The following information is derived from the NTSB’s preliminary report on the fatal accident involving a Gulfstream GIV at Hanscom Field (BED), Bedford, Massachusetts, on May 31, 2014.
T he NTSB has completed its investigation into the loss of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 — a Boeing 777 that crashed into a seawall then cartwheeled on Runway 28L at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) on July 6, 2013 — with a widely anticipated probable cause finding that the crew let the airplane get low and slow during an unstabilized visual approach.
Aircraft operating costs are presented in a format that separates the data into seven separate areas: Mission Costs, Variable Costs, Fixed Annual Costs, Periodic Costs, Personnel Costs, Training Costs and Facilities Costs.
June 1— About 1400 EDT, an employee from the FBO responding to a de Havilland DHC-6-200 airplane (N223AL), received fatal injuries when she was struck by an operating propeller blade as she walked toward the cockpit while the airplane was standing on a ramp at the Middletown Regional Airport/Hook Field (MWO), near Middletown, Ohio. The airplane was registered to and operated by Win Win Aviation Inc., under FAR Part 91 as a skydiving flight. The local skydiving flight was standing on the MWO ramp while waiting for passengers to board when the accident occurred.
The TBM 900’s Garmin avionics package has been thoroughly upgraded. Pressurization control now is automatic by means of an FMS function, version 14 software makes possible display of weather radar imagery on the MFD map, and a solid-state GWX70 Doppler turbulence detection radar replaces the GWX68 magnatron unit. Several cockpit components, including the overhead panel, landing gear control panel and ice protection controls, plus the pressurization and bleed air control panel, circuit breaker panels and power quadrant, have been redesigned for better ergonomics.
Gulfstream has topped its top of the line, introducing an even longer-range version of the G650 at EBACE 2014. The G650ER is identical to the Savannah, Georgia., manufacturer’s top-of-the-line G650 save for a 4,000-lb. increase in fuel capacity, complemented by an inc rease in maximum ramp and takeoff weights. The additional fuel occupies what had been air space within the wing tanks. The modifi
L-3 Aviation Products has been selected to provide its GH-3900 electronic standby instrument system (ESIS) for new production Viking Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft. Canadian-based Viking holds the type certificates for seven legacy de Havilland aircraft — DHC-1 through DHC-7 — and manufactures the 400 Twin Otter. The GH-3900 ESIS is designed to Level A software and hardware standards and can be customized to fit a range of primary systems.
Avfuel is expanding its international reach with two more fixed-base operators joining its network. Rizon Jet at London Biggin Hill in the U.K. and Air Service Basel at EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse Airport in Switzerland both have partnered with Avfuel. The FBOs will offer Avfuel’s contract Fuel and Avtrip Reward Points programs. They will also have access to various Avfuel operational systems and training.
Gulfstream Aerospace donated a G100 business jet that was retired last year from the company’s fleet to Savannah Technical College. The donation continues a 15-year partnership between Gulfstream and the college. Through the partnership, more than 400 students have become Gulfstream employees. In addition to the G100, Gulfstream donated fly-by-wire components, including manifolds and actuators, from the G650 and a flap assembly and fuselage panel assembly from the G450. Savannah Tech, which has a nearly 30,000-sq.-ft.
StandardAero’s facility at Seletar Aerospace Park in Singapore was recognized as an authorized maintenance repair and overhaul center for Rolls-Royce RR300 helicopter engines. The authorization follows a similar agreement signed in December for StandardAero’s facility in Winnipeg, Canada. The Singapore agreement extends through 2021. StandardAero’s RR300 line will run parallel to the facility’s Rolls-Royce M250 line. The 32,000-sq.-ft. facility is equipped for full repair and overhaul, and test capabilities.
Most major industry sectors flew fewer hours worldwide in the first quarter, a decline that Jet Support Services, Inc. (JSSI) attributes to the harsh winter. JSSI, which has developed a Business Aviation Index to track global flight hours by industry, found that overall, business aircraft flew 2% fewer hours globally. The manufacturing segment marked the most significant drop, down 15%, followed by construction and health care, down 12% and 11%, respectively.
