Grand Aire Founder Killed in Crash of Hansa Jet
Grand Aire Founder Killed in Crash of Hansa Jet
Tahir Cheema, 50, founder, owner and president of Toledo, Ohio-based charter firm Grand Aire Express, and his copilot Eko Pinardi, 40, were killed Tuesday night when the HFB Hansa Jet they were flying crashed into an island in the Missouri River seconds after taking off from Spirit of St. Louis Airport, Chesterfield, Mo. Light snow and gusty winds were reported at the time of the accident, about 9 p.m. local. Cheema reportedly had been trying to sell the 1969 aircraft (N604GA), which had not flown at all since it arrived at the airport on March 23. Grand Aire has had a tumultuous history since Cheema founded the primarily cargo carrier in 1985. There have been legal battles with the FAA over alleged safety violations, financial problems serious enough since 9/11 to force the company to significantly scale back operations and a recent lawsuit over a multi-million-dollar bank debt. Grand Aire aircraft have been involved in some 10 accidents, with the company’s first fatal crash, an Aerostar, occurring in July 2002. In addition, the NTSB is still investigating one of two accidents on the same day—April 8, 2003—involving Grand Aire Falcon 20s. In one of the accidents, all three people aboard were killed when their aircraft crashed while practicing ILS approaches in icing conditions. In the other accident, two Grand Aire pilots were injured when their Falcon 20 crashed in a river after both engines flamed out while on approach.