.
Lima Airport Partners had earlier said that all passengers were unharmed.
Images posted on Twitter by local radio station RPP Noticias showed a plane belonging to LATAM Airlines partially on fire on the runway.
Fire brigade officer Mario Casaretto told RPP Noticias the plane had reported problems with its landing gear.
Flight LA2213, which was involved in the accident, covered the domestic Lima-Juliaca route, LATAM Airlines said.
(Reporting by Marco Aquino; Editing by Anthony Esposito, Jonathan Oatis and Rosalba O'Brien for Reuters)
According to the latest reports as many as 19 people have been killed in a Precision Air flight that crash-landed in Lake Victoria during bad weather during an approach to Bukoba, Tanzania, just before 9am this morning.
Originally it was reported by the state broadcaster that three people had died in the crash, with scores taken to a local hospital. It isn't clear if some of those are included in the death toll currently announced by Prime minister Kassim Majaliwa.
A Precision Air spokesperson advised flight PW494 from the Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam to Bukoba had been involved in an accident as it came into land at 08.53 this morning, local time. The aircraft, registered as 5H-PWF, was an ATR42-500 and was carrying some 39 passengers including an infant at the time of the crash. There were also four crew members on the aircraft and the airline says the names of passengers and crew on board the aircraft will not be released until all next-of-kin have been notified
The spokesperson advised, "Precision Air extends its deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the passenger and crew involved in this tragic accident. The company will strive to provide them with information and whatever assistance they will require in this difficult time. "
In 2006, the airline embarked on a fleet modernization programme that saw it sign a contract with ATR for seven brand-new state-of-the-art aircraft. The last of the seven aircraft arrived in September 2010. In 2012 Precision Air embarked on another fleet modernization programme which saw Precision Air become the first airline in the world to operate ATR 42-600. The current fleet consists of, Five 70 seater ATR 72-500, Three 48 seater ATR 42-500 and 1 48 seater ATR 42-600.
The airline was established in 1993 as a private charter air company operating a five-seater Piper Aztec aircraft. Its initial line of business mainly entailed providing connections to tourists visiting the rich natural attractions of Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, in northern Tanzania, the Zanzibar Island in the Indian Ocean and other parts of the country from Arusha town as its base.
The vast nature of Tanzania coupled with a growing demand for air transport services as the country started to embrace a free market economy soon drove Precision Air into operating scheduled flights maintaining Arusha as its base. The first flights were scheduled using a seven-seater one engine Cessna 207, one seven-seater Cessna 402, two eleven-seater Cessna 404s and the nineteen-seater LET 410 until mid-1990s when the airline introduced the bigger and more comfortable ATR fleet.
According to local media and Aviation Safety Network, an Airbus A320 of Ural Airlines suffered damage to its main landing gear and tyres whilst landing at Irkutsk Airport, Russia on Wednesday, 2nd November.
The aircraft was operating flight U62942 and reports indicate the crew landed with the main gear brakes locked on, with the jet becoming immobilized after on the runway. The crew said they had a warning of brake failure at a height of 500 metres with the parking brake being applied and the wheels remaining locked during the landing.
The crew The pilots of the Ural Airlines Airbus A320 reportedly experienced a critical brake failure at an altitude of 500 m, when the parking brake spontaneously applied on the aircraft. The alarm was triggered. The wheels remained locked for landing.
This could be a very costly incident for Ural Airlines as western aircraft spares are currently prohibited from being supplied to Russian carriers under sanctions imposed following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent war. Current Airbus and Boeing aircraft spares are in very short supply, according to local reports, with many aircraft grounded and some being cannibalised for parts to keep others operational.
According to local authorities, a Russian military aircraft has crashed into what is understood to be a residential area in Irkutsk in southern Siberia.
The media are reporting that the regional governor Igor Kobzev, had used the social network and messaging app, Telegram to advise that a Sukhoi Su-30 fighter aircraft crash-landed on a two-storey house in the city on Sunday and that both pilots had been killed in the crash. It is believed that nobody on the ground had been injured in the incident
Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said the aircraft was on a test flight at the time of the incident, although no further details have been released. However, the Investigative Committee confirmed to local media it had opened a criminal investigation into violations of air safety rules.
Footage of the crash that has been shared widely on social media appears to show the aircraft diving almost vertically before crashing in a fireball. Another video on Telegram seems to show fire personnel putting out a fire in the devastated remains of the house.
It is the second Russian military aircraft to crash within a week, a Sukhoi Su-34 crashed into a residential building in the southern city of Yeysk shortly after take-off on Monday 17th killing at least 14 people.
An investigation has begun into the events surrounding a Korean Air Airbus A330 which overshot the runway at Mactan-Cebu International Airport in the Philippines, on what appears to have been the crew's third attempt at landing.
All 173 crew and passengers were evacuated safely from the stricken jet that was operating flight KE361 from Seoul to Cebu at the time of the crash. According to a statement from the airline "Passengers have been escorted to three local hotels and an alternative flight is being arranged. We are currently identifying the cause of the incident."
Keehong Woo the Korean Air President issued the following statement - "I would like to extend my sincere sentiments regarding the Korean Air Flight KE631 incident at Mactan-Cebu International Airport on October 23, 2022.
A thorough investigation will be performed together with the local aviation authorities and Korean authorities to determine the cause(s) of this event.
We always prioritize safety in all of our operations, and we truly regret the stress and inconvenience brought to our passengers.
We remain committed to standing behind our promise of safe operations and will do our very best to institute measures to prevent any recurrence. Our overall goal is for our valued guests to trust that Korean Air will treat them well, and honour us with the opportunity to welcome them once again."
The pilot had tried to land the Airbus aircraft twice in what appeared to be very poor weather, with thunderstorms in the local area reported at the time of the excursion from the runway. The jet was delivered to the carrier in 1998 and had no reported issues or technical malfunctions.
A number of things are being investigated, initially by Philippean air crash investigators with input from counterparts in Korea, including why the crew decided to make a third attempt to land after aborting two earlier ones when conditions hadn't improved.
Cebu Airport Corporation has indicated that runway operations shall temporarily open for departures only today, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Airlines for departures shall be in touch with their passengers for the necessary pre-departure and check-in procedures. All passengers are advised to monitor their flights before proceeding to the airport and coordinate with their respective airlines for the status of their flights.
France 24 is reporting that the rescue operation following the crash of a Russian military aircraft has come to an end. The plane came down in a residential area of Yeysk, in the southwest region of Russia, close to the border with Ukraine.
According to various news agencies, at least 13 people were killed in the crash, including three children, while a further 19 people were injured.
Residents within a two-mile radius of an aircraft crash in Greece have been told to stay indoors because of the weapons the cargo jet was carrying at the time of the disaster.
The Antonov AN-12 belonging to Meridian, one of the first private cargo airlines in Ukrainian, founded in 2003, was transporting nearly 11 tonnes of weapons made in Serbian to Bangladesh according to Serbian officials.
The aircraft had been due to make technical stops in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and India before arriving at its final stop in Dhaka. It is understood that all eight of the crew on board the aircraft died in the crash.
Lieutenant General Marios Apostolidis, of the Northern Greece Fire Service, told local media, "The measurements at the moment have not shown anything but nonetheless instability in the field was observed. - In other words, intense smoke and heat, as well as a white substance that we do not recognise, so a special armed forces team has to inform us what it is and whether we can enter the field."
Drones were used to survey the sense on Sunday morning and members of the Greek Atomic Energy Commission, Army and various explosives experts were ready to investigate when the site is considered safe to enter.
