Sudan orders Antonov, Ilyushin aircraft ban
Sudan's president has ordered a ban on all Antonov and Ilyushin passenger and cargo aircraft following the latest crash near Khartoum, but the ban does not apply to military planes. President Omar al-Bashir also sacked the head of the country's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and ordered an investigation into recent crashes. Sudan's rebel groups often accuse the military of using Antonov planes to drop bombs on villages in war-zones. Soviet-era aircraft are commonly used to transport goods and passengers in many African countries, as they are far cheaper than newer models. BBC
Of the four crashes in Sudan thus far in 2008, three have been Antonovs and one was an Ilyushin. According to Wikipedia (usual cautions), the Sudanese Air Force began 2008 with five AN-24s and one AN-26 (rumored to be the improvised bomber). I couldn’t find information of the number of ANs and ILs in use by civilian companies in Sudan.
Kalitta B747 crashes in Colombia
A Kalitta Air cargo plane carrying a load of cut flowers from Bogota to Miami crashed into a house Monday in Colombia. Reports say three occupants of the house near the town of Madrid were killed on impact. However, eight crewmembers survived and were being treated at local hospitals. The cause of the crash is not yet known. Traffic World
Air Freighter Crashes in Mexico
NTSB is assisting Mexico in the investigation of the crash of a USA Jet DC-9 cargo plane in Mexico on Sunday (7/6) that killed the pilot and seriously injured the co-pilot. The plane crashed while on approach to land at the Ramos Arizpe airport some 200 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday. It had picked up a load of auto parts at Hamilton, Ont., and flown to Shreveport, La., where it cleared customs before continuing to its destination in Saltillo, Mexico, near Monterrey. Traffic World
French court to try U.S. airline over Concorde crash
A French judge has ordered U.S. carrier Continental Airlines and five individuals to stand trial over the July 25, 2000, crash of an Air France Concorde that killed 109 persons onboard the plane and four in a hotel on the ground. The judge said the defendants would be charged with involuntary manslaughter. The official crash investigation report found that the crash was caused by improper maintenance by Continental that caused a titanium strip from a DC-10 to fall onto the runway where it burst a tire on the Concorde, sending debris through a fuel tank and starting the fatal fire and crash. The report also blamed a known design flaw in the Concorde involving shock protection to the fuel tanks. Continental has denied any responsibility for the crash and has said it would fight any charges. Reuters
ABX Air freighter burns at SFO
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a fire that burned an ABX Air B767 freighter last week (6/27) on the ground at the San FranciscoInternational Airport. The aircraft was fully loaded but parked when smoke and fire appeared just behind the cockpit about 10 p.m. PDT. Both flight crewmembers fled the plane through the cockpit window and one suffered minor injuries and was hospitalized. The fire burned a hole through the roof of the aircraft near the front of the fuselage before it was extinguished by airport firefighters. The 22-year-old aircraft was converted from passenger to freight configuration two years ago by Israel Aerospace Industries, a world leader in aircraft conversion and modernization programs. Air Cargo World
ABX had been threatened before the fire. Traffic World
Newark Airport renovation costs rise
With a year and a half to go before completion, the price tag for expanding Terminal B at Newark Liberty International Airport has swollen from $279 million to $325 million, due largely to increased costs for raw materials. Prices for steel, concrete and Sheetrock have risen 27% since the project was approved 3 years ago, leading some policymakers to question why such purchases were not locked in from the beginning. NJ.com/The Star-Ledger (Newark, N.J.)
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