Lear 35A runway overrun accident at Dominica (DOM)

A Learjet 35A, registered in the United States (N500ND) to World Jet, went off the end of Runway 09 at Melville Hall Airport, Dominica (DOM) on the afternoon of August 11, 2007. The aircraft sustained substantial damage, according to an NTSB Factual Report about the accident. The two crew members and four passengers on board at the time of the accident were not injured.

The aircraft, which was operating as an international passenger air taxi flight under Part 135 rules, left the end of the runway at DOM after a reported braking failure during the landing roll out. The NTSB report says:

The PIC stated the first officer was flying the airplane and the tower cleared them to enter a left downwind.

On touchdown the FO requested spoilers, and noticed poor braking. The PIC pumped the brakes with no response. The drag chute was deployed but was not effective.

The PIC stated he took over the flight controls and applied maximum braking. The airplane continued to roll off the end of the runway, down an embankment, through a fence, and came to a stop on a road.

The flight had originated in Saint John's, Antigua Island.

A news article about the accident in the Jamaica Gleaner notes that the accident forced the closure of Melville Hall Airport, and interrupted traffic on the road where the aircraft came to a rest.

The investigation of this accident is under the jurisdiction of the Government of Dominica.

[Photo Source]

Note: Another photo of the accident scene is posted at Airport-Data.com. Tip of the hat to photographer 'MR' in Dominica for the photos.

Update on the crash of Air Moorea Flight 1121

The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) from the Air Moorea Twin Otter that crashed in French Polynesia several days ago has been located by salvage teams at a depth of 430 meters (1,410 feet). The CVR was found using an acoustic apparatus from the French civil aviation agency's investigations unit.

According to the International Herald Tribune, France will seek help from a U.S. ship to recover the device from the sunken wreckage of the plane.

The crash's cause was not immediately clear, but recovery of the recorder could help reveal what happened. The turboprops do not have black box recorders found in jets, but they do contain a device that records voice exchanges in the cabin.

Recovery would require a boat with a pulley system and unmanned underwater device that could hoist the recorder up.

The Paris office of Prime Minister Francois Fillon said French authorities were seeking help from a U.S. ship with such an apparatus that could arrive faster than a similar French vessel.

Meanwhile, Radio New Zealand International reports that a post-mortem examination performed on the pilot of Air Moorea Flight 1121 showed no sign of a heart problem. This suggests that a sudden health problem, such as a heart attack, was not the cause of the accident.

The bodies of six passengers are still missing.

FAA: Part 91 operators may use Electronic Flight Bags

Last month the FAA issued an Advisory Circular (AC) for Part 91 operators approving "removal of paper aeronautical charts and other documentation from the cockpit through the use of either portable or installed cockpit displays (electronic flight bags (EFB))." The AC defines EFBs this way:

An electronic display system intended primarily for cockpit or cabin use. EFB devices can display a variety of aviation data (e.g., checklists, navigation charts, pilot’s operating handbook (POH)) or perform basic calculations (e.g., performance data, fuel calculations). The scope of the EFB system functionality may also include various other hosted databases and applications. Physical EFB displays may be portable (Class 1), attached to a mounting device (Class 2), or built into the aircraft (Class 3).

The AC recommends that a back-up source of information be maintained on the flight deck, but this is not required.

For further details about implementing the removal of paper from the cockpit for Part 91 operations, see: FAA Advisory Circular No. 91-78, issued on July 20, 2007. (5-page "pdf" file.)

Air New Zealand may begin offering 'sleeping pods' for passengers

This is starting to sound like a trend: Last month I did a piece on Lufthansa's 'Sleepers Class' idea for economy passengers on long-haul flights. Now it looks as though Air New Zealand is considering something similar.

An article on the New Zealand news website Stuff reports that Air New Zealand is considering replacing cramped economy seats with 'sleeping pods' on its long-range aircraft. The article quotes Air New Zealand's strategic development general manager, Nathan Agnew, who said that the airline wants to introduce an entirely new type of economy cabin when it takes delivery of its fleet of Boeing 787-9 and 777-300ER long-range jets from 2010.

Referring to Cathay Pacific's planned introduction of economy seats that recline within a fixed shell, similar to business class seats, Mr. Agnew said, "We think that if you are going to do that concept why not push it to the next level, why stop there? We haven't even constrained ourselves to saying that it necessarily will be a seat. The other option is to give people a sleeping pod."

"We like it (the pod) as a concept. We are yet to evaluate whether practically it could be fitted out to an aircraft interior," Agnew said.

Cabin crew already sleep in pods during long distance flights, usually hidden away at the rear plane or in the ceiling space above the passenger cabin.

"Given that a lot of our long-haul flying is overnight, it might actually be preferable for our customers simply to have something like that rather than have a seat," Agnew said.

Because eating in a pod might be difficult, passengers may be served a meal at the airport before the flight, allowing them to immediately go to sleep once on the plane.

"We have some quite creative ways, at least conceptually, how this could work."

Mr. Agnew stressed that this idea is still a theoretical concept, not a done deed.

For more on what may be forthcoming for Air New Zealand, have a look at this Interview with Nathan Agnew in the New Zealand Herald.

Air India cabin crew to get new designer uniforms

Earlier this year India's two main state-owned airlines were merged into one company. The new Air India is undergoing a corporate image makeover, and as a part of that effort, cabin crew and ground personnel will be getting smart new uniforms created by one of India's top fashion designers.

Designer Ritu Beri has been selected to design the new uniforms for India's national flag carrier, according to India's Economic Times:

The design of the new uniforms draw inspiration from the Sun Temple of Konark in Orissa, yet maintains a modern outlook.

The colour palette of the uniform is red, orange, black and white, with red standing for strength and orange for cultural roots.

"The endeavour is to combine our rich Indian colours and motifs from the Sun Temple with the powerful and more modern combination of black and white in the borders," a statement from Air India said.

The uniform for the female employees, both ground staff and cabin crew, would include sarees, tunics, scarves, jackets, coats, aprons and shoes, while there would be specially designed ties for the male staff.

For more information about the designer, visit Ritu Beri's website. While you are there, be sure to have a look at her Uniform Portfolio page.

Were Flybe cabin crew sickened by fumes in aircraft cabin?

Two cabin crew members became violently ill and collapsed during a recent Flybe flight on a BAe 146 aircraft between Birmingham, England and George Best Belfast City Airport in Northern Ireland. The Transport and General Workers' Union, which represents Flybe's cabin crew, says the crew members' illness was caused by a "toxic gas" in the aircraft cabin. The union is calling for an investigation.

A news article about the incident in the Belfast Telegraph quotes union officials who say this was "the latest in a number of potentially disastrous mid-air incidents in which crew members working for various airlines have become dangerously ill during flights."

Campaigners who believe the incidents are due to deadly toxins from jet engine oil contaminating the air supply have warned that the 'fuming' incidents are putting the long-term health of crew and passengers at risk and are also in danger of causing a major air catastrophe if pilots become incapacitated.

Details have emerged in a CAA report into a terrifying episode last month on board the Flybe jet.

Passengers on board the BAe 146 plane flying into Belfast from Birmingham were completely unaware of the drama at the rear of the aircraft, and of the fears of other terrified cabin crew that they may not have been able to deal with an emergency with incapacitated staff.

Dessie Henderson, senior organiser of the Transport and General Workers' Union in Belfast, says it's just one of an increasing number of 'fuming' incidents which are feared to be leaving airline staff and passengers facing possible long-term health problems due to so-called "aerotoxic syndrome".

Mr. Henderson went on to say, "There have been numerous incidents and they can't continue to go unexplained when the health and safety of the cabin crews and the passengers on board the planes are at stake. If these incidents are down to organophosphates, then that is what the airlines need to be carrying out checks for, to see if their staff and our members have been exposed to it."

While declining to comment on the specific incident, a spokesman for Flybe said that all of the company's aircraft are manufactured and maintained to the highest industry standards.

"Any incidents involving sickness experienced by cabin crew, flight crew or passengers are taken very seriously by the company, with appropriate medical support always provided.

"The statistically very small occurrences of on-board sickness indicate that our systems and processes are robust and more than meet all CAA regulatory demands.

"Flybe are at the leading edge of co-operative joint research in this area and are comfortable that our expertise marks us out as industry leaders."

The UK The Government's Committee on Toxicity is said to be examining the threat from contaminated cabin air.

Air Moorea Twin Otter crashes shortly after takeoff

A Twin Otter turboprop aircraft with 20 people on board, operating as Air Moorea Flight 1121, has crashed in French Polynesia. News reports about the accident say that the scheduled inter-island flight had just taken off from Temae Airport (MOZ) on the island of Moorea, en route to Papeete, Tahiti when it crashed into the sea. The accident occurred today shortly after noon, local time.

The aircraft was reported to have come down about a mile off the coast of the island, beyond the lagoon. News reports say there are no signs of survivors, but that 14 bodies had been recovered, including that of the pilot. The French navy is continuing to search for possible survivors and other victims.

None of the victims have been identified by authorities in French Polynesia, however Radio Fiji is reporting that two senior staff of the European Union delegation based in Suva, Fiji were among the plane's passengers:

Michele Gache and Jean Pierre Tierard were on an official business trip inspecting a water purification project on Moorea Island.

EU Communications Officer and first counselor for the Suva delegation Florimond Van-der-Velde confirmed to Radionews the two were working for the European Union in Suva for the past three years.

Air Moorea is wholly owned by Air Tahiti. The airline has been in business for about 35 years. This was its first accident.

UPDATE August 11, 2007: The pilot of Air Moorea Flight 1121 who died in the accident has been identified by the airline as Captain Michel Santurenne, who had 3,500 hours of flight time. Born on September 6, 1954, he would have celebrated his 53rd birthday next month.

Captain Santurenne's body has been recovered, along with those of 13 passengers. The search continues for the six still missing.

A full list of passengers' names has not yet been released. Those seeking official information about the Air Moorea accident should visit the press release page on the Air Tahiti website.

[Photo Source]

For the billionnaire who has everything - The Biz Blimp

While cruising around the aviation news websites this morning, I came upon an article about a curious new airship described as a 'Biz-Blimp' on Aero-News.net (ANN). The ANN story asks:

Are you a successful businessperson, who wants to travel in comfort... and make a statement like no other on the airport ramp? Perhaps, then, a business jet isn't for you; not even one of those new-fangled VLJs. No, what you may desire instead is a corporate airship.

Whoa!

So I clicked on through to the website of Worldwide Aeros Corporation (Aeros, for short), the company that is about to launch this airship as a specialized alternative to the business jet. The California-based company specializes in manufacturing FAA-certified lighter-than-air craft for many applications. One of those is the Aeroscraft ML866, pictured above.

Featuring a floor area of well over 5,000 square feet, the Aeroscraft ML866 can be customized to include amenities such as a gourmet galley, entertainment area and sleeping quarters with elegant washrooms and showers, according to the manufacturer. Alternatively, the airship could be configured as an Airborne Business Center:

Equipped with the latest state-of-the-art technology suite, the Aeroscraft ML866 can be configured to serve as a high-tech airborne conference center. Business amenities include the functionality of a Computerized Office; Video-Conferencing Capability; Communication Package; Conference Room; Transformable Interior; Personal State Room.

The imagination runs wild...

The airship is 210 ft long, and about 95ft wide. It can reach a maximum speed of 155mph, cruising at 0 - 120mph, and can operate at altitudes up to 12,000ft. Its maximum range is 3,100 miles.

The airship, billed as a 'private air yacht,' will be introduced next month at the National Business Aircraft Association (NBAA) 60th Annual Meeting and Convention in Atlanta. It's sure to be a top attention-getter at the NBAA event.

For more photos, visit the Aeroscraft ML866 Gallery on the manufacturer's website.


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