AVIATION/ NTSB TO ASSIST AVIENT CRASH PROBE

The NTSB is dispatching a team of investigators to assist the government of China in its investigation of the crash of AVIENT AVIATION Flight 324, the MD11 that crashed on takeoff from Shanghai, yesterday. Of the 7 crew members onboard Flight 324, which was on Cargo Service to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, 3 were killed, and the remaining 4 suffered serious to critical injuries. Late yesterday U.S. officials said that the 3 crew members killed were all Americans. Circumstances of the crash, which took place about 8:14am, remain unclear. The Civil Aviation Administration of China simply states that the aircraft "skidded off the runway". It is unclear whether the MD11 ever became airborne, and there are unconfirmed reports that it experienced a tail-strike. Meteorological data for Shanghai Pudong Airport at the time of the accident show good visibility and no unusual weather conditions. The airliner that crashed was Avient's newly-delivered MD11F, Z-BAV, the 1st of the type for the carrier. It received the tri-jet only last week. The aircraft had been parked in Miami for the last several years, after being sold by the new defunct Brazilian Airline, VARIG. The NTSB would only say that it is dispatching a team to support the Chinese investigation.It will include advisers from the FAA as well as representatives from Boeing and the MD11F's engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney.