EGYPTAIR PLANE CRASH-CONFIRMED, SAR ONGOING

An EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo with 66 passengers and crew on board crashed in the Mediterranean Sea off the Greek island of Crete early Thursday morning, Egyptian and Greek officials said.

Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said it was too early to say whether a technical problem or a terror attack caused the plane to crash. "We cannot rule anything out," he told reporters at Cairo airport.

EgyptAir Flight 804 was lost from radar at around 2:45 a.m. local time when it was flying at 37,000 feet, according to the airline. It said the Airbus A320 vanished 10 miles (16 kilometers) after it entered Egyptian airspace, around 280 kilometers (175 miles) off Egypt's coastline north of the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria. Egyptian aviation officials said the plane crashed and that a search for debris was now underway.

The "possibility that the plane crashed has been confirmed," as the plane hasn't landed in any of the nearby airports, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Konstantinos Lintzerakos, director of Greece Civil Aviation Authority, gave a roughly similar account to that given by EgyptAir. In comments to the private Antenna television, he said Greek air traffic controllers were in contact with the pilot who reported no problems as the aircraft cruised at 37,000 feet, traveling at 519 mph (830 kilometers per hour).

The controllers tried to make contact with the pilot 10 miles (16 kilometers) before the plane exited the Greek Flight Information Region, or FIR. The pilot did not respond, he said, and they continued to try to speak to him until 3:29 a.m. local time (2:29 a.m. Egyptian time) when the plane disappeared from the radar inside Egypt's FIR, 11 kilometers (7 miles) southeast of the island of Crete.

Egypt's state-run newspaper Al-Ahram quoted an airport official as saying the pilot did not send a distress call, and that last contact with the plane was made 10 minutes before it disappeared from radar. It did not identify the official.

Egyptian military aircraft and navy ships were taking part in a search operation off Egypt's Mediterranean coast to locate the debris of the plane, which was carrying 56 passengers, including one child and two babies, and 10 crew members. The pilot had more than 6,000 flight hours.

Greece also joined the search and rescue operation, officials at the Hellenic National Defense General Staff said.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault offered to send military planes and boats to join the Egyptian search for wreckage.

"We are at the disposition of the Egyptian authorities with our military capacities, with our planes, our boats to help in the search for this plane," he said. He spoke after French President Francois Hollande held an emergency meeting at the Elysee Palace.

Later, the French military said a Falcon surveillance jet monitoring the Mediterranean for migrants had been diverted to help search for the EgyptAir plane. Military spokesman Col. Gilles Jaron told The Associated Press that the jet is joining the Egypt-led search effort, and the French navy may send another plane and a ship to the zone.

Hollande spoke with Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on the phone and agreed to "closely cooperate to establish as soon as possible the circumstances" surrounding the incident, according to a statement issued in Paris.

In Cairo, el-Sissi convened an emergency meeting of the National Security Council, the country's highest security body. The council includes the prime minister and the defense, foreign and interior ministers, in addition to the chiefs of the intelligence agencies.

Those on board, according to EgyptAir, included 15 French passengers, 30 Egyptians, two Iraqis, one Briton, one Kuwaiti, one Saudi, one Sudanese, one Chadian, one Portuguese, one Belgian, one Algerian and one Canadian. Ayrault confirmed that 15 French citizens were on board.

Around 15 relatives of passengers on board the missing flight arrived at Cairo airport Thursday morning. Airport authorities brought doctors to the scene after several distressed family members collapsed.

In Paris, relatives of passengers on the EgyptAir flight started arriving at Charles de Gaulle Airport outside the French capital, where their loved ones were last seen alive.

A man and a woman, identified by airport staff as relatives of the flight's passengers, sat at an information desk near the EgyptAir counter at Charles de Gaulle Airport's Terminal 1. The woman was sobbing, holding her face in a handkerchief. The pair were led away by police and airport staff and did not speak to gathered journalists.

The Airbus A320 is a widely used twin-engine, single-aisle plane that operates on short and medium-haul routes. Nearly 4,000 A320s are currently in use around the world. The ubiquity of the A320 means the plane has been involved in several accidents over the years. The last deadly crash involving the plane was Germanwings Flight 9525, in which all 150 onboard died when one of the pilots intentionally crashed it in the French Alps.

Airbus said the aircraft was delivered to EgyptAir in 2003 and had logged 48,000 flight hours before it "was lost" over the Mediterranean. The European plane-maker said in a statement Thursday that it had engines made by Swiss-based engine consortium IAE, and had the serial number 2088.

An EgyptAir plane was hijacked and diverted to Cyprus in March. A man who admitted to the hijacking and is described by Cypriot authorities as "psychologically unstable" is in custody in Cyprus.

The incident renewed security concerns at Egyptian airports after a Russian passenger plane crashed in Sinai last October, killing all 224 people on board. Moscow said it was brought down by an explosive device, and a local branch of the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for planting it.

In 1999, EgyptAir Flight 990 crashed into the Atlantic near the Massachusetts island of Nantucket, killing all 217 people aboard. U.S. investigators filed a final report that concluded its co-pilot switched off the autopilot and pointed the Boeing 767 downward. Egyptian officials rejected the notion of suicide altogether, insisting some mechanical reason caused the crash.

FlyDubai crash may have been caused by conflict between pilots

The FlyDubai Boeing 737-800 may have crashed at Rostov-on-Don airport because of a disagreement between the pilots when the aircraft was picking up altitude to make another go-around, reports Russian daily Kommersant, citing sources close to the investigation.

According to Russian business daily Kommersant, pilot error is emerging as the likeliest cause of the crash of a FlyDubai airliner in southern Russia on March 19.

Having deciphered the flight recorder of the crashed Boeing 737-800, Russian investigators have been able to recreate the last moments before the disaster.

While trying to land the aircraft at Rostov-on-Don airport in adverse weather, the crew had to abort the first landing attempt to try and make another go-around.

Kommersant reports that because of a strong and constantly changing wind, the Boeing's autothrottle, which ensures an aircraft's descent or ascent in autopilot mode, did not function properly. The captain took the decision to switch off autopilot and steer the aircraft himself.

According to the flight recorder data, six kilometers from the runway at an altitude of 270 meters, one of the pilots pressed the TOGA (“Take-off/Go around”) button, which aborts a landing attempt and sends the aircraft on another circuit.

Autopilot off

Then one of the members of the crew switched off the autopilot and took control of the aircraft. That meant that the pilots had to set the aircraft’s angle of pitch themselves on the basis of the readings on the control panel.

Investigators believe that the crew made a mistake when switching between the landing and ascent modes.

Kommersant points out that the aircraft was in a complex configuration during its descent in the autopilot mode. Its elevator was set to nose-down, while the fin was working in the opposite direction, tipping the nose of the aircraft up.

When an aircraft makes another go-around in autopilot mode, the system simultaneously changes the position of all the tillers. However, the autopilot was switched off and one of the pilots pulled the steering column towards him.

Disagreement in the cockpit

As a result, the Boeing headed upwards. When the aircraft reached a critical angle, the speed began to drop and a disagreement between the pilots erupted. 

Kommersant says that the pilot who was at the controls at the time revved the engines as the aircraft was ascending, while the co-pilot began to tip the nose of the aircraft down. The other pilot began shouting: "Stop. Where? Stop! Stop!" At the same time, he was trying to push the tiller away to stop the ascent.

Experts explain that the conflicting actions at the two tillers resulted in a "break-up" in command and sent the Boeing into a nosedive.

The pilots managed to coordinate their actions only as the aircraft was coming down at a speed of 325 kph at an angle of about 45 degrees.

However, by then it was too late and the last sounds on the recording are the pilots’ shrieks of horror as the aircraft plunges to the ground. 

Identity of speakers unclear

According to Kommersant, investigators have not yet been able to establish which of the pilots made the fateful mistake: The intonation and timbre of their voices on the recording blend together.

Law-enforcement agencies are planning to seek the help of the pilots' families in order to help them identify the speakers.

Debris Found Off Mozambique Likely From 777, Says Official

Malaysian transport minister Liow Tiong Lai has effectively confirmed reports that a piece of debris that washed ashore in Mozambique this week likely belongs to a Boeing 777. “Based on early reports, [there is] a high possibility [that] debris found in Mozambique belongs to a B777,” he wrote on his Twitter feed Wednesday. After noting that the Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation was working with Australian authorities to retrieve the debris, found on a sand bar just off the coast, he warned against speculation that the piece belongs to the still missing 777 used for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which went missing in 2014.

“I urged everyone to avoid undue speculation as we are not able to conclude that the debris belongs to MH370 at this time,” he said, in response to reports of the finding by NBC News.

Contacted by AIN for comment, Australia’s Joint Agency Coordination Center “possibly from an aircraft,” has been found in Mozambique. “We are working with officials in Mozambique and Malaysia to investigate,” a media spokesman confirmed.

The discovery comes almost exactly two years after MH370 vanished after diverting from its intended flight path between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing with 239 passengers and crew on board.

Last July an environmental worker found a flaperon from the ill-fated Boeing’s 777 on a beach in the town of Saint Andre on Reunion Island, not far from the site of this latest discovery. The conclusion that the flaperon came from MH370 supports the contention, based on radar and satellite data, that MH370 “turned back” from its flight path over the South China Sea and crossed the Malaysian peninsula on a westerly course. The loss of the aircraft led the International Aviation Safety Organization to require that airlines track their aircraft at regular intervals using available technology.

Malaysia has officially declared the disappearance of MH370 an accident and leads the investigation of its cause. Boeing, France’s BEA aviation accident investigation authority, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and theU.S. National Transportation Safety Board. The investigation is due to be wrapped up in the middle of 2016 if no credible explanation for the 777's disappearance has been formulated by then.

Upgraded Il-76MD-M Airlifter Makes First Flight in Russia

Russian aircraft manufacturer Ilyushin conducted the first flight of an upgraded Il-76MD-M airlifter on February 28. Chief test pilot Nikolai Kuimov headed the design bureau’s crew for the flight, which was uneventful.

The Il-76MD-M is a mid-life upgrade of the four-engine Il-76MD airlifter. The flight-test aircraft, registered as RF-76746, was reworked at Ilyushin’s flight-test facility in Zhukovsky near Moscow. The design bureau plans to complete flight tests later this year and use RF-76746 as the prototype to upgrade 40 Il-76M/MDs now in service with the Russian air force.

Ilyushin is performing the work under contract to the Russian defense ministry. The latter also plans to fund a similar upgrade on a still undetermined number of Il-78M tankers.

The TAPO factory in Uzbekistan built nearly a thousand Il-76M/MDs and delivered the last airlifter in 1992. Forty will be upgraded to the MD-M standard over the next 12 years.

The MD-M upgrade targets the youngest part of the Il-76M/MD fleet—mainly those airframes with the longest remaining service life. The upgrade features a modern avionics suite, a new radio communications set and a self-protection system. The aircraft keeps its original Soloviev D-30KP2 engines. Its service life is extended by 10 years to 40 years.

Some of the MD-M onboard systems are replaced with systems developed for the new Il-76MD-90A transport, which is being produced by the Aviastar factory in Ulianovsk. As of late February, the Russian air force had accepted two of the 39 Il-76MD-90As it has ordered; a third was undergoing acceptance trials. Aviastar will deliver the -90A model through 2021.

Another Il-76MD upgrade solution that centered on replacing the D-30KP engines with Aviadvigatel PS-90A-76 turbofans has been scrapped due to cost. One aircraft, designated Il-76MD-90, underwent flight trials and later provided a testbed for the Il-76MD-90A project. “There will be no massive replacement of D-30KP engines by the newer PS-90A on in-service aircraft,” Ilyushin general designer Nikolai Talikov told AIN.

Construction Starts on A330 Completions Center in China

From left to right, Tianjin vice mayor Duan Chunhua, China’s National Development and Reform Commission vice chairman Lin Nianxiu, Airbus president and CEO Fabrice Brégier and AVIC chairman Lin Zuoming pose in front of a rendering of the new A330 completion and delivery center in Tianjin, China. (Photo: Airbus)

Crews have begun construction on the new Airbus A330 completion and delivery center (C&DC) in Tianjin, China. Scheduled for opening in 2017, the facility will become Airbus’s first widebody completion center outside of Europe. The site of the A330 C&DC sits adjacent to the Airbus Tianjin A320 family final assembly line (FAL) and the Airbus Tianjin Delivery Center.

“The ground breaking ceremony for the A330 C&DC in Tianjin marks a new milestone for Airbus’ international footprint and underlines the strong cooperation with our Chinese partners,” said Airbus president and CEOFabrice Brégier. “Airbus’ long-standing cooperation with China spans single aisle and now also widebody aircraft and we will continue to look for further opportunities in the future.”

Airbus, Tianjin Free Trade Zone (TJFTZ) and Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) signed a framework agreement in the summer of 2014 calling for the establishment of an A330 C&DC in Tianjin. Plans call for the facility to engage in cabin installation, aircraft painting and flight test, as well as aircraft delivery and customer flight acceptance. Airbus will assemble the A330s completed at the Tianjin center in Toulouse.

Airbus’s bullish forecast for growth in passenger air traffic in China supports its cooperation with Chinese partners, the European company asserts. Its forecast calls for 6.9 percent average annual growth for the domestic air traffic market in China over the next 20 years and 6.8 percent for the Chinese international market over the same period. According to Airbus, a positive long-term economic outlook, a growing middle class and expansion in outbound tourism rank as the top underlying factors in its China forecast. 

According to Airbus’ 2015-2034 global market forecast (GMF), new deliveries of passenger aircraft carrying more than 100 seats and freighters weighing more than 10 metric tons for China will total about 5,400, including 3,630 single aisle aircraft and 1,770 twin-aisle and very large aircraft such as the A380. The figure amounts to about 17 percent of the world total demand for some 32,600 new aircraft over the same period. Airbus places the total market value of the new aircraft bound for delivery to China over the period at $840 billion.

Today, more than 170 A330s operate in China and Airbus collected orders for some 75 last year alone. Another 1,000 A320s operate in China, where one of four assembly sites for the narrowbodies resides.

Debris Found Off Mozambique Likely From 777, Says Official

Malaysian transport minister Liow Tiong Lai has effectively confirmed reports that a piece of debris that washed ashore in Mozambique this week likely belongs to a Boeing 777. “Based on early reports, [there is] a high possibility [that] debris found in Mozambique belongs to a B777,” he wrote on his Twitter feed Wednesday. After noting that the Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation was working with Australian authorities to retrieve the debris, found on a sand bar just off the coast, he warned against speculation that the piece belongs to the still missing 777 used for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which went missing in 2014.

“I urged everyone to avoid undue speculation as we are not able to conclude that the debris belongs to MH370 at this time,” he said, in response to reports of the finding by NBC News.

Contacted by AIN for comment, Australia’s Joint Agency Coordination Center “possibly from an aircraft,” has been found in Mozambique. “We are working with officials in Mozambique and Malaysia to investigate,” a media spokesman confirmed.

The discovery comes almost exactly two years after MH370 vanished after diverting from its intended flight path between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing with 239 passengers and crew on board.

Last July an environmental worker found a flaperon from the ill-fated Boeing’s 777 on a beach in the town of Saint Andre on Reunion Island, not far from the site of this latest discovery. The conclusion that the flaperon came from MH370 supports the contention, based on radar and satellite data, that MH370 “turned back” from its flight path over the South China Sea and crossed the Malaysian peninsula on a westerly course. The loss of the aircraft led the International Aviation Safety Organization to require that airlines track their aircraft at regular intervals using available technology.

Malaysia has officially declared the disappearance of MH370 an accident and leads the investigation of its cause. Boeing, France’s BEA aviation accident investigation authority, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and theU.S. National Transportation Safety Board. The investigation is due to be wrapped up in the middle of 2016 if no credible explanation for the 777's disappearance has been formulated by then.

Pratt & Whitney offers new engine rebate with Blackhawk XP upgrades

Through May 31, 2016, aircraft owners who purchase a Blackhawk XP New Engine Upgrade for the Beech-craft King Air 200 or 90 series, Cessna Caravan, Cessna Conquest I, or Piper Cheyenne series aircraft will receive up to a $65,000 rebate from Pratt & Whitney Canada.

The installation of the new engines can be delayed through the end of July, which allows more time to schedule the upgrade along with other maintenance items to reduce downtime, according to company officials.

Details of the New Engine Rebate program and specific amounts by engine model can be found here.

Another advantage of the rebate program is a relaxed core engine exchange condition, company officials noted. There are no extra charges for corrosion, sulphidation, expired life limited parts, non-genuine P&WC parts, FOD or missing logs.

Any core engine will be accepted as long as it was not removed for unscheduled reasons, officials noted.