NTSB Reports and
Aviation News
BREAKING
NEWS!!
"NTSB
Issues Conclusions and Recommendations on Wellstone Airplane Crash"
November 18, 2003
The National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued its conclusions and
recommendations following the investigation of the October 25, 2002
airplane crash killing Sen. Paul Wellstone, his wife, their daughter,
three aides, and two pilots.
Probable cause of the airplane crash
was determined to be the flight crew’s failure to maintain
adequate airspeed, leading to an aerodynamic stall that was never
recovered. The airplane crash exposed inadequate accordance with
standard guidelines at Aviation Charter. Even though the FAA surveillance
of Aviation Charter showed it was in accordance with guidelines,
the NTSB investigation surrounding the Wellstone airplane crash
found the FAA’s surveillance was not sufficient enough to
detect the discrepancies.
For more information on airplane
crash, please contact us to confer with an airplane crash attorney.
March 11, 2002
The NTSB issues its
sixth update on their investigation on the November 12, 2001 American
Airlines flight 587 crash that resulted in the deaths of all 260
people aboard and 5 people on the ground. Reports indicate that
damage has been found at the pin bushing of the right rear lug of
the vertical stabilizer.
>Read
the NTSB report
2002 NTSB Accident Report
-From the NTSB’s Accident Database
This
list of airline incidents covers the period from the start of 2002
up to the present. Obtaining safety information from airlines is
difficult. The following list of incidents shows the frequency that
aircraft accidents occur and why it is important to better eliminate
instances of human and mechanical difficulties that cause accidents.
If you would like to learn your legal rights regarding aircraft
accidents, please contact us to speak to an aviation accident attorney.
-On
February 27, 2002, at 0601 central standard time, a Canadair
CL-600-2B19, operated by Comair as flight 266, received minor damage
during a failure of the number two engine during climb out from
runway 29 (6,501 feet by 150 feet, concrete) at the Outagamie County
Regional Airport (ATW), Appleton, Wisconsin. Visual meteorological
conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part
121 passenger flight was operating on an instrument rules flight
plan. No injuries were reported. The flight was en route to the
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Covington, Kentucky.
The flight
crew reported that there was a vibration while in a climbing turn
through 3,000 feet msl and 4 nm from the departure end of runway
29. The flight crew shut down the number two engine and returned
to land without further incident at ATW five minutes later. Post
flight inspection revealed that a section of the number two engine,
aft of the high-pressure turbine, separated from the airplane. The
separated section was later found approximately at a location where
the onset of vibration occurred.
This is
preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors.
Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report
has been completed.
-On February
17, 2002, at approximately 0848 local time, Aerolineas Argentinas
flight 1289, a Boeing 737-236, LV-ZRE, experienced a loss of pressurization
and performed an emergency landing at San Juan, Argentina. Inspection
of the airplane after landing found a small crack in the fuselage
aft of the forward left door.
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-On Sunday, February 3, 2002, a Delta
Airlines MD-11, N803DE, was landing on runway 28 in Dublin, Ireland
when it departed the paved surface and ran onto the soft ground.
The airplane became bogged down in the mud. The passengers and crew
deplaned using the aft stairs. No injuries were reported. There
is localized damage to the engines, flaps, and undercarriage. The
weather at the time was reported to be heavy rains and the winds
were at 210 degrees at 15 knots with gusts up to 27 knots. After
the incident the winds were reported to be gusting up to 42 knots.
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-On January 31, 2002, at approximately 1325 Eastern Standard
Time, an Embraer EMB-145, N265SK, operating as Chautauqua Airlines
flight 4914 (d.b.a. US Airways Express) experienced a pitch trim
failure shortly after takeoff from Logan International Airport (BOS),
Boston, Massachusetts. The flight crew declared an emergency and
requested an immediate return to BOS as the aircraft continued to
climb despite full nose down control column input. The flight crew
was able to move the stabilizer to a more nose down position as
the airplane climbed through about 6,000 feet mean sea level, and
subsequently perform an emergency landing at BOS. The flight was
being conducted as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
Part 121 scheduled passenger flight to Greater Rochester International
Airport (ROC), Rochester, New York. The airplane was not damaged
and there were no injuries to the 3 crewmembers or 21 passengers.
This is preliminary information, subject to change,
and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected
when the final report has been completed.
-On January 28, 2002 a TAME Airlines Boeing
727-134, HC-BLF, flight number 120, crashed near Ipiales, Colombia.
The aircraft departed Quito, Ecuador at 10:03 local time for a 40-minute
flight to Tulcan. The last radio contact with the aircraft was at
10:23. There were 83 passengers and 9 crewmembers on board, of which
there were no survivors.
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-On January 25, 2002, at 0243 Alaska
Standard Time, an Airbus Industrie A-340-300 airplane, B-18805,
was cleared for takeoff on runway 32 from the Ted Stevens Anchorage
International Airport, Anchorage, Alaska. The airplane, call sign
Dynasty 011, subsequently departed from a taxiway. The airplane
was being operated as an instrument flight rules (IFR) scheduled
international passenger flight under Title 14, CFR Part 129, when
the incident occurred. The airplane was operated as Flight 011,
by China Airlines, Taiwan. The three cockpit crewmembers, 12 cabin
crewmembers, and 237 passengers, were not injured. The airplane
was not damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. An
IFR flight plan was filed from Anchorage to the Chiang Kai-shek
International Airport, Taipei, Taiwan.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) personnel
notified the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge
(IIC) of the takeoff incident at 0800. Information received from
the FAA indicated the incident airplane began to taxi for takeoff
from the gate area of the north terminal for runway 32. The airplane
proceeded southbound on taxiway Romeo, and made a right turn from
Romeo onto taxiway Kilo.
The incident airplane was cleared for takeoff on
runway 32 by the Anchorage Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) local
controller as the airplane made the right turn from taxiway Romeo
onto Kilo. The airplane should have continued west on Kilo to the
approach end of runway 32.Instead, the airplane accelerated west
on taxiway Kilo. The local controller and an Anchorage departure
radar controller noticed the departure roll.  A
radio call to the crew to abort the takeoff was not made by either
controller.
The available taxiway distance from Romeo to the
end of Kilo is about 6,800 feet. After departure, main landing gear
tire impressions were found in a snow beam at the end of taxiway
Kilo.
The airplane proceeded to Taipei and landed without
incident. The NTSB has requested crew statements, and airplane flight
data recorder information from the government of Taiwan.
At 0253, an Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR)
at Anchorage was reporting in part: Wind, 030 degrees (true) at
5 knots; visibility, 10 statute miles; clouds and sky condition,
clear; temperature, 3 degrees F; dew point, -13 degrees F; altimeter,
29.91 inHg.
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This
is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors.
Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report
has been completed.
-On January
24, 2002, at 1400 Eastern Standard Time, a McDonnell Douglas
DC-9-41, N754NW, operated as flight 1118, experienced a right engine
tail pipe fire during engine start while on the ramp near the end
of runway 32 at the Indianapolis International Airport, Indianapolis,
Indiana. An emergency evacuation was performed during which one
passenger received a broken arm. The 2 cockpit crewmembers, 3 flight
attendants, and 69 other passengers were not injured. The scheduled
domestic flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 121. Visual meteorological
conditions prevailed and an IFR flight plan was filed. The scheduled
destination for the flight was Detroit, Michigan.
The airplane
was positioned at the end of the runway with the engines shut down
due to an air traffic control delay. The fire occurred as the right
engine was being restarted in preparation for takeoff.
This is
preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors.
Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report
has been completed.
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-On
January 20, 2002, at 0715 Eastern Standard Time, a McDonnell
Douglas DC-9-32, N837AT, operated by Air Trans Airways as Flight
67, was substantially damaged during pushback at Washington Dulles
International Airport, Dulles, Virginia. There were no injuries
to the 2 certificated airline transport pilots, 3 flight attendants,
or 61 passengers. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. An
instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed, for the
flight that was conducted under 14 CFR Part 121.
The flight
was destined for Atlanta, Georgia. According to a written statement
from the captain:
"...overnight
in IAD [Dulles Intl Arpt] with snow flurries during the night. APU
mel'd inop...Ramp area poor due to ice from snow and precip the
previous 15-20 hours and freezing temps. Wx at departure time, clear
and mid to high 20s F...After deicing, both engines were started
a gate due to APU being INOP. Pushback began and went normal until
tug tried to turn aircraft for a west departure. At this time F/O
stated that the tug appeared to be at an unusual angle. About this
time aircraft felt as if it were moving forward followed by a loud
bang and abrupt aircraft movement. I asked the ramp by interphone
if the aircraft had been hit. The person on the interphone said
yes - I then asked if he wanted the brakes set and he said yes.
He began to say more, but I couldn't understand his broken English.
I asked to speak with someone that could speak better English. The
company was called, maintenance was called. About this time, IAD
operations people arrived, followed by our maintenance folks. Right
engine was shut down due to all of the activity on the right side
of A/C."
In a follow-up
telephone interview, the captain reported he was aware that the
ramp was icy. His gate position required that the nose be swung
about 120 degrees to set it up for a west taxi. He elected to start
both engine prior to pushback due to the high power requirements,
about 80 percent N1, on one engine for a cross-bleed start. The
push was normal until the tug was in a position that the first officer
called "unusual." Shortly there after, the airplane moved
forward, and then abruptly stopped. No transmission was made to
the flight crew to set the brakes, and both engines had remained
at idle.
The pushback
was accomplished using two wing walkers, a walker by the nose of
the airplane who was in communication with the cockpit crew, and
a tug driver.
In an interview,
the tug driver reported that the initial part of the push was without
incident. As the airplane entered an area where the ramp was icy,
the tug also turned the nose of the airplane to the west. The tug
driver reported that the nose wheels started slipping, and he was
unable to talk to the cockpit crew. He stopped the tug and the airplane
slid into the tug.
The walker
on the interphone to the cockpit reported that he was not looking
at the airplane when it began to slip. When he became aware that
the airplane was slipping, there was insufficient time to tell the
crew to set the brakes. He did not make any transmission to the
flight crew prior to impact.
Several
witness said the ramp was icy, and some reported difficulty in walking.
The tug
used for pushback was a Hough T-225, rated to push an airplane up
to 225,000 pounds. The tires on the tug were not equipped with chains.
Within the
preceding 12 hours, the airport had reported periods of freezing
rain, followed by light snow.
The pushback
operation at Dulles was accomplished by a contract crew, trained
in accordance with Air Trans Airways manuals.
Damage to
the airplane consisted of a hole in the right side of the fuselage,
located about 3 feet below the bottom of the forward, right side
cabin door, and about 4 feet behind the trailing edge of the door.
Internally, there was damage to the longerons.
This is
preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors.
Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report
has been completed.
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-On
January 15, 2002, about 0820 Alaska standard time, a Piper PA-32
airplane, N30004, sustained substantial damage during an in-flight
collision with trees and terrain, about five miles northeast of
the Haines Airport, Haines Alaska. The airplane was being operated
as a visual flight rules (VFR) scheduled domestic passenger flight
under Title 14, CFR Part 135, when the accident occurred. The airplane
was operated as Flight 1894 by Skagway Air Services Inc., Skagway,
Alaska. The commercial certificated pilot, the sole occupant, received
fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the
Haines airport, but low cloud conditions prevailed along the route
of flight. A VFR flight plan was filed. The flight originated at
the Skagway Airport, about 0810.
The director
of operations for the operator reported the flight was scheduled
to depart Skagway for Haines, where the pilot was to pick up two
passengers for a continuing flight to Juneau, Alaska. The director
of operations said the pilot delayed his departure for about 10
minutes while he waited for weather conditions along the route to
Haines to improve. The route of flight was intended to be along
the east shoreline of the Taiya Inlet. After departure, the pilot
reported via radio that he was at Paradise Valley, a visual reporting
point about five miles south of Skagway. The airplane did not arrive
in Haines, and no further communication was received from the accident
airplane.
When the
accident airplane did not arrive in Haines, the director of operations
began an aerial search in a fixed-wing airplane along the route
of flight, but was unable to visually locate any wreckage. He notified
search personnel of the missing airplane, and continued an aerial
search in a helicopter. An emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal
was received in the area of Haines. The director of operations located
the airplane wreckage at 1030, about 150 feet above the waters of
the Chilkoot Inlet, in an area of steep forested terrain.
The closest
official weather observation station is Haines, Alaska. At 0821,
an automated weather observation system (AWOS) was reporting in
part: Wind, 280 degrees (true) at 4 knots; visibility, 4 statute
miles in light freezing rain and mist; clouds and sky condition,
800 feet overcast; temperature, 32 degrees F; dew point, 31 degrees
F; altimeter, 30.35 inHg; remarks, freezing rain began at 0821,
snow began at 0755.
This is preliminary information,
subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report
will be corrected when the final report has been completed.
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-On
January 2, 2002, at 2220 Eastern Standard Time, a Boeing 727-200,
N262FE, operated by FedEx Express, and a pushback tug, collided
during pushback for takeoff at the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport
in Greenville, South Carolina. The domestic cargo flight operated
under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 121 with a valid flight
plan filed. Instrument weather conditions prevailed at the time
of the accident. The airplane received substantial damage. The air
transport pilot and his flight crew were not injured.
According
to the Captain, during the first phase of pushback, every thing
appeared to have been normal. The first and second officers were
completing the engine start check and the airplane was being pushed
back from the gate when the airplane came to a stop. The tug operator
stated that during pushback, the airplane nose wheel hit a patch
of ice. As he applies brakes to stop the tug, the airplane began
to slide. Unable to stop the movement, the tug driver jumped from
the tug to avoid getting caught between the tug and airplane. The
tug came to rest lodged under the fuselage of the airplane.
This is preliminary information,
subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report
will be corrected when the final report has been completed.
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-On
January 3, 2002, about 0446 Central Standard Time, a Boeing
747-200 airplane, French registration FGCBG, was substantially damaged
following a wing landing gear collapse while landing on runway 15L
at the Houston Intercontinental Airport, Houston, Texas. The cargo-configured
airplane was registered to and operated by Air France. The flight
crew (Captain, First Officer, and Flight Engineer) was not injured.
Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an Instrument Flight
Rules flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations
Part 129 international cargo flight that originated from Mexico
City at 0245.
After touchdown
and rollout, the airplane exited the runway onto a high-speed taxiway.
The captain, noticing the airplane was "dragging," applied
power with minimal aircraft movement. Further inspection by maintenance
personnel revealed that the right wing landing gear had collapsed.
The trunnion was found protruding upward through the wing.
This is preliminary information,
subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report
will be corrected when the final report has been completed.
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-On
January 1, 2002, about 1057 eastern standard time, a McDonnell-Douglas
MD-83, Trinidad registration 9Y-THQ, operated by BWIA West Indies
Airways, as flight 432, scheduled passenger service from Bridgetown,
Barbados, to Miami, Florida, overran the runway while landing at
Miami International Airport. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed
at the time and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed.
The airplane received minor damage and the airline transport-rated
captain, first officer, 4 flight attendants, and 119 passengers
were not injured. The flight originated from Barbados at 0730.
The captain stated the first
officer was flying the airplane for the approach and landing. During
the landing flare, the first officer maintained some engine power
and the airplane floated down the runway. The captain moved the
power levers to the idle position and the airplane touched down
at about the halfway point on the runway. The first officer did
not begin decelerating the airplane immediately after touchdown
and the captain took control of the airplane and placed the engines
into reverse and applied maximum braking. When the captain realized
the airplane would not stop on the remaining runway, he turned the
airplane to the left to avoid approach lights. The airplanes nose
gear went off the paved surface into soft terrain and became buried
in dirt. The airplane then came to a stop. The captain determined
the airplane was safe and did not order an evacuation. The passengers
exited the airplane by the aft airstair and were taken to the terminal
by bus.
This is preliminary information, subject to
change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be
corrected when the final report has been completed.
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