A Boeing 727-200 Cargo aircraft operated by Aerosucre has crashed on departure to ElDorado Airport in Colombia. Reports say that the wreckage was found approximately 5 miles from the runway departure end at Puerto Carreno airport.
Eyewitness videos posted on Youtube by Sebastian Salazar H show the Boeing 727 rotating at the end of the runway but not lifting off the ground. The jet then clips the fence and crosses a dirt road before lumbering in the air in a desperate attempt to gain altitude.
In a second video, you’ll see the damaged 727-200 attempting to return to the field. At around 35 seconds in the video fuel or vapor appears to be trailing from the wings with the jet steeply banked. Tragically, the aircraft impacts the ground at around the :50 second point in the video.
Other video surfaces of the same Boeing 727 departing this field weeks earlier.
Puerto Carreno Airport (ICAO: SKPC) in Colombia is a relatively short field by modern standards. The runway is only 5,906 feet long. While that is long enough for a 727 to operate, it does require careful planning of both fuel, cargo loading, and accurate TOLD prior to departure. In October, a video was posted of the same cargo operator departing from the same runway. In the video, the lumbering 727 rotates at what appears to be the very end of the concrete runway. The 40 year old Boeing clears the fence by only about 10-15 feet at the departure end.
It was huge and very efficient. But it never was adopted beyond the USSR because of one little problem…
An Ekranoplan is perhaps one of the strangest looking and performing vehicles out there. Technically not an aircraft, yet resembling one, the Ekranoplan is known as a “ground effect vehicle” or a “wing-in-ground-effect” or “WIG.” It is designed to make use of ground effect and fly quickly and efficiently while extremely low to the ground or water. They can be incredibly large, yet very fuel efficient, and used regular land or water.
Although resembling an aircraft, perhaps a seaplane, and seemingly behaving like a hovercraft, it is neither. A ground effect vehicle relies entirely on staying in the floating like stage of flight. Most cannot even take off as the wing shape is intended only for these close to the ground flights. Several different wing designs have been considered and used when it comes to ground effect vehicles, including a type of delta wing concept and a tandem wing concept. In this video, the Ekranoplan is featured with its shorter than normal wing and unique design.
Mild success but the idea hasn’t taken off yet.
The Ekranoplan is Soviet designed and one of the most successful and largest ground effect vehicles out there. The most popular and used Soviet Ekranoplan is the A-90 Orlyonok. Used for quick transport the Olyonok served for several years within their military and proved to be a useful addition. While the production and use was canceled and with the fall of the Soviet Union, the project was taken over elsewhere but also dropped. Today, several companies and militaries are still interested in ground effect vehicles and it will certainly be interesting to see how things pan out for them. One challenge these vehicles face is rough seas. They can’t fly above the weather so they rely of traveling in calm waters and in areas above freezing. The idea is great but their usefulness is marginal.
Skilled pilots struggle to land at notoriously challenging airport.
It’s not uncommon to watch sketchy landings at Madeira airport by large airliners. We at Avgeekery have shared video of previous landings that looked more like controlled crashes than established final approaches.
The challenging runway isn’t because of its length. The runway is actually 9,100 feet long–a fairly respectable length for modern airport. The real challenge is the location of the runway. Nestled against rising terrain, swirling winds near the field are common. When you add a storm system like what occurred on December 17th and you get incredibly challenging conditions. So challenging in fact that airline pilots with thousands of hours are forced to go around, not once, not twice, but thrice. They eventually landed safely after the fourth attempt. No one was injured and no damage occurred. It is rumored though that they had to replace the copilot’s seat cushion. 🙂
The MiG-17 conducts flyover just 30 feet above the ground.
The MiG-17 was engineered and produced by Mikoyan-Gurevich to replace the MiG-15. The first MiG-17 prototype took flight in January of 1950 and later entered production in 1951. During the MiG-17 service, there were five iterations of the aircraft produced, including the MiG-17PF #620 flown in the video. Throughout the MiG-17’s 64-year history, the aircraft has seen service in over 20 different countries and remains in active service in three countries. MiG-17 was designed to withstand up to 8 G-Forces and can reach a max speed of 715 MPH. The aircraft is powered by a single jet engine (with afterburner) providing over 7,000 lbs. of thrust.
The MiG-17PF on display during Thunder Over Michigan 2016 is owned and operated by Fighter Jets Inc. and was piloted by Randy Ball. “Randy Ball’s MiG-17F spent almost four years in restoration, and is one of only a handful of vintage jets flying the North American air show circuit.” (Fighterjets.com)
Friendly competition heating up between pilot training bases over “drop-night” videos. The real winner in this competition is our nation with well-trained men and women.
Last week, we posted a video of Vance’s Class 17-03 Drop night video. The response was super positive and rightfully so. Even our commentary about the need for more of these videos was well received. The bottom line is that people love impressive videos on selfless pilots-in-training who are learning amazing things. On that note, we were recently contacted by Columbus AFB’s Class 17-03. They wanted to share their video too. The video itself is pretty amazing. Even more awesome is their story of building lifelong bonds of friendship through the training. Bonds that will be tested in combat situations.
Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (SUPT) is one of the most difficult technical education programs in the military. It is an incredible endeavor to take a group of pedestrians and turn them into professional military aviators, one that is undertaken not only by Instructor Pilots and students, but also by maintainers, force support staff, police, family, and friends. In short, it takes a village.
During training, students participate in hundreds of hours of academics, simulator rides, and standup sessions, not to mention the flying. They must master aerobatic, instrument, and formation flight as they form the foundational skills on which they will build their careers. This, of course, is an incredible challenge and students must also navigate the ups and downs of successes and failures along the way.
Cooperate to graduate
This 54-week undertaking would be nearly impossible to face alone. It is the class structure that makes success possible. Students rely on classmates for studying, working out, mission preparation, and morale. Boosted Morale is the most beneficial aspect of the class structure because it is motivating and improves performance. To this end, Class 17-03 at Columbus AFB used this philosophy to their advantage.
SUPT culminates in a “Drop Night”, a celebration during which the students learn what aircraft they have been assigned to fly for their careers. Class 17-03 had one of the greatest “Drop Nights” in recent memory when almost every student received one of their top choices of aircraft including a CV-22, C-17, AC-130 Gunship, 2 U-28’s, 3 F-16s, 2 A-10’s, a F-15E and a F-35.
This all-American class (a rarity at SUPT as America strives to train partner-nation pilots as well) worked together both during and outside of training and became not just a team but also a group of lifelong friends. It was because of this cohesion that they were able to achieve what they did. Class 17-03 created a video to capture the essence of Pilot Training and the class unity they utilized to succeed.
The video was debuted during their “Drop Night” festivities and now its on the internet for everyone to enjoy.
Keep ’em coming…
At Avgeekery, we are proud to highlight these class-made videos. We’d be happy to share more as they are produced (send them our way via Facebook or avgeekeryblog@gmail.com). More importantly, we hope that those who produce these videos see the power of them. They do more than just excite avgeeks. They showcase the power of our nation and our collective hope for the future.
As the airshow season comes to an end, one of our Avgeekery fans has shared his photos from the traditional final airshow of the season.
Nellis AFB knows how to do a finale. This year’s airshow schedule was pretty impressive with great shows across the US and Europe. Nellis saved the best for last by hosting an outstanding static display, and an excellent demonstration schedule. The schedule consisted of the West Coast Ravens flying their RV aircraft (RV-4, RV-6A, RV-7, and RV-8), C-17 PACAF Demonstration team, Nellis Heritage Parade consisting of a T-6, P-40,P-51, P-63, B-25, PB4Y-2, Mig-15, F-86, T-33, and the QF-4E.
These photos were submitted by our loyal Avgeekery reader, Joseph Fischer. If you have a story or photos that you’d like to share, e-mail us at Avgeekeryblog@gmail.com
The A330-200, A350, A320NEO, and A380 take to the skies in impressive form.
Airbus is one of the largest producers of commercial aircraft to have ever existed. The French company has several aircraft in operation, billions of dollars in revenue, and many different technological advancements to its name in the aviation world. It is no surprise that the four aircraft in this video represent Airbus’s greatest hope for the next 20 years. The A320neo, A350-900, A380, and the A330-200 are a sight to be seen flying in formation so perfectly.
All four aircraft featured have impressive fuel efficiency and advanced technology. Airbus has bet its future on the A350 and the A320NEO. The A380 is impressive but has had a bumpy road. The A330NEO is coming soon. This video represents potentially one of the last formation flights of the A330 “classic”.
A formation flight of any aircraft is never simple. Four large airliners in tight formation is an impressive challenge. This video shows the behind the scenes coordination necessary to launch the impressive show.
A cadet wanted to know what it was like to go faster than the speed of sound. I took him up for a ride.
It was 2002 and I was stationed in Aviano AB, Italy with the 510th Fighter Squadron Buzzards. We flew Block 40 F-16s and occasionally flew young troops, maintenance airmen, or local base award winners on what was called an incentive flight. An incentive flight is a big deal for a non-flyer, as they get to ride in the back seat of the F-16 and experience all of its power and might.
The typical incentive flight is a single ship sortie, in the two-seat “D model, or Family Model” out to the airspace and once there, really anything goes (within the limits and rules of the USAF, airspace, and of course the aircraft). A typical incentive flight allows the back seat first-timer a chance to fly a little, do some loops or rolls, pull some Gs and if possible…to break the sound barrier!
I remember being assigned as incentive pilot one day and I met beforehand with my “rider.” This particular troop was one of our maintenance guys, just 19 or 20 years old and pretty fresh to the scene, as well as the USAF. He had won some big accolade and was rightfully awarded with an incentive flight for his terrific actions.
This kid and I talked beforehand. He was very excited, but a little nervous (as they all are). His one big request, no matter what happened and what we did, was that he wanted to break the sound barrier. He wanted to go over Mach 1.
“No problem” I told him. We had the airspace that was approved for those speeds and the jet configuration for the day would also permit us a “Mach run.”
U.S. Air Force in Europe
The Flight
I don’t recall much about the subsequent flight with this kid in “the trunk” of the F-16, however one part stands out. After we did some rolls and maneuvers, pulled a few Gs and so forth it was time for the Mach run. I told the kid we were setting up for the run and I could tell he was excited. He even asked if he should hold on tight or brace himself for the speed changes…I’ll never forget it.
I turned the jet to the north, somewhere around 15,000 feet and plugged in the “burner.” In the F-16 when you apply afterburner, it wakes you up. It literally feels as if someone has kicked you in the butt and the jet unleashes with a violent thrust that pushes you back in the seat. I called out the speeds as we accelerated. Heads, helmets, and guts getting pushed back in the seat with incredible force. “Point seven, point seven five…get ready.”
At this time the forces began to relax a little. We were still accelerating at a serious rate, but that rate begins to subside a little as you get faster and faster. It starts to feel like the acceleration of your average car getting on the highway. Nothing too incredible.
“Zero point eight… point eight five…” I called out so in case the kid in the back wasn’t sure where to read the speed on the displays, he could still know what our speed was.
“Point nine, point nine five…here we go, get ready!”
The F-16 slipped past the Mach effortlessly. There is no change in tone or pitch, no violent shockwave or concussion. Nothing really noteworthy actually. It’s quite anticlimactic, and the speeds become just numbers on the displays.
“There it is, Mach 1!” I said as I continued my count upward as we accelerated further. “One point one…one point two. What do you think back there” I asked?
What he said next I’ll never forget.
“That’s it?”
Yes my friend… that is it.
It’s pretty special to go over the Mach, not many folks on this earth can say they’ve done it. But in all reality, in a plane like the F-16 (or any fighter for that matter) where they are built for speed and performance, going the speed of sound is really nothing too noteworthy. It’s so easy.
In fact, sometimes during the course of aggressive training maneuvers and such, during typical operations we sometimes exceed the speed of sound unintentionally. It’s just so effortless.
But looking around outside, at typical altitudes, there really isn’t much sensation of speed. Sadly, Mach one is just a number on the dial.
Slowing Down
What is also quite impressive to me is slowing down the F-16 from above the Mach. The F-16 normally (depending on configuration, weight, and altitude) likes to fly around 400-500 knots at full “military” power. Going supersonic typically requires the afterburner and speeds are well over 700 knots. When you decide to terminate the run and reduce power from afterburner to military, and interesting phenomenon occurs. Well obviously…you slow down.
But at those speeds it hits you like a brick wall. When you terminate the afterburner you are thrown forward against your straps, and held there for quite some time. It’s not like slowing your car from 60 mph to zero. It’s much harder, more aggressive, and you are held forward in the straps for over 20-30 seconds. It’s a very weird sensation to be decelerating for such a long time. You almost begin to think something is wrong with the aircraft as you decelerate over such a long time, and with such continuous force.
Post Flight
After the flight, I could see that the maintenance kid was pretty excited about the flight. He was jubilant and had a big smile on his face, and he didn’t even throw up either! I think he was a little let down by the Mach run, but in the end he enjoyed the experience.
As we climbed out of the jet he was greeted by some of his buddies from the squadron.
“We pulled 9 Gs and even broke the sound barrier” he said to them.
“How fast?” they asked.
“I think we got up to Mach 1.3” he reported, clearly with a glint in his eye, knowing that despite the ease at which we slipped past the sound barrier in our trusty steed, he just became part of an elite club of folks who can say they have gone the speed of sound.
I think, in the end, he was pretty excited after all.
We launched as a two-ship formation of C-130Js, taking off into the night well after the darkness had fallen. Maintaining an altitude of 500 feet above the desert terrain, we continuously updated our position to remain clear of Egyptian airspace and the Jordanian buffer region.
Our aircraft dusted off the sand dunes in the lower Sinai region as we slowed down, descended, and airdropped supplies to our Israeli partners on the ground. Then came our approach to the Dead Sea.
In 2013 we were invited to fly the mighty C-130J Hercules in Israel for an allied training mission with the Israeli Air Force. I was part of the 37th Airlift Squadron, Blue Tail Flies.
Our mission was to fly side-by-side with the Israelis to build our partnership capacity. Daily, we launched two C-130J formations flying low altitude tactical airdrop & airland missions during the day and at night using night vision goggles.
Landing below sea level
Located on the Western shores of the Dead Sea in Israel. Field elevation is -1,240 feet below sea level making it the lowest elevation airport on earth. The field name is Bar Yehuda (ICAO: LLMZ), the field plays host to charter/sightseeing flights & military operations.
The strip is paved asphalt on a direction of 01/19 and it is 3,937 feet long and just over 60 feet wide. To put this in perspective most large aircraft use runways 7,000 to 10,000 feet long at airports. The C-130J can land and stop in less than 3,000 feet using full reverse and max effort braking as required.
Getting there can be more than half the fun
My first sortie to the Dead Sea was at night. We flew our predetermined course from the West climbing with the rising terrain to the descent point 3,000 MSL approximately 4,200 feet above field elevation. Cresting the cliffs that surrounded the Sea we descended to 0000 MSL on the altimeter, slowed and configured the aircraft for landing.
We intercepted the final approach course of 190 and continued our descent making visual contact with the field approximately 3 miles out at an altitude of -300 on the clock and still 900 feet AGL. We continued to descent along the 3 degree glide path we computed during mission planning from -300, -700, -1000, about 20 seconds later we touched down within the zone at the first 500 feet of the runway, and the Captain brought the aircraft to a stop. We had operated the aircraft as planned but now that we were on the ground the aircraft systems presented a myriad of navigation errors.
Where’s the Nav???
The aircraft navigation computer was unresponsive to our inputs and would not allow us to see the pre-programmed route we loaded for our return to base. The computer acted like we had run the aircraft into the ground. We immediately got the checklist out and began troubleshooting.
The aircraft was unable to locate any GPS satellites, accept any updates to its navigation solution, and there were no NAVAIDs to tune. We realized we were going to have to make it back to base in the old school way. We pulled out the chart and made a plan to takeoff and fly following the road to the West back to base. We completed running our takeoff data performance numbers, configured the aircraft and commenced a maximum effort takeoff roll.
The aircraft climbed out and as we reached -300 MSL everything came back. The nav computer came back online and our GPS position confirmed the base was 20 miles to West. We pointed the aircraft toward the base and landed uneventfully. In the debrief we shared our actions with our leadership so crews flying in and out of Dead Sea below MSL could be prepared for what may happen to them. The 37th operated C-130s in out of the field for the following two-weeks.
We got our own ‘Warning’ in the manual
Most warnings in flight manuals are due to someone doing something wrong. We contributed to one for doing something right! After the aircraft manufacturer reviewed the reports coming out of the Dead Sea airland operations they realized the navigation computer was not fit for operating below 400 feet MSL.
The company immediately issued a change to the manual with a WARNING that the aircraft not be operated below an altitude of -400 MSL. I’m sure when they release the next version it will include updated navigation for flying to the Dead Sea and earth’s other extreme low elevation locations http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/ten-lowest-places-on-earth.html.
Poor judgement and fuel planning are leading theories for crash that killed soccer team experiencing a dream season.
While the investigation into the crash of the LaMia RJ-85 airliner in Columbia is still ongoing, it is becoming apparent that the aircraft ran out of fuel. Investigators at the crash site noted that there was no post-crash fire or fuel spillage. Other evidence suggesting fuel starvation is that photos of the fan blades on the engines appear to show them to be mostly intact. A spinning engine often throws its blades upon impact suggesting that the engines were not operating.
Other significant factors affecting this flight were the length of the leg, an arrival delay imposed due to another emergency aircraft, and the status of the pilot as a part owner of the charter airline. Also of note is that the first officer was on her first flight as a commercial pilot.
How Much Fuel Did They Need?
Any airline will be subject to the regulations of the country in which they are based, but most countries’ rules conform to guidelines published by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). ICAO rules state that any aircraft must have enough fuel to travel to its destination and any alternate airport plus an additional 45 minutes for reserve. The investigation will determine if the LaMia aircraft departed with sufficient fuel.
Remember, though, that winds aloft, weather, payload, and even temperature can affect the fuel range of any airplane. There is no hard and fast mileage number to apply. The investigation will need to reconstruct all the planning data that the LaMia pilots had.
The first and perhaps most common way to run out of gas is due to simple human error. This can result in an aircraft being mis-fueled or having an erroneous fuel reading due to a bad gauge. Call it inadvertent…when it gets quiet while still airborne, the pilots may be surprised the most. This can take multiple errors by fuelers, mechanics, or pilots who can be extremely inventive in finding ways to circumvent procedures designed to catch fuel errors, but it has been known to happen.
The second way to run out of fuel is to have a lapse of judgement, or what we in aviation call airmanship.
This Has Happened Before
Part of the essence of being a pilot in command of a commercial aircraft means internalizing the fact that 1) you’re on your own and 2) that everyone aboard is depending on you. Of course you aren’t literally on your own as you have resources such as your first officer, air traffic control, and dispatch, but no one will be there to hold your hand or pull your chestnuts out of the fire if things go wrong. The nature of the job means that you will be made, in some way or another, to own the decisions you make.
Keeping your eye on your fuel state is one of those “Aviation 101” things that every pilot gets pounded into them from day one. Running out of gas is something you just don’t do if you’re aware of the two precepts above. It is rare but it happens.
In 1978, a United Airlines DC-8 crashed outside of Portland, Oregon after running out of fuel. The pilots had become preoccupied with a bad gear indication and flew around until the fuel ran out. The engineer was not assertive enough to communicate the plane’s dire fuel state to a distracted captain. As the engines quit, the captain implored the engineer to “keep them running”. He forgot that it was his job to land before the fuel ran out.
Again in 1990, an Avianca Boeing 707 crashed after running out of fuel on approach to New York’s JFK airport killing 74 passengers and crew. The cause was determined to be a language barrier and misunderstanding by the crew in communicating their fuel state to air traffic control. Specifically, air traffic controllers will not give priority handling to any aircraft unless the word “emergency” is used. The Avianca crew did not use that term and ran out of fuel after extensive traffic delays.
In both of these cases, the pilot in command failed to take appropriate actions to land before the fuel ran out. It really doesn’t matter what air traffic control says or what state the landing gear are in. It would’ve been better to belly in or to disregard controller instructions than to crash. Making uncomfortable choices between two potentially unpleasant options is a big part of being a pilot.
Was This Careless Flying?
While the investigation is far from complete, a picture is beginning to emerge. LaMia, which only owned this one aircraft, was known to be one of the cheapest charter operators available for hire in the region. A takeoff delay also meant that a potential refueling stop was not available due to the closure of that field. It also turns out that the pilot in command was a part owner of the company who may have let financial concerns cloud his judgement.
Lastly, his copilot, Sisy Arias, was on her first ever commercial flight as a pilot. This is important because in her very inexperienced state, she may not have been aware of the fuel situation nor was she likely to intervene even if she was.
There’s an old aviation aphorism floating around which states that the definition of a superior pilot is one who uses their superior judgement (proper fuel planning) to avoid situations requiring their superior skill (doing a night dead-stick landing into mountainous terrain).
Aviation is a profession that calls for strict adherence to unmalleable rules. Behaving recklessly is bad enough, if that is indeed what happened here, but the real tragedy is in betraying the trust of your passengers and crew.
Put this on your list of things you’ll never see in the United States…A Crazy Low DC-10 Flyby
There are flyovers. There are low fly-bys. And there are crazy-stupid low flybys. With a fully configured DC-10 hovering above the runway at about 50 feet (gear up none the less), we’ll put this one in the crazy stupid category!
The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 was introduced in the early 70s as a mid-range aircraft with the ability to hold roughly 380 passengers. Equipped with three engines and the capability to travel up to 6,000 miles depending on the series, the DC-10 was well equipped and highly competitive with both the Boeing 747 and the Lockheed Tristar in terms of range and passenger capacity.
The DC-10 was widely bought and used by various airlines and is even used within the United States Air Force as a refueling aircraft. With all of its features and constant upgrades, it was a longtime favorite of Fedex and American Airlines.
The DC-10 was commercially flown until 2014. 446 were produced over 20 years. Although the aircraft is no longer used for passengers, there are still several being flown for cargo, mostly as modified MD-10s by FedEx.
DC-10 Flyby Like This One Would Never Be Approved Today
In this vintage video posted on Youtube, we see a low flying pass completed by a DC-10 that happened in the 1980s. It is quite the treat seeing such a great aircraft as up close as this, albeit maybe just a little scary at the same time!
This jet is for the elites, way above you and me…The 1% of the 1%.
Bombardier is best known for their very uncomfortable CRJ series and the new more palatable C-series regional airliners. While most of us will never set foot in a private jet, their line of aircraft are impressive.
On November 4th of this year, the highly anticipated Bombardier Global 7000 business jet completed its first flight. With the ability to hold a total of 17 passengers and crew, travel at Mach .925, and travel a distance of 7,400 nautical miles, it is sure to take the business jet world by storm. With its luxurious setup it is certainly a home in the sky with room for business and entertaining, as well as wonderfully designed dedicated crew space.
At 111 feet long, and with a wingspan of 104 feet, Bombardier was sure to pack as much luxury and power as possible into this aircraft. Right down to the turbofan General Electric Passport engines, aerodynamic wing design, amazing fuel efficiency and perfect use of every inch of the aircraft, Bombardier has created not only the perfect jet for passengers, but for the pilots keeping it flying as well.
This video shows the success of the first flight of the aircraft that has been in the works for several years. As soon as the Bombardier Global 7000 is readily and widely available, it is sure to be a hit for those traveling in it and for those in charge of flying it! We certainly look forward to seeing just how great this aircraft will truly be as we start seeing them in the sky in the near future!
