Civil AviationLao Airlines Plane Crashes Killing 44A Lao Airlines plane flying in stormy weather crashed into the Mekong river in southern Laos on Wednesday, killing all 44 people on board, among them nationals of 10 countries. The virtually new ATR-72 turboprop plane flying from the capital Vientiane crashed at about 4.10 pm local time just 8 km (5 miles) short of its destination Pakse, which is near the borders of both Thailand and Cambodia. The airline said in a statement it had yet to determine the cause of the crash, in which a senior aviation official said the tail end of Typhoon Nari may have been a factor.
LinkSuspect Claims LAX Dry Ice Bombs Were A PrankA 28-year-old airport employee accused of setting off two dry ice bombs at Los Angeles Airport apparently meant them as a prank, but would still face prosecution, police said on Wednesday. Dicarlo Bennett, a baggage handler for Servisair, was arrested at his Los Angeles-area home on Tuesday evening for possessing a destructive device near an aircraft. He was being held on USD$1 million bail with an initial court appearance scheduled for Thursday.
LinkItaly Confident EU Will Allow Alitalia RescueItaly's transport minister Maurizio Lupi does not believe a government-sponsored rescue plan for loss-making airline Alitalia will fall foul of European state aid rules. Earlier this week IAG, which owns British Airways and Iberia, attacked the EUR€500 million plan to help Alitalia and urged the European Commission to intervene. The plan, unveiled last week, envisages a cash injection by state-owned postal services group Poste Italiane via a share issue.
LinkEC Proposes Carbon Charge For EU AirspaceThe European Commission on Wednesday proposed limiting carbon charges on aviation to European airspace following an agreement in Montreal to set up a global scheme to curb carbon emissions from aircraft from 2020. For the period from 2014 to 2020, the Commission proposed modifying EU law that requires all planes using EU airports to pay for emissions through the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) for the duration of the flight. EU member states and the European Parliament would have to approve the change for it to become law.
LinkCroatia Q400 gear-jam probe identifies suspect partInvestigators examining a Croatia Airlines Bombardier Q400, which landed with its nose-gear retracted at Zurich, believe a fractured sensor cover obstructed the nose wheel. While the inquiry into the 27 September landing is yet to conclude, preliminary checks by Swiss accident investigation authority BFU found a cover plate, which protects weight-on-wheel sensors, had broken at its attachment lugs. It had pivoted upwards and was squeezed between the nose-gear’s upper and lower drag struts. BFU says the cover plate “did impede” the nose-gear extension.
LinkEBAA launches second phase of illegal charter studyThe European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) has given the go ahead for a second phase of a report which will determine the size and impact of illegal charter operations on the continent. The initial stage of the research was commissioned by the Brussels-based trade association earlier this year and undertaken by German companies Roland Berger and Wingx Advance.. It came in response to growing concerns expressed by legitimate charter companies and brokers about the number of aircraft that were being chartered by owners or companies that do not hold an aircraft operator's certificate (AOC). “The first phase was a qualitative study, to assess whether there is an issue,” says EBAA president Brian Humphries. “The results [which will not be published] reveal there clearly is an issue, so now a quantitative study is underway to assess the extent of the problem. The results should be with us by the end of the year.”
LinkATR releases more details on Lao Airlines crashATR has released more details on the crash of a Lao Airlines ATR 72-600 near Pakse on 16 October that killed all 44 passengers and five crew on board. The airframer said that in a statement that the aircraft involved, registered as RDPL-34233 and had a serial number of MSN 1071, was delivered new to the airline this March. It was operating flight QV301 between Vientiane and Pakse when the accident happened.
LinkFirst CSeries test aircraft re-enters ground vibration testingThe first CSeries test aircraft has re-entered a series of ground vibration checks less than a month after completeing first flight, Bombardier revealed today. A nearly 3min clip posted on the company’s YouTube channel on 16 October provides the first update on the test program since the first test aircraft (FTV-1) stopped flying on 3 October. The video shows the FTV-1 test aircraft parked inside a hangar and covered in test instruments. Alexandre Rathé, a structure dynamic engineer for Bombardier, says on the video that the aircraft is undergoing ground vibration testing.
LinkCFM launches Leap-1B assembly as testing continuesCFM International has started assembling the third version of the Leap-series turbofan engine family as initial test results on the first variant have “thrilled” company officials. Assembly of the first Leap-1B for the Boeing 737 Max is starting about six weeks after CFM began testing the version of the Leap that is largely shared between the Airbus A320neo and the Comac C919. Testing on the Leap-1B is scheduled to begin in June next year. “I’m proud and really happy to tell you that the engine is running very smoothly,” says Chaker Chahrour, CFM’s executive vice-president. “This engine wants to run.” Although CFM is the exclusive engine provider for the 737 Max and C919, the Leap is locked in a heated battle with the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G geared turbofan for orders on the A320neo family. The PW1100G entered flight-testing last May, but airlines are only now getting a chance to scrutinise the test data from both engines.
LinkBell switches engine supplier for next tiltrotor, chooses GEGE Aviation will manufacture the engines for Bell Helicopter’s third-generation tilt-rotor aircraft, the V-280 Valor, according to a media release from Bell. Bell, a division of Textron, does not say which specific GE engine will power the V-280, and GE did not immediately respond to a request for more information. But the release says government funding from the US Army’s future affordable turbine engine (FATE) program will allow Bell to provide a “robust, durable engine.” GE has said that technologies developed through FATE, such as advanced cooling systems, could be inserted directly into its 7,500shp-class (5,520kW) GE38 engine.
LinkSpirit Air Engine Failure Investigated By NTSBAn engine failure that forced an emergency landing of a Spirit Airlines jet near Dallas is under investigation by NTSB safety officials. The National Transportation Safety Board said on Wednesday it received a report of an uncontained engine failure, which means that parts of the engine broke off and created hazardous, flying debris. Shortly after takeoff on Tuesday from Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, the engine shut down and smoke filled the cabin of the Airbus A319. The plane with 150 people on board landed safely with one engine and no one on the flight was injured, airline spokeswoman Misty Pinson said.
LinkSpirit A319 turns back after cabin smokeA Spirit Airlines Airbus A319 turned back to Dallas/Fort Worth International airport on 15 October after smoke was seen in the cabin. The flight's captain had received "an indication of a possible mechanical issue", says a Spirit spokesperson. "One engine was shut down, which is normal procedure under these circumstances," she adds. The aircraft turned back to Dallas/Fort Worth as a safety precaution, she says.
LinkPilatus PC-24 to make US debut
Pilatus’s first business jet, the PC-24, is set to make its US debut on 22-24 October at the NBAA Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Las Vegas. The Swiss airframer unveiled a mock-up of the superlight aircraft to great fanfare in May at the EBACE show in Geneva, Switzerland. It will be hoping to garner a similar response to the six-seat twin from prospective US owners. The $9 million aircraft is branded by Pilatus as a "super versatile jet" due to its large cargo door and ability to operate from unpaved runways and grass strips.
LinkNorth Africa's business aircraft fleet on the riseNorth Africa’s business aircraft fleet is growing at almost twice the rate of the global average, according to a study by German data research consultancy Wingx Advance, on behalf of the Middle East Business Aviation Association. The report is the first of its kind to examine the size of the business aviation market in North Africa and break it down according to activity and aircraft category. Wingx reveals that North Africa saw a 6.3% rise in inventory last year to over 130 business jet and turboprops – compared to a global average increase of 3.7%. This hike is attributable to the region’s thriving economies – notably Morocco – and an expanding wealthy elite using business aircraft in increasing numbers, says Wingx.
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