Aircraft News - North America.

For more aircraft news, data, fleets and analysis, please go to: http://www.airguideonline.com/professional.htm Sep 4, 2006

FAA recommended that the disks be inspected after 6,900 cycles (they have a service life of 15,000 cycles) following the LAX incident. "This significantly more stringent standard would not permit disks to remain in service without inspection beyond the earliest known number of cycles at which cracks have been detected or failure has occurred," NTSB said. Aug 30, 2006

Airbus, US Airways

US Airways raises Airbus A321 commitment. On a high after posting a second-quarter profit of $305 million, US Airways yesterday announced an order for seven A321s and the conversion of existing orders for seven A319s and one A320 into an order for eight additional A321s. Engine selection was not announced. Owing to the merger of US Airways and America West, the carrier operates a mix of IAE V2500- and CFM56-powered A320 family aircraft although its A321s all are CFM56-powered, according to the Ascend CASE database. Airbus deliveries of the 15 183-seat, two-class aircraft will start in July 2008 and run through 2010. US originally had placed an order for 30 A320 family aircraft. It said it has "certain conversion flexibility" with the remaining 22. Aug 31, 2006

American Airlines, Boeing, General electric

US National Transportation Safety Board issued "urgent" recommendations upon conclusion of its investigation into the uncontained CF6-80A failure in June on an American Airlines 767 parked at Los Angeles International Airport. NTSB, in finding that the high-pressure turbine stage 1 disk rupture resulted from a rim-to-bore radial fracture originating at a "small dent" at the bottom of the blade slot and that the disk, which had accumulated 9,186 cycles in service, had two additional cracks, proposed that FAA require that disks be removed for inspection every 3,000 cycles. Aug 30, 2006

Boeing

Boeing's board of directors announced a repurchase plan of $3 billion in common stock. The board terminated the mostly completed 2005 repurchase program, which had authorized the purchase of up to 40 million shares. Aug 30, 2006

Bombardier

Sales and Slowing CRJ deliveries hurt Bombardier. Lagging regional aircraft deliveries and sales drove down Bombardier Aerospace's earnings and revenues in the fiscal second quarter ended July 31. The aviation unit of the Canadian transportation manufacturer reported earnings before interest and taxes of $66 million for the quarter, down 13.2% from EBIT of $76 million in the year-ago period, on a 3.6% drop in revenues to $1.89 billon. Bombardier Aerospace President and COO Pierre Beaudoin attributed the falloff to fewer CRJ deliveries and lower margins on commercial aircraft sales. Full Bombardier net income for the quarter was $58 million, narrowed from net income of $117 million last year, on a 3% decrease in revenues to $3.52 billion. Aug 31, 2006

Bombardier

Bombardier delivered 16 CRJs--all dash 900s--during the quarter, down 51.5% from 33 deliveries in the year-ago quarter. Including turboprops, of which it delivered 10, overall regional aircraft deliveries were off 33.3% to 26. Through the first six months of the fiscal year, the company has booked net orders for 28 regional aircraft, a 48.1% decrease from 54 net orders for the year-ago semester. Beaudoin said declining regional jet deliveries and sales were "mostly compensated" by an increase in business aircraft sales, which kept the revenue drop relatively small. Aug 31, 2006

Comair, Bombardier

Lone Lexington air traffic controller likely fatigued, NTSB says. Investigators examining Sunday's fatal crash of a Comair CRJ200 in Lexington, Ky., revealed yesterday that the lone air traffic controller on duty was operating on just 2 hr. of sleep and was completing the second of two 8-hr. shifts in a 24-hr. period. The aircraft took off from the wrong runway, which at 3,500 ft. was not long enough for it to get airborne, and 49 of 50 onboard were killed. US National Transportation Safety Board investigators are focusing their probe on why the two pilots and the controller failed to notice that the aircraft was not on the main 7,000-ft. commercial runway. NTSB Board Member Debbie Hersman said that only one controller, not the two required by FAA, was on duty at the time. The controller had completed an 8-hr. shift Saturday afternoon and had just 9 hr. off before returning at 11:30 p.m. Saturday, she said. She added that he turned his back to tend to "administrative duties" moments before the accident. The flight's copilot is the lone survivor and reportedly is on life support and unable to communicate. Recorded communication between the pilots and the controller indicate that all three mistakenly believed the plane was on the longer runway. Investigators are exploring whether recent taxiway repaving and darkened runway lights may have confused the pilots. Bankrupt Comair, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, is girding for lawsuits likely to be filed by victims' families. It is offering $25,000 to each to cover immediate expenses, but noted that "no monetary relief can overcome the grief of losing a loved one" and that acceptance of the money "in no way" waives families' legal rights to sue. Sep 1, 2006

Comair, Bombardier

Lights were off, taxiway repaved prior to fatal Comair crash. US National Transportation Safety Board investigators and Lexington Blue Grass Airport officials confirmed yesterday that alterations had been made to the taxiway that a Comair CRJ200 used before taking off from the incorrect runway Sunday morning and that the lights on that shorter runway were out of service at the time. The plane, bound for Atlanta, plowed through a barrier at the end of 3,500-ft. Runway 26, briefly became airborne, then crashed in a field and burst into flames, killing 49 of 50 people onboard. The aircraft would have needed a minimum of 5,000 ft. to take off safely, safety experts said. Repaving along the taxiway leading to both Runway 26 and 7,000-ft. Runway 22 resulted in changes in the route the aircraft took and was completed a week prior to the accident. Airport officials were not sure if the pilot of the doomed plane had been to the airport since the taxiway changes were made. Runway 26 is used primarily for general aviation and reportedly has signs and cracked concrete that differentiate it from 22. The taxiway crosses over the shorter runway to get to the main commercial runway. As part of its continuing investigation, NTSB will review the runway and taxiway markings. Board Member Deborah Hersman told reporters that CVR tapes were "consistent with normal operations" and that "air traffic control and the flight crew planned for a takeoff from Runway 22." It was the only runway mentioned in conversations between cockpit and tower, she noted. Comair operates as Delta Connection and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines. Both are operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Aug 29, 2006

Comair, Bombardier

Comair CRJ200 used wrong runway, NTSB says. The pilots of the Comair CRJ200 that crashed into a field while taking off from Lexington, Ky., Blue Grass Airport early Sunday morning used the wrong runway, National Transportation Safety Board Member Deborah Hersman confirmed in an evening briefing. The aircraft apparently was cleared to depart from Runway 22, the main runway with a length of 7,003 ft. However, it lined up on the shorter general aviation runway, 26, which is 3,500 ft. in length, insufficient for the fully loaded jet to become airborne. The CRJ crashed through a perimeter fence and came to rest approximately 1 mi. beyond the runway, killing 49 of 50 people onboard. The first officer survived and remains in critical condition. The sun had yet to rise but conditions at the time of the accident were described as clear. When rescuers reached the crash site, the aircraft largely was intact but was in flames. The CVR and FDR have been recovered. Flight 5191 was bound for Atlanta. Comair operates as Delta Connection and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines. Both are operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Aug 28, 2006

Comair, Bombardier

The crashed Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft, N431CA (tail no. 7472) was acquired from Bombardier in January 2001 and had a clean maintenance record, Comair CEO Don Bornhorst told reporters. It had 14,536 flight hr. and 12,048 cycles. "On behalf of everyone at Comair, I cannot adequately express to you our sadness about this accident and our deep concern for everyone involved," Bornhorst said. Aug 28, 2006

Comair, Bombardier

The Comair Bombardier CRJ200 crash is the worst US airline accident since the November 2001 crash of an American Airlines A300 that resulted in the deaths of 251 passengers, nine crewmembers and five people on the ground. It is Comair's second fatal accident. An Embraer Brasilia turboprop crashed on approach to Detroit Metro in January 1997, killing 26 passengers and three crew. Aug 28, 2006