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Post by Calum on Oct 8, 2006 12:04:53 GMT 12
Interestingly I was talking to a friend today who remined the RNZAF had problems with fatigue in the tail. His recollection is that the cracking around the tail planes occured before the cracking in the wings.
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Post by scurvy on Oct 8, 2006 19:18:16 GMT 12
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Post by Calum on Oct 9, 2006 22:30:03 GMT 12
Bathurst plane wreckage extends more than one kilometre
5:47 PM October 9
An initial investigation has found the wreckage from a plane crash that killed a pilot and his passenger near Bathurst in central west New South Wales last Thursday extends more than one kilometre.
A 700-hectare bushfire sparked by the crash has today been downgraded to patrol status and fire crews have accompanied Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigators to the scene.
Investigators say the right wing of the plane broke off before it came down in bushland, but they have not yet determined why.
They are also still going through the plane's maintenance and operational documents.
The investigators will continue to assess the accident site for the next few days.
The ATSB says a preliminary report will be released within the next month.
Source: ABC
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Post by corsair67 on Oct 10, 2006 18:23:43 GMT 12
From The Australian.
Crash jet operators urged to reassess safety
Steve Creedy, Aviation writer
October 10, 2006.
OPERATORS of Strikemaster fighters in Australia were urged today to reassess the airworthiness of their planes after air crash investigators confirmed that an aircraft that crashed near Bathurst last week came apart in mid-air.
RAF veteran and experienced adventure fighter pilot Nick Costin and a man celebrating his 50th birthday died when the jet crashed during a joy ride in the Central NSW on Thursday.
The Australian transport Safety Bureau said yesterday access to the crash site was still being hampered by a bushfire sparked by the crash.
However, investigators had been able to reach some of wreckage strewn along a trail extending more than a kilometre.
"The team located and examined the aircraft's right wing and reported that the wing had separated from the aircraft fuselage in-flight,'' the bureau said.
"At this stage, the ATSB does not know where in the wreckage trail sequence the wing is located, or the reason for the separation.''
Investigators have also been looking at the plane's operational and maintenance records and expect to release a preliminary report in 30 days.
Meanwhile, the Civil Avaition safety Authority is urging operators of the jets to make sure they have addressed British warnings about problems with Strikemasters.
Australia has issued two airworthiness directives concerning Strikemasters, including a warning about problems with wing components.
"Because of the possibility of a structrural failure we recommend that owners and operators reassess the airworthiness of their aircraft,'' said CASA spokesman Peter Gibson.
"We are pointing to them that there is a 1996 airworthiness directive which talks about the need to inspect the port and starboard main spar upper attachment lugs for cracking.''
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