An experimental Ilyushin Il-114T regional turboprop freighter crashed Dec. 4 just after takeoff from Domodedovo Airport near Moscow. Witnesses said the airplane climbed only about 30 meters and then crashed 400 meters from the end of the runway. Five of the seven crewmembers were killed in the accident, while the captain and flight engineer were seriously injured and hospitalized in intensive care. Airport officials reported strong cross winds at the time.
K. WOLFRAM SCHAEFER was named director of business analysis for Worldwide Flight Services, Inc., the former AMR Services operation that was acquired by a Castle Harlan, Inc. equity investment fund earlier this year. Schaefer had been with McKinsey&Company, where he specialized in business and strategic plan development in the Frankfurt and Chicago offices.
THE WHITE HOUSE said it plans to nominate Air Force Lt. Col. Victor Villhard to the post of assistant director for space and aeronautics in the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Villhard has been assigned to the National Science and Technology Council since August 1997.
ZURICH voters approved the privatization of Zurich Kloten Airport in a referendum Nov. 28. The privatization process will consist of merging the airport's management company, currently owned by the Canton of Zurich, with the company that owns the airport's real estate. Operations and real estate will be merged into a new, partly private company that will be set up in 2000. Its value is estimated at 1.64 billion Swiss francs (U.S.$1.04 billion). The canton will be the new company's majority shareholder, with a stake estimated at SF1.2 billion.
Model CL-600-2B19 (Regional Jet Series 100) airplanes [Docket No. 98-NM-192-AD] - proposes to supersede an existing airworthiness directive, applicable to certain Bombardier Model CL-600-2B19 (Regional Jet Series 100 and 200) series airplanes, that currently requires repetitive inspections to detect cracks of a certain bulkhead web of the fuselage at certain locations, and repair, if necessary. This action would revise the repetitive inspection intervals for certain airplanes, and would require modification or repair, as applicable.
Hundreds of employees in four FAA units - the Offices of Regulation and Certification, Airports, System Safety and Civil Rights, this month voted for representation by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Some 87 percent of eligible employees in those units voted to join Council 26 of AFSCME.
THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, said that because of "lingering uncertainties as to the precise effect on air travel of the Y2K phenomenon, the Church has instructed all employees and missionaries worldwide not to travel by air between midnight Thursday Dec. 30 and midnight Wednesday Jan. 5." That precautionary warning "may be subject to change in some parts of the world as developments unfold," the church said.
FAA will keep the random rates for alcohol and drug testing at minimum levels for covered employees in safety sensitive positions in 2000, the agency announced this month. The alcohol random testing rate will remain at 25 percent and the drug-testing rate at 10 percent - the lowest rates allowed by law. The alcohol testing random rates can range from 10 percent to 50 percent while the drug random rate can either be set at 25 percent or 50 percent. FAA determines the random rates by the percentage of positive random tests in a given period of time.
STELLEX PRECISION MACHINING INC. of Wellington, Kan. entered into a long-term contract with Cessna Aircraft Co. to supply a variety of components. Stellex, a subsidiary of Stellex Aerostructures, Inc. and Stellex Technologies, Inc., said the multi-million dollar deal runs through 2004 and covers 77 different part numbers of wing skins, spars, stringers and other machined components, which will be used on the Citation X business jet.
Canadian manufacturer Bombardier Inc. reported increases in revenues and earnings despite charges for restructuring of its German operations. The company, headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, said net income for the quarter ended Oct. 31 was $151.1 million on revenues of $3.2 billion. That compares with earnings of $125.5 million, on revenues of $2.6 billion in the same period a year ago. All monetary figures are in Canadian dollars.
The merger of AlliedSignal, Inc. and Honeywell, Inc. was completed Dec. 1, with AlliedSignal Chairman Lawrence A. Bossidy taking over as chairman of the new Honeywell and Michael R. Bonsignore, the chairman and chief executive of Honeywell, assuming the role of CEO of the new merged entity. Bossidy, 64, is scheduled to retire April 1, 2000, at which time Bonsignore will add the title of chairman (BA, June 14/272).
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration late last month issued an expansive proposal mandating most employers to develop and implement ergonomics protection standards. The proposal in particular would cover aviation businesses that have workers who lift, lower, push, pull or carry objects, such as aircraft, engine and component manufacturers and interior and completion shops. The proposal also would cover aviation service contractors, cargo handlers and any operations involving heavy objects, the National Air Transportation Association said.
Model SA-365N, SA-365N1, and AS-365N2 helicopters (Docket No. 98-SW-60-AD; Amdt. 39-11398; AD 99-23-02) - requires replacing certain defective electrical modules with airworthy electrical modules. This amendment is prompted by the discovery of several defective electrical modules. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent loss of electrical continuity, which could cause loss of critical rotorcraft electrical systems and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter. FAA estimates that 41 helicopters on the U.S.
Model 328-100 series airplanes (Docket No. 99-NM-01-AD; Amdt. 39-11393; AD 99-22-15) - requires repetitive inspections of the left and right roll spoiler actuators to check for signs of leakage and deformation of the housing, repetitive inspections of the gap between the left roll spoiler actuator housing cap and the actuator housing, repetitive torque checks of the left roll spoiler actuator housing cap attachment screws, and corrective action, if necessary.
JEPPESEN and Mechtronix Systems, Inc. are marketing a new series of Level 2 and 3 training devices. KLM Flight Academy of Tucson, Ariz. was the launch customer for the Jeppesen Ascent FTD. The devices, designed for general aviation, are available for single-engine, fixed-gear; single-engine, complex; and twin-engine, piston aircraft training.
FRANCE Model SA330F, G, J, and AS332C, L, and L1 helicopters (Docket No. 99-SW-01-AD; Amdt. 39-11403; AD 99-23-07) - requires inserting statements into the Limitations section of the Rotorcraft Flight Manual (RFM) prohibiting flight under certain atmospheric conditions. This amendment is prompted by one incident in which a Multi-Purpose Air Intake (MPAI) inlet seal deflated after the P2 air system line, which feeds the seal, clogged due to the formation of ice.
Model R44 helicopters (Docket No. 99-SW-12-AD; Amdt. 39-11397; AD 99-23-01) - supersedes an existing AD that currently requires removing and replacing the pilot's cyclic control grip assembly with an airworthy grip assembly. This amendment requires the same actions as the current AD but would change a part number (P/N) referenced in the current AD. This amendment is prompted by the discovery of an error in the P/N of the current AD.
Model Mystere-Falcon 50 series airplanes (Docket No. 98-NM-262-AD) - proposes to supersede an existing AD that currently requires a revision to the Limitations section of the FAA-approved Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) to include procedures to use certain values to correctly gauge the minimum allowable N1 speed of the operative engines during operation in icing conditions.
Israel Aircraft Industries, which has seen profits grow rapidly the past two years, posted another strong performance for the first three quarters of 1999 and officials said the prospects for continued success are good. The company reported net profits of $50.1 million for the first nine months of the year, an increase of 63 percent over the $30.8 million reported for the same period a year ago. Revenues were up two percent, from $1.42 billion a year ago to $1.45 billion in the most recent reporting period.
Model 750 airplanes (Docket No. 99-NM-218-AD) - proposes to require replacement of reset circuit breakers for the auxiliary hydraulic pump system and the King KHF 950 high frequency communication system(s) with new circuit breakers.
BERT SEATON was promoted to vice president-information services for Inventory Locator Service, Inc. Seaton will oversee product development, systems integration, customer service and technical support. He joined ILS in 1988 and most recently was director-information services.
Model SF340A and 340B series airplanes (Docket No. 99-NM-199-AD; Amdt. 39-11395; AD 99-22-17) - requires removal of certain main landing gear downlock and brake hydraulic swivel brackets and replacement with new, redesigned brackets. This amendment is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent failure of the downlock or brake swivels. Brake swivel failure could cause the loss of inboard or outboard brakes.
Model 430 helicopters (Docket No. 98-SW-50-AD; Amdt. 39-11399; AD 99-23-03) - requires verifying the torque on each vertical fin attachment bolt; modifying the vertical fin and tailboom and replacing the attachment hardware; and re-verifying the torque on the bolts after inspecting the fittings. This amendment is prompted by a report of a loose vertical fin, discovered during a post-flight inspection.
THE EUROPEAN JOINT AVIATION AUTHORITIES received 157 comments, mostly supportive, of its proposal to keep the extended-range twin-engine operations (ETOPS) threshold at 180 minutes for commercial business jets that meet "best industry practices." The comments contained few surprises with French aviation authorities repeating their calls for a more stringent standard for twin-engine business jets operated commercially (BA, June 7/261). U.S.
