AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

*AIR CHINA has struck a deal with Boeing for 4 777-300ERs, which have a total average value of $1.1 billion at current list prices. Air China, the flag carrier of the People's Republic of China, will use the aircraft to expand its international routes. "The 777-300ER will be the backbone of our long-haul international fleet," said the vice president of Air China. "The airplane's high efficiency and performance features will enable Air China to launch more direct long-haul routes to meet the increasing demand of our passengers." The aircraft carries 365 passengers up to 7930 nautical miles.

*TURKISH AIRLINES has taken delivery of its 1st of 10 Airbus A330-300s, pictured, and 1st of 2 A330-200 Freighters. Both aircraft are Rolls Royce-powered. Turkish has an all-Airbus freighter fleet, which also includes 4 A310s. The new A330-200F will serve long-haul routes between Istanbul and Shanghai and Hong Kong.

*The NTSB is investigating the landing gear indicents involving the ATLANTIC SOUTHEAST AIRLINES CRJ900 at Westchester County, New York, on September 25 and the SKYWEST CRJ200 at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on September 28. It was announced yesterday that the landing gear for the CRJ1/CRJ2 and the CRJ7/CRJ9 are different designs and made by 2 different manufacturers.

*The NTSB has issued a brief update on an incident involving a JET4YOU Boeing 737 near Elba on August 20, 2010. On that date, Flight 580 was on a Positioning Flight from Casablanca, Morocco, to Venice, Italy, with 6 crew members onboard. While inflight at 34000 feet, about 180 miles from Venice, the crew performed an emergency descent to 10000 feet due to a loss of cabin pressure. The 737 then continued on to Venice, where they landed without incident. In their update, the NTSB reported that the aircraft suffered a rapid decompression. No one onboard was injured and the aircraft suffered no damage. The NTSB said that the Italian ANSV is investigating, with the NTSB participating as the aircraft was made in the US.

*The French BEA have released their Final Report into an incident involving an AIRLINAIR ATR42 on January 17, 2009, at Lyon, France. On that date, the ATR42 was performing a Charter Flight from Lyon to La Rochelle, France, with 42 passengers and 3 crew members onboard. The passengers were a rugby team from La Rochelle, traveling home. The crew had to reject takeoff from Lyon after the aircraft would not rotate. In their Final Report, the BEA did not publish any conclusions, however they did say that due to the specific distribution and mass of the passenger group, the center of gravity (CG) was forward of the permitted limit. There were no problems noted with the aircraft. The full report, including a detailed analysis of the takeoff weight and center of gravity, can be found on the BEA website.

*BRITISH AIRWAYS Flight 117, on International Boeing 747 Service from London Heathrow to New York JFK, with 296 passengers and crew onboard, had to make an emergency return, today, October 2. The crew halted their climb at 1500 feet, and declared an emergency, reporting an open door indication. The 747 landed back at Heathrow, 9 minutes after their initial departure. The aircraft is currently undergoing inspection.

*AIR INDIA Flight 901, on International A310 Service from Kozhikode, India, to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with 197 passengers and 12 crew members onboard, had to make an emergency diversion, today, October 2. While inflight overhead the Indian Ocean, the crew declared an emergency reporting a smoke detector had gone off. The A310 was diverted to Kochi, India, where it landed without incident and was then removed from service for inspection. The incident is under investigation by Indian authorities.

*DELTA AIRLINES Flight 183, on Domestic Boeing 767 Service from New York JFK to Seattle, Washington, with 150 passengers and crew onboard, had to make an emergency diversion, yesterday, October 1. The crew declared an emergency and diverted to Syracuse, New York, after shutting down the right hand engine. Emergency Services met the aircraft and cleared it to taxi to the gate and offload passengers. The same aircraft diverted 4 days earlier, also due to right hand engine shut down. That engine was replaced. Yesterday, the 767, registration N198DN and pictured above, was once again removed from service for inspection and repairs.

*PRIMERA AIR Flight 769, on International Boeing 737 Service from Stockholm, Sweden, to Larnaca, Cyprus, with 150 passengers and crew onboard, had to divert while enroute, yesterday, October 1. While inflight near Varna, Bulgaria, a passenger reported to cabin crew that he had seen small flames on the left hand wing. As a precaution, the Captain decided to divert to Varna, where they 737 landed and was inspected by Emergency Services. After a full inspection, and with no problems noted, the 737 was released to continue on its flight to Larnaca, where it landed without incident, 6 hours behind schedule.

*AIR CANADA Flight 173, on Domestic A320 Service from Toronto, ON, to Calgary, AB, with 120 passengers and crew onboard, had to make an emergency landing, on Wednesday, September 29. While inflight at 36000 feet, about 100 miles from Calgary, the crew declared an emergency, reporting a hydraulics failure. The A320 landed without incident 30 minutes later, however it had to be towed off the runway. The aircraft has been repaired and returned to service.

*CARGOJET Flight 573, on Domestic Boeing 727 Cargo Service from Winnipeg, MB, to Edmonton, AB, Canada, with 3 crew members onboard, had to return to Winnipeg when the aircraft would not pressurize, on Wednesday, September 29. Post flight inspection revealed that the left forward door was not closing fully. Although the door indication would extinguish, the door would not fully close. The door fittings were lubricated and after a successful pressurization test, the 727 was returned to service.

*FED EX Flight 2, on International MD11 Cargo Service from Memphis, Tennessee, to London Stansted, had to divert while enroute, on Wednesday, September 29. While inflight at 33000 feet, overhead Newfoundland, the crew reported an oil leak that had required them to shut down the tail engine. The crew then descended to 29000 feet and diverted to Bangor, Maine, where they landed 2 hours later without incident. The MD11 was removed from service for repairs.

*AIR CANADA Flight 971, on International A319 Service from Havana, Cuba, to Toronto. Canada, with 71 passengers and crew onboard, reported 2 injuries after encountering turbulence, on Monday, September 27. While inflight near Orlando, Florida, the A319 encountered moderate turbulence and dropped 400 feet. The aircraft continued on to Toronto after the incident. 2 Flight Attendants suffered minor injuries and were treated and released at the Airport. The Canadian TSB is investigating.

*MALEV HUNGARIAN AIRLINES Flight 742, on International Boeing 737 Service from Budapest, Hungary, to Helsinki, Finland, had to reject takeoff, on September 20. The crew rejected takeoff after an uncommanded yaw while accelerating down the runway. The crew was able to stop the aircraft on the runway. The incident is under investigation.