AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

*A Piper Saratoga made an emergency landing on a busy interstate in Atlanta, Georgia, yesterday. No one was injured and no cars were hit, when the aircaft was put down at 5:00pm, at the height of rush hour. The plane clipped trees on the way down, but was able to miss vehicles and people, landing just outside the HOV lane with its 40-foot wings stretched across 2 lanes. The ends of the plane's propeller were twisted, and the tires had blown from landing on the highway. According to media reports, the Pilot said engine failure was the cause of him having to put the Piper down on the highway. The NTSB will investigate.

*SPIRIT AIRLINES based in Fort Lauderdale, FL, has filed with the SEC for an initial public offering (IPO) of up to $300 million in common stock. The Airline, which was founded as a trucking company in 1964 in Michigan began flying as a Detroit-based CHARTER ONE in 1980. The company began scheduled Airline service in May of 1992. Spirit flies domestic routes including Puerto Rico as well as international flights to the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and other Latin American nations. The carrier will use the funds collected through the IPO to repay debt. The Airline posted a net loss of $2.8 million as of the 2nd quarter of this year, compared with a profit of over $41 million a year ago.

*Airbus is in final negotiations with suppliers about a reworked version of its bestselling A320 and is poised to unveil a more fuel-efficient version as early as next month. New engines on the A320 would cost 1 to 1.5 billion euros, a fraction of what a brand new model would cost. Airbus has forged preliminary agreements with 2 engine makers and is talking to suppliers of nacelles that house the engines, landing gear, and other equipment that would need changing. Putting new engines on the A320-series planes would help Airbus satisfy airlines seeking greater fuel efficiency in the face of rising oil prices.

*CATHAY PACIFIC has firmed up a previously announced commitment for 30 all-new ­A350 XWB long range aircraft. The purchase agreement was finalized in Hong Kong last week. The aircraft will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines. Cathay Pacific will operate the A350 XWB across its network, primarily on its non-stop services to Europe. The aircraft, artist rendering above, will represent a step change in operational efficiency, burning significantly less fuel than existing aircraft of a similar size and offering a corresponding reduction in carbon emissions. For passengers, the extra wide cabin will offer the highest standards in in-flight comfort, with a spacious interior design, new, wider windows and the latest state-of-the-art amenities. Scheduled for entry into service in 2013, the A350 Family is already one of most successful aircraft programs ever, with a total of 558 firm orders already received from 34 customers worldwide.

*KLM is planning major restructuring of 2 of its daughter carriers. MARTINAIR will cease passengers operations and become an all cargo Airline. Passengers booked on Martinair would be transferred to KLM flights and staff at the Airline would also be able to transfer to KLM. TRANSAVIA is going to make major cuts and will become more a budget focused carrier, rather than the luxury brand as it is now. The moves come in light of intense competition from discount rivals EASYJET and RYANAIR.

*Several media reports are saying that Africa's ARIK AIR  is heavily indebted and might soon go under. The reports come in the wake of news that multiple checks issued by the carrier last month to pay bills, had bounced. Arik Air denies that it is going broke. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has warned the Airline it must make good on the bounced checks.

*The JTSB has released its Final Report into an incident involving an AIR FRANCE Boeing 777 near Tokyo, Japan, on March 5, 2009. On that date, AF Flight 276 was on International Service from Paris, France, to Tokyo, with 261 passengers and 16 crew members onboard. While on approach to Tokyo Narita at 25000 feet, with the seat belt signs off, the 777 encountered moderate to severe turbulence. The aircraft went on to make an emergency landing in Tokyo and was met by Emergency Services. Although no passengers were injured, 2 Flight Attendants suffered hip fractures. In their Final Report, the JTSB said that the Probable Cause of the incident was: "As the aircraft was severely shook, while it was descending towards Narita International Airport, the FA's who had been at the aft section of the aircraft, were thrown up in the air and fell down on the floor, seriously injuring them". The JTSB noted that it was possible that the severe shaking of the 777 occurred because as the aircraft encountered the turbulence, the First Officer pulled the control column instantaneously in order to prevent the airspeed from increasing. They also noted that it was possible that due to the fact the 777 was flying near the strong axis of the jet stream, this may have influenced the shaking. The agency noted that no turbulence was forecast at the time of the incident. The full report can be on the JTSB website.

*MESA AIRLINES Flight 2750, on Domestic CRJ200 Service on behalf of US AIRWAYS, from Phoenix, Arizona, to San Luis Obispo, California, had to divert while enroute, yesterday, September 20. While inflight at 28000 feet, near Palm Springs, California, the crew requested diversion due to a cargo fire indication. The CRJ was diverted to Palm Springs, where they landed without incident 15 minutes later. Emergency Services responded and could find no trace of heat, smoke or fire. The CRJ was removed from service for inspection.

*DELTA AIRLINES Flight 1620, on Domestic MD90 Service from Oakland, California, to Salt Lake City, with 150 passengers and 5 crew members onboard, Utah, had to divert while enroute, yesterday, September 20. The crew halted their climb out of Oakland at 25000 feet, reporting engine problems. The MD90 was diverted to Sacramento, California, where it landed 20 minutes later without incident. The aircraft was removed from service for inspection and repairs.

*UNITED AIRLINES Flight 635, on Domestic Boeing 757 Service from Chicago OHare to Seattle, Washington, with 190 passengers and crew onboard, had to divert while enroute, yesterday, September 20. While inflight at 36000 feet, near Billings, Montana, when the crew shut down the right hand engine due to unspecified problems. The 757 was diverted to Billings, where they landed without incident 25 minutes later. The aircraft was removed from service.

*AVIANCA Flight 9472, on Domestic Fokker 100 Service from Bogota to Bucaramanga, Colombia, completed its flight yesterday, September 20, without incident. Post flight inspection revealed that a buzzard had collided with the right hand wing while the Fokker was inflight, damaging the wing. The aircraft was removed from service for repairs.

*AEROMEXICO Flight 6531, on International Boeing 737 Service from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Morelia, Mexico, with 102 passengers and crew onboard, had to make an emergency return, on Sunday, September 19. While on their initial climb out of Las Vegas, the tower advised the crew that they were venting fuel out of their right hand wing. About 1 minute later, the crew declared an emergency, reporting they were losing fuel out of the center tank "really fast". The 737 landed back at Las Vegas about 13 minutes after their original departure and were met by Emergency Services. No visible fuel was seen leaking from the aircraft, thus they were allowed to taxi to the apron. The aircraft was later removed from service for inspection and repairs.

*COPA AIRLINES Flight 701, on International Boeing 737 Service from Panama City, Panama, to Sao Paulo, Brazil, with 145 passengers and crew onboard, had to make an emergency landing, on Sunday, September 19. About 30 minutes prior to its scheduled arrival in Sao Paulo, the 737 encountered turbulence without warning. The crew reported that 3 passengers had suffered minor injuries during the upset. The aircraft landed without incident in Sao Paulo and was met by Emergency Services. According to media reports, the 3 passengers were released from hospital yesterday. According to Copa, the injured passengers were not wearing their seatbelts at the time of the incident. The aircraft was not damaged and remained in service.

*RYANAIR Boeing 737, on International Boeing 737 Service from Beziers, France, to Bristol, England, had to divert shortly after takeoff, on Saturday, September 18. The crew stopped their climb out of Beziers at 12000 feet and then diverted to Girona, Spain, where they landed without incident. The 737 was then removed from service. Ryanair refused to comment on the incident, however media reports said that passengers said they were told they were diverting due to a bird strike on takeoff.