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Posted: 21-01-2012 13:47 Post subject:

Pictured: The one-metre wide hole smashed into an aeroplane's nose by an ALBATROSS
By Lee Moran
Last updated at 3:53 PM on 20th January 2012

A Japanese Coastguard patrol aeroplane came close to disaster when it was hit by an albatross.
The bird smashed a one-metre wide hole into the Bombardier DHC8-315's nose as it flew at just 300 metres over the East China Sea on Wednesday afternoon.

Remarkably the pilot did not feel the need to perform an emergency landing - despite the dead bird being stuck - and continued for another hour to his destination in Ishigaki, in the Okinawa Prefecture.
None of the onboard nine crew members, who were on the three-hour flight from Naha, were hurt.

etc...

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2089319/Pictured-The-metre-hole-smashed-aeroplanes-nose-ALBATROSS.html#ixzz1k628VWNM

Posted: 21-01-2012 14:37 Post subject:

If they build Boris Island Airport in the Thames Estuary, I wonder how many geese will end up that way...

Posted: 25-03-2012 23:59 Post subject:

Does a balloon count as aviation?

Posted: 10-05-2012 23:06 Post subject:

Flights suspended after North Sea helicopter ditches

Bond Aviation Group has said it is suspending EC225 Super Puma helicopter flights until further notice.
It followed the ditching of one of the aircraft in the North Sea. The company said it ordered the suspension "for safety reasons".
The incident took place about 30 miles east of Aberdeen. All 14 people on board made it into a liferaft.
Nine were picked up and were flown to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, arriving at about 13:45.
The remaining five were brought to Aberdeen by lifeboat.

An investigation is under way.
ARI accident and emergency consultant James Ferguson said: "I am delighted to say none of them are seriously injured."
He said they were treated for "minor bumps and bruises".
One was kept in for observation as a precaution.

The incident, which happened at about 12:15, has been described as a controlled ditching.
The helicopter was heading from Aberdeen to the Maersk Resilient and Ensco 102 drilling rigs - in the Jasmine field, operated by ConocoPhillips - when an alert was broadcast.

Jim McAuslan, general secretary of British Airline Pilots Association, praised the crew, saying it looked like a "terrific piece of airmanship from very skilled pilots".

Offshore unions called for a helicopter safety group to be urgently reconvened.
A task force was set up in the wake of the 2009 Super Puma tragedy in which 16 men died.
The Unite Union and the RMT are demanding an urgent meeting of the Helicopter Safety Steering Group.

First Minister Alex Salmond said: "Thankfully it has been confirmed that all on board have been rescued.
"Incidents such as these remain very rare but do serve as a stark reminder of the dangers faced by those offshore workers who are required to use helicopters on a regular basis.
"Once all of those involved have been transferred ashore the priority will be for the appropriate authorities to investigate the causes of this accident and ensure the future safety of flying operations in the North Sea."

The incident response was co-ordinated by Aberdeen Coastguard.

----------------------------------------------

James Cook, Scotland Correspondent, BBC News

This is the third serious incident involving a Super Puma helicopter in the North Sea in just over three years.
All three aircraft were operated by Bond and manufactured by Eurocopter.

In February 2009, a Super Puma EC225, the same model the helicopter involved in today's incident, ditched in fog a short distance from a BP oil platform in the ETAP field, 125 miles (200km) east of Aberdeen.
All 18 people on board survived. Crew error and a faulty alert system were blamed.

In April 2009, disaster struck a different model of the aircraft, an older AS332L2.
It was returning from BP's Miller oil platform when it suffered a catastrophic gearbox failure and crashed off Peterhead, killing all 16 people on board: two pilots and 14 oil workers.

The air ambulances grounded earlier this week, while also operated by Bond and manufactured by Eurocopter, were a different type of helicopter entirely, the much smaller EC 135.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-18020646

Posted: 07-01-2013 20:33 Post subject:

East Midlands Airport shut by Spitfire undercarriage collapse

East Midlands Airport was closed for two hours after a Spitfire's undercarriage collapsed as the plane was coming in to land.
The pilot was not injured but the runway was closed while debris was cleared away.
Flights to East Midlands Airport were diverted to Birmingham during the closure.
A spokesman for East Midlands Airport said the aircraft had been removed from the runway and all flights had resumed.

Edward Coxon, from Hartshorne in Derbyshire, who was plane-spotting at the airport at about 15:30 GMT, said: "I was just looking at the planes coming in when all of a sudden there were loads of blue lights coming in from the other end of the runway.
"That's when I saw the plane in the middle of the runway. I could hear on the radio that there was only one person on board and he was fine."

The World War II Spitfire belonged to Rolls Royce, which is based at the airport site in Castle Donington.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-20939051

Interesting that a Spitfire hits the news just as the expedition to Burma to search for buried Spitfires gets underway.
http://www.forteantimes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1290025#1290025

Posted: 16-01-2013 13:13 Post subject:

London helicopter crash: Two die in Vauxhall crane accident
[video]

Two people have been killed and nine injured when a helicopter crashed into a crane in central London in misty conditions.
Police said it appeared the helicopter had hit the crane on top of The Tower, One St George Wharf at about 08:00 GMT.

About 90 firefighters are at the scene near Wandsworth Road in South Lambeth. Doctors said one of the dead was in the helicopter and the other on the ground.
A man was rescued from a burning car by firefighters.
Burning wreckage lay in the road but the fire was brought under control within 25 minutes, the fire brigade said.

Four people, one of them critically ill, were taken to hospital. Five others were treated at the scene.
Part of the crane was left hanging from the side of the building.

The incident caused gridlock with all approaches to the Vauxhall Cross one way system closed at the height of the rush hour and Vauxhall Tube station and railway station closed, though the stations have since reopened.

London Fire Brigade said more than 50 other firefighters were at St George's Wharf to secure the damaged crane.

Met Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe said: "We believe there are 11 casualties, two fatalities and nine less seriously injured but one is critically ill. People are presenting themselves to different places."
He said it was too early to draw substantive conclusions but he believed the helicopter had been diverted to the Battersea heliport, and had not been due to go there.
The heliport has now been closed.

Fire brigade station manager Bruce Grain said crews arrived at the scene in four minutes.
He said the helicopter crashed into Wandsworth Road hitting various vehicles and bursting into flames and there were also fires in nearby buildings.
He said the fire was under control within 25 minutes but crews would probably be at the scene for the rest of the day damping down.

NATS, which runs air traffic control across the UK, said the helicopter pilot had been receiving assistance earlier in the journey but not at the time of the crash.
The incident will be subject to an investigation by the Air Accident Investigation Branch.

A lifeboat searched the Thames after a request from London Heliport at Battersea which had lost contact with one of its aircraft, an RNLI spokesman said, but the search was later called off.

Video footage shot on a mobile phone showed an entire road blocked by burning wreckage and aviation fuel.
The side of a building on one side of the street was also damaged by the flames.
Passers-by stood watching as the wreckage burned. A motorcycle was also lying on its side in the road where it was abandoned.

Mark Osbourne, from Metropolis Motorcycles, a bike shop near the scene, said he ran to try and help the injured.
"There was lots of wreckage and fire," he said.
"I saw a woman on a motorcycle that must have missed the carnage by six feet.
"It felt like a war movie, it was surreal.
"The police arrived within minutes so the response was excellent."

Craig Dunne, who was walking to work at the time of the accident, said: "When I got to the end of the road there was a massive explosion and the crane is obviously in pieces.
"And I looked to the left-hand side and there were cars - three cars on fire - people screaming shouting and hollering, and the next thing I know there are police, ambulances and everything everywhere and people going crazy. Its madness - absolute madness."

Ex-BBC producer Paul Ferguson said the helicopter "plummeted straight into the ground".
He said: "The building the helicopter hit is shrouded in mist."
He said the crane at the top of the building was now hanging down the side of the building.

Market worker Andrew Ross said: "I heard a loud bang and I saw this helicopter falling out of the sky.
"(There was) an orange glow and lots of smoke coming up.
"It was flying below cloud cover - it was still foggy and a little bit dark."

Michael Gavin, who was waiting for a train on a platform at Vauxhall station, said: "I heard the bang - the top of the crane was obscured by the fog so I did not see the impact but I did see the helicopter falling to the ground along with pieces of the crane, then the long plume of smoke from there.
"It was really quite shocking. There was a group of us on the platform waiting, we could not see where it hit because it was blocked by a wall at the end of the station.
"There were a lot of worried people around."

Nicky Morgan, MP for Loughborough, witnessed the crash.
"I was walking towards Vauxhall Tube station from Lambeth Palace area where I have a flat," she said.
"There was suddenly an enormous bang - I thought something exploded.
"It was coming from beyond Vauxhall tube station.
"Then clouds and clouds of black smoke.
"I presumed what it was I heard was the crane collapsing or the helicopter crashing into it.
"I heard the bang then saw the clouds of smoke but there was too much in the way to see much at that point."

Quinn Murray was cycling when he saw the crash.
He said: "I saw the helicopter hit the top of the crane and come down just to the left of the station.
"There was quite a large amount of fire and a huge smoke cloud. It wasn't on the road, but into a building site where they are building the new Nine Elms area."

Another witness Chris Matthison said: "The top of the nearest building is steeped in mist and difficult to see.
"I heard a very unusual dull thud, then there was silence. The silence really took my imagination. Emergency services responded very quickly."

Erin Rogers, who was waiting at a bus stop outside Vauxhall station, said: "It was a bit surreal actually. I just had a coffee in my hand, I looked up, heard a bang and saw bits of crane debris falling to the floor.
"Then the helicopter was in flames. The rest of the people at the bus station were looking on going 'What was that?'.
"It's something I will never forget for a long time."

Kate Hoey, Labour MP for Vauxhall, said: "My initial thought was that it might have hit one of the many densely populated tall buildings. To hear it had hit the crane was a relief in some way.
"Police said to me that their first fear was it was the police helicopter, however, it had been grounded because of the weather."
She told the BBC the rapid increase in the number of tall buildings in London meant more rigorous controls over who can fly where may be needed.
She said there was no reason why there should not be a debate about why so many helicopters are allowed to fly over central London.

The Met told the BBC there was no suggestion the incident was linked to terrorism.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-21040410

Posted: 16-01-2013 23:20 Post subject:

London helicopter crash: Pilot's death 'devastating'

Tributes have been paid to a pilot who died when a helicopter crashed into a crane in London.
An investigation is now under way into how Capt Pete Barnes, 50, hit the crane on The Tower, One St George Wharf, in South Lambeth on Wednesday morning.

A second person who died on the ground is believed to be Matthew Wood, 39, of Sutton, south London.

Mr Barnes had flown for Redhill firm Rotormotion for 15 years and colleagues described him as "highly skilled".

Cars and two buildings caught fire after the burning wreckage fell into Wandsworth Road.
Five people were taken to hospital, one suffered a broken leg while the others had minor injuries.

Capt Philip Amadeus, managing director of Rotormotion, said: "We are devastated by the loss of a highly valued colleague and very dear friend.

Kevin Hodgson, of the Great North Air Ambulance Service, said he saved "a lot of lives''
"Our thoughts and condolences are with Peter's wife and children."

The experienced pilot, from near Reading in Berkshire, who had amassed 12,000 flying hours, had asked to be diverted to a nearby heliport because of bad weather.
BBC weather centre said observations at the time showed very low but not thick fog.

Kevin Hodgson, director of operations at the Great North Air Ambulance Service, worked alongside Mr Barnes for several years, flying on life-saving missions across the North.
"Pete was as good a guy as you can imagine and one of the best pilots I've ever had the pleasure of flying with," he said.

Mr Barnes also flew for the Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance Service.
Derby Hospitals NHS Trust tweeted: "Very sad to hear tragic news of death of air ambulance pilot Pete Barnes, he made many visits to our helipad at Royal Derby Hospital."

Metropolitan Police Commander Neil Basu told BBC News it was "miraculous" the crash was not much worse.
Five people were taken to hospital. Seven people were treated at the scene.
It is thought some of the injured were hit by falling debris.

Tony Pidgley, chairman of site developer Berkeley, said the crane driver was not in the crane because of the "fog level".
"The operative is just not allowed up that crane in conditions like that because you just can't see," he said.
Part of the crane was left hanging from the side of the residential building, which is still under construction.

London Fire Brigade said part of the tail section of the helicopter landed on the roof of the building and the main section landed in Wandsworth Road, hitting two cars. The fire from the helicopter ignited two buildings.

The helicopter left Redhill in Surrey at 07:35 on a scheduled flight in Elstree in Hertfordshire however it was diverted to Battersea heliport.
NATS, which runs air traffic control across the UK, said Mr Barnes had been receiving assistance earlier in the flight but not at the time of the crash.

The Civil Aviation Authority said a warning about the crane involved in the crash had been issued to pilots in October and again on 7 January.

Witness Michael Krumstets was on his way to work with a friend when he saw the helicopter clip the crane and heard a loud crack.
"It started spinning out of control and directly towards us. It took just seconds for this to happen.
"We ran as it fell towards us. We got away just in time.
"We were just feet away when it hit the ground and exploded."

Ex-BBC producer Paul Ferguson said the helicopter "plummeted straight into the ground".
He said the building the helicopter hit was "shrouded in mist".

While visiting the scene, London Mayor Boris Johnson said questions would be asked about how the accident happened.
He added that the crane was now secure and would be dealt with soon.

Kate Hoey, Labour MP for Vauxhall, told the BBC the rapid increase in the number of tall buildings in London meant more rigorous controls over who can fly where may be needed.
Prime Minister David Cameron said the rules on helicopters flying over central London is something that "has to be carefully looked at".

The Civil Aviation Authority said there were 16,374 helicopter flights over London in 2012.
It added that single-engine craft were required to fly along certain routes, selected to provide safety, and while twin-engine helicopters could operate in wider areas, all were subject to air traffic control clearance.
Pilots were notified of very tall structures for flight planning purposes, as was the case with the crane involved in the crash.

The Met told the BBC there was no suggestion the incident was linked to terrorism.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-21049125

Posted: 17-01-2013 09:27 Post subject:

Helicopter crash: pilot Pete Barnes may have lost control before hitting crane, witnesses say
A helicopter which crashed in London during the morning rush hour, killing the pilot and a pedestrian, may have been out of control before it hit a crane and broke apart, witnesses said.
By Gordon Rayner and David Millward
9:32PM GMT 16 Jan 2013

Pete Barnes, 50, described as one of the most experienced helicopter pilots in the country, appeared to be struggling to keep the aircraft on course as he tried to make an emergency landing in fog.
Air accident investigators are trying to establish why Mr Barnes, who had won an award for bravery as an air ambulance pilot, lost radio contact with the ground in the moments before the impact.

He had asked national air traffic controllers for permission to land at Battersea heliport next to the Thames after fog prevented him landing at Elstree, Hertfordshire, but he had veered at least 500ft off course.
Controllers at Battersea said that “at no point in time were we able to establish contact” with him, raising the possibility that he suffered a catastrophic equipment failure.

One witness said the 15-year-old Agusta A109 appeared to be “spinning out of control” seconds before it hit the crane’s jib, which had red warning lights on it and was on a list of hazards circulated to pilots.
Low cloud which obscured the top of the crane was another possible cause under consideration, though other pilots said Mr Barnes should have been flying along a strictly-controlled corridor down the Thames, away from any buildings.

The other person killed was Matthew Wood, 39, from Sutton, South London, an administrative team leader for Rentokil for the past 10 years, on his way to work at its offices nearby when he was hit by debris of the fuselage.

Police said it was a miracle that the death toll was not “many, many times worse”, as parts of the aircraft landed on busy roads and a flower market, with burning aviation fuel setting fire to several vehicles.
Although 13 people were treated for minor injuries, many more had lucky escapes. They included a baby who was unharmed despite a large chunk of the wreckage smashing through the glass roof of his parents’ car and landing on the back seat next to him. Shocked

Mr Barnes, of Mortimer, Berks, had helped save many lives during several years working for the Darlington-based Great North Air Ambulance, and had been a stunt pilot and camera helicopter pilot in films such as the James Bond movie Die Another Day.

Colleagues described him as one of the best pilots they knew, and with more than 12,000 flying hours he was one of the most experienced helicopter pilots in the country.
He had flown celebrities including Lewis Hamilton, and RotorMotion, the company that leased the crashed helicopter from Cornwall-based Castle Air, lists David Cameron, the Dalai Lama and Simon Cowell among its clients.

Paul Blezard, a spokesman for RotorMotion, said: “He was a reliable and experienced pilot and this is a huge tragedy. He had a perfect record and the aircraft he was flying in didn’t have any recorded problems.”

Alan Brown, the chief executive of Rentokil Initial, said Mr Wood, who was known as Matt, "was in every respect a warm and generous man and a cornerstone of our team in Vauxhall".

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/aviation/9807158/Helicopter-crash-pilot-Pete-Barnes-may-have-lost-control-before-hitting-crane-witnesses-say.html

Posted: 17-01-2013 14:55 Post subject:

If I was the mother (or wife/ partner/daughter) of Matthew Wood, I'd be pretty fed up with all the eulogies we're reading about Pete Barnes!

Posted: 23-01-2013 13:58 Post subject:

London helicopter crash: Passenger 'had concerns about weather'

A passenger due to be collected by a helicopter which crashed in central London had suggested the pilot delay taking off, it has been revealed.
Pilot Capt Pete Barnes and a pedestrian on the ground died when the helicopter hit a crane in Vauxhall on 16 January.

A report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch shows the client had concerns about the weather and twice suggested take-off be delayed.
The pilot responded by saying he was already starting his engines.

The interim report into the crash also says evidence indicates the top of the crane on The Tower, St George Wharf, was obscured by cloud and details the final exchange between the pilot and the air traffic controller.

Pedestrian Matthew Wood, 39, of Sutton, south London, was killed on the ground. He had been walking to work.

The Met Office said at the time of the crash the area was prone to widespread low cloud, poor visibility and patches of freezing fog.
Mr Barnes, 50, was flying from Redhill Aerodrome in Surrey to Elstree when the helicopter crashed into the crane and the burning wreckage fell into Wandsworth Road.
His client, who has not been named, called him at 07:18 GMT to discuss the weather.
Mr Barnes told him he thought it might clear earlier than forecast.

At 07:31 the client called again and said that having seen how "poor" conditions were on his way to Elstree he suggested the pilot not take off.

After arriving at Elstree at 07:46 and finding he could not land, the pilot was going to turn back to Redhill but decided to make a diversion to Battersea Heliport.
He was held hovering between Vauxhall and Westminster bridges while the controller checked if it was clear to land at Battersea.
After being told the heliport was open, he replied: "Lovely. Thanks."
Moments before hitting the crane, his final words were: "Thanks a lot."

The AAIB was notified of the crash at 08:20.
In the report, the AAIB said it would "conduct a detailed inspection of recovered wreckage and helicopter maintenance documents, and an analysis of weather conditions".

It added: "The investigation will also examine the conduct of this flight, regulation of flights over London, planning guidance and regulations relevant to development around aerodromes, and the lighting of obstacles."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-21163428

Posted: 13-04-2013 10:31 Post subject:

Plane crashes into the sea in Bali
A plane has overshot the runway in Bali, landing in the sea.
By Harriet Alexander
9:36AM BST 13 Apr 2013

The aircraft, thought to be a Lion Air plane, was carrying 172 passengers.
An official told AFP that all the passengers were unharmed.

The plane careered off the runway at Denpasar International Airport - the main transport hub for the capital of the Bali province. Bali is one of 33 provinces in Indonesia, and a favourite destination for Western tourists - especially Australians.

It is the most popular region in the country for travellers, lured by its fine beaches and cultural heritage. More than two million tourists visited Bali in 2011.

Lion Air is Indonesia's largest privately-run airline, flying within Indonesia and to Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, China and Saudi Arabia.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/9991740/Plane-crashes-into-the-sea-in-Bali.html

Posted: 14-05-2013 13:04 Post subject:

Guess this belongs here. Smile

Posted: 14-05-2013 17:10 Post subject:

That story is a year old.

Posted: 14-05-2013 20:32 Post subject:

Posted: 06-06-2013 22:05 Post subject:

Light aircraft crash-lands in Cheltenham garden

A light aircraft has crash-landed in the back garden of a house in Cheltenham.
An emergency system on board the single-engine Cirrus SR22 was deployed, releasing a parachute to lower the plane down.
A Gloucestershire Police spokesperson said the pilot, a 76-year-old man from London, suffered minor injuries.
[video: The homeowner told the BBC: "A plane dropped out of the sky into my garden"]

The homeowner's son Jamie Greeff was in bed at the time and said the noise was like "something out of a movie".
"We have building work going on next door and all the builders were yelling, and I just thought it was building equipment," said 16-year-old Jamie.
"The next thing I know my dad is yelling at me that a plane has crashed into the garden.
"And then I look out the back and there is this plane in the trees and the pilot was yelling that he was alright."

Emergency crews were called to Langdale Road in Up Hatherley at 10:45 BST.
Nearby houses were evacuated as a precaution while the fire service made the scene safe.

Gloucestershire Airport, at Staverton, which is 2.5 miles (4km) from the scene, said the 4-seat aircraft had been on its way to land there at the time of the crash.
"The pilot deployed an emergency parachute system and the aircraft landed in a residential garden near the Hatherley area of Cheltenham," said a spokesperson.

David Shatford, from Cheltenham, watched the drama from scaffolding while working on a nearby home.
"We heard a big loud noise, [the plane] was spinning in the parachute and landed in the trees about 12ft away from us," he said.
"We stood back, and then I went towards the plane - me and another gentleman - and helped the pilot out. He was all shook up and didn't talk much."

The parachute was designed by BRS Aerospace based in Minnesota, USA, in 1975. Company director Boris Popov had the idea following a 400ft (120m) fall he survived in a collapsed hang-glider.
"I think this is our 295th person that's been saved with the use of our system," said current CEO and president Larry Williams.
"Here's a guy who literally was able to deploy the system and walk away, essentially uninjured, from this.
"Probably the most gratifying thing in terms of what we do is when someone comes around and says: 'Hey, I deployed your system and it saved my life'. That's very rewarding." Very Happy

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-22798139