Never-seen photographs from the Sep 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon released by the FBI this week show the massive devastation that faced first responders.
Twenty-seven pictures from that day depict the crushed walls, blazing fires and eviscerated interiors of the seat of the US Department of Defence.
The American Airlines jet that struck the Pentagon was one of four airliners hijacked by Al-Qaeda teams and used as weapons in the deadliest terror attack ever on US soil.
When the Pentagon was hit, two other airliners had already been flown into New York’s World Trade Center; the fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers rose up against the hijackers.
American Airlines Flight 77 out of Dulles International Airport slammed into the Pentagon’s western wall, killing all 64 people on the plane, including the five hijackers, and 125 on the ground.
An American Airlines co-pilot died in the air Wednesday afternoon, officials said.
The Boeing 737-800 (reg. N951AA) flight #AA1353 was just 2 miles from Albuquerque, (N.M.) when the captain announced a “medical” emergency over the intercom, an American Airlines spokeswoman told the Daily News.
The aircraft, which had departed from Dallas-Fort Worth just before 3 p.m., nonetheless landed safely in Albuquerque around 3:30 p.m. local time, according to data.
Once on the ground, the co-pilot, identified as William (Mike) Grubbs, received CPR for nearly 40 minutes before being pronounced dead, the spokeswoman said.
A Scoot Boeing 787 Dreamliner and an Emirates Airbus A380 came into contact in the early hours of Thursday (March 30) at Singapore Changi Airport.
A Scoot spokesman said flight #TZ188, bound for Tianjin, China, was taxiing before take-off when the accident happened at 1.40am. All 303 passengers and 11 crew are safe and they were put on a replacement aircraft for a rescheduled flight at around 6am.
The left wing of the Scoot plane came into contact with the Emirates aircraft. The damaged plane is undergoing repairs.
The Emirates Airbus 380 flight #EK405 was bound for Dubai when the incident occured.
A spokesman for Changi Airport Group said passengers aboard were re-booked on other Emirates flights scheduled to depart later the same day.
The airport is working with relevant authorities to investigate the incident.
A helicopter with five people on board has gone missing over the Irish Sea sparking a major search.
A spokesman for the UK Coastguard said it was coordinating a search operation in the Caernarfon Bay area of North Wales.
The privately owned twin squirrel red helicopter is believed to have left Milton Keynes on Wednesday and was heading to Dublin via Caernarfon Bay.
The spokesman said radar contact with the helicopter was lost on Wednesday afternoon and the Coastguard was notified to start a search operation at 4.15pm.
Duty commander Peter Davies said: ‘We have established a search plan between Caernarfon Bay and the shore of Dublin and currently have two Coastguard helicopters searching the route.
“We are in the process of contacting all the vessels in the Irish Sea that were in the vicinity around midday and we are continuing Mayday broadcast action for any vessels currently in the area to contact us if they have any further information.
“At the moment we are appealing to these vessels and to the public that if they have seen a twin squirrel red helicopter to please contact 999 and ask for the Coastguard.’
At least three TSA workers were hurt after being exposed to a food substance in what’s being described as a hazardous material incident at LaGuardia Airport.
It happened just before 6 a.m. Wednesday at Terminal B.
The three TSA workers were exposed to a food substance and were complaining of eye irritation near one of the check-in areas. The terminal itself was closed for about a half hour, but it has since reopened.
The runway of London Stansted Airport was closed during the night after protesters ran out to prevent a plane carrying eight deportees from taking off.
The campaign groups End Deportations, Plane Stupid and activists from Lesbians and Gays Support the Migrants said 14 activists had locked themselves to a tripod to stop a “mass deportation charter flight” to Nigeria and Ghana.
A spokesman for Stansted confirmed the runway had been closed at about 10pm, resulting in several flights being cancelled or diverted to other airports in the London area.
The plane targeted by protesters was on a remote stand at the opposite side of the airport to the passenger terminal and was not a scheduled commercial flight, he said.
Commercial flights resumed late on Tuesday night after police had conducted checks of the compound.
Five Indian airlines have banned a member of the country’s parliament after he beat a 60-year-old Air India staff member with a shoe 25 times.
The MP, Ravindra Gaikwad, was traveling from Pune to Delhi Friday and lost his temper when staff apparently refused to upgrade his seat to business class. The plane he was traveling on had no designated business class, and the airline warned his PA ahead of time about the change, the Hindustan Times reported.
Gaikwad beat the man so hard that he fell down, according to the report.
Indigo, Air India, SpiceJet, GoAir and Jet Airways, all part of the Federation of Indian Airlines, an apex industry body, blacklisted Gaikwad, 56, who refused to apologize. The MP’s ticket for his return flight from Delhi to Pune was canceled by Air India after the ruckus. Vistara, another airline, also moved to ban the MP, which means he will now likely have to take the train back to Maharashtra.
Gaikwad admitted to hitting the man in an interview with ANI : “Yes, I beat him with a sandal 25 times. Should I tolerate abuses from the media, from the company (Air India) just because I am an MP? I slapped him.”
A Boeing jet operated by Peruvian Airlines caught fire on Tuesday while landing at an airport near the Andean town of Jauja in central Peru after it swerved on the runway, but there were no serious injuries, a government minister said.
Peruvian Airlines said in a statement that the Boeing 737-300 jet drove off the runway for unspecified reasons during the scheduled landing, after swerving to the right. It said that all 141 people on board the flight, which originated in Lima, were evacuated safely.
Authorities are investigating the incident, which occurred about 4.30pm local time, involving the Boeing 737-300 jet at the high-altitude airport in an agricultural valley some 265 kilometres from Lima, the capital.
Bombardier capped a series of CS100 tests at London City Airport (LCY) with a nonstop transatlantic flight to New York JFK on March 25, demonstrating the range capability of the smallest CSeries airliner from the airport closest to central London.
CS100 flight-test aircraft FTV2 completed eight flights from LCY over two days on Mach 22-23, to validate the aircraft’s ability to operate into the airport, with its 5.5-degree approach and short runway.
The flights, some with Transport Canada and European Aviation Safety Agency pilots on board, followed “hundreds” of landings in tests at Wichita and Salina, Kansas, Bombardier CSeries-VP and GM Rob Dewar said.
An Air Canada flight headed for Shanghai was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after taking off from Trudeau airport on Saturday.
Passengers onboard flight #AC17 reported hearing unusual sounds as the plane pulled away from the tarmac.
A warning light came on in the cockpit of the Boeing 787. The crew, following emergency procedures, shut down the engine, dumped fuel and contacted emergency teams on the ground.
“Our technical team will proceed with an inspection of the engine to determine the cause of the incident,” said Isabelle Arthur, a spokesperson for Air Canada.
40 years ago today, KLM Flight 4805 (PH-BUF) was a scheduled passenger flight from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Netherlands to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Airport, Canary Islands. The Boeing 747-206B named Rijn (Rhine) was carrying 234 passengers & 14 crew members.
PH-BUF, the accident aircraft involved.
The second aircraft involved, Pan American World Airways Flight 1736 (N736PA) was a scheduled passenger flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Airport, Canary Islands. The Boeing 747-121 named Clipper Victor was carrying 380 passengers & 16 crew members.
N736PA, the accident aircraft involved.
ACCIDENT
The cockpit crew of KLM Flight 4805 consisted of Captain Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten, First Officer Klaas Meurs, and Flight Engineer Willem Schreuder. Captain van Zanten was KLM’s most experienced pilot. He was featured in an advertisement in the KLM magazine Holland Herald. The magazines with this ad inside were on board KLM Flight 4805.
The cockpit crew of Pan Am Flight 1736 consisted of Captain Victor Grubbs, First Officer Robert Bragg and First Engineer George Warns. Seven years before this accident, N736PA was the first Boeing 747 to be hijacked.
At 12:30 pm a bomb planted by the CIIM terrorists exploded in a florist shop at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Airport. 8 people were injured. Members then threatened to explode a second bomb at the airport, forcing police to shut down ATC while they searched for the bomb. A large number of flights were diverted to Los Rodeos Airport including KLM Flight 4805 and Pan Am Flight 1736. The airport had only one runway and one major taxiway parallel to it, with four short taxiways connecting the two.
KLM Flight 4805 & Pan Am Flight 1736 at Los Rodeos Airport shortly before the accident.
While waiting for Las Palmas to reopen, the diverted aircraft took up so much space that they were parked on the long taxiway, meaning that it could not be used for taxiing. Instead, departing aircraft had to taxi along the runway to position themselves for takeoff, a procedure known as a runway backtrack. The KLM Flight 4805 passengers were transported to the airport terminal. While the Pan Am Flight 1736 passengers remained on board due to the terminal being full. Pan Am Flight 1736 passengers walked on the airstairs to stretch their legs.
At 15:00, Las Palmas Airport reopened, passenger Robina van Lanschot of KLM Flight 4805, who lived on the island, chose not to re-board KLM Flight 4805. Since the Pan Am Flight 1736 passengers remained on board it was possible to leave Tenerife at once. The taxiways were congested by other aircraft. This meant the Pan Am crew had to backtrack on runway 12 and takeoff on runway 30. The entrance to runway 12 was blocked by KLM Flight 4805. The Pan Am Flight had to wait almost 2 hours for all KLM passengers (except 1) had reboarded & refueling had taken place.
The KLM flight was then cleared to backtrack runway 12 and make an 180 degree turn at the end. Three minutes later (at 17:02) Pan Am Flight 1736 was cleared to follow the KLM aircraft and backtrack runway 12. The Pan Am crew were told to leave the runway at the third taxiway and report leaving the runway. During taxi onto the runway, the weather deteriorated & a fog bank rolled onto the runway limiting visibility. At 17:05:44 KLM 4805 reported ready for takeoff and was given instructions for a Papa beacon departure. The KLM crew repeated the instructions and added “We are now at takeoff”. The brakes were released and KLM Flight 4805 started the takeoff roll.
Tenerife tower, knowing that Pan Am Flight 1736 was still taxiing down the runway replied “OK …… Stand by for takeoff, I will call you.” This message coincided with the Pan Am crew’s transmission “No … uh we’re still taxiing down the runway, the Clipper 1736”. These communications caused a shrill noise in the KLM cockpit, lasting approx. 3.74 seconds. Tenerife tower replied: “Papa Alpha 1736 report runway clear.”, whereupon the PanAm crew replied: “OK, will report when we’re clear”. This caused some concerns with the KLM Flight engineer asking the captain: “Is he not clear then?” After repeating his question the captain answers emphatically: “Oh, yes”.
Tenerife tower replied: “Papa Alpha 1736 report runway clear.”, whereupon the PanAm crew replied: “OK, will report when we’re clear”. This caused some concerns with the KLM Flight engineer asking the captain: “Is he not clear then?” After repeating his question the captain answers emphatically: “Oh, yes”.
A number of second before impact, the KLM crew saw the Pan Am Boeing 747 still taxiing down the runway. The crew tried to climb away and became airborne after a 65 feet tail drag in an excessive rotation. The Pan Am crew immediately turned the aircraft to the left and applied full power. The KLM aircraft was airborne, but the fuselage skidded over the Pan Am’s aft fuselage, destroying it and shearing off the tail. The KLM aircraft flew on and crashed out of control 150 m further on, sliding another 300 m bursting into flames. Killing all 248 on the KLM aircraft. In total 583 passengers & crew lost their lives. Only 61 survived. It is the deadliest aviation disaster in history.
INVESTIGATION
The accident was investigated by Spain’s Comisión de Investigación de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviación Civil (CIAIAC) & assisted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The probable cause was that Captain Veldhuyzen van Zanten took off without clearance. The investigators suggested the reason for this was a desire to leave as soon as possible in order to comply with KLM’s duty-time regulations, and before the weather deteriorated further.
Other major factors contributing to the accident were:
The sudden fog greatly limited visibility. The control tower and the crews of both planes were unable to see one another.
Interference from simultaneous radio transmissions, with the result, that it was difficult to hear the message.
Other factors that were considered contributing but not critical were:
Use of ambiguous non-standard phrases by the KLM co-pilot (“We’re at take off”) and the Tenerife control tower (“OK”).
The Pan Am aircraft had not exited the runway at C-3. However, the angle of the third taxiway would have required the plane to perform a turn of approximately 148 degrees, which would lead back towards the still-crowded main apron. At the end of C-3, the Pan Am would have to make another 148-degree turn in order to continue taxiing towards the start of the runway. This would be extremely difficult for the Boeing 747 to do. Taxiway C-4 would only require two 35 degree turns.
The airport was forced to accommodate a great number of large aircraft due to rerouting from a bomb threat, resulting in disruption of the normal use of taxiways.
The Dutch authorities were reluctant to accept the Spanish report blaming the KLM captain for the accident. The Netherlands Department of Civil Aviation published a response that, while accepting that the KLM aircraft had taken off “prematurely”, argued that he alone should not be blamed for the “mutual misunderstanding” that occurred between the controller and the KLM crew, and that limitations of using radio as a means of communication should have been given greater consideration.
British Airways has served Logan with 777s, 747s, and 787s, but today was the first day scheduled A380 service started, with “Speedbird 213 Super” doing the honors. Go to 8:55 for the touchdown, this is shaky, someone forgot their tripod, better images for the taxi portion. We’re all excited in Boston to have BA, EK, and eventually LH come in with 380s; the team has built a whole new terminal wing just for this on the Northwest side of Terminal E.
The measures announced ‘out of the blue’ this morning will affect nine airlines from eight countries including Dubai, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar – due to ‘unspecified terrorism threats’.
PM’s spokesman: passengers not allowed in plane cabin with phones, laptops or tablets larger than 16cm in length, 9.3cm width & 1.5cm depth
Mobile phones are exempt – although it is not immediately clear what it will mean for owners of iPads.
These are the airports affected by the ban: Airports affected by the ban
Hamad International Airport, Doha, Qatar
Dubai International Airport, UAE
Abu Dhabi International Airport, UAE
Ataturk International Airport, Istanbul, Turkey
Queen Alia International Airport, Amman, Jordan
Cairo International Airport, Egypt
King Abdul Aziz International Airport, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Mohammed V Airport, Casablanca, Morocco
Kuwait International Airport, Kuwait
The US has stated the decision to introduce the ban is based on “evaluated intelligence”.
A cargo flight from London Stansted to Doha was intercepted this morning by Hungarian fighter jets.
A McDonnell Douglas MD-10 (reg. N330AU) took off from London Stansted at 0739 UTC and entered Hungarian airspace at 0911 UTC but didn’t contact the Hungarian Air Traffic Control after it entered the Hungarian airspace.
The aircraft was flying according to the flight plan but the Hungarian Air Force was alerted. Two Gripens took off from Kecskemet Airbase. After the fighter jets have reached the MD-10, the crew contacted the Hungarian ATC at 0926 UTC then continued its journey to Doha.
The flight is expected to land at Doha at 1400 UTC.
Following from President Donald Trump’s failed travel ban which excluded people traveling to the USA, new measures have now been announced.
Passengers will have to check electronic devices larger than mobile phones once US authorities formalise a new ban in response to an unspecified terrorism threat, US officials told Reuters this morning.
The new rule is expected to be announced today by the Department of Homeland Security, the officials said, adding that it had been under consideration since the US government learned of a threat several weeks ago.
A source said the rule would cover around eight to ten foreign airlines.
A separate government official confirmed an Associated Press report that the ban will affect ten airports in eight countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
Southwest Airlines confirms that a flight from Phoenix to Atlanta Saturday morning had to make an emergency landing.
Flight #WN118 had a pressurization issue, prompting the pilots to initiate a controlled descent and divert to Amarillo, Texas.
The airline said the pilots “followed emergency procedure to reach a safe altitude” and landed at the nearest airport. Emergency masks deployed on board.
The plane left Phoenix at 6:05 a.m. Mountain time and landed in Amarillo at 9:42 Central time.
Emergency responders met the plane when it landed. The plane was out of service while mechanics checked it out.
Passengers eventually made it to Atlanta around 5 p.m., seven hours later than planned.
This video was taken from a NASA HU-25C Guardian chase plane looking toward NASA’s DC-8, with a Falcon 20-E5 from the German Aerospace Agency (DLR) soon to fly into the DC-8’s exhaust.
The Falcon is testing how it maneuvers in the contrail and the performance of onboard instruments it’ll use to sample exhaust and ice particles. The trip was one of several test-plan verification flights done on May 7, 2014, to prep for the next day’s start of the ACCESS II campaign to test emissions from the DC-8 using biofuel.
South Korea’s flagship airline, has announced from March 26th, it will have a mixed fleet operating between London Heathrow and Incheon, Seoul.
Both Korean Air’s acclaimed A380 and the latest Boeing 747-8i will be used on the route, and Korean Air’s B747-8i will be the first commercial passenger aircraft of its kind to land at Heathrow.
The new 747-8 Intercontinental features the most advanced wing and engine design and has a new Dreamliner inspired interior.
The Intercontinental can go further and carry more passengers than any previous 747, while also being cleaner, quieter, and more fuel-efficient.
Korean Air currently has seven of the aircraft in fleet, with another three due to be delivered before the end of 2018.
Boeing revealed that Chinese aircraft lessor CDB Aviation Lease Finance has placed an order for 30 of its new single-aisle 737 MAX 8 jets. The order was booked earlier and was previously listed on Boeing’s orders website as coming from an unidentified customer. The order is worth $3.3 billion at current list prices, but based on market valuation data from aircraft valuation firm Avitas, the real value after standard industry discounts is about $1.5 billion.
Scandinavian Airlines flight was evacuated just before departure this afternoon due to bomb threat.
Due to a bomb threat, passengers of Scandinavian Airlines flight bound for Stockholm had to evacuate the plane. The aircraft was searched during one hour before passengers were allowed to board the flight.
Transavia flight #HV9513 from Munich to Berlin suffered a bird strike.
The Boeing 737-700 (reg. PH-XRX) from Munich was turning left at 3000ft on final approach to runway 25 at Berlin Schönefeld airport when it hit a flock of bird. The Transavia aircraft safely landed at 0800 local time.
A woman suffered burns to her face and hands after her headphones caught fire during a flight to Australia, officials said Wednesday as they warned about the dangers of battery-operated devices on planes.
The passenger was listening to music on her own battery-operated headphones as she dozed on the flight from Beijing to Melbourne on February 19 when there was a loud explosion.
“As I went to turn around I felt burning on my face” she told the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) which investigated the incident. “I just grabbed my face which caused the headphones to go around my neck. I continued to feel burning so I grabbed them off and threw them on the floor.”
Flight attendants rushed to help and poured a bucket of water on the headphones, but the battery and its cover were both melted and stuck to the floor.
The transport safety bureau, which did not identify which airline was involved, assessed that the lithium-ion batteries in the device likely caught fire.
More than 4,000 flights in the Northeast have been cancelled due to snowstorm.
Airports in the New Jersey, New York, Boston, and Baltimore-Washington D.C. have cancelled the majority of flights for Tuesday. But as of Monday, Chicago O’hare took the biggest hit: According to the listing, more than 200 flights there were halted on March 13.
Southwest: Without incurring an additional fee, affected customers can rebook or travel standby within 14 days of their original travel date.
JetBlue: Customers traveling to or from cities affected by the storm can rebook their flights from March 13 to March 16. They can also choose to refund trips booked before March 10.
American Airlines: Depending on the airport, passengers traveling to or from affected cities can change their flights to March 15 or March 17 without a fee.
United: Travelers flying through affected cities can rebook through March 17 without paying a change fee.
Spirit: Customers can rebook through March 16 or March 18, depending on the airport.
Delta: Those who are slated to fly March 14 or March 15 can rebook travel through March 17 without a fee.
Frontier: Those traveling between March 13 and March 15 can reschedule through April 7 without an additional charge.
Emirates: Due to the potential impact of winter storm Stella on flight operations at US East Coast airports, several Emirates flights scheduled to operate on 14 March have been delayed or cancelled.
To commemorate the United States’entry into World War I, the Patrouille de France has been invited to tour America from March to May 2017 to perform in a number of air showsand flybys.
It has been 31 years since the Patrouille de France last toured North America. It will now be there to pay tribute to the United States’entry into World War I alongside its allies and to reaffirm the history of fraternity that links the US and France.
KANSAS CITY April 5 and 6 COMMEMORATION OF THE US ENTRY INTO WORLD WAR I IN KANSAS CITY April 6, 1917 is the date on which the US entered the war. One hundred years on, a major international ceremony is being held in Kansas City on April 6, 2017, organized by the US World War I Centennial Commission at the National World War I Museum and Memorial.
MAXWELL, AIR FORCE BASE April 7-9 CENTENARY AIR SHOW, MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE : A CENTURY OF AIR POWER On April 8 and 9, the Patrouille de France and the Thunderbirds will fly together at an air show at the Maxwell US Air Force base in Montgomery (Alabama). The theme of the air show is Heritage to Horizon : Legacy of the Great War – A Century of Air Power It will commemorate the centenary of the United States’entry into WWI and also the 70th anniversary of the US Air Force.
LANGLEY, AIR FORCE BASE April 20 and 21 TRILATERAL EXERCISE INITIATIVE (TEI), HIGH-LEVEL COOPERATION BETWEEN THE ALLIED FORCES On April 21, the Patrouille de France will join the French Air Force’s Rafale jets taking part in the TEI exercise at Langley Air Force Base (Virginia). The French, British and US Air Forces meet every year at Langley Air Force Base, in Virginia, for the TEI exercise (Trilateral Exercise Initiative). This very high-level exercise is held to train the three air forces in jointly engaging in a heavily-defended theater. The most cutting-edge and effective combat resources are deployed for the purposes of this exercise (F-22, F-35, Rafale, EF-2000), demonstrating the high level of interoperability and mutual trust that exists between the three air forces.
PENSACOLA April 10 and 12 MEETING WITH THE BLUE ANGELS The Blue Angels are the US Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron. They are based at Pensacola in Florida for the season of air shows and at El Centro in California during the training season. Founded in 1946, they were one of the first military aerobatics display squadrons in the world, and are one of the most spectacular. What makes this squadron so special is the fact that, even now, the pilots fly without anti-G suits, aboard F-18 Hornet combat aircraft. It is also one of the most active demonstration squadrons, performing upwards of 70 shows a year across the US.
NELLIS, AIR FORCE BASE April 17 and 18 MEETING WITH THE THUNDERBIRDS
The Thunderbirds are the US Air Force air demonstration squadron. Based at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, the Thunderbirds currently fly F-16 Fighting Falcons and perform over 88 shows a year. Originally formed in 1953 at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, the squadron was named ‘Thunderbirds’in reference to the strong influence of Amerindian and popular culture of the American Southwest, where it was officially founded. The Thunderbirds are part of the USAF combat force and can quickly be integrated in a combat unit.
COLORADO SPRINGS April 19 PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE FRENCH AND THE US AIR FORCE ACADEMIES The French Air Force Academy, located at “Général Pineau” Air Base 701 in Salon-de-Provence alongside the Patrouille de France, develops and maintains close links with its American equivalent, the US Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Colorado Springs (Colorado). Since 1969, the two academies have run an exchange program for eight officer-cadets, lasting one semester. This historical and prestigious cooperation program is very popular among the cadets. Training under the exchange program is provided by French and American list officers and professors, who work for a period of three years at each academy. In tribute to this emblematic collaboration, the Patrouille de France will fly over the USAFA on April 19, 2017.
NORFOLK April 28 and 29 NATO Tattoo Festival TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS AND NATO : NATO FESTIVAL The Patrouille de France will perform at the “NATO festival” held in Norfolk on April 28 and 29. Norfolk is home to the only NATO command in North America, the Headquarters, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (HQSACT). As another symbol of transatlantic relations, the Commander is French, General Denis Mercier, former French Air Force Chief of Staff. This is one of two NATO supreme commands, the other being Allied Command Operations, stationed in Belgium under an American General.
The delivery of the aircraft is part of Iran Air’s major fleet renewal plan, and is the first wide body from a firm order placed by the national carrier of Iran in December 2016 for 100 Airbus aircraft (46 single aisle and 54 wide-body jets) to renew and expand its fleet with new aircraft.
Iran Air’s A330-200 features a two class cabin layout, seating 32 passengers in business and 206 in economy.
The delivery, which took place at the Airbus delivery centre in Toulouse, marks yet another milestone for Iran Air, as it celebrates its 56 anniversary since establishment.
The A330 Family has now attracted more than 1,500 orders and over 1,100 A330 Family aircraft are flying with more than 100 operators worldwide. The A330 is one of the world’s most efficient aircraft with best in class operating economics.
A number of second before impact, the KLM crew saw the Pan Am Boeing 747 still taxiing down the runway. The crew tried to climb away and became airborne after a 65 feet tail drag in an excessive rotation. The Pan Am crew immediately turned the aircraft to the left and applied full power. The KLM aircraft was airborne, but the fuselage skidded over the Pan Am’s aft fuselage, destroying it and shearing off the tail. The KLM aircraft flew on and crashed out of control 150 m further on, sliding another 300 m bursting into flames. Killing all 248 on the KLM aircraft. In total 583 passengers & crew lost their lives. Only 61 survived. It is the deadliest aviation disaster in history.
