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Crash kills 20 after air safety meeting

* Death toll in Polish military plane crash rises to 20
* The air force plane was carrying 16 passengers and four crew members
* Passengers had been attending a flight safety conference in Warsaw
* Officials said it was the first accident in Poland involving a CASA transporter

(CNN) -- Twenty members of the Polish Air Force returning from a flight-safety conference have been killed when a transport plane crashed in the northwest of the country.

Authorities had initially said the crash on Wednesday evening killed seven people.

A general was among the 16 passengers and four crew members who were killed, Defense Ministry Col. Cezary Siemion said.

The Spanish-built CASA transporter crashed near the town of Miroslawiec, a few hundred kilometers northwest of Warsaw, around 7 p.m. (1700 GMT).

The passengers had attended the 15th annual Flight Safety Conference, held in Warsaw on Wednesday. The plane took off from Warsaw and was making several stops before returning to its home base in Krakow.

Officials said it was the first accident in Poland involving a CASA transporter, which is generally considered an extremely reliable aircraft.

Siemion said investigators were working to determine the cause of the crash, which occurred as the plane was about to land.

"Soldiers, husbands and fathers have died, and that is the most tragic result of this catastrophe," Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, according to The Associated Press.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europ ... index.html

Edit: Thread title change

Ironic, all too ironic.

Problems with the electronics perhaps?

reminds me of this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7188468.stm

the salient point being: "Amongst those killed were special forces crew and 25 senior members of Northern Ireland's intelligence community."

although i suspect it was probably due to this:

[edit] Upgrade problems
The FADEC engine control software was being upgraded on all RAF Chinook aircraft, as part of an upgrade from Chinook Mk 1 to Chinook Mk 2 capability. The Ministry of Defence successfully sued Textron, the manufacturers of the system, after a near-fatal Chinook crash caused by an uncommanded engine run-up in 1989.

EDS-SCICON was given the task of independently evaluating the software on the Chinook Mk2 FADECs in 1993, and according to the House of Commons report, "after examining only 18 per cent of the code they found 486 anomalies and stopped the review". The report also noted that "intermittent engine failure captions were being regularly experienced by aircrew of Chinook Mk 2s and there were instances of uncommanded run up and run down of the engines and undemanded flight control movements". However, this software was being used on operational aircraft.

Chinook tests at Boscombe Down by the MoD in 1994 reported the FADEC software to be "unverifiable and ... therefore unsuitable for its purpose" [6]

Which is a bloody scandal in itself, the MOD knew the upgrade software was useless but went ahead with it anyway basically.

But you never know. Its unusual to have so many senior people on one helicopter.

Of course there are more exciting theories:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2000/07/10 ... ne_caused/

1. The flight at Heathrow losing engine power on approach and coming up short of the runway...

2. The Polish air force transporter (above article) which crashed due to a problem whcih "occurred as the plane was about to land."

3. And the third recently, today: Bolivian plane makes emergency landing because

The plane...lost power a few miles short of the runway.

Qantas plane lost power during landing
Posted Wed Jan 9, 2008 7:19am AEDT
Updated Wed Jan 9, 2008 9:44am AEDT


Qantas has confirmed that one of its Boeing 747s flying from London to Thailand earlier this week was forced to use a back-up system after losing electrical power.

Qantas has confirmed that flight QF2, carrying more than 300 passengers, was 15 minutes away from landing in Bangkok on Monday when it lost all electrical power and was forced to use its back-up batteries.

The plane landed safely in Bangkok.

Qantas says it has reported the incident to Boeing, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.

It is also conducting its own investigations, with the aircraft being assessed and repaired in Bangkok.

Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman Peter Gibson says his organisation will investigate what he has described as a "highly unusual" incident.

"Aircraft have many power backup systems so it's very uncommon to lose them all.," he said.

The incident comes as Qantas engineers are engaged in industrial action over pay increases and working conditions, with industrial action now planned for Friday.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/09/2134442.htm

Hmm. I am going to change the title of this thread to:

Planes losing electrical power on landing approach Thread

Gouda wrote:Hmm. I am going to change the title of this thread to:

Planes losing electrical power on landing approach Thread

My Hyundai has been known to lose power upon approach from time to time.

Yes, of course - but with multiple instances within the first couple months of this year?!

By the way, does it die on approach from you?

uk had similar problem with cars stalling all over london/south east in March 2007. They eventually admitted it was a problem with the fuel but I dont think ever said exactly what the problem with the fuel was.

Maybe we have a similar issue with aviation fuel?

Maj. Gen, Brigadiers among 8 killed in Pak Army chopper crash

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/00 ... 062073.htm

Islamabad (PTI): A Major General and two Brigadiers were among eight Pakistani military personnel killed on Wednesday when the helicopter they were travelling in crashed in the restive tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

The Army's Bell helicopter crashed near Tanai, located between South Waziristan's major towns of Wana and Jandola, at 2.40 pm local time because of a "technical fault" and was not brought down by any attack by militants active in the area, military spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas said.

***

(Though it is also possible the Pakistani military would want to deny the copter being brought down non-technically by unfriendlies - or friendlies, for that matter. -- Gouda)

Wasn't there a recent thread here about the Empire State Building being a bermuda triangle in that it was causing car stops?

Heathrow crash 'not mechanical'

CNN Link

LONDON, England (AP) -- A preliminary investigation has ruled out a mechanical defect as the cause of the British Airways Boeing 777 crash landing at Heathrow Airport last month.

Monday's interim report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch said its examination of the plane's engines showed no evidence of a mechanical defect.

The report also showed ice and birds were also not to blame.

The cause is still under investigation.

Wellstoned.

* deleted and moved to page 2 *

- Gouda