The Kathryn Report

WellmontOne medevac chopper gets permanent base at BMS

2010-03-19T00:37:00.003-04:00

The refurbished WellmontOne sports a new look as it sits at Bristol Motor Speedway. Erica Yoon photo.

BRISTOL, Tenn. — The green and blue color scheme with checkered flag tail fins on the Eurocopter BK-117 rivals anything racing on Bristol Motor Speedway’s concrete this weekend. With a top speed of 150 mph, WellmontOne has been refurbished from the ground up, and officials celebrated the helicopter’s new look and home base near the BMS south entrance Thursday at the track. Read More

Investigation starts on crash of WWII plane - North American SNJ-6 Texan N75AG

2010-03-19T00:28:00.000-04:00

By Carol Ferguson, Eyewitness News

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- The search has started for answers to what caused the plane crash that killed two veteran pilots. A federal investigator was on the scene Thursday morning where the World War II-era plane went down. The Kern County Coroner's office ruled Thursday evening the cause of death for both victims was "multiple blunt force injuries." Steven Ballard, 54, and Al Goss, 68, died in the crash south of Highway 58 and east of I-5 Wednesday morning. "It's hard to even think about it being real," friend David Hallmark said in his hangar at Massey Aircraft Service at Minter Field. The two pilots had taken off from Minter the morning before. Within 30 minutes, the wreckage of the vintage aircraft was spread across a field, part of the plane nosed into an irrigation canal. Read More

1 Dead In Huntsville Airport Plane Crash (With Video)

2010-03-19T00:14:00.002-04:00

Watch Video > > > >

HUNTSVILLE, Ark. -- At least one person is dead following the crash of a small plane at the Huntsville airport.

Huntsville resident Erika Dennett was at the park across from the Madison County Airport when the plane crashed Thursday afternoon:

The plane took off, but continued to fly relatively low over the Madison County Recycling Center and past the park. It then did a sharp incline, almost like the pilot was trying to do a backwards loop, but he was just barely over the treeline. I was hoping there was a valley beyond the trees for him to be able to make it all the way around, but then I heard the crash. It was very eerie, hearing the normal whine of the engine, a boom, and then no sound. There is an ambulance station right down the road from the airport, so thankfully the emergency response was quick. When we left the park, we were able to see the plane laying upside down on the field with emergency crews surrounding it.

One dead after plane crash in Huntsville, Arkansas - near H34 Huntsville Municipal Airport

2010-03-19T00:08:00.001-04:00

Photo by Jon Schleuss

An amphibian aircraft crashed near the Huntsville airport at 1:00p.m. Thursday.

Photo Gallery - Huntsville Plane Crash > > >

By Jon Schleuss

HUNTSVILLE — A plane crash Thursday killed one person in Huntsville, near the city's airport.

Madison County Sheriff Phillip Morgan said the first 911 call came at 1:00p.m. He said that the Huntsville city police were the first to respond.

Charles Coger, head of the Huntsville airport commission, witnessed the crash and said that the pilot took off once and landed safely. Coger said the pilot took off a second time and banked right, circling the airport tower.

Coger said that the pilot was traveling low and saw him attempt to bank back towards the airport, resulting in a stall and the crash.

The plane was an amphibian craft, able to land on both land and water. Coger said that the plane had been modified with a different engine.

CAP: Volunteers Find Pilot In Wreckage - Civil Air Patrol Helps Locate Crash Site - Rutan VariEze N50894

2010-03-19T00:01:00.001-04:00

DEER VALLEY, Ariz. -- For the past 27 years, Brian Ready has been volunteering with Civil Air Patrol.

"My love is flying and my way to pay it forward for the community is to be there if the pilot is in trouble and that's why many of us do it," Ready said.

Yesterday he got that call.

"About 9 o'clock yesterday morning an aircraft called Glendale tower with a problem," said Ready.

"Basically (we) flew for 7 and-a-half hours looking for this guy,” said Maricopa Sheriff’s Office flight posse pilot Greg Gurley. “The first call was he was 26 miles south of Glendale and we looked all over."

Initially Civil Air Patrol was called in to simply gather information, but with no contact between that pilot and an aviation tower, the Us Air Force told the volunteers to get into the air and start searching.

Less than an hour after liftoff, the crash site was discovered.

"It was definitely a coordinated effort between everybody that's for sure," Gurley said.

When rescue crews finally reached the wreckage, the pilot, 63-year-old Charles Blanchette was trapped underneath but, surprisingly able to speak to rescuers about what went wrong.

"He ran out of fuel. He had a business meeting and left about 7:30 a.m. and he thought he had a fuel leak and ran out of fuel," Gurley said.

Blanchette is still recovering from his injuries at Maricopa Medical Center.

Polish cargo plane falls onto ice of Lake Ülemiste in Estonia

2010-03-18T23:59:00.000-04:00

Polish cargo plane An-26 made an emergency landing on the ice of Lake Ülemiste in Tallinn on Thursday due to technical problems; no one was injured in the accident.

The accident happened at 10.18 a.m. and it was a Polish transport plane used by DHL that had come from Finland. There were four crew members and two cargo attendants on board the plane. One 60-year-old man was taken to hospital with a concussion, others were not injured.

Economy and communications ministry spokesman Kalev Vapper said that the plane came from Finland and failed to land at Tallinn Airport as one of the landing gears did not work. When it went on another round, engine problems emerged and the plane made an emergency landing on the lake.

Rescue Board spokesman Ants Raava said that some fuel is leaking from the plane but none has reached water.

There was around 3 tonnes of cargo on board the plane and the same amount of fuel, Interior Minister Marko Pomerants said at the government’s regular Thursday press conference. Pomerants said that rescue officials are trying to make sure that the fuel doesn’t get into the water and the plan is to pump all fuel out of the plane. Pomerants confirmed that the drinking water of residents of Tallinn is not in danger at present.

EPL Online said though that around 200 litres of fuel has flown into the lake.

Although the plane landed near the shore of the lake, the rescue work was complicated at first since the ice on the lake was covered with deep snow.

Three hours after the accident, the plane had partially sunk through ice despite the efforts of rescue workers to remove it from the ice.

Lake Ülemiste right next to Tallinn Airport is the main source of drinking water for the city of Tallinn.

Source

Video: Airplane emergency landing on lake Ülemiste.

2010-03-18T23:55:00.000-04:00

At 10:21 a.m. this Thursday, the Tallinn Emergency Centre received a call about the freight plane AN-26 which had fallen onto the ice of lake Ülemiste.

BA strikers look for U.S. support

2010-03-18T23:51:00.000-04:00

London » The union representing British Airways' cabin crews is gathering international support for a walkout due to begin this weekend, threatening to severely disrupt what remains of the airline's already depleted flight schedule. Ignoring a plea from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to return to the negotiating table with BA management, Unite on Wednesday moved instead to raise the stakes for the cash-strapped airline by holding talks with unions representing ground crews in the U.S., Germany and Spain. Coordinated international action by ground staff and service workers would cripple BA's plans to operate enough flights for more than 60 percent of its booked passengers. Read More

Pilot killed when experimental plane crashes

2010-03-18T23:46:00.004-04:00

HUNTSVILLE, Ark. - Authorities say the pilot of an experimental airplane was killed when the aircraft crashed into the backyard of a Huntsville residence.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford says the accident happened about 1 p.m. Thursday near the northwest Arkansas town's airport.

Lunsford says there were no injuries on the ground. The pilot's name wasn't immediately released.

According to FAA records, the 2001 SeaRey is a fixed-wing, single-engine aircraft registered to an Orlando, Fla., man.

Lunsford says the pilot was doing "touch and goes," or departures and landings, at the airport when the crash occurred.

He says investigators were headed for the crash site.

SOURCE

DHL: thousands of companies are waiting for cargo - Exin Antonov AN-26 - DHL

2010-03-18T23:35:00.003-04:00

The crash landing of a cargo plane working for DHL on Thursday near Tallinn airport affects a large number of Estonian companies, thousands, DHL Express sales and marketing manager Kristina Laaneots told Äripäev.ee.

“We have a replacement plane for the Tallinn-Helsinki route, regular cargo traffic isn’t affected," said Laaneots. "Only the activities of companies whose cargo was on board the AS-26 plane that arrived today is affected,” she said.

“Quite a few companies are waiting for their cargo. I wouldn’t want to specify very exactly how many companies but the rank is in thousands,” said Laaneots.

Polish cargo plane An-26 belonging to the company Exin and working for DHL made an emergency landing on the ice of Lake Ülemiste in Tallinn on Thursday due to technical problems. There was around 3 tonnes of cargo on board the plane, writes LETA.

Source

Ansip: no need to relocate Tallinn Airport

2010-03-18T23:30:00.004-04:00

Estonian prime minister Andrus Ansip said today that there was no need to relocate Tallinn Airport in spite of the accident this morning where a Polish cargo aircraft that was contracted by DHL made an emergency landing on Lake Ülemiste after it failed to activate landing gear.

Ansip said that instead of relocating the airport , efforts should be made to attract more airlines into Tallinn. "Our priority is to add much more connections to Tallinn," Ansip said at a government press conference today.

The PM added that the idea to relocate the airport could become relevant in fifth years, but definitely not now.

Commenting the accident, Ansip said that the rescue services were fully capable to contain about three tons of fuel that was on board of the AN-24 that made a belly-landing today.

Tallinna Vesi, the main drinking water supplier in Tallinn, said today that the company had sufficient fresh water resources and that the fuel leak from the aircraft that landed on the frozen lake that is the main natural water resource for Tallinn is not going to disrupt normal water supply.

Source

Video: Exin Antonov AN-26 makes emergency landing on frozen lake in Estonia

2010-03-18T23:25:00.002-04:00

A Polish cargo plane was forced to carry out an emergency landing on a frozen lake in Estonia. The plane was due to arrive at an airport in Tallin when its landing gear failed. Engine failure finally forced the pilot to land on the snow covered lake - reports say one of the crew suffered minor injuries.

Spill threatens Estonian capital's water - Cargo plane makes emergency landing on frozen lake

2010-03-18T23:24:00.001-04:00

TALLINN, Estonia - A cargo plane made an emergency landing Thursday on the frozen surface of a lake outside Estonia's capital, spilling 1.5 tons of fuel that risked polluting the city's main source of drinking water, authorities said. The DHL-chartered Antonov AN26 turboprop was forced to belly-land on the ice of Lake Ulemiste next to Tallinn due to landing gear and engine problems, Economy Ministry spokesman Kalev Vapper said. One of the six crew members — all Polish — suffered minor injuries. The plane carried 3 tons of engine fuel and about half of it leaked onto the ice from its fuel tanks, rescue board spokesman Teet Pille said. The other half was being pumped out of the aircraft. Read More

Tallinn drinking water at risk after cargo aircraft makes emergency landing on frozen lake

2010-03-18T23:21:00.003-04:00

A cargo aircraft made an emergency landing on a frozen lake outside Estonia’s capital, Tallinn, spilling 1.5 tonnes of fuel that threatened to pollute the city’s main source of drinking water. The DHL-chartered Antonov AN26, owned by the Polish air cargo company Exin, had to belly-land on Lake Ulemiste owing to faulty landing gear and engine problems. One of the six crew members suffered minor injuries. Emergency services used absorbent mats and booms to try to contain the fuel. The aircraft was arriving from the Finnish capital, Helsinki, and preparing to land when both its landing gear systems failed. Winches kept it from sinking through the ice but it was not clear how it would be pulled from the lake.

SOURCE

Emergency landing on frozen lake successful

2010-03-18T23:20:00.003-04:00

TALLINN — A transportation aircraft heading from Helsinki to Tallinn made an emergency landing onto the frozen surface of Lake Ülemiste, the primary source of Tallinn’s drinking water.

The cargo carrier AN26, belonging to the Polish EXIN company landed in the lake, located directly east of Tallinn Airport Thursday morning at 10:18 am. The aircraft carried DHL shipments. The aircraft had six crew members on board, one of whom has been hospitalized with light injuries.

According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, the aircraft was not able to land at the airport as one landing gear did not open. On the second round engine problems occurred, and then it headed towards the lake to land on the ice covering the lake.

The fuel was pumped out of the aircraft to prevent environmental pollution. Authorities say the lake’s water was not contaminated by the landing.

A Plane Crashed on Ülemiste Lake

2010-03-18T23:18:00.001-04:00

[Photo: Postimees.ee]

According to the latest news send by BNS, a Polish cargo plane crashed this morning on the ice of Ülemiste lake, just few meters from Tallinn airport lanes. According to Erik Sakkov, board member of Tallinn airport, the accident would have happened without causing any serious injury to the crew on board of the plane that crashed on the frozen Ülemiste lake right after sending an SOS message at 10.21. The causes of the accident are still uncertain but further investigations will try to understand what happened after the take off of the plane even if the fact that the pilot and the other five members of the crew were able to leave the plane without the help of the paramedics it is already great news.

Source

At least one dead, one missing in North Texas plane crash

2010-03-18T23:12:00.000-04:00

HOUSTON (BNO NEWS) -- A small plane carrying three people crashed in a north Texas lake on Thursday, killing at least one person, federal officials said.

The single-engine float plane crashed at 4.05 p.m. local time and is upside down in Lewisville Lake, on the eastern side near Stewart Peninsula Golf Course. The first 911 call came in at 4.06 p.m.

"Rescue crews have already airlifted one person, one [is] missing and another is still in the airplane," said Lynn Lunsford, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). He said the person in the airplane is deceased.

Tom Reedy, a spokesman for the Denton County Sheriff's Office, said two men witnessed the crash and took a boat to help and try rescue victims.

Air Canada stands by pilot

2010-03-18T23:09:00.002-04:00

Air Canada is standing by a pilot at the centre of a bizarre incident two years ago in which co-workers refused to fly with him, fearing he was suicidal and accusing him of threatening to ditch his aircraft in the Atlantic Ocean.

Plane that crashed in Dutchess belonged to Yonkers man - Beechcraft B95 Travel Air N9389Y

2010-03-18T23:05:00.003-04:00

Photo by Lee Ferris

LaGRANGE — The pilot of a small plane was killed Thursday when the twin-engine aircraft crashed and burned along Skidmore Road in this Dutchess County town, police said.

The county Sheriff’s Office said the pilot was the only person on board the plane when it crashed about 11:55 a.m. near the Sky Acres Airport.

The Beech B-95 burst into flames upon impact.

The Sheriff’s Office and Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the fatality but did not provide the pilot’s name. The FAA said the plane was registered to Antonio D. Espinal of Yonkers.

Town of LaGrange Supervisor Jon Wagner said as tragic as the crash was, it could have been worse had the plane gone down on nearby state Route 82, a major road in Dutchess County. The plane also missed several nearby houses, Wagner noted.

Officials did not know the plane’s point of origin or its destination and said the cause of the crash was under investigation by the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board.

The Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the county Medical Examiner’s Office, the state police and the LaGrange, Pleasant Valley and Union Vale fire departments.

Appearance board gives final OK to Myrtle Beach International Airport expansion

2010-03-18T23:04:00.000-04:00

MYRTLE BEACH-The Myrtle Beach Community Appearance Board gave its final approval to the expansion of Myrtle Beach International Airport at a Thursday afternoon meeting. “It’s a great day in Myrtle Beach,” said board chairman, Larry Bragg, “This will be an icon for Myrtle Beach.” The board did a final review of the core and shell of the new and old airport including new terminals and the landscaping. Read More

Airport board asks FBI to identify bribe-paying contractor

2010-03-18T23:01:00.003-04:00

PITTSTON TWP. - The board of Lackawanna and Luzerne county commissioners that oversees Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport voted unanimously this morning to ask the FBI to reveal the identity of a company accused of paying kickbacks for airport construction contracts.

The company is identified only as "Company #1" in an indictment returned Tuesday by a federal grand jury of Lackawanna County Commissioner A.J. Munchak and former Commissioner Robert Cordaro.

In the indictment, Mr. Cordaro is accused of accepting "thousands of dollars in cash" from a principal of Company #1 to maintain and receive additional contracts. The payments occurred between Dec. 29, 2003, and May 5, 2004.

So far, federal officials have not cooperated with other requests to reveal the identities of companies referenced in the indictment.

Mr. Munchak attended today's meeting as a member of the board, and reiterated that he will not resign.

Luzerne County Commissioner Maryanne Petrilla said the board could still work together, but acknowledged the indictment is a distraction.

Check back for more details.

County Leaders Demand Airport Contractor's Name

2010-03-18T23:00:00.000-04:00

Two former running mates in Lackawanna County are expected to surrender Thursday afternoon on corruption charges. Commissioner A.J. Munchak and former commissioner Bob Cordaro are accused of taking thousands of dollars in bribes while they were in office together. On Tuesday they were indicted on federal charges. Attorneys for both men said they will plead not guilty. Wednesday Lackawanna County's majority commissioners publicly called for Munchak to resign. One question raised by the corruption scandal in Lackawanna County is who is the contractor who may still be doing business with the Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton International Airport? "How we could go about requesting formally through the FBI names of those contractors who are allegedly involved in this kickback scheme?" asked Luzerne County Commissioner Maryanne Petrilla. Read More

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Airport will operate at $301,000 loss in 2010

2010-03-18T22:57:00.002-04:00

PITTSTON TWP. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport expects to operate at a $301,000 loss this year, according to a proposed budget approved by the airport board Thursday.

The budget shows revenues at $5.52 million, with expenses at $5.82 million. The deficit will be covered by the airport’s savings account, Director of Finance Gary Borthwick told directors.

Speaking after the meeting, Borthwick said the airport’s main problem continues to be in attracting more airlines to offer flights. A separate report showed passenger enplanements for February 2010 were down 14.2 percent from February 2009, and 18.6 percent compared to February 2008.

The decrease in passengers contributed to the airport showing a net loss of $61,229 in February. Year to date, the airport is running at a deficit of $116,588.

For the complete story, see Friday's Times Leader.

Airport company will stay but limit services to fuel

2010-03-18T22:36:00.001-04:00

Felts Field Aviation Inc. will provide fuel service at Felts Field, the general aviation airport in Spokane Valley, for another year. The company will discontinue other services March 31, but a new agreement with the Spokane International Airport board provides for continued access to self-serve pumps, and fuel transport to hangared planes. The board, which manages Felts Field airport and Spokane International Airport, will review requirements for a fixed-base operator to replace Felts Field Aviation, according to airports director Neal Sealock. No one responded to a request for proposals that was published last year. Sealock said the process may take six or seven months. Airports spokesman Todd Woodard said the review may yield a less extensive list of services that conforms to changes in airport use caused by the economic slowdown. Requirements were last reviewed seven years ago, he said.

Source

FAA has found pilot involved in Gila River crash to be 'reckless' in past (With Video)

2010-03-18T22:30:00.002-04:00

Source: http://www.azfamily.com/news/FAA-has-found-pilot-involved-in-Gila-River-to-be-reckless-in-past-88491382.html

Phoenix - New details are emerging about a pilot pulled from the wreckage of an experimental plane.
It turns out this was not his first crash and past Federal Aviation Administration investigations found him to be reckless.

The pilot is reportedly in critical condition at the Maricopa Medical Center. The hospital is no longer releasing information to the media about Charles Blanchette's condition.

This scene over the southwest Valley on Wednesday was not the first time Blanchette has been in the spotlight.

One witness describes a crash that happened in 2003 when Blanchette was manning a different experimental plane. He went down about a quarter mile from the Glendale airport after he radioed that his aircraft was not going to make it. The plane flipped over and Blanchette was pinned inside for 20 minutes and eventually rescued.

There was also another incident in 2006. That time the FAA determined Blanchette "lost a propeller blade during the take-off" at Glendale airport. It happened for "undetermined reasons". Blanchette managed to return to the airport safely.

In each case, the National Transportation Safety Board determined that Blanchette carelessly and recklessly operated the aircraft.

And then there is Wednesday's crash, which was Blanchette's third major incident in a decade.

Aviation expert Jim Tilmon tells 3TV, “It's one thing to have good luck but to have good luck three times in a row, kinda stretching it a little bit.”

Tilmon says pilots, whether of certified or experimental aircraft, still need to follow proper procedures. He explains, “Some of the rules are very strict, rules like getting a medical exam and making sure his current, making sure maintenance has been performed on the aircraft properly, and at a reasonable length of time.”

These are rules that, according to investigators, Blanchette has already broken. Officials say Blanchette's license was revoked after each of the incidents but he did have it at the time of the crash.

He does not have a medical certificate where a doctor signs off that he is healthy enough to fly. That is a requirement under FAA rules.