Sikorsky S-76B, New York, N.Y., Oct. 11, 2005–The United Technologies S-76 refueled at a riverside heliport and was being repositioned to another spot to pick up passengers. The pilot flying described the conditions as “dark, drizzling rain, northerly winds 8 to 10 knots, [and an] unusually high water level of the…river.” The pilot flying was in the right seat; the pilot-in-command was in the left.
Disaster
September 20, 2006 - 6:30am
Raytheon Beech King Air 90, Raleigh, N.C., April 27, 2006–The pilot of King Air N90CH reported a fire in the cockpit and diverted to Raleigh. The NTSB is looking into the incident and has requested that the windshield heating unit be sent for examination. There was no substantial damage to the airplane, which is registered to Chartco of Salisbury, N.C.
September 20, 2006 - 6:29am
Dassault Falcon 2000, Stilesville, Ind., April 14, 2006–The Falcon 2000, N722JB, was at FL250 when the left engine cowling separated from the engine and hit the horizontal stabilizer. The crew heard a loud noise and diverted to Stilesville, where they landed without incident. The airplane was substantially damaged, but the pilot and copilot, the only occupants, were not injured.
September 20, 2006 - 6:23am
Cessna 208 Caravan, Cuenca, Ecuador, March 24, 2006–An Ecuadorian-registered Cessna Caravan, operated by Atesa Aero Taxis Ecuatorianos, lost power and crashed on departure from Cuenca Airport in VMC. The airplane was substantially damaged and five passengers were killed. The commercial pilot, the ATP-rated copilot and seven passengers were seriously injured.
September 20, 2006 - 5:39am
The Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) is praising the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for approving an amendment that protects safety information from inappropriate use.
At issue is the use of safety information in legal proceedings against operational personnel. The FSF led the charge to push ICAO to amend Annex 13–Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation.
September 20, 2006 - 5:31am
Eurocopter AS 350-B2 AStar, Jasper, Ala., Dec. 22, 2005–The NTSB blamed the accident on the pilot’s failure to maintain a visual lookout and proper altitude clearance during a low-level flight.
September 20, 2006 - 5:29am
Bombardier Challenger 600, Snow Hill, Va., July 21, 2004–According to the NTSB, excessive maneuvering was the cause of an incident that resulted in a flight attendant’s falling and breaking her ankle. Following a traffic advisory from the Challenger’s traffic alert and collision avoidance system and an aural resolution advisory warning to climb, the copilot turned off the autopilot and started to climb at 1,500 fpm.
September 20, 2006 - 5:28am
Mitsubishi MU-2B-60, Philadelphia, Nov. 30, 2004–The cause of the collision was “the failure of the ground controller to coordinate the runway crossing of a maintenance tug with the local controller,” the Safety Board concluded. The ground controller cleared the Epps Air Service MU-2 to taxi to Runway 35 and a minute later cleared a maintenance tug towing an MD-80 to taxi from the same ramp to the far side of Runway 35.
September 20, 2006 - 5:27am
British Aerospace Hawker 700, Teterboro, N.J., March 8, 2005–The NTSB blamed the overrun on the pilot-in-command’s inadequate in-flight planning for landing on a contaminated runway. The Board cited inadequate crew coordination, gusty winds and a slush-covered runway as factors.
September 20, 2006 - 5:25am
Cessna 208 Caravan, Brevig Mission, Alaska, Dec. 19, 2005–Turning to back-taxi after landing on the snow-covered gravel Runway 4 at Brevig Mission, the Caravan’s pilot failed to compensate for the crosswind, which caused the left wing to hit the ground, said the NTSB.
