Grand Aire CEO Lost In Hansa 320 Accident

FAA and NTSB investigators were in St. Louis, MO, Wednesday, sifting through the wreckage of a Hansa 320 that went down shortly after departure from Spirit of St. Louis Airport. The aircraft went down as winds gusted up to 23 miles an hour and light snow was falling. Visibility was reported at nine miles.

There were two people aboard the aircraft -- 50-year old Tahir Cheema (right), of Toledo, OH, and Eko Pinardi from Fort Wayne, IN. It wasn't immediately clear which of the two men was flying the aircraft when it went down.

It was the third accident in a year for Grand Aire, a Toledo-based charter operator. The first two occurred within five hours of each other on April 8th. One of the aircraft -- both of which were Falcon 20s -- went down in St. Louis on a flight from Del Rio, TX. Both pilots, Saleem Iqbal, 34, and Mohammed Saleh, 44, were rescued as they clung to the wreckage in the Mississippi River.

The other Falcon crashed five hours earlier on final approach to Toledo Express Airport. In that case, all three people on board were killed.

Grand Aire Statement

Grand Aire has suffered a terrible loss with the accident that took the lives of its founder and owner, Tahir Cheema, as well as co-pilot, Eko Pinardi.

Tahir Cheema was flying his private aircraft, a Hansa jet, enroute from St. Louis to Toledo on personal business.

Grand Aire, directed by Mr. Cheema, just completed a financial restructuring which will enhance the continued growth the company has experienced over the last year. The company is financially strong, with a solid management team and outstanding, dedicated employees. It is well positioned for the future.

We will keep Grand Aire a viable business in Toledo, inspired by the passion and spark exhibited by Tahir. The Team is focused on this common goal.

At this time we would appreciate a period of grievance and would like everyone to pray for our friends and their families.

FAA Preliminary Accident Report

IDENTIFICATION
 Regis#: 604GA    Make/Model: HF20   Description: HFB-320 Hansa
 Date: 11/30/2004   Time: 0156

 Event Type: Accident  Highest Injury: Fatal   Mid Air: N  Missing: N
 Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
 City: CHESTERFIELD        State: MO  Country: US

DESCRIPTION
 ACFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE TWO PERSONS ON BOARD WERE
 FATALLY INJURED, HOWELL ISLAND, CHESTERFIELD, MO

INJURY DATA   Total Fatal:  2
         # Crew:  2  Fat:  2   Ser:  0   Min:  0   Unk: 
         # Pass:  0   Fat:  0   Ser:  0   Min:  0   Unk: 
         # Grnd:       Fat:  0   Ser:  0   Min:  0   Unk: 

WEATHER: SPECI 010202Z 2801462KT 9 -SN BKN016 BKN022 OVC028 2991          

OTHER DATA
 Activity: Unknown   Phase: Unknown   Operation: General Aviation

 Departed: SAINT LOUIS, MO       Dep Date:  Dep. Time:  
 Destination: TOLEDO, OH        Flt Plan:       Wx Briefing:
 Last Radio Cont:
 Last Clearance:

 FAA FSDO: ST. LOUIS, MO (CE03)         Entry date: 12/01/2004

Controllers: Black Hawk Pilot Wanted To File IFR

The flight crew aboard the Army UH-60 Black Hawk that went down near Waco, TX, yesterday reportedly inquired about converting their VFR flight plan to IFR just moments before the helo impacted a TV tower guy wire.

NATCA Southwest Regional President Darrell Meachum told the Dallas Morning News that the crew contacted Waco Regional Airport Approach for a pop-up IFR about five minutes before the aircraft went down Monday. The aircraft was en route from Fort Hood to Texarkana, carrying seven soldiers -- including a brigadier general.

"He called us at 6:45," Meachum said. "He reported that he was at 800 feet and interested in an IFR flight plan, and we asked him to state his position. He said, 'Currently... standby, sir.'"

The pilot wasn't heard from again.

The Morning News reports the Black Hawk crew got a weather briefing indicating IFR conditions at the time of departure. But weather along its route deteriorated fast. At 0600, there was fog and mist with five miles' visibility at Robert Gray Army Airfield. At 0651, the weather at Waco, about 20 miles north of the crash site, was overcast and ten miles' visibility. An hour later, the terminal weather report at Waco indicated visibility at less than a quarter mile in fog.

Compounding the visibility problem, the FAA had issued a NOTAM indicating the lights on the 1,680 foot tall broadcast tower, operated by KXXV-TV, were inoperable. Further, Col. Donald MacWillie told the Morning News that the helo's route took it nowhere near the broadcast tower.

"We plan our routes precisely," he told the paper. "The route that was briefed and planned did not have them going through those antennas."

The IV Division's aviation brigade was routinely grounded for two days after the mishap.

Was There Something Familiar About The Montrose Accident?

As the investigation continued Wednesday into the runway accident that destroyed a Canadair Challenger CL-601 (file photo of type, below) on Sunday, chairman Ellen Engleman Connors told the Washington Post that the accident bore a remarkable similarity to an accident involving a CL-604 in January, 2002. The aircraft was departing Birmingham, England, when it rolled sharply immediately after departing the ground and impacted the edge of the runway.

"The similarities are quite substantial, and we don't have that very often in our business," she told the Post. Further, Engleman Connors said, the design of the Challenger's wing -- which foregoes leading edge slats -- made the aircraft "very susceptible to debris or frost or icing, and it is one we will be focusing on of many possibilities."

On January 4th, 2002, the CL-604 (N90AG) was being flown from Birmingham to Bangor, ME. There had been a severe frost at Birmingham the previous night, a situation which improved somewhat before the accident. Britain's Air Accident Investigation Branch cited one pilot in this passage from the accident report:

The commander of a CRJ aircraft, which had been parked adjacent to N90AG overnight, commenced his pre-flight external inspection at 1125 hrs. By this time his aircraft had been moved to the Terminal side of the airfield. He noticed that there was about 1 to 2 mm (approx 0.06 inch) of hoar frost covering all the upper surfaces of the aircraft. The frost was soft as he moved his finger along areas on the wing and fuselage. He had no doubt that de-icing was required and called for this service through his company's agents.

No request was made for N90AG to be de-iced. Information from the de-icing company at the airport indicated that if a request had been made at about 1030 hrs, it would have taken about 5 minutes for the de-icing rig to get to the location and a further 10 minutes to complete the de-icing of the aircraft.

The crew aboard the Challenger CL-601 involved in Sunday's accident at Montrose, CO, also declined to have the aircraft de-iced. Citing the wing's design, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Engineering Professor Charles Eastlake told the Post, "The really sensitive part of the wing is on the top surface near the leading edge. It only takes lumps and bumps [of ice or frost] a few thousandths of an inch thick to disrupt the airflow over the wing... that could be dangerous."

Even the 604's documentation referred to the absolute necessity to clear the wings prior to take-off. The AAIB report stated:

The Bombardier Challenger 604 Operating Manual included clear statements about the need to ensure that surfaces were clear of ice, snow or frost. For example, the SUPPLEMENTARY PROCEDURES (Cold Weather Operations) included the following statement: "Takeoff must not be attempted if snow, ice or frost are present in any amount on the wings and tail surfaces of the airplane."

The investigation into Sunday's accident will continue for months. Engleman Connors qualified her statements about possible wing icing by saying that investigators will, of course, examine every possible detail in their search for a probable cause.

Tailwinds, Heavy Rain May Have Contributed To Lion Air Accident In Indonesia

As search teams revised downward the number of people lost in the crash of a Lion Air MD-82 -- from 31 to 29 or even 25 confirmed deaths -- a spokesman for the carrier said tailwinds and heavy rain upon landing may well have contributed to the accident.

The MD-82, with approximately 160 passengers and crew, skidded off the runway at Adi Sumarmo International Airport in Surakarta as it was landing near dusk Tuesday. The aircraft plowed into a cemetery and broke apart before coming to a stop. While the number of casualties appears to be in flux, the number of missing passengers and crew could be as high as 47. Seventy-five people were reported injured.

"The cause of the accident is likely to be bad weather and strong winds. But, we are still looking into the facts," Setyo Rahardjo, head of Indonesia's national transportation safety commission, told reporters at the scene. He was quoted by Reuters.

A spokesman for Lion Air said the aircraft apparently landed with a tailwind of more than 10 kts. A study of MD-82 accidents quoted by the Jakarta Post said 15 of the 33 cases studied involved tailwinds in excess of 10 kts.

Reuters reports the Lion Air MD-82 was one of three aircraft to unexpectedly skid off Indonesian runways this week. A Bouraq Boeing 737 reportedly overshot the runway in Makassar. The next day, an Indonesian Air Force F-16 skidded off the very same runway.

FMI: www.grandaire.com, AAIB Report On Birmingham Accident, www.lionair.co.id