I just realised that the wrecked aircraft was one of the aircrafts that I flew most during my PPL flying stage.
9M-HMT (Niner Mike Hotel Mike Tango, this is the way of pronunciation in aviation field).
Before its engine was changed to the new 2.0Engine, I did not have much to complain about the aircraft except for the super sensitive pre-stall warning sound.
This aircraft was also the first aircraft to change to the 2.0Engine. It was tested for many weeks on ground and then in the air before it was certified to be released for flying. No solo flying was allowed for the aircraft initially. Like cars, new engines normally have problems although they have been tested alot of times. Ditto for aircrafts.
So 9M-HMT was only for mutual flying (cadet+instructor) until they (the engineers and instructors) satisfied with the aircraft performance. I think it was like a month later then only they allowed solo students to fly it.
I flew with my instructor in that aircraft for local sortie, with the newly-fitted engine. Seriously, the engine was very powerful! Goddamn it was fast! It felt like fitting a turbocharger in a bicycle!
But there was a problem.
The previous engine was of a smaller cc, hence producing lesser power and lesser RPM as compared to the 2.0Engine.
The RPM indicator was designed and calibrated based on the older engine RPM. So it tended to show overspeed whenever we wanted to go full throttle. Many at times we had to abort take-off due to the RPM overspeed.
If you are thinking why we couldn't just take-off with RPM overspeed, try think about the structural limit of a propeller. It is not fun at all to fly an aircraft with a propeller broken into pieces.
The engineers realised the problem and had the panel changed later.
This was not the only problem affecting the aircraft. I shall not talk more about it. Haha.
Come to think of it, I am glad that nothing serious happened to me when I flew that aircraft alone!
More news and updates of the crash at NST Online.
I just saw the news in RTM1. You should see the condition of the aircraft. The cockpit was completely smashed! It's a miracle that the other guy survived the accident.
The flying wing has been grounded until further notice. I hope the investigation can give justice to Mohd Ariff.
If you have been following my post, I blogged about quite a few of aircraft accidents (engine failures, structure defects, etc) involving this school. All of the cadets & flying instructors escaped unhurt or at most with minor injury.
But not this time. Not today.
One of my colleague has passed away.
My senior. Age 20. Batch 14. Mohd Ariff from SJ.
We heard about the news that he was doing mutual instrument flying with his batchmate, Mohd Farid evening yesterday and then went missing. Hours later, another news came that they were last seen crash landed into a forest.
And it was only this morning, they were found. The report from KT tower was that both of them were found with serious injury and still alive.
Minutes later, another call came. And the rest I need not to say.
For more details, please go to Berita Harian Online.
Report when they went missing:
(http://www.bharian.com.my/Current_News/BH/Thursday/Nasional/20080820232611/Article/)
Today's report:
(http://www.bharian.com.my/Current_News/BH/Thursday/Mutakhir/20080821085606/Article/)
May peace and strength prevail within the family members of Mohd Ariff. The other guy, Mohd Farid, is in ICU now. Hopefully, he will be fine.
And oh yeah, another 153 people died in a crash at Madrid airport. Check out the news in The Star.
Crash-landing: The wreckage of the two-seater airplane lying in the garden of the house in Ipoh Thursday.
Badly injured: Ahmad Tarmezee being carried by rescuers to an ambulance after the crash Thursday.
The two-seater Eagle 150B trainer aircraft crashed-landed in the garden of a double-storey link house in Taman Cempaka, Ipoh, Thursday. The trainer and trainee pilot survived the crash.
Source: The Star
Friday June 27, 2008
By IVAN LOH
IPOH: Housewife P. Susila was stunned when she heard a loud bang and saw the object that crashed into her garden here yesterday, just metres from where she was standing – it was an aeroplane.
The two-seater Eagle 150B was largely intact and was upside down with its nose embedded in a patch of plants in Susila's nicely-maintained garden in Taman Chempaka. The wingtips had just missed the boundary wall and a pillar. A set of garden furniture just metres from the wreckage was untouched.
Relating the 1.30pm incident Susila, 49, said: “I was inside the house when I heard a loud noise. When I looked out of the door to check, I was stunned to see the plane in my garden, just metres from my doorstep.”
Soon after, several people were shouting at her to tell her to open the gate so that they could help the two pilots who were still in the cockpit, she added.
Trainer Mohamad Faizal Kamaruddin, 37, and his 23-year-old trainee Ahmad Tarmezee Ahmad Lotpi were in the airplane belonging to an aviation institute here.
It is believed that the pilot had lost control of the aircraft before it crash-landed into Susila’s compound.
Ipoh traffic chief Deputy Supt Mohd Rodzi Rajab said the two men, who were badly injured but in stable condition, had been admitted to the Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun.
Police said they were still investigating the incident and had yet to identify who was flying the airplane.
Chia Kwan Hong, who was having lunch nearby said he saw the plane hitting a tree first before it crash-landed.
Chia, a 25-year-old computer salesman, said he and his father Kook Kheong, 51, rushed to the crash site to see if they could help the survivors.
After 20 minutes, rescuers managed to free the two men from the wreck and rushed them to hospital.
***Apparently the newspaper did not mention the name of the flying school. From the colour of the stripes on the aircraft body, I guess it is from Integrated Flying Academy. Thank god those two survived the crash.
If you read one of my post regarding Practiced Forced Landing (PFL), I mentioned about what kinda place to choose to land the aircraft in case of emergency (such as engine failure).
I am not sure whether the instructor was really superb or just pure luck, but he somehow managed to make an Emergency Landing in a house compound! You can notice how small the compound is! Looks like the garden is the biggest place to land the aircraft at the time problem occured.***
For many days my sorties were cancelled due to weather, so I didn't blog at all for that period. Yesterday my batch leader told us that there would be a meeting at the common room at 2000hours. So after dinner I went straight to the room, still in my full uniform, and waited for others to arrive. 15minutes passed and no one was to be seen. Batch leader came and told me that it was postponed to 2030hours. I went back to change into my full uniform first. While changing, I heard there was a commotion outside my room (my room is just next to the common room by the way). After changing, I went straight outside. As I opened the door,
*Baappp* An egg was smashed on my body.
*Piiaak* Another one on my back.
*Bllaapp* Another one on my head.
I was like !#@$#!@. What the hell are you guys throwing and smashing eggs on me?!! And they shouted back: Happy Belated Birthday!! Hell broke loose.
Haha. Now I know why. They were planning all this while was not for meeting but it was to celebrate me and four other friends' birthday. Not just me the only one were thrown with eggs, other birthday boys faced the same fate too. Haha. Some were given 'flour shower' too! It was damn fun, running away to evade the egg attacks and at the same time running after the others for revenge! And of course, the common room and our corridor turned from clean to...ermm..you know how dirty a place can be after egg war. Haha.
My batch mates bought a cake, some snacks and drinks. We had the party at the same place and took a group photo too (still in our dirty clothes)! =D After that we cleaned up the place but the common room IS still smelly. Haha.
The birthday celebration at here is very different to what I had last time. Last time back in secondary school, we would beat up the birthday boy. At here, we throw eggs on them. Haha.
Anyway, today got a big accident happened. One of our trainer aircrafts encountered with an engine failure and had to make an emergency landing at a nearby swamp. My friends and I rushed to the scene as soon as we got the news. Just wanna be a busybody sometimes. Both the instructor and the student pilot are safe and sound. Thank God. The plane was damaged quite badly, especially the left wing. The left wheel was 'tercabut'. The firemen found the wheel at the other side of the swamp which was pretty far away from the site. Why the engine failed during flight, I can't give any answer for now because it will be more appropriate to wait until the relevant authorities release the investigation result. Maybe tomorrow's newspaper will have a report on it.
Seniors said that the hangar should be closed for at least a week to allow for investigation. But hey, now I see got students doing night flying. Haha. I thought I gonna have a week holiday! Hopes dashed. I am scheduled to fly tomorrow. One sortie with instructor and two solo sorties. All three in the late evening. Haizz. I am afraid my sorties have to be cancelled again. One, weather is getting hazier due to the paddy farmers conducting open burning. Two, rainy season. Three, more aircrafts are under maintainance. Four, many big airlines are coming in and out at late evening causing my delays.
With so frequent engine problems happening to the single engines aircrafts, I can't deny that I am feeling a little scared when I go for flying solo. You know, I start to wonder whether I can safely land the aircraft in case of such emergencies happen to me. Haha. I have been practising emergencies simulation in my mind every time every day. Just to prepare myself mentally first and don't want to shit myself out at the critical point of time.
Well, if I can't make it, I suppose I can't do anything but to leave everything to god and pray for the best.
Just finished Jet Engine and Electricity progress tests today and next week still got 6 more tests to go, mainly some progress tests and the final tests for Aircraft Systems, Electricity, Theory Of Flight and Jet Engine. Finished Piston Engine test few weeks ago and scored 99%. The other 1% wasn't because careless this time. It was because I didn't know how to do that particular question and "tembak" the wrong answer. Well, that's too bad, isn't it? Looks like I still got to work much harder!!
Many would think that the students gonna go bonkers if the school keeps giving us tests everyday and expect us to score above 75%. The instructors also expect us to score 100% for all the subjects too. Reason? Pilots must know everything about the aircraft and they carry the responsibility to make sure 200-300 passengers arrive safely at their destination. Of course, one may argue that to err is human. But obviously the slightest mistake due to human error in flight (during take-off and even landing) may invite terrible disaster. I suppose none of you want a "not-so-knowledgeable" pilot to fly the plane that you are taking.
Air disasters are not solely due to human errors though. Other factors are bad weather, aircraft mechanical failure, and so on. Below are some statistics about air crash from planecrashinfo.com.
"Pilot error (weather related)" represents accidents in which pilot error was involved but brought about by weather related phenomena. "Pilot error (mechanical related)" represents accidents in which pilot error was involved but brought about by mechanical failure. "Other human error" includes air traffic controller error, improper loading of aircraft, fuel contamination, improper maintenance etc. Sabotage includes explosive devices, shoot downs and hijackings. "Total pilot error" is the total for all types of pilot error (on the fourth line in yellow). Where there were multiple causes, the most prominent cause was used.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accidents and Fatalities by Phase of Flight
Source: Statistical Summary of Commercial Jet Airplane Accidents, Boeing
| Survival Rate of Fatal Accidents by Decade | |
| Decade | % surviving |
| 1930s | 18 |
| 1940s | 23 |
| 1950s | 22 |
| 1960s | 21 |
| 1970s | 24 |
| 1980s | 33 |
| 1990s+ | 32 |
| Survival rate of passengers on aircraft ditching during controlled flight | 60% |
Source: PlaneCrashInfo.com accident database