FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1994
1994 - 1457.PDF
AIR TRANSPORT Xian crash is China's worst ever BY KAREN WALKER IN SINGAPORE Just days after China's avia tion authority made another call for higher standards of safety in airliner operation, a China Northwest Airlines (CNA) Tupolev Tu-154M crashed outside Xian on 6 June. The accident killed 160 peo ple — the worst in China's his tory. First reports from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) say that con trollers lost contact with CNA Flight 2303 shortly after take off. Eight minutes into its flight, en route to the southern city of Guangzhou, the aircraft crashed into a field. Rescuers found one survivor, who subse quently died. The pilot, .who had more Air transport in China rockets C hina's air-transport ex pansion over the last decade has been prodigious. Tonne/kilometres (TKM) flown have increased by a multiple of 17 between 1978 and 1993. Passenger traffic has increased from 2.4 million to 34 million, and freight from 63,800t to 700,000t. During the same period, the average TKM figure for the rest of the world, but doubled. Fleet and network changes from 1978 to 1993 show an increase, from 98 aircraft being operated on 162 routes, linking 70 airports, to 316 air craft flying 613 routes, linking 109 airports, of which 40 have instrument-landing systems. The most dramatic year- on-year increases have come recently, with turnover in TKM rising by 30% from 1991 to 1992. TKM is the accepted measure of airline total per formance, covering passenger and freight markets. China Northwest shows a performance close to the national average, having increased its TKM by 18.9% from 1992 to 1993. ' • than 20 years of flying experi ence, reported vibrations in the wing just before he lost contact with air-traffic control and the aircraft crashed. The accident focuses atten tion on what CAAC officials had already been forced to declare — that safety standards on China's many and fast- growing airlines are inade quate. Less than a week before the CNA crash, the CAAC revealed that "several tens" of near-accidents had occurred this year, including aircraft going off runways, aircraft wings brushing tips and engines "stopping in mid-air". Nearly 400 people were killed in Chinese airline crash es during 1992 and 1993. There has also been a spate of hi-jackings, as well as numer ous reports of safety violations. Late in 1993, the CAAC announced plans to improve maintenance and safety train ing and, in May, it appealed to foreign companies to invest in China's civil-aviation industry "...to accelerate development of the industry and to improve operations and management". Yet CAAC's deputy director, Yan Zhixiang, warned that still more needed to be done. China Northwest claims that the crashed aircraft, built in 1986, had been overhauled twice during its working life. Russian agency AviaExport says, however, that the aircraft had not been to either of Tupolev's overhaul and repair China Northwest operates nine Tu- 154s and some Western types factories, which are the only centres in the world where authorised Tu-154 overhaul can be carried out. Many of the regional carri ers operate ageing fleets of mixed Western and Russian aircraft — although several have new airliners on order — and they are having difficulty finding sufficient flightcrews and maintenance engineers to operate them. The day before the Xian crash, China announced its intention to lease a further five Tu-154s, for use on unspecified routes, to help meet its demand for air travel. • Additional reporting by David Learmount GE thinks about 100,0001b GE90 G eneral Electric may devel op a 445kN (100,0001b)- thrust version of its GE90 turbofan using the existing fan, following evaluation of data from the flight-test programme. The company says: "We felt that way all along, but the flight-test data confirmed that there could be this growth capability in today's GE90." It is thought that the requirement for such huge thrust levels is being spurred on more urgent ly than expected by Boeing, which is receiving customer input to size its C-market 777 twinjet. The heavier stretch version or the extra-long range 14,800km (8,000nm) develop ment of the C is expected to require 445-465kN thrust. Although GE had run the engine to almost 490kN in tests, it was anxious to see test data from the engine over a wide range of performance parameters at lower-thrust lev els before re-evaluating new fan sizes. The possibility of a new, larger fan remains, but GE says that the increased pressure ratio needed for 445kN could be obtained by modifying the blade profile of the present 3.12m-diameter fan. The flight-test engine is being prepared to resume flights in August for high angle- of-attack take-offs. GE is also expected to conduct the first customer demonstration flights with the new engine shortly. • NEWS IN BRIEF FREIGHTER DELIVERY Cathay Pacific Airways has taken delivery of the first Rolls-Royce-powered Boeing 747-400 freighter. From July, Cathay will use the -400 on its Hong Kong-to-Los Angeles route three times a week and from Hong Kong to Sydney/ Melbourne once a week. BRASILIA ORDER lowa-based US regional carrier Great Lakes Aviatisn has ordered an Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia twin-turboprop and leased two more to enter ser vice this month. The aircraft will be used on United Express services to Chicago O'Hare and Denver. CANADIAN DELAY A Newfoundland court has granted Canadian Airlines' regional affiliate Air Atlantic a 45-day stay of bankruptcy. The St John's-based carrier, which operates eight de Havilland Dash 8s, sought bankruptcy protection in May, because of debts which reached a total of C$120 mil lion ($86.8 million). FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 15-21 June, 1994
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
