February 2011 Archives

A communal sense that the Embraer Phenom 100 business jet is a sexy machine has been largely notional... until now.

In a request to the FAA filed recently, a pilot in the State of Massachusetts is asking for an exemption to the Part 91 rules that limit flights for charity to a 25 statute mile radius around the departure airport.

For this particular charity event, the requestor wants to fly four passengers from either White Plains, NY (KHPN) or Farmingdale, NY (KFRG) to Nantucket (about 160nm distance), and back in the same day.

The aircraft of choice? A Phenom 100

The charity to benefit? The American Fertility Association

A preliminary incident report, filed yesterday, reveals a hairy landing for the pilots of a Bistrow Sikorsky S-92A oil rig transport helicopter in Louisiana on 19 January.

A mechanical issue presented itself to the crew of three onboard N920L as it returned its 15 passengers to the Air Logistics Galliano heliport (2LS0) in Galliano, Louisiana from the Green Canyon 858 off-shore helipad in the Gulf of Mexico.

"During the initial approach into 2LS0, as airspeed reduced through approximately 70 knots, the helicopter began a right yaw of more than 100 degrees that could not be stopped by application of left pedal," the NTSB writes in the report.

"The crew immediately lowered the nose to regain airspeed and streamline the aircraft. They diverted to the South Lafourche Airport (GAO), Galliano, Louisiana and performed a successful roll on landing, touching down at approximately 72 knots, utilizing differential braking to maintain runway heading"

Wow - now that's some Chuck Yeager-type piloting under duress.

The problem doesn't appear to be linked to transmission troubles that have plagued the S-92A, as emphasized in last week's final report on the 2009 Cougar Helicopters crash off of Newfoundland.

Instead, this one appears to be a case of maintenance error.

"An after landing inspection showed that the tail rotor pitch change beam retaining nut was missing. Recent maintenance had been performed," say the NTSB.

A student pilot on 24 January learned the hard way about the one force of nature that most affects each and every pilot on just about each and every flight - the wind.

After a carefully planning his mission with his instructor, the student pilot departed the Fort Worth Spinks airport (FWS) in Texas in an Aeronca Champ heading for the Corsicana Municipal airport (CRS), also in Texas.

"Nearing CRS, listened to CRS ASOS (automated weather) on radio. Overflew runway and observed windsock indicating 5kt crosswind," wrote the student pilot in the NTSB report.

"On final entered sideslip to account for crosswind. Touched down on runway and could not maintain track down centreline"

You can guess the rest, which includes statements like "lost directional control" and "panicked" and "hit the brakes", preludes to a groundloop and noseover.

After finding himself hanging upside down in the harness, he released the seatbelt and exited through the door, in better shape than his little Aeronca.

This is the second in my new "Lucky To Be Alive" (LTBA) series.

Exceptional piloting and a bit of luck (or perhaps devine intervention) allowed a flight instructor and his "student" to walk away from this downed Cessna 172RG near the Richard Lloyd Jones, Jr. Airport (RVS) in Tulsa, Oklahoma on 28 September 2010.

An excerpt from the flight instructor's written statement tells the tale of survival better than I could. 

"Within seconds of lowering the landing gear, flames started pouring out from under the instrument panel and up the front of the panel. The carpet on the floor also caught fire quickly."

"Prior to the fire there was no sign or smell of any smoke," he said. "I came over the radio and said 'mayday! mayday! mayday! we are going down! we are on fire!'"

"I heard the tower ask, 'what airplane?' and I tried to respond with my tail number (N5245U), but by then my radio was not working."

"I pulled the mixture immediately and asked Zac [the flight instructor candidate in the right seat] to get the fuel selector. He said he can't because it was on fire and the floor around the fire extinguisher was also on fire."

"I saw one small field below us. As I looked around I did not see any water and I knew I could not make the airport. I made a steep spiral toward the airport."

"At this time the inside of the aircraft was full of smoke and I could not see the instruments and was having trouble breathing. I opened my door so I could see and breathe. I used me left foot to hold the door open." This action caused the airplane to yaw left so I used my right foot to hold the right rudder."

"My rudders were fully covered in flames. As I looked down at my feet I saw my foot was on fire and asked Zac to help get my shoe off - it was melting to my foot. He was able to get my right shoe off but my right calf was still on fire."

As the aircraft got lower, the instructor saw that there were power lines in the field he wanted to land in, so despite the conditions in the cabin, he made one more turn.

Once ready for landing, he tried the flaps, but no joy.

"Just prior to impact, I saw a fence and pulled back to avoid the fence but was unable to. We impacted the fence and came to a stop suddenly. I exited the aircraft and put out the fire that was still burning on my calf." Turns out Zac got out OK too.

N5245U PRELIMINARY POST MORTEM: Maintenance error

NTSB investigators, in the preliminary report, say they found evidence that the terminal lug on the hydraulic pump for the RG's landing gear "was improperly installed and had shorted".

"There is no evidence that the exposed lug had been properly covered," the NTSB continues.

 "The inspector examined six other Cessna 172RGs at the airport and found two airplanes had exposed terminal lugs, three aircraft has a rubber boot installed to cover the lug, and only one airplane was equipped with the proper cover."

"The inspector also discovered that the installation procedures for the hydraulic power package did not specifically mention the cover. Only the Cessna 172RG illustrated parts catalog depicted the correct and proper installation...."

I'm still not clear what was burning though - fuel, hydraulic fluid, the panel itself (from the short circuit jolt)? Ideas?

CLICK HERE TO SEE LTBA#1 

Here is a guest entry from Philadelphia-based freelance writer, Alaina Mabaso, who sampled XOJet's helicopter transfer and WiFi-equipped Challenger 300 business jets in New York on 3 February.

Thirty minutes to travel a couple New York City blocks by car? No worse than waiting for the bus during my usual travels. 

But today, I'm sampling life in XOJet's 8-passenger Challenger 300. XOJet wants northeast bizjet customers to know that there's no need to take one of those pesky taxis, subject to all the woes of Manhattan gridlock, when a helicopter can take you from Wall Street to the Teterboro, NJ airport in six minutes flat.

When I arrive at the pier, the Bell 430's blades are already throbbing, as if it too is impatient with the cars. As I trot under the thundering rotors, I try to imagine that I am not a writer who woke up extra early to ride crowded trains from the Philadelphia suburbs to NYC, but that I am a seasoned corporate traveler who demands the fastest service to the airport. As partners to XOJet's fleet, HeliFlite copters are the speediest taxis around, taking you deep into the next state in a fraction of the time it takes to cross a city by car.

The helicopter's cabin holds four, and it seems bigger than my apartment's kitchen. My previous experience in helicopters has involved headphones engulfing my ears against the racket while I tried not to nudge any of the controls. Today, I could barely see the two pilots up front, and I've had a harder time conversing inside of my brother's Mustang.

As a snow-covered NYC spread out under us, the horn-honking tangle at intersections and the trash bags piled on dingy snow-banks receded into a towering, iconic grace. A few minutes later, as I mount the steps of the jet, I realize that not everyone has to feel the chilly security-line floor under their stocking feet before they board a plane. 

As we seem to float up off of the runway and gain altitude, a perfectly plane-shaped patch of tarmac in an expanse of snow remembers an aircraft that must have been left out in the recent storm. It was a small, sunny, convivial world aboard the jet, full of luxury leather seats, press kits and premium beverages. Instead of hearing the pilots, faceless and godlike over an intercom, I strolled up and said hello. A little turbulence sent us to our seats of our own accord - no frostily polite flight attendants needed.

Returning from Teterboro to the Wall Street pier in the helicopter over spectacular views of NYC, I almost expected the opening credits of a romantic comedy to begin scrolling across my view. But an hour like this - even if it's the norm for America's most successful business-people - is better than a day at the movies for the rest of us.