The report on TVB Pearl, HK.. (OK not the most authoritative source...) says it was an MD 11 for AVIENT, that it had an American pilot, that it had 'crew from Indonesia' and that there are 3 dead, 4 in hospital. The plane according to the eye witnesses took a long time to get airborne and then crashed.
The crash caused some flight delays.
A Zimbabwian registered aircraft A crash in China A Cargo Aircraft An Aircraft type that is out of production An aircraft manufacturer that no longer exists
What sort of investigation can we expect? there are always lessons to be learnt from sad incidents like this I hope we do find out what happened so it can be prevented in future
It might SAY that, but it's run from UK and has been as long as I've personally known them.
In that case, wouldn't you think it's a bit strange that a few of those dodgy African cargo operators (MK anyone?) are 'based' in the UK and thus gaining access to the EU market? How do they get away with it?
What sort of investigation can we expect? there are always lessons to be learnt from sad incidents like this I hope we do find out what happened so it can be prevented in future
If it's mechancial related expect EASA, the NTSB, the FAA and Boeing to issue coments in less than 6 months.
If it's mostly crew or dispatch related and no new lessons learned, then don't expect to see anything other than internet chatter.
I suppose that there can be other issues, but for this specfic accident I can't think of any?
In that case, wouldn't you think it's a bit strange that a few of those dodgy African cargo operators (MK anyone?) are 'based' in the UK and thus gaining access to the EU market? How do they get away with it?
MK were based in the UK and G registered the last time I looked!?
"The Zimbabwe-registered aircraft's tail struck the ground on takeoff..." - If that is true, then this would not be the first time this aircraft's tail touched the ground:
A quick search on Freight Dogs and you will find a lot written about this airline and its owner Mr. Andrew Smith.
This is a Zimbabwean airline with headquarters in Salisbury, Wiltshire, United Kingdom. It operated from Vatry France for years and then in Sept this year did a moonlight flight to Liege Belgium allegedly leaving behind massive debts, then almost out of nowhere a month later they get a MD11F and within a couple of weeks of operating the aircraft this happens......
UN cuts details of Western profiteers from Congo report, The Independent
"Avient is run by a former British Army captain, Andrew Smith. In the last panel report, the company was said to have been contracted to stage bombing raids over eastern Congo in 1999 and 2000. It also allegedly sold six attack helicopters to the Kinshasa government last year. "
A Catalogue of Failures: G8 Arms Exports and Human Rights Violations - Amnesty International
"Another example is the Zimbabwean company, Avient, with management links to the UK, which was reported to have hired Russian aircraft and air crew to support the government of Laurent Kabila in the Congo with "air drops", and also admitted to repairing and maintaining Russian MIG fighters for the Kabila regime."
Regulating weapons deals: The case for European Controls on arms brokers - Oxfam
(pdf file, right-click & save)
"British citizen, Andrew Smith, resident in Wiltshire, was named by a UN report for organising bombing raids in DRC on behalf of President Joseph Kabila. He is also alleged to have brokered the sale of six attack helicopters to DRC government last April. He side-stepped EU arms embargos by operating through his company, Avient, registered in Zimbabwe."
A/c may be "Z" reg but company is based in UK, crews are trained here at the sims in Crawley to UK standards and class 1 medicals done in UK also!! The crews are worldwide including many form Stateside and Europe!! This is not a case of just africans loading up and going!
Sky news reports that a/c struck the runway with its tail on rotation.
