Maui-based Pacific Wings exacted a small measure of revenge on Hawaiian gatecrasher Mesa Air Group last month when it won the rights to two of Mesa’s Essential Air Service destinations in New Mexico. Pacific Wings plans to start serving Hobbs and Carlsbad, N.M., from Albuquerque using four nine-seat Cessna Grand Caravans on June 1.
Cessna 208
March 26, 2007 - 7:12am
Cessna 208B Caravan, Alliance, Neb., Feb. 8, 2007–The commercial pilot of Caravan N1116Y was seriously injured when the postal cargo airplane hit the roof of a metal building and then the ground during a nonprecision approach to Runway 12 at Alliance Municipal Airport (AIA) in night IMC. The pilot, who had filed an IFR flight plan, had been cleared for the VOR 30 approach but at 2:09 a.m. requested a change to the VOR 12 approach.
March 16, 2007 - 9:54am
Transport Canada found no violations of Federal Aviation Regulations during a special-purpose audit of Georgian Express, and on January 27 returned the operator certificate to the Toronto-based airline. The certificate was suspended on January 22, five days after a fatal crash of one of the company’s Cessna 208B Caravans in which the pilot and all nine passengers were killed.
March 7, 2007 - 6:09am
Comments are due March 5 on an FAA proposal to require a low-airspeed awareness system on Cessna 208 and 208B Caravans. The installation will cancel the prohibition against operating the turboprop single in moderate or worse icing conditions.
February 8, 2007 - 5:09am
CESSNA 208B CARAVAN, CODY, WYO., OCT. 29, 2003. The pilot of FedEx Caravan N791FE, operated by Corporate Air, of Billings, Mont., while holding for better weather on approach to Yellowstone Regional Airport in Cody, filed a pirep about light rime icing. Visibility was 1.75 statute miles and there was a 200-foot overcast ceiling.
January 24, 2007 - 10:12am
Cessna 208 Caravan, Winnipeg, Canada, Oct. 6, 2005–The Canadian Transportation Safety Board (TSB) found that, although the Morningstar Air Express Caravan took off clean, its performance diminished as ice built on its critical surfaces. Moderate icing was forecast for the area. The Caravan was also about 3 percent overweight and 488 pounds over the 8,550-pound mtow for operating in icing conditions.
January 10, 2007 - 10:07am
Two recent accidents in icing conditions involving Cessna Caravans have prompted the NTSB to issue more recommendations for the high-wing turboprop single.
December 18, 2006 - 9:05am
Cessna 208B Caravan, Portland, Ore., Dec. 24, 2005–The reason for the Caravan’s loss of power on takeoff has not been determined, said the NTSB. The pilot reported, “After becoming airborne, the airplane quit accelerating and a positive climb rate was not established.”
November 22, 2006 - 6:47am
Investigators have determined that a Cessna 208B Caravan that crashed near Pelee Island, Ontario, on Jan. 17, 2004, exceeded the maximum allowable takeoff weight by at least 15 percent, in addition to being contaminated with ice. All 10 people on board were killed in the accident.
