Tag Archives: DHC-8-400

AAIB: Flybe captain’s prosthetic arm became detached resulting in a hard landing

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) of the United Kingdom has issued its report on the hard landing of Flybe‘s (Exeter) Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) G-JECJ (man 4110) on February 12, 2014 at Belfast City Airport, Northern Ireland with 47 passengers and four crew members:

Synopsis:

During the landing flare, in gusty conditions, the commander’s prosthetic arm became detached, control was lost, and a heavy landing resulted.

History of the flight

The aircraft was on a scheduled commercial air transport flight from Birmingham to Belfast City, with the commander, in the left flight deck seat, as pilot flying. It was night, and although there was no low cloud affecting the airport, the wind at Belfast was a strong west-south-westerly, gusting up to 48 kt. Before the approach, the commander checked that his prosthetic lower left arm was securely attached to the yoke clamp which he used to fly the aircraft, with the latching device in place.

Although gusts over the crosswind limit for the aircraft were reported, the final wind report from ATC was within the limit, and the approach continued. The commander disconnected the autopilot and flew the aircraft manually. As he made the flare manoeuvre, with somewhat more than flight idle torque still applied, his prosthetic limb became detached from the yoke clamp, depriving him of control of the aircraft. He made a rapid assessment of the situation and considered alerting the co-pilot and instructing him to take control. However, because the co-pilot would have had little time to assimilate the information necessary to take over in the challenging conditions, the commander concluded that his best course of action was to move his right hand from the power levers onto the yoke to regain control. He did this, but with power still applied, and possibly a gust affecting the aircraft, a normal touchdown was followed by a bounce, from which the aircraft landed heavily.

Safety action

The commander commented that he would in future be more cautious about checking the attachment on his prosthesis, as his check may have dislodged the latching mechanism; that he would brief his co-pilots about the possibility of a similar event; and that they should be ready to take control at any time.

Copyright Photo: Antony J. Best/AirlinersGallery.com. Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) G-JECJ (msn 4110) lands at Southampton.

Flybe:

QANTAS unveils a new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander special livery

QANTAS Airways (Sydney) has unveiled a new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander special color scheme on Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) VH-LQM (msn 4450) operated by QANTAS Link partner Sunstate Airlines: QANTAS issued this statement and photos:

QANTAS has joined the movement to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Australian Constitution by unveiling a new QANTAS Link Q400 aircraft showcasing a large RECOGNISE logo on its livery.

In addition to the aircraft livery unveiled at today’s event, QANTAS Link will soon embark on displaying a smaller version of the RECOGNISE logo on its entire fleet of 31 Q400 aircraft, ensuring the message is spread across the country.

About RECOGNISE

RECOGNISE is the movement of Australians campaigning for the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Australian Constitution and to ensure there is no place for discrimination in our founding document. The movement has wide support from across the political spectrum and in the Australian community from grassroots supporters and many major institutions, non-government organisations, companies, sporting codes and faith groups.

About QANTAS’ commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians:

QANTAS has a longstanding commitment to value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage, cultures and peoples and to recognise the original custodians of Australia. A Reconciliation Action Plan has been in place since 2007 and QANTAS currently holds partnerships with the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence, Career Trackers, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Clontarf, the Indigenous Marathon Project, Supply Nation, Engineering Aid Australia, Jawun, Lirrwi Yolngu Tourism Aboriginal Corporation, the Yothu Yindi Foundation, the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation and RECOGNISE.

QANTAS Airways:

WestJet reports a record 2Q net profit of $51.8 million, will operate Boeing 767-300 ERs, Encore orders 5 more Q400s

WestJet (Calgary) today announced its second quarter results for 2014, with net earnings of $51.8 million (all amounts in Canadian dollars), or $0.40 per fully diluted share, as compared with the net earnings of $44.7 million, or $0.34 per fully diluted share reported in the second quarter of 2013. Based on the trailing twelve months, the airline achieved a return on invested capital of 13.7 per cent, consistent with the 13.7 per cent reported in the previous quarter.

“We had a great second quarter, reporting record earnings, exceeding our ROIC target for the eighth consecutive quarter, and achieving an on-time performance rate of 84.5 per cent, a year over year improvement of 3.5 percentage points,” said WestJet President and CEO Gregg Saretsky. “We continue to execute on our growth plans, including new service to Dublin, Ireland, success with our fare bundles initiative, and the expansion of WestJet Encore. Encore celebrated its first birthday in June, recently welcomed its one-millionth guest, and exercised five additional purchase options for Q400 aircraft. I want to thank all of our 10,000 WestJetters for their commitment to providing our award winning brand of friendly caring service, which is the foundation of our success.”

On July 7, WestJet announced that it was in the advanced stages of sourcing aircraft for its entry into wide-body service. A natural, next-step evolution for the airline, WestJet has recently selected four Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft (below) which will initially operate on routes between Alberta and Hawaii during the winter season beginning in late 2015. The airline’s current winter service between Alberta and Hawaii, via two Boeing 757-200s operated by Thomas Cook, is ending in the spring of 2015. WestJet expects to expand its operation into overseas markets starting in the summer of 2016. Further announcements regarding WestJet’s wide-body schedule will be released at a later date.

Image: WestJet.

On July 28, 2014, WestJet’s Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.12 per common voting share and variable voting share for the third quarter of 2014, to be paid on September 30, 2014, to shareholders of record on September 17, 2014. All dividends paid by WestJet are, pursuant to subsection 89(14) of the Income Tax Act, designated as eligible dividends, unless indicated otherwise. An eligible dividend paid to a Canadian resident is entitled to the enhanced dividend tax credit.

In other news, WestJet Encore Ltd. has signed a firm purchase agreement for five Bombardier Q400 NextGen airliners. This transaction is a conversion of a batch of five options booked by the carrier’s parent company WestJet and follows the first conversion of five option aircraft announced on March 27, 2014, bringing the number of option aircraft exercised to 10. The initial total of 25 option aircraft was part of the original contract announced on August 1, 2012 that included WestJet’s firm order for 20 Q400 NextGen airliners.

WestJet Encore launched in June 2013 operating 10 departures daily to two destinations with two Bombardier Q400 NextGen aircraft and 131 employees. Today, it operates 90 departures daily from hubs in Calgary, Alberta and Toronto, Ontario to 19 destinations with 13 Bombardier Q400 NextGen aircraft and approximately 500 employees. The airline has announced plans to introduce service to Québec City, Québec; Fredericton, New Brunswick and Penticton, British Columbia in 2015.

Copyright Photo: Matt Dueck/AirlinersGallery.com. WestJet will become a new Boeing 767-300 operator. The airline will trade in its wet leased Boeing 757-200s (currently operated by Thomas Cook Airlines) for larger wide-body Boeing 767-300 ERs in 2015. The pictured Boeing 757-28A N750NA (msn 26277) was previously operated by North American Airlines in the WestJet brand.

WestJet:

Flybe to fly the Aberdeen-London City route, replacing British Airways

Flybe (Exeter) is saving the Aberdeen to London City route, with twice daily flights starting on Monday, October 27, 2014. The route be flown with the pictured Bombardier DHC-8-402 (marketed as the Q400).

The news follows British Airway’s recent announcement that it would be withdrawing from the route at the end of the summer season, and after serious concern around the future of the service that is considered crucial given passenger demand that reflects the strength of the economy in the north of Scotland.

The airline has also announced five more routes to its 2014-15 Winter Schedule including two that are brand new, namely between Birmingham and Berlin (Tegel) with Embraer 175 aircraft and from East Midlands to Aberdeen (weekdays) also with Embraer 175 aircraft. The airline’s daily service between Exeter and Newcastle also returns from October 26, together with two winter ski routes to Geneva from Cardiff and Inverness that start on 20th December 20.

In total, Flybe’s 2014-15 Winter program now features 105 routes offering customers a choice of up to 2,809 flights a week: 16 routes being brand new, with a further 11 that include seasonal routes returning or being extended for the first time through winter.

Copyright Photo: Nik French/AirlinersGallery.com. Once painted in the special “Low cost, but not at any cost” color scheme, Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) G-JEDP (msn 4085) is now painted in the 2014 purple livery.

Flybe:

Current Flybe routes from London (City):

Tyrolean Airways to operate a Bombardier Q400 for Swiss for the domestic Zurich-Lugano route

Austrian Airlines (Vienna) took delivery of its 15th Bombardier DHC-8-402 (OE-LGO, msn 4281) on July 21. The turboprop is operated by lower-cost Tyrolean Airways under the Tyrolean AOC and the Austrian brand.

The group has announced it will operate the type on a wet lease basis for fellow Lufthansa Group carrier Swiss International Air Lines (Zurich) on a Swiss domestic route starting on November 1 between the Swiss hub at Zurich and Lugano. In the future, four flights each day will be operated on this route. By deploying the larger aircraft, Swiss will be able to increase its capacity on the route by 50 percent.

With the arrival of OE-LGO, the fleet of the Austrian Airlines Group will reach a total of 76 aircraft. All but one Austrian-titled aircraft is operated by Tyrolean Airways.

Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. Sister-ship Bombardier DHC-8-402 (marketed as the Q400) OE-LGD (msn 4027) lands at Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg (BSL).

Austrian Airlines:

US-Bangla Airlines starts operations on July 17

US-Bangla Airlines (Dhaka) is a new airline in Bangladesh. The new airline commenced operations on July 17 with two Bombardier DHC-8-402s (Q400s). The company is a subsidiary of the US-Bangla Group, a United States-Bangladesh joint venture company.

Daily flights were launched from Dhaka to Chittagong and Jessore. Services to Barisal, Sylhet, Cox’s Bazar, Saidpur and Rajshahi are being planned.

Copyright Photo: US-Bangla Airlines. The pictured Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) S2-AGV (msn 4044) is the first aircraft for the new airline.

Route Map:

Video: The first US-Bangla TV advertisement:

Nok Air converts two Bombardier Q400 purchase rights to firm orders

Nok Air (Bangkok) has converted two of four previously acquired Q400 NextGen aircraft purchase rights to firm orders. The purchase rights were acquired under a contract announced on November 19, 2013 that also included two firm-ordered aircraft and two options, which were converted to firm orders on March 31, 2014.

Nok Air is the launch customer for the new extra capacity seating option of the Q400 NextGen turboprop. This option will allow the aircraft to accommodate up to 86 passengers and offer an advantage of up to 7 per cent fuel burn per seat, as well as an overall operating seat cost advantage of up to 17 percent compared to its closest turboprop competitor.

Image: Bombardier.

Nok Air:

Horizon Air orders another Bombardier Q400, Bombardier to maintain Horizon’s 52 Q400s

Bombardier Aerospace (Montreal) announced today that Horizon Air Industries, Inc. (Horizon Air) (Alaska Horizon) (Seattle/Tacoma) has signed a firm purchase agreement for one Bombardier DHC-8-402 (marketed as the Q400 NextGen) turboprop airliner. The airline retains its options on another seven Q400 NextGen aircraft as announced previously. Additionally, Bombardier and Horizon Air confirmed they have signed a five-year heavy maintenance agreement whereby Bombardier will perform heavy maintenance tasks for the airline’s fleet of 52 Q400 aircraft at Bombardier’s service centre in Tucson, Arizona.

Based on the list price of the Q400 NextGen aircraft, the aircraft agreement is valued at approximately $32.6 million US.

Established in 1981, Horizon Air was acquired in 1986 by Alaska Air Group, Inc., the parent company of Alaska Airlines. At its start, the airline operated two aircraft and served three destinations in Washington state. Today, Horizon flies 51 76-seat Q400 aircraft on behalf of Alaska Airlines and serves 43 cities in the western United States, Canada and Mexico.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) N407QX (msn 4049) in the special University of Oregon Ducks livery prepares to land at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

Alaska Horizon:

Horizon Air:

SkyWork Airlines is coming to Southend Airport

SkyWork Airlines (Bern) is adding a new destination in the London area for winter schedule effective on October 26. Bern Airport will be connected twice a day with London’s “sixth airport”, customer friendly London Southend Airport. The aircraft departs from Bern at 6.45 am (0645) local time. The evening flight from Southend to Bern leaves at 8.00 pm (2000) local time. Dornier 328-100 aircraft will be operated on the route.

Other destinations for the winter include Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Hamburg, Vienna and Palma de Majorca which is operated seasonally on weekends. There will be a reduction in the number of weekly flight for these routes.

Copyright Photo: Rolf Wallner/AirlinersGallery.com. SkyWork Airlines is planning phase out its last remaining Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) (HB-JGA). HB-JGA (msn 4198) taxies at Zurich.

SkyWork Airlines:

The current summer route map:

The new Air Kazakhstan orders 10 Bombardier Q400s

Air Kazakhstan (2nd) (Astana) has ordered 10 Bombardier DHC-8-402s (Q400s) for deliveries starting in March 2015 according to The Astana Times.

Air Kazakhstan is a new airline and will start domestic operations next year after the first arrival.

The name Air Kazakhstan is an historic name in the country. The original Air Kazakhstan started as Kazakhstan Airways in the 1920s but changed to Air Kazakstan on March 10, 1997 until 2001, when it became Air Kazakhstan according to Wikipedia. The previous Air Kazakhstan ceased operations on February 29, 2004.

Read the full story: CLICK HERE

Note: The logo is from the original Air Kazakstan. The new Air Kazakhstan has not issued any logos or liveries for the new venture.