Report Says MH370 Plane In ‘increasing Rate of Descent’ When It Disappeared

A report by the Australian Transport Safety Board (ATSB) on the missing Malaysia Airlines was released on Wednesday. The agency said the Australian safety investigator heading the search backs its assessment that the aircraft descended rapidly with no human intervention after it ran out of fuel.

Flight MH370 vanished in March 2014 on the way to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur with 239 passengers and crew aboard. It is currently one of the world’s greatest aviation mysteries.

The evaluation of wing flap debris indicated the aircraft was not aligned for a landing, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said.

Further, it revealed that satellite communications from the aircraft were constant with it being in a “high and increasing rate of decent” when it disappeared, colloquially acknowledged as a death dive.

The 28-page report includes new end-of-flight and drift simulations that indicate experts believe the existing search area is the most likely to cover the crash site. It overlaps with the start of a three-day meeting of international experts to work out potential plans to resume the search.

That analysis of a wing flap had “enhanced certainty” at what had occurred, ATSB search director Peter Foley told media on Wednesday

“It was probably in a non-extended position which means the aircraft wasn’t configured for a landing or a ditching,” said Foley. He was referring to the practice of extending wing flaps to allow an aircraft to travel safely at slower speeds in preparation for a landing.

“You can draw your own conclusions as to whether that means someone was in control or not.”

The issue of whether there was human intervention as the aircraft was descending is critical. If the aircraft glided, the wreckage could be beyond the 120,000 square km (46,330 square miles) search area. However, most of this expanse has already been thoroughly searched.

Authorities believe the plane was on auto-pilot and spiraled when it ran out of fuel. They assume it had no “inputs” during its final descent. This means there was no pilot or no conscious pilot.

But Fugro, the engineering group heading the search, has earlier raised the possibility that someone could have glided the aircraft. This is to rationalize why it hasn’t been located.

University of New South Wales head of aviation Jason Middleton said the wing flap analysis was of inadequate value.

Middleton said the analysis only meant the pilot was not awake, alert or planning a safe landing.

The new drift simulations only indicated that the aircraft was in that general area of the ocean that is being investigated. It did not aid in defining a new search area in the Indian Ocean, he said.

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California Tour Bus Smash Into Trailer – 13 Killed, 31 Injured

A tour bus smashed into the back of a tractor-trailer on a Southern California highway early Sunday morning. The accident left 13 people dead and 31hurt, authorities said.

California Highway Patrol (CHP) Chief Jim Abele told reporters that the bus was moving west on Interstate 10 when the accident happened near Palm Springs, a city about 100 miles (160 km) east of Los Angeles.

Due to the bus’ velocity, the truck’s trailer drove about 15 feet into the bus. The bus driver was among the 13 killed, Abele said. He believed the 31 injured passengers had minor to moderate injuries. Some, however, could be worse, he added.

“In almost 35 years, I’ve never been to a crash where there’s been 13 confirmed deaths. So it’s tough. It’s tough for all of us,” Abele said.

Several survivors described the majority of the passengers, all of whom were adults, were sleeping when the crash occurred, Abele said. He said the bus had been checked just last April and there was no sign of mechanical problems.

Images from the incident showed the front of the tour bus jammed inside the rear of the trailer. They also showed emergency workers using metal ladders to access the inside of the bus.

Officials said the injured were being treated at hospitals. All westbound lanes of the interstate were sealed off near the crash and would likely be reopened around 4 p.m., Abele said.

Abele said the bus seemed to be transporting casino-goers back to Los Angeles from the Red Earth Casino after a night of gambling.

USA Holiday Bus, the Los Angeles-area bus company involved in the crash, could not immediately be reached for comment. The driver was one of the company’s owners, the local Desert Sun newspaper reported.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it is sending an investigative team to the site to investigate the crash.

Abele said it was unclear whether the bus was speeding or if alcohol, drugs or fatigue was a factor in the crash. However, it was traveling “significantly faster” than the tractor-trailer, he added.

 

 

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Student Pilot, Instructor Had Confrontation Before Plane Went Down

A US official familiar with the investigation of a plane crash that killed a student pilot and left his flight instructor with serious burns said the crash appears to have been a suicide attempt.

According to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity on Wednesday, the two men had a confrontation inside the cockpit of the small plane. Consequently, the instructor was not able to recover control from the trainee. It crashed near the Connecticut headquarters of a military jet engine manufacturer.

The Piper PA-34 Seneca crashed with the two men onboard on Tuesday during a training flight in East Hartford. It was returning to Brainard Airport in Hartford when the incident happened. The flight instructor survived, though badly burned.

The official said the instructor depicted the student pilot as displeased about learning to be a pilot.

A law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the flight instructor is Arian Prevalla and the student was Feras Freitekh.

Prevalla, 43, is president of the American Flight Academy. Furthermore, he is a managing member of the Hartford Jet Center, according to social media pages. He is originally from Albania and now lives in Hartford.

Public records show that Freitekh lived in the Chicago suburb of Orland Hills since 2013. However, authorities there said that they found no record that he ever lived in the village.

The instructor told police detectives that it was not an accident, Hartford Mayor Marcia Leclerc said.

She said that stories change and anybody can skew information, nevertheless, they’re still waiting for the facts to come out.

The instructor and student were about to land at Brainard Airport at around 4 pm when they hit a utility pole. It then crashed onto the road and burst into flames. The crash site is across the Connecticut River, a short distance from the airport.

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Hartford Fiery Plane Crash: 1 Dead, 1 Injured

Hartford CONN. – Authorities confirmed 1 dead and 1 wounded due to a plane crash on Main Street in East Hartford on Tuesday.

The Piper PA 34 twin engine hit a utility pole and crashed around 3:30pm. According to the police, the plane was carrying two men, a student pilot and an instructor. The instructor was rushed to St. Francis Hospital with serious burns and injuries while the student was presumed dead. Police did not announce the identity of the two victims.

East Hartford Police Lt. Josh Litwin said “As far as the occupants of the plane, he is expected to survive. He is cooperating with investigators he’s actually speaking with detectives as part of this investigation as ongoing,”

Two people from a nearby car were also brought to the hospital because they were traumatized from the crash. Police made it clear that the plane did not hit the car in any way.

The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) said that the plane was owned by a local flight school and on final approach to Brainard Airport which is just across from the crash site.

The NTSB and FAA will have a joint investigation.

Meanwhile, due to the plane crash, Main Street was no longer passable between Willow Street Extension and Ensign Street until further notice. Drivers were advised to avoid the area.

The plane crash also caused power outages to around 500 people in the area. Eversource crews were working to reroute the power. The remaining number of outages, which will be isolated right by the vicinity of the crash and where the lines came down, will take longer to restore. According to them, they are still waiting for the investigators go-signal to start doing the repairs.

Following the incident, Pratt and Whitney’s officials released a statement:

“We are aware of the incident that occurred this afternoon on Main Street. Our thoughts are with the people affected. It does not appear at this time that any Pratt & Whitney employees or contractors were involved. Additionally, there is no impact to our operation here in East Hartford other than restricted traffic flow to the facility’s main entrance on Main Street. We stand ready to assist local officials as needed. Additional queries should be directed to the appropriate local officials.”

Officials from the United States Postal Service said no USPS employees or vehicles were affected. However, they believe a collection box where customers drop their outgoing mail may have been damaged.

Traffic along I-84 and Route 2 in East Hartford was affected because of the plane crash.

Part of Route 2 was shut down at one point, but it has since reopened. Exit 55 off Interstate 84 reopened as well as the westbound side of Route 2.

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New Jersey Train Going Twice the Speed Limit Before Crash

On Thursday, Federal investigators found that the New Jersey transit train was travelling twice the required speed before the accident. The transit train crashed into the Hoboken Terminal last week.

The train going at 21 mph crashed through the terminal killing one Hoboken woman and injuring 108 people. The train went airborne after the train’s engineer hit the emergency brakes. It happened less than a second before smashing into the terminal, the National Transportation Safety Board said on their report about the deadly mishap.

The NTSB got the information from the data and video recorder in the forward facing camera onboard the train.

Overspeeding

According to NTSB reports, the train’s data record shows it was traveling at 8 mph with the throttle in idle position. The train’s speed maxed out to 21 mph 40 seconds prior to the crash; the station’s limit is only 10 mph.

The train’s throttle returned to the idle position just before the impact. Correspondingly, the train’s engineer stepped on the emergency brake less than a second before the collision. NTSB report said, “The NTSB has not determined probable cause and cautions against drawing conclusions from these facts alone”.

Unfortunately the Hoboken station is not equipped with such early warning system. They solely rely on the “dead man” brake. The “dead man” brake requires the train engineer to keep one foot on the pedal at all times. The emergency brakes will only activate if the foot leaves the pedal anytime during the train’s course.

The deadly crash triggered the New Jersey Transit to change their policy. NJ Transit mandated a second engineer at the front of every train that goes into Hoboken Terminal or Atlantic City Station.

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One Killed and Over 100 Injured as New Jersey Train Crashes Into Station

A rush hour commuter train killed one person and injured more than 100. It crashed into a station in New Jersey on Thursday morning.

Emergency workers tore through debris of dangling wires and twisted metal to reach the injured. Passengers kicked out windows and crawled to safety as people pulled pieces of concrete off trapped and wounded victims.

The train charged through the end of the track at Hoboken terminal at around 8:45 a.m. It also knocked out pillars, therefore bringing down a section of the roof.

Debris from the crash hit and killed one person on the platform and hurt 108 people, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said.

Officials at two hospitals said that some of the injured were in critical condition. More than a few passengers were initially trapped but were later freed.

The train’s engineer was assisting fully with investigators while being treated for serious injuries in a hospital, Christie added.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told a news conference that there are no indications that the incident was anything other than a “tragic accident”. Nevertheless, they will allow  authorities pursue the facts.

Cuomo said that it was uncertain why the train had come into the station too fast. It could be technical failure or human error that caused the accident. Further, he added that it was still premature to determine whether an anti-collision system known as positive train control could have averted the crash.

Positive train control relies on GPS and radio signals to monitor trains’ position and speed. Presently, none of NJ Transit’s trains come fully equipped with the safety system.

Installation delayed by regulators

Regulators repeatedly delayed the target date for the installation of the anti-collision system. They now scheduled for the end of 2018, at railroads’ request. The industry is under government orders to install it, and the NTSB has been pushing for some version of the technology for at least 40 years.

A similar incident happened in May 2011, when a Port Authority of New York and New Jersey train crashed at Hoboken station. That event produced more than 30 injuries when the train hit a bumping post at the end of the track. An NTSB investigation found that excessive speed was the main cause of the accident.

The agency would study the similarities between that one and Thursday’s crash, an NTSB official said.

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