Carrier plans February restart with Mallard fleet
Chalks Ocean Airways hopes to resume scheduled operations with the first of four Grumman Mallards by February.
The carrier was forced to ground its seaplane fleet following the 19 December crash of a Mallard when the right wing separated after takeoff from Florida's Miami Beach, killing the two crew and all 18 passengers onboard. Wing-spar metal fatigue is strongly suspected.
An emergency airworthiness directive (AD) issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration in the wake of the crash called for immediate inspections of the wing spars of Grumman G-73 Mallard and G-73T Turbo Mallard twin-turboprop amphibians.
However, uncertainties surrounding the requirements for compliance with the AD have been cited by Chalks for the delay in resuming service. "We are currently working with the FAA to formulate a comprehensive AD note for the G-73 Grumman Mallards. Once a decision is reached with the FAA, we expect the refurbishment to take between six and eight months," says Chalks.
It hopes that this can be accomplished by February, when the airline intends to place its first refurbished Mallard on initial routes linking the North Bimini Seaplane Base in the Bahamas with Fort Lauderdale and Miami's Watson Island Seaplane Base.
In the interim, the carrier is wet-leasing two Raytheon Beech 1900Ds from MAIR Holdings subsidiary Big Sky Airlines. Chalks is also in talks to lease Saab 340As for use on scheduled services.
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Confusion over AD compliance blamed for delay in resuming service |
Source: Flight International
