News
03 JAN 2003
The Aviation Safety Network today released the 2002 airliner accident statistics showing that, from a passenger`s perspective, 2002 was the safest year for civil aviation since 1946. The number of fatal passenger flight accidents (20) was never so low. Africa was relatively the most unsafe continent. (ASN)
2002 safety roundup
A China Airlines Boeing 747 (Flight CI 018 TPE-NRT-HNL) flew dangerously close to the side of the 41-story Century Center building while on final approach to Honolulu. The aircraft is said to have passed the 350-feet high building at 10 feet, shortly before 7am. (CNN) 06 JAN 2003
The C-130 firefighting tanker plane that crashed in California last June once flew airborne reconnaissance missions for the CIA. A federal safety investigator says some records on the plane are missing, hindering the investigation of the crash. (AP) 06 JAN 2003
A Widerøe DHC-8-100 ran off the wet (snow) runway at Vadsø at 14.10. The aircraft was on flight WF 932 from Båtsfjord and came to rest on an embankment. None of the passengers were injured. (NRK) 07 JAN 2003
Continental Express Flight 2051 (an Embraer RJ-145LR, N16571) skidded off the runway when landing in heavy snow at Cleveland, OH. The jet hit a localizer antenna and the nose gear collapsed. None of the 47 passengers and three crew members was hurt. (FAA) 08 JAN 2003
A Horizon Air DHC-8 (N409QX) with 29 passengers and three crew members aboard, was descending to land in Medford at the end of a flight from Seattle when it collided with at least one bird. The windwhield shattered, causing head and facial injuries to the pilot-in-command. (Mail Tribune; FAA) 09 JAN 2003
The FAA announced that El Salvador complies with international safety standards set by the ICAO and has given the country a Category 1 rating following a reassessment of its civil aviation authority. El Salvador was previously rated Category 2. (FAA)
press release
09 JAN 2003 The NTSB issued 15 safety recommendations after completing the investigation into the Alaska Airlines MD-81 accident. Topics addressed include a.o. maintenance tasks intervals, end play measurement on jackscrews (NTSB)
Safety Recommendations A-02-36/-51
13 JAN 2003 The FAA has changed procedures at Honolulu International Airport (HNL) to prevent more planes from flying low over Honolulu. This action followed the January 4 incident in which a China Airlines Boeing 747 allegedly flew extremely close past the Century Center. (ASN) 15 JAN 2003
Top U.S. federal officials are developing plans to thwart shoulder-fired missile attacks on civial aircraft with measures that range from sophisticated anti-missile technology to simple changes in takeoff schedules. An interagency task force that reports to the National Security Council is also coordinating emergency inspections of every large U.S. airport to determine their vulnerability to the small, portable missiles. (Washington Post) 16 JAN 2003
International air travel between Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Australia could stop at the end of January unless PNG`s civil aviation authority conforms to international air safety standards. PNG`s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has been warned by Australian authorities to produce a safety audit of its fleet traveling to Australia or it could face blanket restrictions on air traffic (ABC) 17 JAN 2003
A Denim Air Fokker 50 PH-FZE, operating for Air Nostrum, overran the Melilla runway on landing, sustaining substantial damage. (ASN)
accident description
19 JAN 2003 A Northwest Airlines Airbus A.319 was being moved from a parking area to a gate at New York-LGA when it hit a jetway, causing the plane`s landing gear to collapse. A customer service agent on the jetway, three ground employees guiding the aircraft and two mechanics suffered minor injuries; a second Northwest airplane, a Boeing 757, also was damaged in the collision. (USA Today) 21 JAN 2003
`The January 8 crash of a Beech 1900 at Charlotte, NC has focused attention on how the industry calculates the weight of its passengers and cargo. And it has raised questions about whether that method is realistic.` (AP) 23 JAN 2003
Iran`s civil aviation authority announced that a pilot`s failure to correctly use a cockpit global positioning system (GPS) was behind last month`s crash of a Ukranian Antonov 140 in central Iran. (AFP)
accident description
24 JAN 2003 The Norwegian AAIB issued their final investigation report regarding the Jan.22, 2002 incident of an Icelandair Boeing 757. During the go-around following an unstabilized approach to Oslo the aircraft entered an extreme manoeuvre with high positive and negative pitch attitudes, and the aircraft exceeded maximum negative and positive g-values. (AAIB-N) 24 JAN 2003
ATSB preliminary investigation results indicate the December 2002 Air New Zealand Boeing 767 engine failure was caused by a fatigue crack, causing a failure of the first-stage high-pressure turbine disk. (ATSB)
incident description
26 JAN 2003 VASP Boeing 737 PP-SPJ overran the runway by 80m at Rio Branco, Brazil. None of the 87 pax and 6 crew were injured. The aircraft reportedly suffered damage because of the collapse of a main landing gear leg. (O Globo) 28 JAN 2003
The NTSB has determined that the October 10, 2001 Cessna 208 accident near Dillingham, AK was caused by an in-flight loss of control resulting from upper surface ice contamination that the pilot-in-command failed to detect during his preflight inspection of the airplane. (NTSB)
NTSB
29 JAN 2003 The NTSB released an investigation update regarding the Jan. 8 crash of a Beech 1900 at Charlotte. It appears that the turnbuckles used to set the tension of the elevator control cables were to misaligned by about 1.8 inches. Also, FDR data indicates that after maintenance to the aircraft on Jan. 6 the pitch control position sensor recorded a 10-degree down shift for all nine flights. (NTSB)
press release
