AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

*The Swiss Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, BFU, has released its final reports into a tail strike suffered by a SKY WORKS AIRLINES Dash 8-400 at Berne, Switzerland, on June 22, 2008. On that date, Flight 172 was on International Service from Palma Mallorca, Spain, to Berne, with 62 passengers and 5 crew members onboard. On finals, ATC notified the crew to expect a tailwind. During the landing flare, the crew observed to high of a sinkrate. Thus the Pilot flying increased the pitch angle which resulted in the tail coming in contact with the runway first. The crew was able to stop the aircraft on the runway. 1 passenger and 1 Flight Attendant suffered minor injuries. The Dash suffered substantial damages in the incident. In their final report, the Swiss BFU blamed the incident on Pilot Error, specifically the Pilot increasing the pitch angle. The BFU stated that fatigue may have played a part on the crews actions. The full report, including a detailed synopsis on the approach and landing, can be found on the Swiss BFU website.

*A BRITISH AIRWAYS Boeing 767 had to divert while enroute yesterday due to reports on smoke onboard. Flight 253 was on International Service from London Heathrow to Nassau, Bahamas, with 147 passengers and crew onboard. While inflight over the Atlantic, the crew reported the smell of smoke and declared an emergency. The 767 was diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, Canada, where it landed without incident. Emergency Services could find no trace of fire or smoke. The aircraft was later released to continue on its flight after a full safety check.

*An ANN ALL NIPPON NETWORK Dash 8-400 had to make an emergency return to Osaka, Japan, yesterday. Flight 1657 was on Domestic Service to Niigata, Japan, with 22 passengers and crew onboard when the incident took place. The crew requested return after they were unable to fully retract the landing gear after takeoff. The Dash landed back at Osaka without incident, and was removed from service for repairs.

*A CONDOR Boeing 767 had to make an emergency return to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on Monday, December 7. Flight 1233, on International Service to Frankfurt, Germany, reported that tehy were unable to fully retract the landing gear after takeoff, and that they were receiving messages of disagreeing gear doors. After circling to troubleshoot and to burn off fuel, the 767 landed back in Punta Cana about 2 hours later without incident. The aircraft was removed from service for repairs.