Hawker Beechcraft King Air B200, Hayward, Calif., Sept. 16, 2009–The turboprop twin crashed during initial climb after takeoff from Hayward Executive Airport. According to the pilot, who was uninjured in the accident, the King Air began to veer uncontrollably to the left while still “very close to the ground.” As the aircraft was losing altitude, the pilot...
moreBell 430, Kurnoon, India, Sept. 2, 2009–Operated by the Government of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, the helicopter crashed en route to Chitoor, India, from Hyderabad, India. The two crewmembers and three passengers–including the Secretariat of Hyderabad–were killed and the helicopter was destroyed. The Indian Central Government is investigating, and...
moreBombardier CL-600-2B16, Vineyard Haven, Mass., Sept. 27, 2009–The twinjet suffered substantial damage to its nose section following a rough landing at Martha’s Vineyard Airport. The Challenger had been cleared for an ILS approach and was approximately 15 to 20 feet above the runway when it encountered wind shear, resulting in a reported 25-knot loss in...
moreEurocopter AS 350B2E, Haines, Alaska, April 12, 2009–The NTSB determined the cause of the Coastal Helicopters crash to be the pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from snow-covered terrain during the landing approach in flat light conditions. The AS 350, which was engaged in helicopter skiing operations at the time of the accident, sustained substantial...
morePilatus PC-12/47E, Sante Fe, N.M., Sept. 29, 2008–The Board attributed the fatal crash to the pilot’s fatigue. On the day of the accident, the sole-occupant pilot had flown eight-and-a-half hours, crossed two time zones and been awake for at least 17 hours. The aircraft crashed three miles north of its destination of Santa Fe Municipal Airport (SAF). Dark...
moreCommander 690, Wenatchee, Wash., Aug. 17, 2009–The twin turboprop suffered damage to its wing spar and ailerons after hitting trees during a family scenic mountain flight. According to a passenger, as the aircraft flew over a local ski area, friends of the family were spotted in the parking lot. The pilot performed a climbing turn for another pass and was...
moreCessna 501 Citation I, Las Americas, Dominican Republic, Aug. 18, 2008– The Citation I, registered as N223LC to Corus Hardware, vanished from radar shortly after takeoff while en route from the Dominican Republic to East La Grande, Puerto Rico. The pilot was the sole occupant. An intensive search was called off after five days with no trace of wreckage...
moreCessna 525, West Gardiner, Maine, Feb. 1, 2008–N102PT, registered to Symons Jeanette Trustee, was destroyed and the pilot and single passenger were killed when the CJ crashed soon after takeoff from Augusta State Airport (AUG). IMC prevailed at the time of the accident and an IFR flight plan had been filed for the Part 91 flight to Lincoln Airport in...
moreSocata TBM 700, Kennesaw, Ga., July 15, 2008–The turboprop single was destroyed and its pilot killed when it rolled inverted and collided with trees short of the runway at Cobb County-McCollum Field. The pilot was concluding a one-hour flight in VMC from Southwest Georgia Regional Airport in Albany, Ga.
Witnesses at the airport reported the aircraft on...
moreThe investigation into last year’s fatal crash of a 1965 Carson Helicopter Sikorsky S-61N is beginning to take on the tenor of a high-stakes suspense novel. Although an official probable cause has yet to be issued, the reams of documents released to date by the NTSB, and a preemptory rebuttal from Carson and its lawyers contained in those documents, are...
moreSpecialized aviation services company Aviation Research Group/U.S. (ARG/US) has been selected by NBAA as a vendor partner for the association’s new safety management systems (SMS) training classes. “ARG/US has significant experience in all aspects of safety management,” according to ARG/US president and CEO Joe Moeggenberg. “We have been conducting our own...
moreSunday marked the 10th anniversary of the Payne Stewart accident, in which the 42-year-old professional golfer and five others aboard a chartered Learjet 35 lost their lives after the jet suffered a loss of pressurization during a flight from Orlando, Fla., to Dallas. All aboard the Learjet fell unconscious from the effects of hypoxia about 15 minutes after...
moreThe pilots of the Northwest Airlines Flight 188 that overflew Minneapolis on October 21 told NTSB investigators that a distraction in the cockpit of their Airbus A320 led to the incident, not a “heated discussion,” as reported by the Safety Board last Thursday. Both pilots, whom the NTSB interviewed for five hours combined, said they did not fall asleep,...
moreSafe Flight Instrument (Booth No. 5130) has been selected to provide the speed-control system for Quest’s Kodiak turbine single. The Safe Flight system consists of a heated wing-mounted lift transducer connected to a special computer. Designed to be a next-generation stall-warning system, the setup provides continuous information to the pilots about the...
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