Swedish coastguard loses EADS Casa C-212
Grounding The Swedish Coast Guard has grounded its two remaining EADS Casa C-212s following the loss of the third on 26 October during a demonstration in front of visitors to the coastguard centre at Falsterbo, Sweden. The coastguard could not confirm witness reports that a wing had come off the aircraft just before it crashed into the sea with the loss of all four personnel on board. The wreckage is being recovered along with the flight data and cockpit voice recorders.
Collision voice recorder found
Investigation The Brazilian defence ministry - responsible for investigating the 29 September collision between a Gol Boeing 737-800 and an Embraer Legacy corporate jet - says the main recording drum of the crashed 737's cockpit voice recorder has been recovered and sent to Canada for analysis and downloading. The ministry has also confirmed that although the Legacy's transponder was operating in the early part of the trip, and again after the collision - which the smaller jet survived - it was inoperative at the time of the collision, which would have disabled the on-board aircraft collision avoidance systems for both aircraft.
S-76 crashes in Gulf of Mexico
Accident A Sikorsky S-76 operated by PHI crashed in the Gulf of Mexico on 22 October. The two crew, the only occupants, were rescued with minor injuries. In September 2005 an S-76 crashed after departing an oil rig in the Gulf, but all 10 passengers and two crew were rescued. The March 2004 Gulf crash of an S-76 operated by Era Aviation, which killed the eight passengers and two crew, was blamed on the crew's failure to identify and arrest the helicopter's descent for undetermined reasons.
Czech Republic sells Aero Vodochody
Disposal Czech aircraft and component manufacturer Aero Vodochody has been sold to a division of central European equity firm Penta Investments for 2.91 billion koruna ($130 million). Penta plans to develop a charter and low-cost airport on Aero's manufacturing site, which is 13km (8 miles) north of Prague. Aero Vodochody was returned to state ownership when main investor Boeing pulled out. Penta has just acquired Slovakia's Kosice airport, together with Vienna airport operator Flughafen Wien.
President blocks DFS sell-off
Privatisation German air navigation service DFS still expects to be privatised despite the decision by German President Horst Kohler to block the government's sale of the organisation on constitutional grounds. Kohler has rejected the government's plan, laid down last year, to dispose of up to 74.9% of DFS. "This new law [allowing privatisation] does not conform to the constitution [which says] air traffic control must be performed by a state-owned administration," says DFS.
Virgin postpones A380 deliveries
Deferral Virgin Atlantic Airways has deferred delivery of its Airbus A380 ultra-large airliners from 2009 to 2013, a postponement of several years from the original in-service target. The UK carrier says that by 2013, "we believe the A380 will have proven its innovative design over several years in commercial service". Virgin Atlantic will extend the leases on several of its Boeing 747-400s during the interim.
Africans sign up for IOSA initiative
Safety Almost all of the International Air Transport Association's 29 sub-Saharan African members have initiated an IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), a move the airline body believes marks a key step towards improving safety in the region. Last December it decided to make IOSA a condition of membership from 2008. IATA director Giovanni Bisignani says that 25 of its 29 sub-Saharan African members are in the IOSA process.
Source: Flight International
