Aerospace Diary

by  Chris Pocock  and Neelam Mathews     March 26, 2015 The first two Indian air force Mirage 2000s to be upgraded were handled by the Dassault Flight Centre at Istres air base in France. (photo: Dassault Aviation) In a ceremony at Istres airbase in southern France on March 25, the Indian Ambassador to France accepted the first two Indian Air Force (IAF) Mirage 2000 fighters to be upgraded by Dassault and Thales. It has been agreed that the rest of the IAF fleet will be upgraded by HAL in Bangalore – a fact that the leadership of Dassault and Thales were keen to point out, in view of the long delays in sealing a licensed production deal for the Rafale. After a two-year development phase, the first flight of the upgraded Mirage 2000 I/TI took place at Istres on October 5, 2013. Today’s ceremony is the result of the excellent understanding between the Indian and French partners and of our commitment to India,” said Eric...

Neelam Mathews A lot of water has flown with speculations galore since the unfortunate crash of AirAsia A320-200 QZ8501, an airline with a decade-old accident-free record. However, it has stirred up long-standing issues that are unfortunately only raked up when attention is drawn by tragedies such as this. One such issue is the urgent need for tracking guidelines that seem to be caught in a quagmire of vacillation by world bodies responsible for aviation health. This nightmare has also exposed the insularity and arrogance of governments. Why, for instance, were SAR operations not started immediately once the plane went off the radar? Yes, the weather was bad and still is. As an aviation safety expert said,this attitude “is unpardonable.” Having faced the nightmare of MH370, one would have thought that as soon as contact was lost with the aircraft, there would be alarm bells ringing. Call it geo-politics or egos, everybody seemed to be waiting for the other to ask or offer hel...

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE  »  OCTOBER 24, 2014 by    NEELAM MATHEWS The Indian air force fleet of some 200 Sukhoi Su-30MKI combat jets has been grounded after a crash. (Photo: Chris Pocock) October 23, 2014, 1:36 PM The crash of an Indian Air Force ( IAF ) Sukhoi Su-30  MKI  on October 14 has led to the temporary grounding of the entire fleet of some 200 jets. The  IAF ’s safety record is again under scrutiny, with concerns about training and maintenance being voiced unofficially. The aircraft crashed approximately 20 km from Pune airbase, near Mumbai, after both K- 36DM  zero-zero ejection seats inadvertently fired. The pilots survived the ejections. “A Court of Enquiry is in progress and certain specific checks are being conducted on the aircraft,” said a Ministry of Defense (MoD) statement. A senior former  IAF  maintenance officer told  AIN , on condition of anonymity: “It is like...

Neelam Mathews March 28, 2014     As a stunned military views the crash of the IAF tactical transporter, C130-J, 75 miles west of Gwalior airbase in Madhya Pradesh , killing five, the Chief of IAF is said to have ordered an inquiry on the possible cause related to the mishap. While this is unprecedented, it shows the shock generated following the crash. “This cannot happen to a C170J, thought it was a cruel joke,’ an IAF official told AerospaceDiary. Recent crashes of the C170 were in Norway and Italy. Understandably, there has been no comment  from Lockheed Martin as yet. While speculation would be out of place at this point, the C-130J that has an infrared detection set that permits precision low-level flying, could have suffered a failure of aerostructures that could be one or many of the following- in the wing, airframe or cockpit, said an engineer to AerospaceDiary. “This could lead to a failure in the fly-by-wire and other critical systems.” Aerospac...

July 11, 2013

Neelam Mathews June 24, 2013 A  MiG–29 aircraft of IAF crashed near South of Khambalia, Gujarat  today  at about 1330 hours, says an IAF release. The aircraft was airborne from Jamnagar airbase  under the aegies  of the Western Air Command  on a routine flying training  sortie. The pilot ejected safely.

Feb 19 Press Statement A Su-30 aircraft of the IAF crashed at Pokharan Range on 19 Feb 2013 at about 1920h. The aircraft was on a night flying training mission. Both the pilots ejected safely. There is no reported damage to any civil property or life on ground. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to investigate into the accident.

Neelam Mathews Jan 16, 2013 An Agusta 109 has crashed after apparently colliding with the top of a 770ft tall jib crane at Vauxhall, Central London. After the collision the helicopter fell into the street below, reportedly hitting two cars, and was destroyed by fire. It is believed the pilot, the only person on board the helicopter, died in the accident. It has also been confirmed that 2 people have died so far. Photos of the crash site show the top of the crane extending into the base of the low cloud, reports Ascend.

Neelam Mathews Dec 30, 2012 The fifth crew member of the charter Red Wings, Tu-204 that crashed yesterday, has died.   It is being said bad brakes may be to blame for the incident, in which the plane failed to decelerate on the runway, crashing through a perimeter fence before breaking into fragments and bursting into flames.  The plane, a 200-seater was empty barring the crew.

Neelam Mathews Dec 26, 2012 The Burmese government has it has formed a commission to investigate on a crash of an Air Bagan Fokker 100 on Dec 25 which left two dead, raising questions on safety standards. Business as usual—Air Bagan's flight W9-011 took off as scheduled from Heho airport at 9:35 am on Wednesday, a day after the crash, carrying tourists and other passengers to Rangoon. (PHOTO: Xiao Ting Shirley / Mizzima) According to official reports, Air Bagan flight no. XY-AGC was carrying six crew members, 48 foreign passengers and 17 local passengers. It departed from Mandalay International Airport for Heho at about 8.28 am, and was forced to attempt an emergency landing on a road at about 8.51 am. According to state-run  The New Light of Myanmar : “The plane hit [the] Kalaw-Aungthabye 66 KVA power grid that links from east to west about one mile from Heho airport runway and trees on Taunggyi-Meiktila roadside and then hit the ground as mist covered the runway.” T...

Neelam Mathews Dec 18, 2012 Crashed Sukhoi Superjet Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee has completed the investigation of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 RRJ-95B aircraft, registered 97004 with flight number RA 3680, that crashed into Mount Salak, West Java in May killing 45. The inquiry finds the crew switched off the terrain-warning and was distracted by conversation, before hitting the mountain. The pilot of the Russian-made aircraft may have been distracted as he was talking to a potential customer, said Tatang Kurniadi, head of Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee. The pilot’s lack of familiarity with the West Java region and poor planning were other factors. The 90-seat SuperJet was carrying reporters and potential customers as part of a regional promotional tour. The report used information obtained from air traffic services transcripts, Indonesian National Search and Rescue (Basarnas) reports, flight records, the flight data recorder and the...

Neelam Mathews Oct 15, 2012 An Indian Navy Chetak helicopter crashed today at 10am while landing at Naval air station in Goa. The helio was in transit to make a rescheduling stop from Mumbai to Bangalore. All three onboard have died. Our condolences to their families. Goa’s Dabolim airport has been closed, we hear. While a Board of Inquiry to ascertain the cause has been formed, isn’t it time to start looking at what is happening with those machines?   The Indian Navy has released an RFP for 56 Light Utility Helicopters. The bidders have been given a five-month time to submit their bids. Why is the time period been extended? Shouldn’t this be a priority? Or is it the time of the year once again to give HAL a chance to offer a design, for which it will take another few years to implement? Are we waiting for more disasters to happen?

Neelam Mathews Sept 28, 2012 This morning, a Sita Air  operated  Dornier Fairchild twin engine turboprop,  with Garrett TPE331-10T/-5A engine, crashed on the banks of Manohara in the Bhakatpur district river killing 19 including 16 passengers. Local papers have reported the aircraft crashed within two minutes after the ATC gave clearance for take off from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport. The reason for the crash is not known. It is being speculated , a bird hit could have been the cause. The aircraft was on its way to Lukla, a tourist destination in the lap of Mt.Everest. Aviation accidents are not a rarity in Nepal. In May, an Agni Air Dornier had also crashed.  Sita Air started operations in 2003 with four Dorniers.

Neelam Mathews Sept 28, 2012 This morning, a Sita Air operated  Dornier Fairchild twin engine turboprop,  with Garrett TPE331-10T/-5A engine, crashed on the banks of Manohara in the Bhakatpur district river killing 19 including 16 passengers. Read more on-  http://aerospacediary.blogspot.in/2012/09/nepal-crash-kills-19.html

Neelam Mathews Sept 1, 2012 Even as the team of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Gandhinagar Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) officials launch an inquiry into Aug 29 th helicopter crash at Godhra in which Asaram Bapu and two others had a narrow escape, Aerospace Diary learns the pilot could have been descending too fast trying to land within the “H” marked on the ground.  However, DGCA officials have said the cause of the accident could be an improper landing site. Something confirmed by Captain Ravindra Singh, who said the helicopter had started shaking moments before landing, causing imbalance. “In that case, I decided to apply more power for a fair landing as my main concern was the safety of passengers. All this happened in just three seconds. It was a controlled landing. But as the soil on which it landed was slippery, the chopper skidded and lay tilted on the ground,” he said. One applauds the solid Bell 206! Any thoughts?

A Boeing 737-200 127 people on board crashed while trying to land in bad weather near Islamabad today evening. There were nine crew members and 118 passengers onboard. The Bhoja Air flight from Karachi, B4-213, was the airline’s maiden flight to the Islamabad sector after 12 years. It departed Karachi’s Jinnah Terminal at 5 p.m. and was proceeding on schedule when it lost contact with air traffic control at 6:40 p.m., approximately 10 minutes before its estimated time of arrival at Benazir Bhutto International Airport. According to airport sources, the plane crashed shortly afterward. “There is no chance of any survivors," said an official.

March 5, 2012 One Mirage 2000 aircraft of IAF crashed Approx 60 kms short of Jaipur, in Dausa today  at about 1230 hrs.   The pilots, Squadron Leader Raj and Flight Lieutenant Kanav who got airborne from Gwalior airbase for routine flying sortie, ejected safely.   There is no reported damage to civil property or life. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to investigate into the cause of the accident,says the IAF.

Neelam Mathews Aug 4, 2011 An Indian Air Force Jaguar aircraft has crashed about 50 miles south east of Gorakhpur at about noon today . This is the 1001th  accident since 1970. The aircraft had taken off from Gorakhpur air base and was on a routine flying training sortie and is said to have crashed into the fields. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. On Tuesday, a MiG 21 crashed in Rajasthan. Aerospace Diary learns it did an overshoot. “It is impossible to balloon the parachute at a low altitude,” says a pilot. Of the 1000 aircraft the IAF has lost in crashes since 1970, 39 percent occurred due to pilot error, a parliamentary panel was informed by the defense ministry.  Increasingly, questions are being raised whether the IAF needs to reevaluate its training style to incorporate more simulator training for its rookie pilots. Another 39.5 percent air crashes took place due to technical defect in the aircraft and 1.6 percent were due to maintenance errors. Nine pe...

Jun 15, 2010 By Neelam Mathews mathews.neelam@gmail.com New Delhi The Indian Air Force’s safety woes continued June 15 with the crash of a MiG-21, marking the third loss of a combat fighter this year. The MiG-21 (Type 96) was flying near Pathankot when it crashed around 11.25 a.m. Indian Standard Time due to what air force officials believe was a hydraulic failure. The IAF also lost a MiG-27 and MiG-21 in February. The MiG-27 crash briefly led to the grounding of that fleet. The IAF says the pilot ejected safely and no ground property was damaged. Last year the IAF suffered 11 crashes, including five MiG-21s. More broadly, the IAF has suffered a wave of MiG-21 crashes and other losses. During the past three years, 21 Mikoyan-built fighters have been lost by the service, killing four service personnel. Sixty one aircraft and helicopters of various types have crashed in the last four years, and 28 pilots have died. Of these, 48.3% of the IAF accidents were blamed on technica...