Remembering Japan Airlines Flight 123

JAPAN AIR B787-9 JA865J (MSN 38138) 

 

Japan Airlines Flight 123 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Tokyo's Haneda Airport (HND/RJTT) to Osaka International Airport (ITM/RJOO). On the 12th of August 1985, the Boeing 747SR operating this route suffered a sudden decompression twelve minutes into the flight and crashed, killing 520 out of the 524 passengers. Flight 123 pushed back from gate 18 at 6:04pm. and took off from runway 15L at Haneda Airport at 6:12pm. 

About 12 minutes after takeoff, while climbing through 23,900 feet at a speed of 300 knots, an unusual vibration occurred., then the aircraft had a rapid decompression, bringing down the ceiling around the rear lavatories, damaging the unpressurized fuselage aft of the plane, unseating the vertical stabilizer, and severing all four hydraulic lines. When the decompression occurred, the crew got indications of problems with the R5 door. In fact, the rear pressure bulkhead had ruptured, causing serious damage to the rear of the plane. A portion of its vertical fin, measuring 5 metres together with the section of the tailcone containing the auxiliary power unit (APU) were ripped off the plane. Due to the damage, the hydraulic pressure dropped, and ailerons, elevators and yaw damper became inoperative. Controlling the plane was very difficult as the airplane experienced Dutch rolls and phugoid oscillations (unusual movement in which altitude and speed change significantly in a 20-100 second cycle without change of angle of attack). 

Japan's Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission officially concluded that the rapid decompression was caused by a faulty repair by Boeing technicians after a tailstrike incident during a landing at Osaka Airport seven years earlier in 1978. A doubler plate on the rear bulkhead of the plane had been improperly repaired, compromising the plane's airworthiness. Cabin pressurization continued to expand and contract the improperly repaired bulkhead until the day of the accident, when the faulty repair finally failed, causing the rapid decompression that ripped off a large portion of the tail and caused the loss of hydraulic controls to the entire plane. 

The aircraft, configured with increased economy class seating, was carrying 524 people. Casualties of the crash included all 15 crew members and 505 of the 509 passengers. Some passengers survived the initial crash but subsequently died of their injury's hours later, mostly due to the Japan Self-Defense Forces' decision to wait until the next day to go to the crash site, after declining an offer from a nearby United States Air Force base to start an immediate rescue operation. It is the deadliest single-aircraft accident in aviation history. The aircraft was a Boeing 747-100 (Short Range) The Boeing 747 Series 100 was aircraft specifically configured for domestic flights with a high-density seating arrangement.

Aircraft Details
Airline: Japan Air
Code: JL/JAL
Aircraft: Boeing 747SP46
Registration: JA8119
Serial Number: 20783
Engines: 4 Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7A
First Flew: 28/01/1974
Age: 11Yrs 7 Mts

REX sells assets to stay afloat

REX BOEING 737-8FE VH-RQC (MSN 33797)

Rex Airlines is looking to offload company land, buildings and aircraft spare parts as administrators work to keep the financially distressed carrier up in the air.

Professional services firm EY Australia has been called to salvage the five companies in the Rex Group since the airline grounded its Boeing 737 fleet on major metropolitan routes. Rex's regional flights have continued because of ongoing funding from a private equity firm PAG Asia Capital as the airline desperately seeks a buyer or financial lifeline.

EY partner Samuel Freeman told a first meeting of Rex creditors on Friday that administrators launched the asset-sale program as part of turnaround efforts. Company land and buildings, spare parts and even a flight simulator were all potentially up for grabs, Mr. Freeman said. EY had also started contacting 'a large number of likely interested parties' to find a buyer or investor for the airline.

'Some are already executing on disclosure agreements ... there's been quite some interest, which is really positive,' Mr Freeman said.

EY says the airline, which is about $500million in debt, is in daily discussions with the federal government about the situation. Labor figures have said they will back Rex as long as it prioritises regional flights.

An initial EY probe revealed competition in the domestic 'trunk route' market was a key contributor to the financial woes, Mr Freeman said. The airline had struggled since an aggressive move in 2021 to compete on key capital-city routes against majors Qantas and Virgin Australia.

Other contributors were a shortage of pilots that created 'sub-optimal fleet utilisation', supply chain issues and maintenance problems, according to the administrators. A second creditors' meeting, yet to be scheduled, will include a vote on whether to return the Rex companies to the existing board, place them under a deed of company arrangement or liquidate.

Founded on the 11th of July 2002, Rex is Australia's largest independent regional airline, with 56 Saab A340's, making it the world's largest airline of Saab A340's.

Rex makes about 1100 flights a week on 56 routes.

REX SAAB 340 VH-REX (MSN 340B-384)

Passenger plane crashes in Brazil, killing 62

                                 BREAKING NEWS 

A passenger plane travelling from Cascavel Airport, PR (CAC/SBCA) to São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport, SP (GRU/SBGR) has crashed onto a town close to Sao Paulo, Brazil, killing all on-board.

The terrible final moments of flight 2Z2283 were recorded by multiple people as it careened through the air dropping by several thousand feet in just 60 seconds. The Government of Sao Paulo said 58 passengers and four crew were on board when it crashed in the city of Vinhedo.

Online videos show the aircraft in a fully developed spin with little to no forward speed before it impacted a residential area and burst into flames.

It was reported the aircraft cruised toward Sao Paulo at 17,000 feet until 1.21pm on Friday (2.21am, Saturday AEST) when data indicated “a brief loss in altitude, followed a brief gain in altitude, followed by a steep and terminal descent”.

The aircraft’s black box has been recovered from the crash site, which should provide crucial information for investigators. Authorities are also examining weather conditions at the time of the incident, with reports indicating the presence of turbulence, thunderstorms, and icing in the vicinity.

VoePass Chief Operations Officer Marcel Moura mentioned that while ice was predicted at the aircraft’s cruising altitude, it was within an acceptable range. However, he noted that the ATR 72 is sensitive to icing conditions, suggesting this could be a potential factor in the investigation.

The ATR 72-500 involved in the accident was 14 years old, initially delivered to Belle Air in 2010 before being acquired by VoePass in 2022. ATR, the aircraft manufacturer, has told reporters that its specialists are fully engaged in supporting both the investigation and the airline.

As the investigation continues, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva declared three days of mourning for the victims. The tragedy marks Brazil’s deadliest aviation accident since the TAM Linhas Aéreas crash in 2007, which claimed 199 lives

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Voepass Linhas Aéreas

Code: 2Z / PTB

Aircraft: ATR 72-212A (ATR 72-500)

Registration: PS-VPB

Serial Number: 908

Engines: 2 x PWC PW127F

First Flew: April 2010

Age: 14.4 Years

Thoughts and prayers go out to all the families and friends; may they all find the strength to get through this devastating time.

Horizon Air Bombardier Q400 stolen from Seattle

ALASKA (HORIZON) De HAVILLAND DASH 8 Q400 N427QX (MSN 4156)

On the 10th of August 2018, a Horizon Air Bombardier Q400 was stolen from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (Sea–Tac) in Seattle, Washington. The perpetrator, 29-year-old Richard Russell, was a Horizon Air ground service agent with no piloting experience. After Russell performed an unauthorized takeoff, two McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle fighters were scrambled to intercept the aircraft. Sea–Tac air traffic control made radio contact with Russell, the sole occupant, who described himself as a "broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess." About 1 hour and 15 minutes after takeoff, Russell died by intentionally crashing the aircraft on lightly populated Ketron Island in Puget Sound.

The 28-year-old airline ground-service agent at Seattle/Tacoma International Airport arrived at the airport for his work shift at 14:36 hours local time. At 19:15 hours he arrived in a tow vehicle at the Cargo 1 ramp, at the far north end of the airport close to the thresholds of runway 16L, C and R. He climbed aboard and started the engines before briefly exiting the aircraft in order to turn aircraft 180 degrees with the nose towards the airfield. At 19:32 the aircraft taxied away from the apron. A tower controller attempted to contact the aircraft, but it took off from runway 16C at 19:33 hours.
The aircraft then began maneuvering over Puget Sound and was seen to perform a split S, pulling up just above the water. During these maneuvers the person in control of the aircraft was in radio contact with air traffic control.

McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle fighter aircraft of the Oregon Air National Guard were dispatched and followed the aircraft.

At 20:46 hours the aircraft entered a significant sideslip with the control column in a position forward of neutral. The controls were pushed further forward and six seconds later, the aircraft impacted wooded terrain on Ketron Island, 40 km to the southwest of the Seattle/Tacoma Airport. Both wings broke off in the accident sequence and the fuselage came to rest inverted. The sole person on board the aircraft was killed.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Alaska Airlines 

Code: AS/ASA

Operator: Horizon Air QX/QXE

Aircraft: de Havilland Canada DHC-8-402Q Dash 8

Registration: N449QX

Serial Number: 4410

Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150A

Woman found dead at Chicago O’Hare International Airport

A woman in her 40s has been found dead at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD/KORD) after reports a person was trapped in machinery. Just before 2.30am on Thursday local time, the woman was “discovered unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene”. 
The woman was discovered in the 0-100 block of West Terminal St, police said in a short statement. 

She was “entangled” in the conveyor belt system used to move baggage, officials from the Chicago Fire Department confirmed. The area is near Terminal 5, which serves international carriers.
Detectives are conducting a death investigation and are awaiting autopsy results, police said.

Thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends; may they all find the strength to get through this devastating time.

TUI flight evacuated due to fire warning

TUI BOEING 737-MAX 8 PH-TFT (MSN 44610)

A TUI Airlines flight travelling from Heraklion-N. Kazantzakis Airport (HER/LGIR) to Brussel-Zaventem Airport (BRU/EBBR) had to make an emergency landing at Brussels Airport. This was confirmed by Ihsane Chioua Lekhli, the airport’s spokesperson. Although Brussels Airport was the planned final destination, an emergency alert towards the end of the flight necessitated the landing.

PHOTO TAKEN FROM FLIGHTMODE FACEBOOK PAGE 

According to the TUI spokesperson, the aircraft (a Boeing 737-800) issued a PAN PAN PAN warning about a potential fire in the cargo hold, although no fire or smoke was detected when the aircraft landed and stopped on the runway. The fire department was on standby, and the passengers were able to evacuate safely. 

The plane will now undergo further inspection.

One of the passengers reported that the landing felt very hard, and that panic arose when the announcement was made to evacuate. The passengers had to use the emergency slides to exit the aircraft and are now waiting for further information in a small room at the airport.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: TUI Airlines Belgium

Code: TB/JAF
Aircraft: Boeing 737-86J (WL)
Registration: OO-TUK
MSN: 36119

Engines: 2 x CFMI CFM56-7B24E

First Flew: 8th August 2011

Age: 13 Years

Norse Flies First-ever Norway-Australia Nonstop

Norse Atlantic Airways (N0) has marked a historic achievement by completing the inaugural nonstop flight from Norway to Australia. Chartered by Albastar S.A. and organized by Scandinavia's leading air broker, Aircontact, the flight demonstrated N0's Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner's capabilities and the proficiency of their charter operations team.

Departing Oslo Gardermoen Airport (OSL/ENGM) at 6:52 AM on the 3rd of August and arriving at Darwin International Airport (DRW/YPDN) at 6:45 AM local time on the 4th of August the flight spanned roughly 14,730 kilometers and lasted 16 hours 23 minutes, showcasing the Dreamliner's remarkable range and efficiency.

Mette Birkedahl, Norse Atlantic Airways' Director of Charter and ACMI, underscored the importance of this feat, affirming the airline's dedication to superior charter services. She also commended the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner for its aptness for ultra-long-haul flights, noting its stellar performance on this trailblazing route.

Previously, on the 15th of November 2023, N0 accomplished the first-ever Boeing 787 Dreamliner landing in Antarctica, with the 'Everglades', a Boeing 787-9 registered as LN-FNC (MSN 38790), touching down at Troll Airfield (QAT/ENOE).

Norse Atlantic Airways AS, is a Norwegian low-cost long-haul airline based in Arendal, Norway, it was established in February 2021. The airline, which operates a fleet of Boeing 787 aircraft, offers flights connecting Europe, North America, Africa, and Asia. Its first flight was on the 4th of June 2022, from Oslo Gardermoen Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.