Japan Airlines A350 crash latest....

Local authorities in Japan issued confirmation that the Japan Airlines A350 had been cleared to land at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo. Seconds later it collided with a Coast Guard  Bombardier Dash-8 and erupted in flames, which should not have been on the runway, having been instructed to taxi to the holding point C5 and not cleared to enter the runway area. 

Five of the six crew members on the Coast Guard aircraft were killed in the crash, and the sixth,  the pilot escaped with some injuries.  The aircraft had been due to transport aid to regions hit by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan on Monday. 

 

The Ministry of Transport in Japan released a transcript that confirmed the A350 crew had been cleared to land:

JAL516:              17:43:02   "Tokyo Tower, JAL516 Spot 18"

Control Tower:    17:43:02    "JAL516 Tokyo Tower, good evening, Runway 34R, continue approach, wind 320/7, we have departure"

JAL516:              17:43:12    "JAL516 continue approach 34R"

Control Tower:    17:44:56    "JAL516 Runway 34R cleared to land, wind 310/8

JAL516:              17:45:01    "Cleared to land, runway 34R, JAL516"

JA722A:              17:45:11    "Tower, JA722A, C"

Control Tower:    17:45:11    "JA722A, Tokyo tower, good evening, No:1 taxi to holding point C5"

JA722A:              17:45:19    "Taxi to holding point C5, JA722A No:1, thank you" 

Japan Airlines flight details: 

Date and Time: January 2, 2024 (Tuesday) around 17:47 (JST)

Location: Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport), Runway C

Flight Number: JL516

Departure: New Chitose Airport - Scheduled departure time: 15:50 - Actual departure time: 16:15

Arrival: Haneda Airport - Scheduled arrival time: 17:35 - Actual arrival time: 17:47

Number of Passengers: 359 adults + 8 infants = 367 in total

Number of Crew: 3 cockpit crew members + 9 cabin crew members = 12 in total

Passenger Situation: 1 person with bruising, 13 people requested medical consultation due to physical 

discomfort

Aircraft Type and Registration: Airbus A350-900, Registration Number JA13XJ

Aircraft Condition: Total loss

The carrier released the following summary:

After departing from New Chitose Airport at 16:15 on January 2, the aircraft flew smoothly (*1), and after landing at Haneda Airport Runway C at 17:47 (*2), the aircraft collided with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft and caught fire. All passengers and crew members on our flight successfully performed an emergency evacuation (*3). Support is being provided to each passenger in terms of their condition and assistance for their return home.

Japan Airlines A350 collides with DHC-8 whilst landing in Tokyo.

The crew of a Japan Airlines aircraft are being hailed as heroes after all 367 passengers and 12 crew evacuated their Airbus A350 aircraft that burst into flames following a collision with another aircraft at the point of landing at  Haneda International Airport in Tokyo, earlier today.

Dramatic pictures and videos are flooding social media following the incident that clearly shows the aircraft erupting into flames as it travels down the runway. The initial fear from those on the ground, witnessing the disaster unfold from various points all over the airport would have been the certain death of all those onboard. However, whilst the videos and images show how the aircraft seemed to lose its nose gear, the plane came to a halt and all passengers and crew managed to escape the burning craft. 

Video from inside the A350 shows the orange glow of flames lighting up the windows and the cabin start to fill with light smoke as the stricken aeroplane continues down the runway.  Passengers seemed on the whole to be calm initially and then the evacuation took place. According to officials, nobody suffered serious injury during the crash or the evacuation.

The A350-900 operated by Japan Airlines was operating flight JAL516 from Sapporo New Chitose Airport to Haneda International Airport when it collided with a Coastguard DHC-8 aircraft whilst landing in Haneda.  The incident occurred shortly after 17:47 local time on 02 January 2024 and all 367 passengers and 12 crew members on board evacuated the A350,  whilst Japanese authorities have now confirmed five of the six people on board the DHC-8 did not survive.

The A350 aircraft involved in the accident, registered under the number JA13XJ, was MSN 538, and delivered to Japan Airlines from the production line on 10 November 2021. It was powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines.

Japan Airlines issued the following statement:  "We regret to inform you that on the evening of January 2nd, JL516 was involved in a collision with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft during its landing at Haneda Airport, resulting in a fire on the runway. Our thoughts and prayers are with the deceased members of the Japan Coast Guard. We want to assure you that all passengers and crew on our flight were safely evacuated.

We would like to extend our sincerest apologies for the distress and inconvenience caused to our passengers, their families, and all those affected by this incident. We would like to assure you that we will provide our full cooperation in the investigation of this unfortunate event."

Plane maker Airbus issued the following statement "In line with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Annex 13 recommendations, Airbus will provide technical assistance to the Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses (BEA) of France and to the Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB) in charge of the investigation. For this purpose, Airbus is presently dispatching a team of specialists to assist the Authorities.

Further updates will be provided as soon as consolidated information is available and Airbus is authorised to release them.

Our concerns and sympathy go to the families, friends and loved ones affected by the accident."

The remarkable evacuation of all passengers and crew from the A350 is amazing and is a testament to the way the A350 is constructed.  With its carbon fibre composites and different manufacturing, the plane seems to have held up very well following the collision and subsequent fire which undoubtedly gave those on board more time to escape down the evacuation chutes.  According to local news outlets, only 17 people sustained minor injuries during the evacuation. 

Whilst the exact cause is not yet known and an investigation has been started, preliminary reports indicate the pilots of the Japan Airlines flight did not spot any other aircraft on the runway prior to landing.  Tadayuki Tsutsumi, Japan Airlines senior vice president of corporate safety and security commented the plane “entered the runway as normal and began landing as normal and that there was an impact, which led to the accident, but we are still investigating further details.”

Senior Vice President of Japan Airlines Noriyuki Aoki appeared to blame the flight crew for the disaster at a press conference on Tuesday evening, saying “However, I can't say at this time if they [Japan Airlines crew] were cleared to land, or if they communicated with ATC, because that is a fundamental factor in the cause of the accident, and we are still trying to confirm that,” 

Video content from BBC News

Airbus to send specialists to Japan in wake of A350 crash

The European aircraft manufacturer, Airbus has confirmed it will be sending specialists to Japan after one of its A350 jets burst into flames on the runway following a collision with another aircraft.

The A350-900 operated by Japan Airlines was operating flight JAL516 from Sapporo New Chitose Airport to Haneda International Airport when it collided with a DHC-8 aircraft whilst landing in Haneda.  All 367 passengers and 12 crew members on board evacuated the A350,  whilst Japanese authorities have now confirmed five of the six people on board the DHC-8 did not survive.

The aircraft involved in the accident, registered under the number JA13XJ, was MSN 538, delivered to Japan Airlines from the production line on 10 November 2021. It was powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines.

Airbus said in a statement "In line with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Annex 13 recommendations, Airbus will provide technical assistance to the Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses (BEA) of France and to the Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB) in charge of the investigation. For this purpose, Airbus is presently dispatching a team of specialists to assist the Authorities."

Adding "Our concerns and sympathy go to the families, friends and loved ones affected by the accident."

Why is one of the deadliest crashes in aviation history yet to be resolved after 15 years?

Courts in Spain are finally allowing a trial to move forward next month on Spanair flight JK5022 which crashed on takeoff, killing 154 passengers, with a miraculous handful of survivors. After 15 years of stalling and stonewalling by Boeing with multiple appeals and other interruptions, both sides are at last preparing for the courtroom showdown in January of 2024. The gruelling delays outlasted many of the plaintiff's willingness to continue the battle, with the families of less than a dozen passengers aboard the ill-fated flight left to stand trial. The Texas-anchored law firm Brent Coon & Associates pressed on with most of their clients to make sure that they would eventually receive the justice they deserved and be able to tell the full story of why this happened in the first place and how easy it would have been for Boeing to have added an inexpensive safety feature to the electronics on the jet to avoid takeoff when the wing flaps are not in the correct configuration. 

The saga of Spanair flight JK5022 continues

On the 20th of August 2008, a Spanish airliner taking off from Madrid stalled and crashed just moments after liftoff, careening off the runway and exploding in flames as hundreds looked on in horror. By the time firefighters reached the crash site beside runway 36L, the plane lay ruined and burning, surrounded by the charred remains of 154 passengers and crew, who just moments earlier had been bound for the sunny beaches of the Canary Islands. Amid the wreckage, rescuers managed to find just 18 survivors, all badly injured, who had been spared by the flames.

At first, no one could say why Spanair flight 5022 was unable to climb, but the truth was soon revealed in the wreckage itself. Somehow, the pilots had sent their plane hurtling down the runway without extending the flaps and slats for takeoff, then failed to detect their error in time to avoid a catastrophic crash. It was the same mistake which had caused tragedy after tragedy, from America to Indonesia, and now it had happened again in the heart of Spain’s capital city.  And just as in accidents past, a crucial alarm that should have warned of the danger failed to sound. How could it have happened again? Had the lessons of the past gone unheeded? A comprehensive investigation would eventually reveal how regulatory failures prevented the detection of the faulty warning, and how a series of delays, interruptions, and stressors when mixed with poor procedural design, led a normally competent crew to attempt a takeoff without performing one of the most basic steps to prepare their aeroplane for flight. Moreover, and even worse, was the fact that Boeing had a fix for this situation that would have prevented the aeroplane from taking off in the first place but had decided not to install it, or advise owners of the aeroplanes to have it installed as an easy and inexpensive retrofit. 

In analyzing the basic sequence of events that led to the crash, the federal investigative agency, the CIAIAC, noted pilot error due to a combination of psychological stress from pressure to take off in a timely manner and a poorly implemented checklist system. And the international press predominantly ran with this simple narrative of “pilot error”. But was that the end of the story…. hardly.  

US grounds V-22 Osprey

Reluctantly the United States Armed Forces has grounded all of its V-22 Osprey aircraft following a crash off the coast of Yakushima Island coast of Japan on 29th November.  

In the hours after the Japanese crash, which cost the lives of all eight service personnel onboard, the authorities of Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture requested that all Ospreys on the island chain be grounded. 

The Pentagon claims not to have had an official request to ground the strange-looking tilt-rotor craft but has finally confirmed the suspension of all operational activities until the cause of the crash is known.  The U.S. Navy's Naval Air Systems Command confirmed the grounding applies to all Navy’s variants of the aircraft, including the Marine Corps MV-22B, the Navy’s CMV-22B, V-22 and the CMV-22.

NAVAIR issued a statement which said:  “Preliminary investigation information indicates a potential materiel failure caused the mishap, but the underlying cause of the failure is unknown at this time.  While the mishap remains under investigation, we are implementing additional risk mitigation controls to ensure the safety of our service members. - The Joint Program Office continues to communicate and collaborate with all V-22 stakeholders and customers, including allied partners.”

Despite having a remarkable appearance and being seen around the world as part of the airborne entourage that accompanies the U.S. President on various trips, the  V-22 Osprey has had a rather troubled past. There have been somewhere in the region of 15 crashes of the type which caused the deaths of more than 60 service personnel. A particularly concerning record when you consider the U.S. Armed Forces have a fleet of less than 500 Osprey aircraft and the programme has cost many billions of dollars, some estimates are as high as $70 billion.   

However,  will the Osprey survive this latest grounding, will it soar to new heights in the months to come or has it become time to put these birds to bed for the final time?    I guess that's really just a question for after the current investigations are completed, or how much more money Boeing will pump into the programme to keep the authorities on side?  

Leeds Bradford Airport reopens after runway excursion by Tui holiday jet

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. 

Tui jet skids off runway at Leeds Bradford

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."

US Marine Corps seek help finding F-35 Lightning II jet

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. 

Leicester City Football Club helicopter disaster...... an accident just waiting to happen. AAIB Report published.

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."  

/

G-VSKP Final Report Volume 1 (publishing.service.gov.uk)

G-VSKP Final Report Volume 2 (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Pilot dies in light aircraft crash in Nottinghamshire

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.

Firefighting aircraft crashes in Greece.

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".

A Delta Boeing 717 lands with nose gear up.

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!"

Plane lands at Charlotte airport without nose gear extended, Delta says – WSOC TV

.

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. ✈️

View #DL1092's data at https://t.co/9l2qqfLFlZ

📸: @parks3811… pic.twitter.com/0u8SBskV3A

— RadarBox (@RadarBoxCom) June 28, 2023

.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.  

pic.twitter.com/tgS0H49obG

— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) June 28, 2023

Air France and Airbus acquitted of manslaughter charges over 2009 Rio-Paris crash

Air France and the European plane manufacturer Airbus have been acquitted over the 2009 crash of a Rio-Paris flight AF447, after a French court ruled today that their errors could not be proven as the cause of the crash. 

The disaster took the lives of all 228 people onboard the jet and is the worst aviation disaster for the Paris-based airline. 

According to France 24, while the ruling was expected after prosecutors recommended to the Paris court not to seek a conviction, it is still a huge blow for families of victims who have waged a 14-year campaign for justice.

In a statement,  Air France said it "takes note of the judgement" and "The company will always remember the memory of the victims of this terrible accident and expresses its deepest sympathy to all of their loved ones."

For travel insurance....

Yeti Airlines crash, no survivors found.

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. 

At least 40 killed in Nepal plane crash

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. 

#YetiAirlines ATR 72 (9N-ANC) has crashed in #Nepal. There were 68 passengers and 4 cabin crew on board.#katmandu #ATR72 pic.twitter.com/vn7vSb0N2Y

— FlightMode (@FlightModeblog) January 15, 2023

'Unlawfully killed' coroner concludes at the end of the Shoreham Airshow Crash inquest

'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.

Canada's Transportation Safety Board investigate Flair Airlines runway overrun.......

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

— CTV Kitchener (@CTVKitchener) November 26, 2022

#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.

🎥 Rumbie Muzofa/Twitter#Boeing #B737 pic.twitter.com/zQvfDZTdQX

— FlightMode (@FlightModeblog) November 26, 2022

Two firefighters killed in collision with LATAM Airbus in Peru

Photo AFP

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

— Air Crash Investigation (@AirCrash_) November 19, 2022

Todos los videos que me han llegado del accidente en el aeropuerto Jorge Chavez.#Latam pic.twitter.com/uS2d82ls7S

— 2023 VUELVO (@himselfsv) November 18, 2022

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 plane crashes at Peruvian runway, nobody reported killed

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)

19 killed in Precision Air crash as flight goes down in Lake Victoria, Tanzania

Photo 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.