National Transportation Safety Board investigators are trying to determine the cause of a Sept. 2 Cessna 421C accident in Arizona that claimed the lives of all eight persons aboard, including Paul Bayer, the president of Adventure Airlines, an air tour operator based at the North Las Vegas, Nev. airport.
WILCOX ELECTRIC received a contract to supply Mark 10 Categories I and II instrument landing systems to Harbin City Airport in China. The systems will be delivered beginning in October to China Aviation Supply Corporation. Harbin City Airport is the second location in China to receive Wilcox Category II ILS equipment. Wilcox also installed a CAT II ILS at Beijing Capital Airport.
BFGOODRICH AEROSPACE has developed a new wheel and brake system that will be incorporated on the latest version of the Embraer Brasilia, the EMB- 120ER Advanced. BFGoodrich also is offering a conversion kit for operators of older EMB-120 aircraft to upgrade to the new brake system. Atlantic Southeast Airlines is the launch customer for the conversion. BFGoodrich said the new system will reduce operating and maintenance costs while improving performance and safety. The system allows operators to use all manufacturers' 12-ply tires and larger tie bolts.
LARRY GRAHAM was named a Learjet service sales and marketing representative for Duncan Aviation. Graham, a 15-year Duncan Aviation employee, most recently served as director of customer service.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION has issued special conditions for Learjet Model 55, 55B and 55C airplanes modified by Duncan Aviation of Lincoln, Neb. These aircraft will be equipped with Flight Visions' FV-2000 Head-Up Display system, but current regulations do not contain adequate safety standards to cover the protection of the HUD systems from the effects of high-intensity radiated fields, FAA said. The special conditions provide such standards, the agency added. For more information, contact Mark Quam in FAA's Standardization Branch at (206) 227-2145.
Federal Aviation Administration inspectors soon will be checking their assigned airlines' operations and maintenance reports against other airlines, looking for trends that point to potential safety problems, Administrator David Hinson said last week. The inspectors will be using the agency's new Safety Performance Analysis System (SPAS) to compare the performance and records of carriers, he said. Hinson called SPAS an "early warning system" the agency needs in its drive toward zero accidents. The first of the SPAS software will be installed in the field Sept.
The Federal Aviation Administration, continuing the eight-year process to eliminate differences between its own aircraft certification regulations and those used by the European Joint Aviation Authorities, has proposed a series of changes in FAR Part 25 structural loads design requirements for transport category airplanes.
The Environmental Protection Agency published a new rule last week designed to make it easier for owners of underground petroleum storage tanks to obtain the financing necessary to comply with EPA rules regarding tank replacement or installation of leak detection equipment. Under rules adopted in 1988, operators of some 2.1 million underground storage tanks (USTs) were subject to a series of requirements designed to protect the integrity of fuel tanks and prevent accidental fuel spills and leaks.
COOPER AVIATION INTERNATIONAL signed a licensing agreement with Topcast Co., Ltd., in Hong Kong. Topcast joins Cooper's support network in supplying aircraft spares to airlines, corporate operators and general aviation. Cooper, headquartered in Chicago, is an independently owned aircraft parts distributor.
The Defense Department informed Congress last week that the Republic of Korea is conducting a competition for selection of tactical reconnaissance aircraft with ground stations and "is considering the purchase of up to eight business jets outfitted/configured as tactical reconnaissance aircraft. The estimated cost is $551 million." DOD said "four of the eight aircraft...would be Raytheon Hawkers," adding that Korean officials had not yet decided which other aircraft would be used for the reconnaissance missions.
CHARLES SNOW was appointed director of flight and maintenance training for Telford Aviation, Inc. Snow will be responsible for training in Telford's Bangor and Waterville, Maine facilities.
Samuel D. Hill, a former chief pilot for several corporations, is the new president of Embraer Aircraft Corp., the U.S. office of Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer. Hill, 49, joins Embraer from the Brooke Group Ltd., where he had been director of aviation for the Miami-based investment firm, as well as president of MilBrooke Helicopter Ltd. and L Aviation Inc. At Embraer, Hill will be responsible for the administration, technical and product support, training, sales and marketing operations at the company's Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. headquarters.
BOMBARDIER Model CL-600-1A11 (CL-600), CL-600-2A12 (CL-601) and CL- 600-2B16 (CL-601-3A and -3R) series airplanes (Docket No. 95-NM-139-AD; Amdt. 39-9344; AD 95-17-14) - requires functional testing of the brake of the horizontal stabilizer trim actuator. This action also requires exercising the pitch trim system, revising the FAA-approved Airplane Flight Manual, operational testing of the horizontal stabilizer trim actuator and replacing the horizontal stabilizer trim actuator, if necessary.
DAVID YANNARELLA was named vice president of new ventures and product repair services for Aviall Distribution Services. Yannarella most recently was vice president of North American general aviation sales.
Reps. John Duncan (R-Tenn.) and Jim Lightfoot (R-Iowa) last week drew wide support from their colleagues and the aviation industry when they introduced legislation to make the Federal Aviation Administration an independent agency, but a number of obstacles cloud the future of the bill. The bill, introduced with nearly 20 co-sponsors, would create a Federal Aviation Board with oversight over the agency, a chief executive officer to run its daily operations, and a Management Advisory Council to meet with the agency quarterly to provide advice.
Cessna Aircraft named five people to management posts in the company's new single-engine aircraft production organization. All five will report to Pat Boyarski, the longtime Cessna employee who is general manager of the single-engine business.
A FOUR-MAN TEAM from the National Transportation Safety Board is nearing completion of a review of computer failures and related problems that have caused outages at some of FAA's key air traffic control facilities. NTSB officials began their review following a May 17 outage at the Chicago air route traffic control center and have monitored problems there and at other facilities that occurred subsequently. Sen. Paul Simon (D-Ill.) and Rep.
CORPORATE OPERATORS also could be the target for new air traffic control user fees that are called for in a Senate draft bill to reform FAA. The Senate bill, to be introduced Tuesday, directs the FAA administrator to submit to Congress within six months a performance-based fee system for services, including safety, certification, security and air traffic control. The bill, however, essentially provides a two-year reprieve from the ATC fees for most operators other than noncommercial turbine operators.
SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL CORP. won a Support Equipment Technical Services (SETS) contract to provide a variety of services at Kelly Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. The contract has a total potential value of $185 million, the company said, adding that it has been performing similar work under a Support Equipment Engineering Services contract at the base.
Federal Aviation Administration awarded a contract to Denro Inc., Gaithersburg, Md., to build and install the Enhanced Terminal Voice Switch (ETVS). The contract was valued at $138 million over 10 years, the company said. George Donohue, associate administrator for research and acquisition, said the amount represented a 30 percent savings over originally projected costs to upgrade the communications capability at ATC towers and approach and departure facilities.
JETSTREAM HP137 Mk1 and series 200 airplanes (Docket No. 95-CE-09-AD; Amdt. 39-9326; AD 95-16-06) - supersedes AD 83-05-01, which requires repetitive inspection of the wing lower skin panels at the main gear bay cutouts for loose or damaged rivets and cracks, replacement of loose or damaged rivets and repair of any cracked wing lower skin panel. This action requires reinforcement of the wing lower skin at both the landing gear cutouts at Wing Station 115 and the undercarriage bay cutouts at WS 60 and WS 90, as a terminating action for the repetitive inspections.
JETSTREAM Models 3101 and 3201 airplanes (Docket No. 91-CE-85-AD; Amdt. 39-9340; AD 95-17-10) - requires modification of the central annunciator panel test button circuit. This action is prompted by a report of diode failure in this circuit and subsequent inadvertent engine shutdown on one of the affected airplanes. The actions specified by the AD are intended to prevent failure of a diode in the central annunciator and inadvertent engine shutdown while in flight if the central annunciator panel test button is pressed.
USAIR CHAIRMAN SETH SCHOFIELD will retire after 38 years with the carrier once a successor is found, the airline said Thursday. Schofield's departure, which had not been anticipated, follows unsuccessful attempts by the airline to win union concessions outside the regular bargaining process. But the announcement came only a day after the price of USAir stock jumped following a prediction by the carrier that it would report third quarter and full year 1995 pre-tax profits, barring unforeseen events. Schofield has been chairman of USAir since July 1992.
MORE COMPANY, INC., Minden, Nev., is offering aircraft engine breakdown insurance for operators of Pratt&Whitney PT6A-powered aircraft as part of its MORE (Maintenance On Reliable Engines) program. The coverage, underwritten by Shaw Aviation Insurance of Sacramento, Calif., protects against unforeseen engine breakdowns. The MORE Program is an engine condition monitoring program that company officials said is designed to extend the life of the PT6A engine series and reduce repair costs.
De HAVILLAND Model DHC-8-102, -103, and -106 series airplanes (Docket No. 95-NM-104-AD; Amdt. 39-9362; AD 95-12-12) - corrects a typographical error that referenced a part number that does not exist. The AD requires repetitive operational testing of the stall warning computers. For more information, contact Peter Cuneo in FAA's New York Aircraft Certification Office at (516) 256-7506.
