Air New Zealand A320 crashes in training flight

[Tortuga]

Air New Zealand passenger jet plunges into Mediterranean Sea | World News | News.com.au

This is pretty scary, hopefully we find out what went wrong.

 

[straitman]

"NEWS.com believes the jet had been maintained by Qantas at their overseas heavy maintenance facility. Aviation experts (News Ltd.)are convinced this is the only way bad things can happen to commercial airliners."

A sad day for the aviation industry.

When will the media realise that aircraft are maintained all over the world and that airlines carry out maintenance on behalf of each other. Qantas maintain a/c for Air New Zealand and Air New Zealand maintain a/c on behalf of Qantas etc :!:

 

[Brettmcg]

Oh sorry...I know this isn't something to laugh about, but that quote was made in jest. I made it up.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Oh sorry...I know this isn't something to laugh about, but that quote was made in jest. I made it up.

Poor taste IMO.

There is a time and place...but this is not one of them.

 

[NM]

And some facts reported about this accident:

• The aircraft had been on lease to XL Airways for the past 2 years
• The aircraft was about to be returned to NZ as the lease term completed
• This was a test flight following maintenance and not a training flight per the thread title

Very sad indeed.

 

[docjames]

Poor taste IMO.

There is a time and place...but this is not one of them.

But this illustrates EXACTLY the problem with nonews beating up on QF continually.

When something major happens, the same jokes come out - but it's somewhat inappropriate in this case. There's two confirmed deaths, likely (sadly) soon to be confirmed 5 more. Thankfully it was a test flight and not a fullly loaded trans-tasman flight. No consolation to the families of those involved of course.

But again, now we've become so used to "problems" (door not closing delaying a flight by 30 mins - who cares!) that when a real one occurs it's inevitable that the same "jokes" occur.

THIS is exactly the reason why the media need to get off QF's back for minor things (and, stay on them for real ones).

 

[munitalP]

All five New Zealanders who died in a Airbus crash off the coast of France this morning have now been named.

Civil Aviation Authority airworthiness inspector Jeremy Cook and Air New Zealand's Noel Marsh, 35, an engineer based in Christchurch were the final two victims to be named.

The other victims are Captain Brian Horrell, 52, from Auckland, engineer Murray White, 37, also from Auckland and 49-year-old Michael Gyles, an engineer from Christchurch.

God bless their families

Mr & Mrs!

 

[NM]

Did dodgy paint job cause Air NZ Airbus A320 crash?

From news.com.au:

NVESTIGATORS are looking at whether a paint job may have been the reason an Air New Zealand Airbus plunged into the sea, killing seven people.

French aviation officials were investigating whether the repainting of the plane in Air NZ livery affected external instruments providing data to the A320 aircraft's systems, Stuff.co.nz reported today.

 

[NM]

coughpit voice recorder found from Air New Zealand Airbus crash

from heraldsun.com.au:

A coughPIT voice recorder from the Air New Zealand Airbus which crashed in the Mediterranean off the coast of France has been recovered by French search and rescue divers.

The voice recorder appears to be in good condition and could provide crucial evidence of the last moments of the crew onboard before the A320 plunged into the sea.

 

[JohnK]

Data breakthrough on Air New Zealand A320 jetliner crashed

AIR crash investigators in France believe they will now learn why an Air New Zealand A320 jetliner crashed without warning into the Mediterranean Sea last November.
Their hopes were raised after learning today that information contained on the the two flight data recorders recovered from the seabed was recovered by technicians in the United States

 

[markis10]

Will be interesting to see the results, there has been quite a few issues with high rates of descent being unable to be controlled by the PIC in sufficient time to prevent impact with terrain, starting with the original Air France accident, Indian Airlines, Gulf Air, Amavia and now Air NZ.

Given this flight had a higher than normal crewing of experienced flyers I would be surprised if something as simple as a painted pitot tube or static port would be to blame, but nothing surprises me in the aviation game, and from experience I know its never one problem that leads to such a tragic outcome, but a series of events and/or errors.

 

[straitman]

Given this flight had a higher than normal crewing of experienced flyers I would be surprised if something as simple as a painted pitot tube or static port would be to blame, but nothing surprises me in the aviation game, and from experience I know its never one problem that leads to such a tragic outcome, but a series of events and/or errors.

This does not really surprise me at all.

Blocked (for what ever reason) pitot static systems are inherently dangerous and have caused quite a few accidents over the years. Most modern a/c including, I would have thought, the Airbus series of aircraft have an alternate static system available.

 

[docjames]

Did anyone hear the reports over the last day or so suggesting the a/c was flying very low, and at too low a speed. Sounds weird to me.

 

[oz_mark]

THE Air New Zealand jetliner that plunged into the Mediterranean, killing seven people, last November had been conducting a low-speed check before landing, French investigators said today.

"A check at low speed was undertaken during the approach and it was during this check that the crew lost control of the airplane which crashed into the sea," the Bureau d' Enqutes et d'Analyses said in a statement published on the safety investigator's website.

Air NZ plane crashed at low speed | Herald Sun


I have heard they were doing a test to recover from a stall, but for some reason it was being done at a low altitude.

 

[albatross710]

Air NZ plane crashed at low speed | Herald Sun


I have heard they were doing a test to recover from a stall, but for some reason it was being done at a low altitude.

With that many experienced crew on board there may have also been significant peer pressure as to display of airmanship. These guys were selected as elite which is why they were taking delivery of the new aircraft.

ie if the lowest approach speed is xx_ knots, then I'm good enough to make it at xx_.5 knts.

maybe not said overtly but I can imagine that it would be a pressure cooker on those early delivery flights.

 

[oz_mark]

Too low, too slow - Air NZ crash transcripts - NZ Herald: New Zealand National news - NZ Herald News

The Air New Zealand Airbus A320 that plunged into the sea, killing seven people, stalled and crashed during a low-speed manoeuvre at a dangerously low altitude.

Transcripts of what happened in the final few minutes of the doomed test flight - revealed in an interim report released yesterday - show that the unnamed German captain was reluctant to make the manoeuvre.

"I think we will have to do the slow flight probably later," he told the New Zealand pilot who was on board observing the test flight on November 17.

"Or we do it on the way to Frankfurt or I even skip it."

 

[markis10]

With that many experienced crew on board there may have also been significant peer pressure as to display of airmanship. These guys were selected as elite which is why they were taking delivery of the new aircraft.

ie if the lowest approach speed is xx_ knots, then I'm good enough to make it at xx_.5 knts.

maybe not said overtly but I can imagine that it would be a pressure cooker on those early delivery flights.

There was no delivery flight for a new aircraft, Airbus A320 D-AXLA had been leased by XL Airways Germany since May 2006. The airplane was due to be returned to its owner, Air New Zealand, on December 1, 2008. It was delivered in July 2005 to Freedom air as ZKOJL.

Heres the link to the report: http://www.bea.aero/docspa/2008/d-la081127ea/pdf/d-la081127ea.pdf

There was only a Air NZ check captain on board, the crew flying had considerable expereince.

Interesting stats from the aviation safety database:

18th loss of a Airbus A320
6th worst accident involving a Airbus A320 (at the time)
6th worst accident involving a Airbus A320 (currently)
51st worst accident in France (at the time)
51st worst accident in France (currently)