Plane crash in Utah backyard kills baby and parents

A single-engine plane carrying six people has crashed into the backyard of a house in a suburban Salt Lake City shortly after 1:30 p.m. Saturday, resulting in the deaths of a 9-month-old child, a woman and the man piloting the aircraft. The aircraft had just depart South Valley Regional Airport, UT (U42) and was heading for Page Airport, AZ (PGA/KPGA). The injured passengers of the Piper PA-32 include an adult female who is in critical condition, a 2-year-old child in stable condition and a 12-year-old child who was treated and released, according to West Jordan police. The only person reported injured on the ground, a woman whose house at W. Piccadilly Circle was struck by the plane, is in critical condition, police said.
Joe Murillo, who identified himself as the 72-year-old woman’s brother, said she was badly burned. She had lived in the home about 20 years, he said. West Jordan police said the victim’s identities will be released once police are able to notify their next of kin. Murillo said his sister’s house took the brunt of the crash. Police said three houses sustained damage. Mayor Dirk Burton said neighbours rushed to the crash site to help their neighbours and help the woman escape her home. “I don’t know what her condition is,” Burton said, but he said he took it as a positive sign that she was able to leave the house. Burton said the crash occurred in an established neighbourhood, with many of the houses owned by the original owners.

Aircraft Information
Owner: Living Evergreen LLC
Aircraft: Piper PA-32R-300 Cherokee Lance
Registration: N7677C
Serial Number: 32R-7680058
First Flew: 12/05/1975
Age: 45 Yrs 2 Mths

Engines: LYCOMING TI0-540

THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS GO OUT TO THE IMMEDIATE FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND WE HOPE THE INJURED RECOVER QUICKLY.

Story sourced from here (with additions)

https://www.ntd.com/baby-and-2-adults-killed-in-small-plane-crash-in-utah-backyard_489472.html

Plane collideds with a hot air balloon killing three

A plane is thought to have collided with a hot air balloon shortly before it crashed into an apartment block, killing three people and injuring a child.

A fire was started when the light aircraft hit the building in the German city of Wesel, around 35 miles north of Dusseldorf, on Saturday afternoon.  Witnesses told local media the plane had hit the balloon before coming down. The aircraft, an Ultralight TL-96 Star, had a capacity to carry two people, but police said it was not yet clear how many people were on board but the three people who perished have not yet been identified. Rescue workers found a parachute near the crash site, which police believed to be an emergency parachute from the plane. The plane crashed into the roof of the building that contains five flats in the town of Wesel, in the Lower Rhine region. The top floor flat of the house caught fire and, according to the fire brigade, was completely destroyed.

Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 777 distroyed by fire

ETHIOPIAN A350-941 ET-AWN (CN 310)

An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 777F sustained serious damage after a fire broke out in the cargo hold while parked at position 306 at cargo apron 3 at Shanghai-Pudong International Airport (PVG/ZSPD), in China.
The aircraft landed at Pudong Airport about 11:50 local time, operating flight ET3738 from Brussels. At the time of the fire it was being loaded for a flight to Addis Ababa, Sao Paulo and Santiago. By the time firefighters distinguished the blaze, the widebody’s fuselage had been seriously damaged.
A senior official of Ethiopian told AIN that the aircraft was carrying PPEs and merchandise. “The cause of the incident is yet to be established," the official said. "We will cooperate with the Chinese civil aviation accident investigation authorities." Ethiopian Airlines has been transporting PPEs and ventilators from China to Europe, the U.S., and South America since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Aircraft Information

Airline: Ethiopian Airlines

Code: ET/ETH

Aircraft: Boeing 777-F60

Registration: ET-ARH

Serial Number: 42031

First Flew: 19/09/2014

Age: 5 Yrs 10 Mts

The Boeing 747 - fast disappearing

On the 9th February 1969, the first Boeing 747 ever built completed its first flight. Called the City of Everett, N7470 (CN 20235) took off from a brand-new runway at Boeing's specially built 747 factory in Everett, Washington. The first version of the 747, the 747-121, was originally distinguished by an upper deck passenger lounge with just three windows. Later, Boeing offered an option that replaced the lounge with more seats (and additional windows). The first 747-100 passenger flight was on the 21st January 1970, on Pan Am's New York to London route. Since 1970 Boeing has produced 1,558 jumbos in all variants. Less than a third of those are still in service today, while four of its five biggest customers are cargo airlines. The second 747 version, the 747-200, entered service in 1971. From the outside, it looked about the same as the earlier model, but it came with more windows upstairs, more-powerful engines and increased fuel capacity for longer-range flights. In 1973 Boeing built the 747SR (SR - Short Range) when Japan Airlines and ANA asked for a high-capacity aircraft that could serve their short but popular domestic routes. In 1976 Boeing introduced the 747SP (SP - Special Performance) the 747SP was designed for ultra-long-range routes that didn't warrant the full passenger load of a standard 747. It was 48 feet shorter than the 747-100 and carried 90 fewer passengers in a typical configuration. In 1983 saw the 747-300, the upper deck grew by 23 feet for the 300. Singapore Airlines, the first to take the new design dubbed its aircraft "Big Top. Though the aircraft enjoyed a slightly faster cruising speed, It had a short life when Boeing halted production in 1990 in favour of the 747-400. By far the most successful 747 version, the 747-400 entered service in 1989 and flew with  airlines like Air China, Air India, British Airways, EL AL, Virgin Atlantic, Korean Air, Thai Airways, KLM, Qantas and Lufthansa. Almost a whole redesign, the 747-400's improvements included winglets, new interiors, longer range capability and a lighter airframe. With a new "glass cockpit" the flight engineer position was eliminated. The last plane was delivered to China Airlines in 2005. 694 were built. The last passenger version of the jumbo jet, 747-8 Intercontinental first flew in 2011 and entered service the next year (the freighter 747-8 first made its first flight in 2010). It has a new cockpit and engine technology based on the 787, redesigned wings and room for more passengers. A stretched fuselage also makes it the longest passenger aircraft in the world at 250 feet. It currently flies with Lufthansa, Air China and Korean Air and with a few freight airlines. Boeing is still building freighter models, but it expects to close the passenger version production line. Until recently British Airways had more 747s than any other passenger airline with 31. But since 2017 it has retired three and had already planned to get rid of the rest by 2024; the honour now lies with Lufthansa, which has 27. In December 2017, United Airlines said goodbye to its final 747 with a farewell flight from San Francisco to Honolulu (recreating the route of its first 747 service in 1970). Last year Delta followed suit, sending its last 747 to an Arizona “boneyard”. Not one US carrier now flies the jumbo. In the last two years Korean Air has retired four 747s, leaving 23 in its fleet – 11 of which are used solely for cargo services. KLM has also ditched 14, taking its total from 17 to 3. Even Lufthansa, now the biggest 747 user, plans to replace almost half of its jumbo jets with Boeing 777s by 2025. Of the other airlines listed above, it should be noted that Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific only use the 747 for cargo flights. Demand for the jumbo jet, which has been tweaked and upgraded many times over the years, has dried up. No new orders were received last year and in the last few years all new 747s have gone to cargo companies like UPS. As far as passenger services are concerned, the end is nigh.

Lufthansa announced in April that it is grounding five of its 32 747s, saying the move was related to their higher environmental and economic footprint. Our own Qantas accelerated its phase out of its 747s and the last one left Sydney yesterday, (and its A380s are off to the desert for three yrs)  Korean Air is only flying 12 out of its 23 Boeing 747s -- 11 cargo and one passenger jet,  Air India's four 747s are being used to fly VIPs and take part in evacuations. America said goodbye to the Boeing 747 in December 2017, when Delta, the last US airline to use the jet, retired the aircraft.  As of June 2020 there were 417 Boeing 747 aircraft in airline service, comprising of 10 747-100s, 20 747-200s, 2 747-300s, 257 747-400s and 128 747-8s.
The last order for a passenger version of the 747 came from the U.S. government, which in 2017 commissioned two of the jets from Boeing for use by the president, as Air Force One aircraft. The planes, a repurposed version of the 747-8 are scheduled for delivery in 2024.

Qantas says goodbye to its last Jumbo

QANTAS B747-438 VH-OEJ (CN 32914)

Today is a very sad day for avgeeks like myself as Qantas (and Australia) said goodbye to the very last jumbo. Unfortunately I couldn't make it to Sydney to see this aircraft off, but I did watch it live on Flightradar24 and was listening to it on LiveATC. QF 7474 was due to push back and depart at 2pm Sydney time. It's actual pushback time was 2.55pm and started taxiing at 3.00pm. There it was given a water arch send off

It taxied up and down the airport showing off before lining up on 16R at 3.27pm. VH-OEJ got airborne at 3.28pm and circled the city and harbour a few times before heading south to Albert Park Airport (Shellharbour Airport) the home of the very first Qantas 747-400.

There it did a single low level fly by before heading out to sea.

BUT she wasn't done just yet..  further out to sea QF7474 had one more surprise up her sleeve.
She performed a run in the shape of a Kangaroo.

British Airways retires their fleet of Boeing 747s

GATE- BRITISH AIRWAYS B747-436 G-CIVD (CN 27349)

TAXIING- BRITISH AIRWAYS B747-436 G-CIVF (CN 25434)

Four days after Brisbane said "goodbye" to Qantas's last 747 Jumbo, British Airways have announced they will retire its entire fleet of Boeing 747 airplanes, citing the travel downturn and the aircraft’s high operating costs as the main contributor to the decision. The decision marked not just the finish of a storied plane’s service with the company but also symbolized the end of an era of aviation in which the next generation of planes was always expected to be bigger, as well as better. Even 50 years after their introduction, the sight of 747s gliding into their docks, dwarfing other planes, could evoke a thrill in the most jaded of travellers. The world’s first jumbo jet, known as the “Queen of the Skies,” revolutionized travel for the masses, but in recent years it had fallen out of favour with a number of airlines because of the costs. The final commercial flight of a Boeing 747 by an American carrier took place at the end of 2017. But British Airways had held on, operating the world’s largest fleet of the planes, with 31 in service. A handful of other commercial carriers still fly the 747, though their use is expected to further dwindle in the coming years. “It is with great sadness that we can confirm we are proposing to retire our entire 747 fleet with immediate effect,” British Airways said in a statement. “It is unlikely our magnificent ‘Queen of the Skies’ will ever operate commercial services for British Airways again due to the downturn in travel caused by the Covid-19 global pandemic.” When the Boeing 747 began service in 1970, it was the height of modern travel technology, with room for 27 first class and 292 economy class passengers. Its iconic, humped upper deck, equipped with a lounge, or “club in the sky,” became synonymous with luxury travel.  Fuel costs in 1970 were so negligible that they were barely a factor in the airlines’ financial strategies. In recent years, advances in technology made the four-engine 747 far pricier to operate than modern twin-engine planes. The move is especially poignant for British Airways, which received its first Boeing 747-400 in 1989 and its last in April 1999. 

BRITISH AIRWAYS B747-436 G-BYGC (CN 25823)

The predecessor of British Airways, BOAC, began flying versions of the 747 in the early 1970s. At the height of the craft’s deployment, British Airways had 57 of the jumbo jets and was the second-biggest operator of the planes, after Japan Airlines, which had more than 100 in its fleet. Some commercial carriers still operate passenger flights on the 747, including Thai, Air China, Korean Air and Lufthansa.  A number of companies, including UPS and Cathay Pacific, use the 747 freighter to transport cargo. Other airlines have also recently retired their fleets, including our very own Qantas of Australia, which accelerated plans to do so because of the coronavirus pandemic and held had a series of farewell flights for the last of its 747s last week. Their final 747 VH-OEJ) will depart Sydney next Wednesday the 22nd and will be stored in the Mojave Desert in California.

Remembering Malaysia flight 17

MALAYSIA AIRLINES B777-2H6 9M-MRD (CN 28411)

SPORTING THE "FREEDOM OF SPACE" LIVERY

Malaysia flight MH 17 (codeshare with KLM Flight 4103) was a scheduled passenger flight from Amsterdam (AMS/EHAM) to Kuala Lumpur (KUL/WMKK) and was shot down on the 17th July 2014 while flying over eastern Ukraine, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew on board.
The incident was and still is the deadliest airliner shootdown incident to date. All 283 passengers and 15 crew died. The crew were all Malaysian, while over two-thirds (68%) of the passengers were Dutch. Most of the other passengers were Malaysians and Australians, the remainder were citizens of 7 other countries. At least twenty family groups were on the aircraft and eighty passengers were under the age of 18.

Nation Number 
Netherlands 193
Malaysia 43
Australia 27
Indonesia 12
United Kingdom 10
Germany 4
Belgium 4
Philippines 3
Canada 1
New Zealand 1
Total 298 

On the 19th June 2019, the Dutch Public Prosecution Service charged four people with murder in connection with the shooting down of the aircraft: three Russians, Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinsky, and Igor Pulatov, and one Ukrainian, Leonid Kharchenko. International arrest warrants were issued in respect of each of the accused. Their trial in absentia is scheduled to be held on the 9th March 2020 in the District Court of The Hague. I posted a story on this on the 21st June.

https://madaboutplanes.blogspot.com/2019/06/four-charged-with-murder-over-downing.html

MH 17 was operated by a Boeing 777-2H6ER registration 9M-MRD (CN 28411). MRD was the 84th Boeing 777 produced, it first flew on the 17th July 1997, exactly 17 years before the incident, and was delivered new to Malaysia Airlines on the 29th July 1997. Powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent 892 engines and carrying 280 seats (33 business and 247 economy), the aircraft had recorded more than 76,300 hours in 11,430 cycles before the crash.


TODAY OUR THOUGHTS ARE WITH ALL THE FAMILES AND FRIENDS 

Spotting at Brisbane

A few days ago we went to Brisbane airport to see the last Qantas Jumbo come in for a joy flight then leave for the last time.
While we were there my Co-Pilot (Daughter), my wife and I took photos of the few movements that were coming and going. Although it is far from normal it was pleasing to see a lot more movements than there were a month ago.


QANTAS B737-838 VH-VZK (CN 34204)

QANTAS B747-438 VH-OEJ (CN 32914)

HEVILIFT ATR 42-320 VH-YWH (CN 194)

AIR NIUGINI B767-341 (CN 30341)
PX3 ARRIVING FROM PORT MORESBY **

SINGAPORE A350-941 9V-SHE (CN 294)
SQ256 OFF TO SINGAPORE **

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA B737-8FE VH-YIS (CN 39926)
VA938 OFF TO SYDNEY

STATE OF QUEENSLAND HAWKER 850XP VH-SGY (CN 258780)

ALLIANCE FOKKER F28 MK 100 VH-UQC (CN 11468)
QQ6443 ARRIVING FROM EMERALD **

AIR NEW ZEALAND B787-9 ZK-NZM (CN 38180)
NZ1145 ARRIVING FROM AUCKLAND **

QANTASLINK DASH 8 Q400 VH-QOX (CN 4287)
QF2762 OFF TO MORANBAH

SKYTRANS DASH 8 Q100 VH-QQI (CN 117)
QN735 OFF TO CHINCHILLA

RACQ LIFEFLIGHT CHALLENGER 604 VH-OFB (CN 5534)

ALLIANCE FOKKER F28 MK 100 VH-UQB (CN 11483)
QQ4091 ARRIVING FROM MACKAY

HEVILIFT ATR72-500 VH-FVH (CN 094)
HT771 OFF TO MIDDLEMOUNT

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA B737-8FE (CN 39925)
VA609 OFF TO MACKAY

ALLIANCE FOKKER F28 MK 70 VH-NKU (CN 11555)
QQ850 OFF TO ROMA

ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE KC30A A39-004 (CN 1036)

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA B737-838 VH-YIV (CN 40698)
VA784 ARRIVING FROM CAIRNS

ALLIANCE FOKKER F28 MK100 (CN 11520)
QQ713 ARRIVING FROM CLONCURRY

SINGAPORE A350-941 9V-SHD (CN 278)
SQ265 ARRIVING FROM SINGAPORE

Once again thanks to my beautiful family for supporting me with my hobby.
Photos marked with an ** are my daughters photos.

QANTAS farewell joy flight

Three days ago my family and I headed to the airport for the opening of the new runway. Today we headed off to the airport again for another special memory making event. Qantas was bringing up their 747 Jumbo from Sydney for an hour long joy flight. Qantas were putting on three joy flights before the aircraft leaves Australian shores for good next week. Sydney had there turn on Monday and Canberra will get their turn this coming Friday, but today it was Brisbane's turn. Dubbed the “Jumbo Joy Flights”, the last Boeing 747 in the Qantas fleet took a spin around Brisbane for an hour. The aircraft arrived at 8.53am and went to gate 24. There Qantas staff and passengers lucky enough to score tickets boarded the aircraft for a 10.30am departure. The tickets had gone on sale on July 8th, with business-class tickets sold at AU$747 and economy-class at AU$400 and they all sold out within 8 minutes of going online..
This aircraft was the last of six Boeing 747-438ERs ordered new by Qantas Airways on the 29th November 2001
It entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-OEJ (CN 32914) on the 16th May 2003
It was the 142nd Boeing airliner delivered new to Qantas Airways
It was the 57th and ironically the last Boeing 747 delivered to Qantas

At 10.33am QF 747 pushed back and at 10.38 taxied out for a runway 19L departure and as it taxied it our local fire tenders gave it a farewell water arch (water cannon salute). 

After departing the jumbo circled our amazing city at around 2,000 feet before climbing to 4,000. It headed south and flew up and down over the picturesque Gold Coast. Then it headed north back up the coast and over flew the airport before heading north hugging the coastline.

There it turned south and performed a 1,500 foot low level fly by down the centreline of our new runway before circling and coming in to land for the second time.

After landing at 12.05pm it rolled through and instead of returning to the terminal it went to the Qantas hanger where there were dignities and special guests, along with Qantas staff, waiting to celebrate the occasion.

It was over there for 4 hours 30 minutes and then at 4.35pm it pushed back at taxied out for the final time ever. It departed off runway 19L at 5.03pm, just as the sun was setting, and headed back to Sydney.

Initially, the Boeing 747s were to end service by the end of 2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic unfortunately expedited the retirement. Qantas started retiring the 747-400 aircraft as early as February this year. This will leave Sydney next Wednesday at 2.30pm and head to the Mojave dessert in California.

The airline is not alone. Other carriers have stopped operating Boeing 747s for economical reasons. United Airlines and Delta Air are two US airlines that have removed the aircraft from their fleet along with Dutch airline KLM..

I have to once again say thank you to my wife and teenage daughters for getting up early and for staying out at the airport all day.. that is love.