AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

*The Canadian TSB has opened an investigation into an incident at Toronto, ON, Canada, on September 4. On that date, TURKISH AIRLINES Flight 17, an A330, was on its landing roll on runway 24R, after arriving from Istanbul, Turkey. At the same time, AIR CANADA Flight 147, on Domestic A320 Service from Toronto to Vancouver, BC,  was cleared to position on runway 24R and wait. The Turkish jet was then directed to exit the runway and begin its taxi. Immeditely thereafter, ATC cleared the Air Canada jet to takeoff, however the Turkish jet stopped without clearing the runway, prompting the Air Canada Pilots to reject takeoff. The Air Canada jet came to a stop about 2000 feet after beginning its takeoff run. The Air Canada jet then had to wait 30 minutes for the brakes to cool off, before departing Toronto without futher incident.

*The deaths of 9 people in a plane crash at Fox Glacier, New Zealand, on September 4, has prompted the Civil Aviation Authority to restrict skydiving operators from carrying more than 6 passengers during jumps. The emergency directive will apply to any parachute operation using a Fletcher FU24 series aircraft, the same model that was destroyed in the crash. The CAA's urgent directive, issued this week, means operators must limit the number of people allowed in the main cabin to 6 as its investigation has found it is possible to exceed the FU24's rear centre-of-gravity limits during parachute drops. However, the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) says the order is "precautionary" and should not be interpreted as confirming the cause of the crash. On September 4, the SKYDIVE NEW ZEALAND Fletcher, pictured above, crashed at the end of the runway in Fox Glacier as it attempted to takeoff. The 4 tourists, 4 instructors and Pilot, were all killed in the crash. The crash was New Zealand's worst aviation disaster in 17 years.

*BMI Flight 774, on International A330 Service from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to London Heathrow, with a stop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with 84 passengers and crew onboard, struck a bird while on approach to Riyadh, yesterday, September 13. The aircraft landed without incident. Post flight inspection revealed damage to the nose cone, thus the A330 was removed from service for repairs.

*ROSSIYA Flight 235, on International A320 Service from Saint Petersburg, Russia, to Paris, France, had to make an emergency return, yesterday, September 13. While inflight at 36000 feet, near Tallin, Estonia, the crew requested permission and descended to 12000 feet due to a problem with the air conditioning system. The A320 then returned to Saint Petersburg without incident and was removed from service for repairs.

*TAIMYR AVIA, aka NORDSTAR, Flight 406, on Domestic Boeing 737 Service from Norilsk to Saint Petersburg, Russia, with 38 passengers and crew onboard, had to make an emergency return to Norilsk after the cockpit windshield cracked, yesterday, September 13. The 737 landed without incident and was removed from service for repairs.

*PORTER AIRLINES Flight 259, on Domestic Dash 8-400 Service from Ottawa to Halifax, Canada, was damaged after landing, on Sunday, September 12. The Dash arrived without incident in Halifax at 9:00pm and was on taxi to the gate when it was involved in a minor collision with a service vehicle. No one onboard was injured in the incident, however the Dash suffered minor damage to its nose cone and a propellor. The Dash remained on the ground in Halifax yesterday, as pictured above. Transport Canada has opened an investigation into the incident.

*SAS Flight 7708, on International MD82 Service from Bodrum, Turkey, to Billund, Denmark, with 149 passengers and 6 crew members onboard, had to make an emergency diversion, on Sunday, September 12. The MD82 diverted to Belgrade after the crew reported a smoke indication for a luggage compartment. The aircraft was then removed from service. Inspection determined that the smoke indication was false and the aircraft was ferried back to Denmark yesterday.