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Wintry mix causes multiple crashes, closing area highways; no serious injuries reported
ST. LOUIS — Freezing rain caused multi-car traffic crashes on area highways Sunday night and early Monday.
Crash reports began coming in around 6 p.m., closing highways for hours and snarling traffic, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation.
Early Monday, police were seeing several vehicles sliding off slippery roads.
No serious injuries have been reported.
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MoDOT said the roads at sunup were mostly or completely covered by the sleet and snow mix. “It’s like a sheet of ice,” one trooper said just before 8 a.m. Monday.
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One crash at 6:50 p.m. Sunday on westbound Interstate 64 near Maryville Centre Drive involved up to 30 cars, according to Jeff Jones, a reporter for the Belleville News Democrat who suffered minor injuries in the crash.
Westbound I-44 was closed near Route 100 in Franklin County at one point Sunday. In St. Louis County, westbound I-64 at Timberlake Manor Parkway, westbound I-270 at Route 367 and eastbound I-64 near I-270 saw closures.
The ramps connecting interstates 270 and 170 experienced shutdowns, as well as southbound I-170 near Airport Road.
“Do not, no matter what, under any circumstances, get on 40 west of 270,” Jones shared on Twitter. “The road is black ice.”
In St. Charles County, eastbound I-70 in St. Charles County was closed near Route K. Several other crashes also caused delays.
The National Weather Service placed the St. Louis area under a winter weather advisory from 6 p.m. Sunday to 9 a.m. Monday, as a cold front ushered in frigid temperatures.
The forecast was calling for a 60% chance of a light mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain and drizzle overnight that could cause roads to quickly become hazardous, especially on bridges and overpasses. Little to no accumulation is expected.
The work week will also start off with below-freezing temperatures. Highs Monday and Tuesday are expected to only reach 26 and 27 degrees. Lows will be in the teens, according the National Weather Service.
Monday night will see a 30% chance of snow, mainly before midnight.
Those in need of shelter or who see someone in need can call 211 to connect to available resources.
The St. Patrick Center last week opened a new 24-hour safe haven called Grace House in the city’s Old North neighborhood, according to the agency’s social media posts. Grace House will provide wrap-around services such as help with mental health and substance use disorders for those who may struggle in traditional shelters.
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Winter weather can bring cold temperatures, power failure, loss of communication services, and slick, icy roads. These are a few tips that can keep you safe.
Airport Worker Sucked Into Jet Engine Was Warned to Stand Back
Last month, the National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report on a shocking incident that took place at Alabama’s Montgomery Regional Airport. On New Year’s Eve, 2022, an Envoy Air worker was killed after being sucked into the jet engine of an Embraer 170. NTSB investigators have now laid out the sequence of events that led to the accident.
The plane involved in the fatal incident had landed after a flight from Dallas-Fort Worth to Montgomery. While the American Eagle flight was uneventful, the Embraer’s auxiliary power unit (APU) was inoperative during the flight. The APU powers all of the aircraft’s non-propulsion equipment, including electrical, pneumatic and hydraulic systems. As a result, the pilots elected to leave the small airliner’s jet engines running until the plane was connected to ground power.
Reportedly, the ground crew was briefed twice that the plane’s jet engines would be running while the plane was parked. The first officer on the flight even reminded the ramp agents about this through the cockpit window. The NTSB report states:
“The ground crew reported that a safety briefing was held about 10 minutes before the airplane arrived at the gate. A second safety “huddle” was held shortly before the airplane arrived at the gate, to reiterate that the engines would remain running until ground power was connected. It was also discussed that the airplane should not be approached, and the diamond of safety cones should not be set until the engines were off, spooled down, and the airplane’s rotating beacon light had been extinguished by the flight crew.”
According to the NTSB, despite these multiple warnings, video surveillance footage from the airport shows the unnamed ramp agent walking around the Embraer airplane and stepping in front of the number-one jet engine while it was still running. The footage shows the agent being pulled off their feet and into the turbine. The pilots felt the plane shake violently, and engine number one automatically shut down.
According to other workers on the scene, the ramp agent had already been pushed over once by the engine’s exhaust and warned to stay clear of the engines before the fatal incident took place.
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The report notes that the American Eagle employee manual specifies “the ingestion zone for all aircraft types is 15 feet,” and that personnel should not enter the ingestion zone until an aircraft’s engine or engines have fully spooled down and come to a stop.
The NTSB’s findings are preliminary, and more information may come to light as the investigation continues.
Archer Aviation plans to build 250 air taxis in 2025
Oct 24 (Reuters) – Archer Aviation Inc (ACHR.N) said it aims to make about 250 battery-electric air taxis in 2025 and scale up production in the following years, after setting a goal of getting its aircraft certified by the end of 2024.
“In our first year, we will build 250 aircraft, our second year will build 500 aircraft, our third year will build 650 aircraft and then we scale it up to around 2,000 aircraft per year,” CEO Adam Goldstein told Reuters in an interview.
Archer aims to certify its pilot-plus-four-passenger aircraft, ‘Midnight’, by end-2024, though the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is still in the process of drawing up certification rules for these futuristic aircraft.
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“In terms of aircraft production, we have estimated in our Archer model ~20 units in 2025,” JPM analyst Bill Peterson said.
“We are not negative on the space, but think it will take a little longer to play out with the ramp not as steep as these companies had projected in their SPAC decks from over a year ago,” he added.
Archer shares haven fallen 54% so far this year.
Once certified, the California-based start-up’s electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft will compete in a crowded market with dozens of other developers such as Joby Aviation Inc (JOBY.N) and Vertical Aerospace Ltd (M00.F) vying to revamp urban transportation.
The nascent sector, which is backed by industrial heavyweights such as Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) and Delta Air Lines (DAL.N), still faces significant challenges relating to certification, developing a suitable air traffic management system and battery technology improvements, among others.
In May, the FAA said it was modifying its regulatory approach in certifying eVTOLs by defining them as powered-lift aircraft rather than small airplanes, injecting concerns over certification delays.
Goldstein anticipates the industry may see demand for a thousand eVTOL aircraft on an annual basis.
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Reporting by Aishwarya Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
American Airlines Deletes First Class on International Trips
Flying overseas in business-class or better is one of those things — like getting the Good Seats at the game — that, once you’ve done it, it’s hard to go back to coach or the bleachers. Some luxuries, you will convince yourself, are worth paying for. According to The Wall Street Journal, one such option — first-class seats on international American Airlines flights — is soon going away. American says this decision was made, in part, to add more business-class seats, which these days, are more or less what the old first-class was anyway.
American had previously said as much last month, though WSJ reports that on an earnings call on Thursday, an American executive said plainly that the airline is making the change for the simple reason that first-class isn’t selling as well as the other good seats on the plane.
“And frankly, by removing [first-class seats], we can provide more business-class seats, which is what our customers most want or are most willing to pay for,” [said Chief Commercial Officer Vasu Raj.]
[…]
…the airline will outfit its long-haul fleet with new “Flagship Suites,” which include seats that lie flat and sliding doors for privacy, in a revamp that will increase premium seating on those planes by more than 45% by 2026.
The new suites will be included on newly delivered Boeing 787-9 planes and Airbus A321 XLRs starting in 2024. American will also retrofit its Boeing 777-300ER planes to include the new suites.
The sliding door thing seems a little unnecessary, but then again people get real weird on planes, especially on long-haul trips, and some people value their privacy more than I do. More importantly, this says that many of the business-class seats lie flat, which is the real game-changer, as deplaning overseas after hours of fitful, garbage sleep in an upright chair as opposed to restful, continuous sleep lying flat makes a night-and-day difference.
This seems, in any case, mostly an exercise in branding, as “first-class” just sounds more expensive than “business-class,” which, as the WSJ notes, has most of the same benefits anyway. Is either of them worth it for you, a poor dirtbag? That is a personal decision, though I prefer to save my nickels for my destination, and arrive in London or wherever stiff as a board, having flown coach. The times I have flown first- or business-class were paid for by someone else, which was nice of them. On one such flight, I even sat next to the actress Rooney Mara once. I’m sure she was doing something a lot cooler in France than driving a dumb luxury SUV.
Airline tickets could become even more expensive, aviation execs warn
Air tickets may become more expensive — thanks to the lack of refining capacity and the financial state of airlines, said William Walsh, the director-general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The decline in refining capacity during the pandemic, and higher jet fuel prices caused by the increase in demand for fuel are “of concern” to the airline industry, Walsh told CNBC’s Hadley Gamble on Wednesday.
U.S. refining capacity dropped by 5.4% in 2022 since it peaked in 2019 — the lowest in eight years. The dip came in the wake of refinery closures and conversions to produce more renewable fuels.
Walsh added that while consumers are paying higher ticket prices, airlines are not necessarily making a profit.
“And given the financial state of many airlines … It’s not that airlines are making money, [they] are just passing on a cost that they can’t absorb themselves, and that they can’t avoid,” he said.
Russia-Ukraine war
But another factor could contribute to even higher ticket prices — Russia’s announcement of a military mobilization, said Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday announced a partial military mobilization in Russia, placing the country’s people and economy on a wartime footing as Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine continues.
Al Baker told CNBC that China’s Covid policies are the “smallest of [his] worries,” and that the airlines’ greatest concern is the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine war.
“For me, the biggest worry is the conflict spreading, which [will then] fuel inflation, putting more pressure on the supply chain,” he added. “The net result will be less passengers in my aeroplane.”
“It also worries me … the [instability] of the oil price, which I don’t want to pass to the passengers, which will then discourage them from travelling.”
Oil prices jumped by more than 2% after Putin’s announcement, following concerns of an escalation of the war in Ukraine and squeezing oil and gas supplies.
Nevertheless, Al Baker maintained that Qatar will continue flying to Russia as long as it is operationally safe to do so.
“We will continue to fly to Russia, we will continue to serve the people … We are not a political institution. We are an industry that serves the common people.”
Hopes for affordable sustainable fuel
Al Baker called for more investments in alternative fuel, and that Qatar Airlines is “ready to invest in sustainable aviation fuel” on the condition that it is “reasonably priced.”
“I have no issue [paying] a bit more, but they cannot pay four or five times the price of a normal F-gas.” F-gas, also known as fluorinated gases are man-made gases applied in various industrial uses.
“If we are pushed to do that, you as a passenger are going to pay for it,” he said.
Walsh echoed his hopes of seeing more investment in the production of sustainable aviation fuel rather than traditional refineries, citing environmental concerns.
Last year, IATA set a goal for the global air transport industry to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
“Sustainable aviation fuels do represent the best option that the industry has to achieve our target of net zero by 2050.”
Aha! Airlines Shut Down After Less Than a Year
Bad news if you need to travel to one of America’s smaller airports. Insider reports regional airline company Aha! has declared bankruptcy and shut down. The move comes less than a year after the airline launched, and just over a month after it was called the “fastest growing regional airline in the western US.”
Aha! was born of the pandemic. After ExpressJet, one of the oldest regional airlines in the country, filed for bankruptcy in the fall of 2020, Aha! was founded out of its ashes just over a year later.
Using small, 50-seat Embraer planes, the airline connected smaller regional airports in the western US for point-to-point travel. If you needed to get somewhere like Bakersfield (god only knows why someone would need to fly into Bakersfield) or Eugene, Oregon, Aha! was your airline.
But ongoing global issues rang the death knell for the company. In a prepared statement, CEO Subodh Karnik said a “combination of conditions” led to the airline filing for bankruptcy and ceasing operations immediately. Among them: rising fuel costs, a lack of aircraft availability and a pilot shortage. “Despite the valiant efforts of our employees to overcome challenges, and despite great support by our cities and airports – especially Reno-Tahoe and the community there, we arrived at a point where termination of operations was in the best interest of our stakeholders,” Karnik said in a statement.
Insider points out that smaller regional airlines have been hit hard by the pandemic. A lack of demand has driven down profits and caused many small operators to close up shop.
UK launches aviation charter to address airport disruption
LONDON, July 17 (Reuters) – The British government launched an “Aviation Passenger Charter” on Sunday to help passengers know their rights if they are faced with problems at airports after the widespread disruption seen this year.
Long queues and cancelled flights caused by staff shortages have caused chaos at times, prompting airlines to cut back their schedules as the industry struggles to keep up with a surge in demand after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new charter will help passengers know what to do if they are confronted by cancellations, delays or missing baggage, the government said, with guidance on how to complain if they feel they have been treated unfairly.
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“Passengers deserve reliable services, and to be properly compensated if things don’t go to plan, and the chaotic scenes we’ve seen at airports are unacceptable,” transport minister Grant Shapps said.
“The new charter will help to give UK passengers peace of mind as they enjoy the renewed freedom to travel, whether for holidays, business or to visit loved ones.”
Last month, the government published a 22-point support plan to avoid further disruption, including telling airlines to run “realistic” summer schedules and promising to speed up security checks. It said these were now being processed in “record time”.
In a sign of the problems, London’s Heathrow Airport this week asked airlines to stop selling tickets for summer departures and capped the number of passengers flying from Britain’s busiest hub at 100,000 a day. read more
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Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Nick Macfie
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
The Bidding War for Spirit Airlines Nears Conclusion
In February, Frontier Airlines announced a planned $2.9 billion acquisition of Spirit Airlines. JetBlue Airways revealed its rival $3.6 billion all-cash bid in early April, sparking a bidding war for Spirit between the two carriers that has continued ever since. Either potential merged airline combination would become the fifth-largest in the United States. Though, it seems the war is finally coming to an end with Frontier and Spirit reaching agreeable terms.
The biggest roadblock to Frontier’s acquisition of Spirit Airlines wasn’t any offer proposed by JetBlue but Spirit’s own shareholders. At the start of June, Institutional Shareholder Services, a proxy advisory company, implored shareholders not to vote for the Frontier deal. Spirit then delayed the vote on the acquisition until June 30th. The management of the Florida-based airline stated that it delayed the vote because of the lack of shareholder support but continued seeking a better deal with Frontier as its first option.
Today, Institutional Shareholder Services has reversed its stance and recommended a vote for a new deal with Frontier Airlines. ISS stated, “Shareholders are best served by taking the deal that provides the best combination of long-term value and compensation in the event of regulatory rejection. On balance, support for the merger with Frontier on the revised terms is warranted.” Frontier raised his purchase bid by $2 per share ($4.13 per share), matching an increase from JetBlue. Frontier also raised its reverse termination fee to Spirit to $350 million, an $100 million increase.
JetBlue’s current $3.7 billion offer might sound enticing, but the New York-based airline has done little to ease Spirit’s worries that government regulators won’t actually approve the deal. JetBlue is currently under anti-trust investigation for its strategic alliance with American Airlines. When asked by Spirit to end the controversial partnership to further negotiations, JetBlue declined. This rebuffed demand somewhat indicated that JetBlue simply wanted to disrupt the creation of a direct industry rival.
Miami plane crash latest: ‘Miracle more not hurt’ aviation expert says as NTSB probe budget airline
Plane emergency at Miami International Airport
A plane carrying 126 people caught fire when its landing gear collapsed on the runway at Miami International Airport on Tuesday.
The dramatic incident took place when a Red Air flight arrived from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, said Miami-Dade aviation department spokesperson Greg Chin.
Three people received minor injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment, while the remaining passengers were bussed from the site of the accident to the terminal.
Lauding the pilot for ensuring that the aircraft “stopped in a position so rescue equipments can access the airplane”, aviation expert Scott Harrington told CBS News it was a miracle that more people were not hurt.
Meanwhile, investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board have started a probe into the incident, as they attempt to determine what caused the landing gear to collapse.
The plane was arriving from Santo Domingo around 5.30pm when the incident took place.
It appeared to have come to rest near a grassy area by the side of the runway.
Passengers flee from plane after it catches fire at Miami airport
A plane carrying 126 people caught fire after a landing gear failure caused it to slide across a runway at Miami International Airport on Tuesday evening (21 June).
Passengers flee from plane after it catches fire at Miami airport
A plane carrying 126 people caught fire after a landing gear failure caused it to slide across a runway at Miami International Airport on Tuesday evening (21 June).The Red Air flight, which had travelled to Florida from the Dominican Republic, quickly burst into flames and sent passengers running from the aircraft.Three people sustained minor injuries and were taken to local hospitals for treatment.Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said they had the fire under control and mitigated fuel spillage.Click here to sign up for our newsletters.
Oliver O’Connell23 June 2022 09:00
Live webcam stream captures the plane crash
PTZtv’s Miami Airport Cam showed the plane skidding through the tarmac before coming to stop in the grassy area.
First responders from the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue could be seen reaching the site of the crash as soon as the plane, carrying 126 passengers, came to a halt.
In the video shared with CBS News, at least three fire service units were seen approaching the Red Air flight as black smoke from the fire billowed into the sky.
Read the details in this report:
Namita Singh23 June 2022 08:12
RED Air mechanic describes ‘shocking’ landing
A 36-year-old mechanic from RED Air interviewed by the Miami Herald provided his first impressions about the landing of the plane on Tuesday night, which he describes as being a “hard landing”.
Hector Dejesus, employed by the airline and a former Dominican military aviation mechanic, first told a reporter from the Florida-based outlet that he thought perhaps there was a pilot error in the landing.
“I suppose it was a hard landing. We do maintenance all the time. I suppose it was that,” he told the Miami Herald. “I’m in shock. I would see things like this in the air force.”
An investigation into the crash is being handled by the National Transportation Safety Board, who told reporters they’d be sending a team of investigators to the incident site on Wednesday.
Oliver O’Connell23 June 2022 07:00
Passenger onboard the crashed flight describes ‘frightening’ scene
A passenger who was onboard RED Air Flight 203 when it crashed at the Miami International Airport described a “frightening” scene to local news outlet the Miami Herald.
“People were very frightened,” said Mauricio Davis, who was returning from Venezuela and grabbed a connecting flight in Santo Domingo to Miami.
“People were grabbing the seats to keep from spinning around,” he added, noting that when the 126 passengers travelling onboard realised there was fire, they collectively began screaming with panic.
Read more from the Miami Herald here.
Oliver O’Connell23 June 2022 05:01
Watch: Red Air Flight 203 passenger shares footage of his escape
One of the passengers travelling on board Red Air Flight 203 from Santo Domingo to Miami on Tuesday afternoon filmed the terrifying moments before he and other passengers made an emergency exit down the plane’s evacuation slide.
Paolo Delgado, who shared his cellphone footage with CBS Austin’s John-Carlos Estrada, can be seen fleeing the grounded plane while passengers ahead and behind him are heard hurriedly trying to get off the smoking airliner.
As Mr Delgado descends the emergency slide, a plume of black smoke can be seen wafting from the plane that he has just seconds ago escaped from.
The footage shows some passengers had stopped to collect luggage including wheeled suitcases before exiting the aircraft, against rules about evacuating in an emergency.
Watch the full clip below:
Oliver O’Connell23 June 2022 03:30
Video shows terrified passengers fleeing Miami plane
Just before 5.40pm on Tuesday, a Red Air flight arriving from the Dominican Republic had a landing gear failure upon arrival, sending a jet with 126 people sliding across runway nine at MIA.
The craft quickly caught fire, sending passengers running from the grounded jet, which was inbound from Santo Domingo.
Oliver O’Connell23 June 2022 02:00
Panic as fire breaks out when plane landing gear breaks on touchdown in Miami
A plane carrying 126 people caught fire when its landing gear collapsed on the runway at Miami International Airport, according to officials.
The dramatic incident took place when a Red Air flight arrived from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, said Miami-Dade Aviation Department spokesman Greg Chin.
Authorities said three people received minor injuries and were taken to the hospital for treatment. The remaining passengers were bussed from the site of the accident to the terminal.
Oliver O’Connell23 June 2022 00:30
Recap: What is Red Air?
A plane carrying 126 passengers caught fire when its landing gear failed at Miami International Airport on Tuesday, leaving passengers fleeing from the aircraft and many observers wondering about the airline that was operating the flight.
Red Air is one of the region’s newest airlines. The company, which is based in the Dominican Republic, launched in the fall of 2021 — looking to challenge other cut-rate airlines by offering relatively affordable flights between the US and the Caribbean country.
Oliver O’Connell22 June 2022 23:15
NTSB launch Miami crash probe as survivors speak out
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are expected to arrive at Miami International Airport on Wednesday to begin their probe of a Red Air flight after its landing gear collapsed on the runway and caused it to crash.
“NTSB is sending a team of investigators to Miami following today’s gear collapse and runway excursion of an MD-82 jetliner at Miami International Airport,” the investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accidents wrote on Tuesday night, just a few hours after the 5.40pm incident that sent RED Air Flight 203 into smoke.
Johanna Chisholm reports.
Oliver O’Connell22 June 2022 22:15
‘I thought I was going to die’
Passengers share the horrifying experience as they recounted the crash landing of their plane at Miami International Airport.
“I thought I was going to die,” Paola Garcia told 7 News. “All the windows were broken, and someone like, broke his leg and arm,” she said adding that she ran to the exit as soon as the plane came to a stop and made her way to the tarmac as black smoke billowed. “I started running and I jumped, and I thought it was going to explode.”
“I saw the fire, I saw the smoke. It was dark, actually,” said another fellow passenger Paolo Delgado. “Then there was like an apparent smell or something. People were like, screaming all around. I don’t know, like panic.”
Oliver O’Connell22 June 2022 21:30