News
03 FEB - Switzerland: 2001 Avro RJ.100 CFIT crash report released 04 FEB - US wants Vietnam's air Safety reviewed
04 FEB - Ilyushin 18 crash-lands at Colombo
05 FEB - Swiss to launch criminal investigation on Crossair crash
05 FEB - Transport Canada suspends Air Operator Certificate of Keystone Air Service
06 FEB - Australian airspace changes again under scrutiny
06 FEB - Report: B747 overspeed flap damage in post-maintenance flight
10 FEB - Kish Airlines F-50 EP-??? near Sharjah Intl Apt, United Arab Emirates
17 FEB - FAA and airlines to reduce fuel tank flammability
20 FEB - Austral MD-80 (LV-W??) lost one wheel of it front gear on takeoff
23 FEB - Transport Canada reinstates air operator certificate of Keystone Air
25 FEB - Airbus ground collision was due to inadequate facilities
26 FEB - Loss of pitch control caused fatal Beech 1900 crash in Charlotte
26 FEB - Macedonian President feared dead in King Air crash
03 FEB 2004 Switzerland: 2001 Avro RJ.100 CFIT crash report released [to table of contents]
The Swiss AAIB released the investigation report regarding the November 2001 accident that occurred near near Zürich when a Crossair Avro RJ.100 impacted terrain after the captain descended below MDA on finals in poor visibility. Factors were a.o. the absence of a minimum safe altitude warning system, fatigue, and the failure of the airline to make correct assessments of the captain’s flying performance. (BFU)
investigation report (PDF)
The United States wants a review of Vietnam's aviation safety standards before it implements a landmark bilateral trade pact that would start direct flights between the two countries (CNN) 04 FEB 2004 Ilyushin 18 crash-lands at Colombo [to table of contents]
An Ilyushin 18 cargo plane operated by Expo Aviation (EX-005), landed at Colombo-Bandaranaike International Airport with its nose gear retracted. The flight, coming from Dubai, damaged 12 runway lights and three taxiway lights. The airport was closed for 10 hours. (PTI) 05 FEB 2004 Swiss to launch criminal investigation on Crossair crash [to table of contents]
The Swiss Federal Prosecutor's office said it had opened a criminal investigation into a November 2001 Crossair airline crash which killed 24 people and was partially blamed on pilot error. A spokesman for the Federal Prosecutor's Office said it had launched a criminal investigation on the basis of the Swiss AAIB accident investigation report, without naming a specific target, on suspicion of negligent homicide and grievous bodily harm by negligence. (Reuters) 05 FEB 2004 Transport Canada suspends Air Operator Certificate of Keystone Air Service [to table of contents]
Transport Canada suspended Keystone Air Service Ltd.'s Air Operator Certificate, effective immediately. This action is based on significant safety concerns with the company's maintenance management system identified during recent Transport Canada inspections of the company. The company operates a.o. one Beech 99 and several Piper Pa-31's. (Transport Canada)
News release PNR 001/04
06 FEB 2004 Australian airspace changes again under scrutiny [to table of contents] The Australian Government's new National Airspace System, which forces pilots to look out for other planes rather than be covered by radar, is likely to be significantly wound back in the aftermath of a near collision between a light plane and a Virgin Blue jet near Launceston in January. (The Australian) 06 FEB 2004 Report: B747 overspeed flap damage in post-maintenance flight [to table of contents]
The Irish AAIU published their investigation report regarding the May 2000 incident involving a Boeing 747 that suffered flap system damage due to overspeed. The plane was on a check flight following a C-check with both static drain ports left open. This resulted in both airspeed indicators under-reading by a significant amount. (AAIU)
AAIU Report No. 2004-002
10 FEB 2004 Kish Airlines F-50 EP-??? near Sharjah Intl Apt, United Arab Emirates [to table of contents] "Like 40 people aboard the Fokker F-50 (F-27 Mk 050) EP-??? that crashed near Sharjah Intl Apt ca. 11.40am today. The IRK1770 flight was scheduled Kish Island, Iran to Sharjah, UAE. The crash site was located in Al Ramaqiah an unhabited zone, near residential areas. Six survivors were found." (Gulf News, BBC) 17 FEB 2004 FAA and airlines to reduce fuel tank flammability [to table of contents]
"The FAA is considering a proposal that would require airlines to install new systems to further reduce fuel tank flammability on new and existing large passenger jets. The FAA is considering a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for that would help prevent fuel tank explosions by requiring that new systems – those that would reduce the flammability of fuel tank vapors on the ground and in flight – beinstalled on those Boeing and Airbus models whose air conditioning systems could cause heating of center-wing fuel tanks." (FAA)
Press Release APA 02-04
20 FEB 2004 Austral MD-80 (LV-W??) lost one wheel of it front gear on takeoff [to table of contents] An Austral MD-80 (LV-W??) which departed from AEP to IGR, lost one wheel of it front landing gear. Immediately requested instructions for emergency landing in EZE (20km away). The aircraft landed in perfect conditions. The lost wheel broke the fence and crossed the perimetral avenue and finished in the same golf course where in 1999 a LAPA 737 crashed. (Fabian Lujan) 23 FEB 2004 Transport Canada reinstates air operator certificate of Keystone Air [to table of contents]
Transport Canada reinstated Keystone Air Service Ltd.'s Air Operator Certificate following approval of the company's corrective action plan. The reinstatement is effective immediately. Key steps in the corrective action plan are a new management structure for the company and contracting out of maintenance operations to a Transport Canada-approved aviation maintenance provider. (Transport Canada)
News release PNR002/04
25 FEB 2004 Airbus ground collision was due to inadequate facilities [to table of contents] A magisterial inquiry into the ground collision of an Air Malta Airbus with an electricity pylon on January 19 has exonerated the pilots from any criminal responsibility and concluded that the accident was due to the inadequate facilities on Apron 2, where the accident took place, coupled with a number of shortcomings. (The Times of Malta) 26 FEB 2004 Loss of pitch control caused fatal Beech 1900 crash in Charlotte [to table of contents]
The NTSB determined that the probable cause of the Jan. 2003 Beech 1900 in Charlotte, NC, was the airplane's loss of pitch control during takeoff. The loss of pitch control was the result of incorrect rigging of the elevator control system compounded by the airplane's center of gravity, which was substantially aft of the certified aft limit. (NTSB)
NTSB investigation page
26 FEB 2004 Macedonian President feared dead in King Air crash [to table of contents] Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski is feared dead after the Beech 200 King Air (Z3-BAB) taking him to an international conference crashed in Bosnia-Hercegovina. The plane, with eight others on board, came down in rain and fog in mountains near the town of Stolac. (BBC)
