Canadair jet crashes in Armenia, injuring 10
Updated Thu. Feb. 14 2008 7:03 AM ET
The Associated Press
YEREVAN, Armenia – A Canadair plane carrying 21 people flipped over and burst into flames during takeoff from Armenia’s capital today, injuring 10 people.
The head of Armenia’s civil aviation authority says the Canadair CRJ-100 was heading for Minsk, Belarus, when it crashed on the runway at Zvartnots Airport.
Avtiom Movsesian says there were 18 passengers and three crew members aboard.
Ten people were taken to hospital with injuries.
A spokesman for the airport, Gevorg Abramian, says none of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening.
The plane belonged to Belarus’s state airline Belavia.
The CRJ-100 is made by Montreal-based Bombardier.
Last year, many of Bombardier’s Q-400 turboprop planes were grounded after a Scandinavian Airlines aircraft skidded off a runway with 52 people aboard.
man I hate how mainstream media reports on aviation though. “burst into flames” well apparently it didn’t “burst” into flames that quickly since everyone got out of a capsized airplane…
then later - “Last year, many of Bombardier’s Q-400 turboprop planes were grounded after a Scandinavian Airlines aircraft skidded off a runway with 52 people aboard.”
Oh really? they grounded Q400s because one happened to skid off the runway eh? no - they grounded them to inspect the Q400s that had more than 10,000 cycles because of suspected landing gear issues. skidding off the runway was just an effect - yet they fail to report on the cause. unbelievable.
I find it very surreal that the same sceniro of accident keeps reoccuring.
Is it a training problem, and aerodynamic problem, failure to note the conditions of the airframe/icing prior to flight???
Each accident seems identicle to the prior one, alarm bells should be ringing loud and clear by now!!! The only thing I see different in these accidents, is the level of damage, which seems to be at what point in the departure loss of control/stall happens.
I can’t confirm, but was told that it was a joint venture deal with Belavia like Kunpeng Airlines…a joint venture between Mesa and Shenzhen Airlines in China…again, outside of Mesa’s maint. hangar.
Good find AZ. I’m sure its true. Funny how Mesa was nearly wiped out at one time. Also, you take a decent looking bird like the CRJ, paint it in that boring, drab, old world scheme and it doesn’t even look like the same plane. It looks like a Russian built commuter (IMHO).
I think Mesa is in deep trouble once again… Between the loss of some code-share agreements, and the $90 million judgement against them in the price fixing debacle with the GO inter Hawaiian Island operation…
That may be…but there is some sort of tie between Mesa and Belavia otherwise the two CRJ-100 aircraft in Belavia livery would not have been serviced at Mesa’s PHX maint base prior to delivery to Belarus.
Sorry but they have, and do operate -100s. cn/7316 (the accident aircraft) was a -100 which was operated by Mesa in US Airways Express and United Express liveries. Mesa’s own website lists -100s and -200s as part of their fleet. http://www.mesa-air.com/fleet.asp And unless they’ve been recently retired Airfleets shows 3 -100s active in Mesa’s fleet. If you have information to the contrary, please share…
There’s a huge difference between Belavia outsourcing their heavy maintenance on their CRJ’s to Mesa and Mesa “operating” their aircraft as you suggest.
This flight was in no way operated by Mesa crews or under a Mesa operating certificate.
It was suggested to me from another source, and may very well be misinformation. Also you’ll note that it was suggested to be “a joint venture deal with Belavia like Kunpeng Airlines” where Shenzhen Airlines “operates” the aircraft under their certificate. However, both of (and the only) CRJ’s that were delivered to Belavia last year were formerly operated by Mesa, and then prepped for delivery to Belarus under some agreement with Mesa.
If you re-read my posts you’ll see that I carefully used phrases such as “I believe” and “I can’t confirm” and “That may be” because I am not close enough to first hand information regarding the “operation” of the aircraft. What is fact is that both Belavia CRJs, including the accident aircraft, were formerly operated by Mesa as evidenced by airliners.net aircraft history, and Airfleets.
Icing, almost certainly. One wing flies, the other doesn’t, wingtip digs in, airplane flips. The CRJ has a supercritical (thin) wing and no LEDs. You MUST ensure it’s clean.
