P-51 Mustang crash photos

PointNiner covered the crash of this rare RAAF Mustang back in April when it happened but I had not seen these pictures until today. As a recap, this P-51 made a gear up landing at RAAF Base Williams, Point Cook, Victoria, Australia after the pilot declared an emergency following a gear extension failure. The pilot, who was a 70 year old former Ansett captain, did an excellent job bringing her in for a smooth belly landing. The County Fire Authority also did a superb job responding to and handling this event. I haven't heard what the status of aircraft is, but I'd like to think she'll be slipping gracefully through the skies again sometime soon.

Click here to review the video of this crash landing.






Photos courtesy of CFA Public Affairs

Home to PointNiner

Discovery to launch today with station module, toilet fix

The external tank attached to the Space Shuttle Discovery is being fueled with liquid hydrogen and oxygen as I blog this to you in preparation for its launch this evening around 5:02 EDT. Discovery's mission, STS-124, is all set to deliver the main Japanese experiment module, Kibo, to the ISS. Kibo will be the largest payload delivered to the station by the shuttle fleet to date. More important to crew of Expedition 17 on the ISS, however, is the repair kit that was hastily loaded on to the mid deck of Discovery this week after the toilet on the space station broke down. In the mean time, astronauts on the ISS have been using the cramped facilities on the attached Soyuz spacecraft to do their "duty". That toilet only has a 3 day capacity, so getting the repairs on Discovery up to the ISS can't come soon enough. Especially if you've been pinching it off for the last 5 days.

Godspeed, Discovery!

Watch the launch of Discovery live here.

Home to PointNiner

Honduras A320 Crash

The latest news says this TACA International Airlines Airbus A320 overshot the runway at the Tegucigalpa, Honduras airport. The aircraft was arriving from El Salvador. 124 passengers were aboard the aircraft, up to 4 dead, including one of the pilots. Below are a few images of the crash and a video (not of the accident) showing the typical approach into the airport where the crash occurred...it's not the easiest one out there for sure.

TACA has identified the accident aircraft as an A320-233 Airbus, Irish registration EI- TAF, series number 1374 built on January 4th 2001. Until May 29th it had accumulated 21,957 flight hours and 9,992 landings.



Home to PointNiner

DHL sticks it right in the back of ABX and Wilmington, OH

In a move that has shocked the aviation community, the German owned freight company DHL has decided to cancel its contract with ABX Air next year and give that business to UPS instead. The deal, seen as a cost-cutting effort by DHL, is expected to bring nearly $10 billion to UPS through a new cargo carrying contract. But it's not all good news.

The hardest hit by this deal is by far the community of Wilmington, OH, the former home of Airborne Express and current home of ABX Air and the Airborne Air Park, which is the largest employer in Clinton County. In 2003 when DHL purchased the sales and ground support network of Airborne Express, there was a great deal of concern in Wilmington. The air arm of Airborne Express subsequently spun off into it's own corporation, ABX Air. Fortunately for Wilmington at the time, DHL retained ABX Air's services through a contract to carry a majority of their air freight in the US with their fleet of 113 aircraft. This also meant the sorters and other employees at the Airborne Air Park could keep their jobs at the time. Next year, though, that contract will end and the tiny town of only 11,000 could face an economic disaster with some estimating 6,000 jobs lost.

What a blow to the gut. No offense to UPS on this, but this is a tough one to swallow.

Home to PointNiner

1st F-35B switches to hover mode (while tied down)

The first production F-35B performed a hover pit test at the Lockheed Martin facilities in Fort Worth, TX on May 25th. The aircraft was tethered to the pit for this test, but it should not be long before we see a vertical takeoff/landing from this amazing machine. I just love watching this thing's metamorphosis from conventional to VSTOL. Maybe it's because I watched too much Transformers when I was a kid.

Home to PointNiner

Airline humor

Got the airline blues? You're not the only one. It's no surprise that passenger satisfaction is at an all time low. With airlines charging more and providing less, we need a little humor break to lighten the mood. This one's courtesy of the Onion.


Home to PointNiner

Turboshaft Engine Strapped to Boat

This may not concern an aircraft or rocket, per Pointniner guidelines, however, this does involve a jet engine, which gets close.

This smarty strapped a turboshaft helicopter engine to his boat and made it work. Nice use of some surplus items. Hope he has a clear path in front of him because there's no stopping a fast boat on a dime.



Home to PointNiner

WWII Era fighter crashes on landing at Berlin Air Show

This Messerschmitt Bf-109 was once the scourge of the European skies during WWII. Now it's looking for some new wheels. Owned by EADS, this old German fighter plane had a bit of a boo boo on landing during the Berlin Air Show this week. The video clearly shows the 109 landing gracefully, then losing it in a groundloop when the center of gravity swings that puppy around nearly 270 degrees while ripping off he right main gear. Got to watch those tail wheel landings. They'll get you every time.

Home to PointNiner

Northrup Grumman already building Next-Gen Bomber?

Recent financial statements from defense contractor Northrop Grumman may indicate that the company is building the Air Force's Next Generation Bomber (NGB). First Quarter statements reveal nearly $2.6 billion (yes billion with a B) that was awarded to them for "restricted programs" according to Aviation Week. That's a nice way of putting it. This has led to many analysts in the industry to suspect the money was awarded by the Air Force for Northrop Grumman to build the prototype NGB as a black project. While the Air Force "officially" has nothing in their budget for the program, they keep on saying the NGB will enter service in 2018. The other team vying for NGB (Boeing/Lockheed Martin) claims they haven't received any government funding.

The other interesting anomaly pointing to a Northrop Grumman bomber is that after the J-UCAS program was terminated last year, the Pentagon decided to split the funds between a Navy program (which Northrop Grumman won) and a classified Air Force project. Hmmmm.

Home to PointNiner

Astronauts Got No Place to Pee

I refuse to drop the familiar phrase when NASA runs into an orbital snafu, but there is a problem on board the International Space Station ("ISS").

A plugged toilet is the current issue plaguing the ISS inhabitants. Yes, the only toilet on board the ISS, aside from the one inside the Soyuz escape module (which only has 3 days of waste capacity with a full three-person ISS crew). The ISS needs spare parts pronto, luckily, if they can determine the root of the stoppage, NASA could get parts loaded onto Discovery which is currently sitting at the launch pad.

As you may have guessed, these toilets aren't found at Home Depot, they are high-tech toilets of the space world with zero grav. The toilets are driven by air flow (vacuum) to transport the poo away from a crew member's body into a sanitary storage receptacle. Back in the Apollo days, there wasn't even the vacuum driven toilets, rather they used bags with sticky openings to seal the poo inside. Believe it or not, history has been saving the current ISS crew as they have dipped into their emergency supply of Apollo era ziplock bags.

There seems to be an intermittent problem with air/water separator...a fabrication flaw of the toilet's original compressor unit (and a backup unit!). The toilet has been returned to service several times over the past several days only to be then taken back out of service shortly after NASA or the Russians thought they had 'er working. One (yes, anonymous) source in Houston said that the hardware used there for crew training may be flown to Florida for launch aboard Discovery, even though it too is expected to fail quickly after installation. A new toilet device, developed to accommodate a six person crew as opposed to the current three, was already planned for delivery later in 2008. It apparently can't come soon enough as NASA is expecting to rely on the ever-faulting current toilet compressor and the Apollo poo bags until that time.

This may not seem to be an Apollo 13-esque emergency, however, no doubt NASA and the Russians will contrive some goofy fix all held together with duct tape.

Home to PointNiner

Skydiver fails to set world record when his ride takes off without him

After an aborted attempt yesterday due to weather, French skydiver Michel Fournier was all set today to break a world record by jumping out of a balloon at 130,000 feet. Of course, that was until his balloon left the ground without him. The $200,000 helium balloon detached itself from the gondola that was going to carry Fournier 25 miles up while it was being filled this morning in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. The jump, which obviously isn't going to happen now, had already depleted his financial resources making the chances of another attempt in the near future pretty slim. It is rather unfortunate as this jump was to set a record for the longest and fastest free fall ever. In fact, Fournier was claiming at one point during the free fall, his body would go supersonic. It also would have been the highest parachute jump and the highest balloon flight ever. Needless to say, Fournier is bummed out. C'est la vie.

Home to PointNiner

Mars Lander Sends Back Photos

Pretty cool images. Next up...digging away at the surface to see what it can find. Pointniner will keep you posted.

Home to PointNiner

Phoenix survives shear terror of landing on Mars, NASA breathes again

Well those rocket scientists at NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have done it again. The Phoenix Mars Lander successfully planted itself on the surface of the Red Planet around 23:53 Zulu this evening. Nice job, guys. Next step, start diggin' up that red dirt to look for signs of ice, and ultimately, life.

Home to PointNiner

NASA gets one chance to land (or crash) Phoenix on Mars

NASA's Phoenix lander spacecraft should be touching down near the North pole of Mars in roughly 1 hour assuming it survives. After a 9 month journey to the Red Planet, it's now in the home stretch preparing for it's automated landing. Of course, it takes nearly 15 minutes to send a signal from Mars back to Earth, and the entire entry, descent and landing phase only takes 7 minutes. This means it will land (or crash) before we even know it has entered the Martian atmosphere. And this isn't one of those bouncy-bouncy landings like the Mars rovers did. This one is using a unique thruster arrangment to put her down that gives them only one shot. And did I mention the spacecraft is the driver, not a human? Anyway, good luck to NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on this historic evening. I'm crossing my fingers.

P.S. Look out for evil Martians little lander guy!

WATCH THE PHOENIX MARS LANDING LIVE RIGHT HERE

We'll keep you posted here at PointNiner on the results of this landing.

Home to PointNiner

747 splits in half during takeoff

A US registered 747 operated by Kalitta Air spilt in to two pieces following a takeoff accident at the airport in Brussels, Belgium today. The flight crew reportedly heard a loud noise just before the fuselage separated during the takeoff roll. Four of the five crew members were slightly injured during the accident which fortunately left the 747 in good shape, despite having split in two. They were also fortunate that the aircraft did not catch on fire as it was fully loaded with fuel for a flight to Bahrain. Belgian aviation investigators and the NTSB are already looking into the accident.

Home to PointNiner

FAA bans smoking drug Chantix for pilots, claims craziness

The FAA has ordered pilots and air traffic controllers to immediately stop using the anti-smoking drug Chantix less than 48 hours after they learned the drug could cause safety problems. The FAA first approved of the use of Chantix just 10 months ago, but that was before a study by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices released results on the drug that found evidence of "seizures, loss of consciousness, heart attacks, vision problems, and various psychiatric instabilities". A notification was immediately sent to all pilots and controllers to stop taking the medication or lose their certificates. One chief concern that has been raised to the Food and Drug Administration is numerous reports of "psychiatric problems" associated with the drug. Somehow I think the "cold turkey" quitting of a drug that causes psychiatric issues, may create some other problems for pilots and the FAA in the form of withdrawals.

Anybody got a light?

Home to PointNiner

1st FedEx 757 converted freighter gets its colors

She's finally here. The first converted 757 in FedEx colors got photographed on the Memphis ramp on Thursday night. I gotta say it looks good. But, when all you're used to seeing is FedEx widebodies, with an occasional 727, this bird looks way long and skinny.

Photo: M.J. Scanlon via Airliners.net

Home to PointNiner

Israeli Air Force nearly shoots down Tony Blair's jet

The Times of London is reporting that former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair was quite close to being blown out of the sky in his private jet yesterday when a couple of Israeli fighters suspected the aircraft of being a terrorist attacker. The fighters (either F-16s or F-15s) were scrambled to intercept Blair's jet when it failed to contact air traffic control. Blair was en route from the World Economic Forum (WEF) summit in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to Bethlehem for an investment conference. Israeli ATC considered the aircraft suspicious after repeated attempts to contact it were unsuccessful. When the IAF fighters intercepted the private jet, they flew close to the cockpit for Blair's pilots to see they were under suspicion. Moments later, the pilots finally made contact and advised they were carrying Blair on board. I don't think those Israeli guys mess around.

Home to PointNiner

DHS takes on airport security ala Jack Bauer

The Department of Homeland Security just won't give up on the MANPADS (Manned Portable Air Defense Systems) issue. They still see shoulder fired missiles as a great threat to civil aviation in this country. Several proposals to counter MANPADS have been in testing for years now, including this one that gets repeated comparison to the TV series 24 by Jay Cohen in the video below from the DHS. This concept involves using an unmanned aerial vehicle loitering above 60,000 feet that can monitor and track missile launches as well as confuse the missiles by shining a low-power laser at their seeker heads. The name of this project has actually been coined as Project Chloe, after the fictional character from the CTU in 24. I know this technology is very feasible, but I also think the guys in Homeland Security might watch a little too much TV. How many references can this guy make to 24?

Home to PointNiner

NTSB wants 757 wings checked

The National Transportation Safety Board released a recommendation to the FAA today that would require operators of Boeing 757 aircraft to make "a one- time visual inspection of the upper wing fixed trailing edge panel support beam clips for cracks, proper orientation, and spacers." This is of course following two high profile incidents recently in which 757s have shed wing panels in flight. The first occurred in March with a US Airways 757, and the second took place earlier this month when a Northwest Airlines 757 did the same. We brought you both of those stories here at PointNiner as they unfolded and I was starting to wonder when the NTSB would get on this one. I'm glad to see that today they finally have released something on it.

The NTSB also takes a hit on Boeing by asking the FAA to require "Boeing to issue more explicit instructions and figures that clearly illustrate the correct orientation of the clips and spacers that attach the Boeing 757 panel". Maybe they should just request airlines to stock more 100 mph tape.

The photo above was actually taken by a passenger on the US Airways 757 after it lost a section of its wing panel.

Home to PointNiner

Spurs Jet Grounded After NBA Playoff Game

After their series clinching win in the NBA Western Conference Semifinals Monday night, the Spurs had high hopes of flying to Los Angeles to get ready for the next series against the Lakers.

But their hopes were not to be, as they spent the night on their grounded Boeing 727 in New Orleans after beating the Hornets. The plane, operated by Champion Air, was grounded due to maintenance problems.

This all comes as the NBA is scrambling to find other means of transporting the Lakers and the Spurs during the Western Conference finals. Champion Air, which flies 14 NBA teams, including the Lakers and the Spurs, is going out of business and will cease flying at the end of May. Champion was an ideal charter service for the NBA because six of its planes were fitted to have only 59 seats, all first class (I'm sure it's just for their long legs).

Home to PointNiner

Boeing Flies Hummingbird to a Record

Boeing successfully flew its A160T Hummingbird UAV (unmanned rotocraft to be exact) for 18.7 hours on May 14-15, claiming an unofficial world record for endurance of a UAC weighing between 1,102 and 5,511 pounds. So is that like saying I stood on my head for the longest time for a male between 186-200 pounds? Maybe, but nonetheless, congrats Boeing.

During the flight at the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Ground in southwestern Arizona, the turbine-powered aircraft carried a 300-pound payload at altitudes up to 15,000 feet, landing with better than 90 minutes of fuel in reserve. The flight began May 14 at 8:55 p.m. (PST) and ended May 15 at 3:36 p.m.

Check out the sweet hi-res shot of the Hummingbird above.

Home to PointNiner

Dreamliner production line photos

These are some never before seen photos from the inside of Boeing's Wide-Body Commercial Airplane Plant in Everett, Washington. The photos show three different 787 Dreamliner aircraft in various states of production. She is one beautiful plastic baby, isn't she?

I have always been a fan of Royal S. King's photography. He always seems to have the scoop in Everett. These shots must have been taken on the media day Boeing recently held because I thought the company prohibited production line photos long ago.

Nice closeup of the pointy nose on this gal. Seems like she's already moving at 400 mph.

Interior shot of her guts.

This cockpit shot turned out a lot better than the one we posted yesterday.

This shot shows a 787 in the static test rig where it will spend its time during the certification phase.

Update: Boeing is now predicting a June power-on for Dreamliner #1.

Photos: Royal King via Airliners.net

Home to PointNiner

CRJ vs. Pelican

This must be the sequel to F-111 vs. Pelican. I saw these late last week and wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to post them because I really have none of the details on this other than the obvious. That being this is a CRJ and the woman was photoshopped in the last picture. Otherwise, they are some pretty dramatic shots of what a 20 pound bird can do at 400 mph.






Home to PointNiner

First 777 Freighter gets painted

The world got a sneak peak of the first 777 Freighter's paint job yesterday when the aircraft was moved from the Boeing paint shop over to Paine Field in Everett, WA. The 777F is based off the newest variant to the 777 family, the 777LR, and according to Boeing "will fly farther and provide more capacity than any other twin-engine cargo airplane." Official roll out will take place on Wednesday. Air France/KLM is the launch customer, but I'm more excited to see this thing in FedEx colors in the near future. This baby looks sweet without any windows.

Photo: Boeing

Home to PointNiner

Revealed: 787 Cockpit and Cabin

Tired of seeing those computer graphic generated mock-ups of the 787 cockpit? Above is a picture of the actual 787 cockpit, albeit not completed, but you get the idea. The cockpit windows are huge. Also, there is a picture taken of the unfinished cabin level of the 787.

Image credit: Flightblogger

Home to PointNiner

Sukhoi Su-27 on the side of the Superjet 100

Check out this proposed livery on a Superjet 100. This livery was proposed at the Russian Industrial Design Bureau Astra Rossa and was quickly rejected due to its military motif and overtones. Regardless, I'm assuming the Sukhoi's silhouette is the 1:1 scale and if that is the case, that's one large fighter jet. I knew it was bigger than the F-15, but wow.

The Superjet is nearly 30 meters long and the Su-27 is 22 meters long -- looks about right to me. Maybe Southwest Airlines should propose a new livery for a couple of their 737s with an F-15 silhouette on the sides.

Home to PointNiner

The Superjet 100 Flies

For the first time ever, the Russians have flown their Superjet 100. We first brought you the Superjet news on April 30 and the Russians were true to their word about a first flight in May. The above picture was taken on its approach after the 40 minute test flight. See PointNiner's previous post on this aircraft here. The unfortunate, yet almost expected news coming after the delayed first flight was an official delay in delivery. Don't act so surprised.

Home to PointNiner

Delta CRJ catches fire on taxiway

The flight crew and passengers of Atlantic Southeast Airlines flight 4320 had quite a bit of excitement yesterday when their CRJ-200 caught on fire while taxiing out to the runway for departure at the Baton Rouge Airport. The flight, operating for Delta, had to be evacuated on the taxiway when it was apparent after a loud pop, that the right engine was on fire. No one was injured in the incident and the airport fire crew was on scene within 90 seconds to start fighting the fire as seen in the picture above with the ARFF truck shooting some Purple K dry chem on the right engine.

Home to PointNiner

Barrel Roll blunder puts airline exec in hot water

SLV, the Danish civil aviation authority, is investigating a questionable maneuver performed in an ATR 42 turboprop owned by Netherlands based regional airline Cimber Air. I first saw these photos earlier in the week and neglected to post them. That was until I learned today from Flight International that the ATR used may have sustained structural damage from the roll and that it is now being scrutinized by the SLV. The most interesting part of this story is that Jorgen Nielsen, the airline's managing director, was the one at the controls during this stunt which occurred on May 10. No one else was on board with Nielsen at the time and it is reported that he was preparing for an air show performance in June. It is unknown whether or not the barrel roll was intended for the air show performance. Neither Cimber Air or the SLV is saying much about the incident other than SLV commenting that they are awaiting a report and technical data from Cimber Air regarding the barrel roll. The SLV also stated "We suspect, although only on the basis of initial information, that the aircraft had been flown outside its operational envelope." The aircraft used was subsequently flown to Eindhoven for structural inspections by Cimber Air and the SLV.

Oops.

Home to PointNiner

Plane lands on top of another plane

Here's some nice video footage for you of what I guess you could call a "runway incursion" when a Piper Cherokee landed right on top of a Stinson 108 at the Northwest Regional Airport in Roanoke, TX yesterday. Miraculously, no one was injured. What's that old saying about a low-wing and a high-wing not being able to see each other. It's no wonder that this is not the first time this kind of thing has happened.

Home to PointNiner

Pilot arrested for drunken flying and bad landing

After Greg Anderson crash landed his Cessna 182 at the Santa Maria Airport yesterday, authorities thought the pilot seemed a bit off. Of course, after a airfield sobriety test was administered to Anderson, the fella came up a bit over the legal limit to operate a motor vehicle under California law. Fortunately no one was with Anderson in the aircraft at the time of his nose-down landing that ended up shearing off the aircraft's nose gear. Can you get a FUI in California?

Home to PointNiner