Originally Posted by
Harry Wayfarers
rob39,
Van Air's AOC, as far as I'm aware, hasn't been suspended, indeed from what I've been reading the Czech authority don't really seem to care that one of their operators goes around trying to kill people!
If you read back in this thread what appears to have happened was they departed IOM destination BHD where the wind, at a minimum mean speed of 20kts, was 80 to 90 degrees, pretty much, straight across the runway in rain showers and, by all accounts, with it's narrow undercarriage the L410's x-wind limitations ain't all that.
Other(s) were diverting to BFS, other alternates, with better runway directions, such as PIK and Machrihanish were available but Van Air attempted at least one approach in to BHD during which they bounced off the runway before electing to return to IOM where, by then, the wind was 40 degrees off the runway, in rain showers, with a mean speed of 42kts and gusts of 56kts.
For reasons that I haven't read an explanation of, it would appear that UK CAA were present at IOM, perhaps in the tower, when the L410 landed, the wind was too strong even for it to taxi, the CAA insisted that it shut down and stay on the runway where apparently a fire truck or two were parked adjacent to shield the wings from the wind.
Then or later the UK CAA decided that Van Air are not to darken their skies again and have withdrawn their authority to operate in UK, the CAA don't normally take such action for a one-off offence and there remains the question what were the CAA doing in the IOM in the first instance!
Thanks Harry for the reply, fully understand now