NTSB says: Wake Turbulence From 767 Likely Caused Mexican Lear Crash

The crash of a Learjet in Mexico City that was originally suspected to be the result of terrorism and sabotage has now been determined to be the result of wake turbulence caused by improper inflight aircraft management.

The following information has just been released by the NTSB. It was submitted to Silver Wings by Jim Davis.

US and Mexican investigators speculate the downing of a Learjet 45 in Mexico City on November 4 was caused by the combination of wake turbulence from a landing airliner and the pilots’ unfamiliarity with the aircraft.

The plane’s cockpit data recorder, analyzed by the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington, DC, revealed the pilots' last words – "Diosito" (My little God) – in their struggle to regain control of the aircraft as it encountered severe wake turbulence.

Theories of sabotage have been all but ruled out in the deaths of all nine persons on board, including Mexico's Interior Minister, Juan Camilo Mouriño, and José Luis Santiago Vasconcelos, well known for his fight against drug cartels.

Pilot Martín Oliva, 39, and co-pilot Alvaro Sánchez, 58, have been defended by their families as responsible, serious professionals, the Dallas Morning News reported.

But at a news conference, Mexico's Communications and Transportation Minister Luis Telléz said, "The investigation revealed apparent deficiencies in the training and certification process of both [pilots]," and alleged the pilots failed to follow ATC instructions.

As the Learjet approached Mexico City, it was sequenced behind a Boeing 767-300 and given instructions to reduce airspeed in order to maintain proper spacing behind the airliner, Telléz said. But the pilots took over a minute to comply with the speed reduction, putting their plane just 4 nm behind the much larger 767.

Investigators said that wake turbulence from the 767 caused the Learjet to crash within 30 seconds, evidenced by the plane's Cockpit Voice Recorder:

Pilot: "That one's got some turbulence."

Co-pilot: "Hey man."

Pilot: "Hey [expletive]."

Later:

Pilot: "Alvaro, what do we do, Alvaro?"

Co-pilot: "Hand it over to me, hand it over to me, hand it over to me."

Pilot: "It's yours Alvaro."

Pilot: "[expletive]"

Pilot: "No, Alvaro."

Co-pilot: "Diosito."

-30-

Our November Luncheon - What A Wonderful Gathering

If you missed our November luncheon meeting, you missed a wonderful event replete with fascinating topics, entertaining videos, incredible speakers, lots of interaction between members and guests ... and an excellent lunch prepared and served by the top notch team at the Army-Navy Country Club in Arlington, Virginia.

Carroll Adams, a Pan Am World Airways pilot, talked about an alleged act of air piracy by "renegade" Japanese Naval officers purported to have taken place 70 years ago. I say "purported" because neither the US government nor the Japanese government are willing to discuss the event.

One thing is known for certain - that Pan Am's Hawaii Clipper disappeared while on a Pacific run, and according to witnesses, the passengers and aircrew wound up murdered and buried face down on Truk Island. The burial site was then covered over with a heavy layer of cement and the Japanese built a hospital over it which they used during their occupation. The huge Truk Lagoon became Imperial Japan's principal naval base in the South Pacific during World War II.

We then watched a ten minute video which chronicled the history of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (The WASP) after which Gayle Reed (age 90) and Lorraine Rodgers (age 88), two WASP who ferried both fighters and bombers during World War II, shared some of their best stories about that action-packed period in world history.

We also had a lot of fun debunking a very popular YouTube video in which an aerobatic pilot "looses" a wing and manages to land his stricken plane safely. Ron David also showed another "spoof" video that had everyone laughing in the aisles.

In spite of the fact that the event was held a day earlier than usual, 58 reservations were received and 64 members and friends actually showed up. We had only one no-show.

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Mark Your Calendars For 2009

Here are the dates of our first five meetings during 2009: January 22nd, March 25th, May 28th, July 23rd, and September 24th. We will announce the date for our November, 2009 meeting in January.

Silver Wings Speakers Luncheon: Air Piracy & WASPs, November 14, 2009

We hope you will be able to attend. If you haven't yet done so, your deadline for reservations has been extended by one day to Thursday, November 14th.

The Meeting at the Army-Navy Country Club in Arlington will take place on November 19th at 11AM. Our primary subjects of discussion will include a report on the first alleged act of air piracy, which occurred 70 years ago, a short video about the WASP followed by a Q&A with two former Womens Air Force Service Pilots, and a brief forum on plans for our Fraternity's coming year.

Air Piracy has been a hot topic lately. Carroll Adams, a retired Pan Am pilot, will shed light on what may have been the first, and certainly one of the bloodiest, hijackings in history: the seizure in 1938 of Pan Am's Hawaii Clipper by "renegade" Japanese Naval personnel. The complement of passengers and crew from the Hawaii Clipper were murdered, buried face down and hidden on Guam under a thick layer of cement. Adams is certain he saw the Hawaii Clipper at War's end in Japanese livery.

History of the WASP an exclusive ten minute film about the Women Airforce Service Pilots will be followed by a Q & A with two incredible WASP veterans: Lorraine Rodgers (age 88) and Gayle Reed (Age 90).

We will also hold a brief forum on the coming year for Silver Wings Over Washington.

It is vital that we receive your confirmation for this luncheon by mid-day on the 14th.

Phone or email us at Ron and Nour David (202) 588-9055 rondavid@gmail.com or Joan Stalk (703) 451-4181 joans.hangar@verizon.net

Luncheon cost is $26

Please mark your calendars. Here are the dates of our first five meetings during 2009: January 22nd, March 25th, May 28th, July 23rd, and September 24th. We will announce the date for our November, 2009 meeting during the luncheon on the 19th.

Our Oldest Living Member

Happy birthday to Tuskegee "Redtail" Johnny Suggs, a long time member of SWOW.

Colonel Suggs was born October 8th 1911. We all miss his late wife Alice, who was also a regular attendee at our meetings.

This photo was taken by Nour shortly after the commemoration of the 9-11 memorial at Arlington National Cemetery . It lists the names of all those who perished there that day and contains the small, unidentifiable remains of those victims.

When he was active with SWOW, Nour, John and I often drove through Arlington following our luncheons at Spates Hall. He now resides at Knollwood, the beautiful Army retirement facility located at the North end of Rock Creek Park in N.W. Washington, DC.

World War Two Aircraft Visit Warrenton, Va. Airport

Two American Bombers that served during World War Two visited Warrenton Airport (W66) last week.

Once they numbered in the thousands, but today, only a handful of B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators still exist that can fly ... but fly they do. Their crews are made up of the sons and grandsons and daughters of the World War Two Veterans who originally manned these planes. And to see them in action, to hear their massive radial engines roar, can still excite those lucky enough to share the experience.

SWOW's David Fields persuaded the non-profit Collins Foundation to bring the two rare flying antiques to the Warrenton Airport West of Dulles to share the sights and sounds of yesteryear with scores of local residents who drove out to see the planes and meet at least two dozen WWII vets who actually crewed aboard these bombers in combat.

For a modest donation to the Foundation, visitors were permitted to take guided tours through the flying museum pieces. a few flights were also arranged ... for hefty donations.

Dave Fields knows how to stage an event, so when a good rain shut down operations at the Midland, VA airport twice, but no one seemed to mind, they just sat down for lunch in a heated hangar and listened to stories told by the vets. Jim Davis and Scotty Cameron were among the Silver Wingers who helped Fields with the event.

HUMOR - from the Editor's Desk

Want to be sure your next flight is safe? Now you can get rid of those nervous travel jitters FOREVER. Call 1-800-cool-n-calm and we will send you two ATP pilots equipped with personal laptops who will guarantee your next safe arrival. Your flight may land an hour late, but, what the heck, most flights aren't on-time anyway.

How do we do it? Simple. Most pilots anguish too much about the next safe arrival, By focusing on next month's schedule instead, our cool-n-calm crews eliminate the need for nerve-wracking communication with ATC, and having to notify the flight attendants to prepare passengers for the next landing. We won't even tell the pilots they'll never fly again until everyone else has de-boarded.

What is the secret to our success? It is a trade secret that goes back to the time-honored tradition established by our founder, Captain Johnny "Sky-Rocket" Morgan whose last words were, "When I die, I want to die peacefully ... in my sleep ... not screaming like my passengers in the back of the plane."

Call 1-800-cool-n-calm today.

-Ed

Silver Wings Speakers Luncheon: Naval Historian Jan Herman, September 24th, 2010

You are cordially invited to attend our Silver Wings Speakers Luncheon on September 24th at the Army Navy Country Club near the Pentagon where we will preview one of the most recent programs in the DVD history series Battle Station Sick Bay: Navy Medicine in World War II.

The six part series tells the moving story of Navy medicine's life saving role in World War Two from the sneak attack on Pearl to the Japanese surrender in 1945. It was produced under the watchful eye of our guest speaker, Naval Historian Mr. Jan Herman and is the result of a quarter century of compilation and research.

Each of the six programs marries documentary footage and interviews with Navy doctors, nurses and corpsmen who participated in the action, with accounts told by the Marines and sailors who were on the receiving end of their care. As an example, "Guests of the Emperor" tells the story of the POWs who struggled to survive while in the hands of Japanese captors. Click below to watch a short clip.

Attend the luncheon and receive the DVD Set at no charge.

The best news is that each person who attends the luncheon on the 24th will receive the complete DVD series by mail as a gift from the United States Navy.

Program titles include:

Navy Medicine’s Trial by Fire: December 7, 1941

Guests of the Emperor

Navy Medicine at Normandy

Battle Station Sick Bay

Stepping Stones to Tokyo

Final Victory

Don't miss this opportunity to enjoy a great luncheon, share stories with old comrades, watch an incredible documentary, then have the six part series sent to your home as a gift from the Navy. (This is beginning to read like a TV ad, except that it's true!)

Defense Secretary Commends Mercy Medical Airlift.

Click here to read the photo-story from Mercy Medical Airlift showing Defense Secretary Robert Gates thanking Silver Winger Steve Craven (Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic) for his service to the Air Compassion for Veterans Program. (It is the third story in the MMA Newsletter.)

We are proud of Steve and his wonderful team of volunteers for his service to those who sometimes need quick aerial transport and may not be able to afford the fare.

"The older I get" Received this from Scotty Cameron who always tells it like it is.

Recollections of DeHavilands by John Kay

On one occasion in France, I had been flying at Toussus-le-Noble, the club flying field just out-side Versailles, and gave a pilot a ride into Paris who had just landed from Algeria., where he had been helping to explore for oil in what was certainly a DH89 with two engines. He gave a hair-raising story of landing straight-in at Algiers with empty tanks, having come from the desert, where the oil was.

The DH 89, carrying only eight passengers, would not have been big enough for Gatwick-Le Bourget even in the 1930s.

John Kay

To complete the saga of the Kay family flying in biplanes as passengers:

1) In the 1930s an aunt (mother's sister) married a wealthy man and flew quite a lot.
One day she decided to go to Paris from London and was in a HP 45 of Imperial Airways.
These were large.comfortable planes where food was served. Unfortunately, on this occasion there was so much headwind that the aircraft did not reach Le Bourget (Paris), but was forced to make an emergency landing at Etretapes on the French Channel coast for lack of fuel. The top speed of the planes was about 90 mph.My aunt did not seem to be any the worse for wear. Apparently, the passengers were picked up later by another Imperial Airways plane.

2) Equally in the 1930s my father, who was still keen on flying despite his 1915 experience*, had to go to Cologne, Germany on the same day that he had tickets for the Royal Tournament at Olympia, London. Olympia was a large amphitheatre for public displays. My father flew to Cologne in the morning and back in the afternoon with Imperial Atrways. He was in time for the show at Olympia. He talked often of this flight as being quite unusual in those days. Best wishes, John Kay.

* John's father was shot down and hld as a POW of the German's until the war ended. Interestingly, he was badly injured in the crash and cared for by German medical teams so that in 1918, he was sent home almost as good as new.

80 H.P. Bleriot Two-Seater a Hit at Hendon After Returning from Cologne

The christening of this marvelous flying machine was all the rage when it arrived at Hendon (U.K.) in the Spring of 1913. Click here and read the wonderful article from The Aeroplane submitted by John Kay.

Special thanks to Bill Readdy of Silver Wings Speakers Luncheon: Space Partners - NASA and his adventures in space.

This photograph was taken after our March meeting. L-R Carol Sue Coupland, Randy Brandt, Joan Stalk, Charlie Stallworth, Debbie Gallaway, Bill Readdy, Ron David, Admiral Feightner

Click here to check out all of Yasmin's photos from our March Meeting

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Silver Wings Speakers Luncheon: Richard Kirkland Author, Pilot, Aviation Executive, January 28th.

Richard Kirkland was a kid who grew up in the California wine country, and flew 103 combat missions in P38s with the famous Flying Knights squadron in New Guinea during World War II. He is credited with One kill, a Zero, at about the same time Charles Lindberg, also scored one in the same general area.

Kirkland was later involved in atomic bomb testing on Eniwetok Atoll in 1950 and 51, then migrated to rotary wing operations and signed on with the famous 8055, which became the model for the better known 4077th of television fame. Kirkland told us that Dr. Sam Gilfand, a very brave man with a caustic wit, was the real-life model for Hawkeye Pearce, the MASH surgeon on the television show. An interesting note: in those days MASH pilots were based with their MASH units.

Kirkland flew 69 daring combat helicopter missions with the 8055th.

During his military career he was awarded two DFC, five air medals, the Air Force Commendation Medal and two Presidential Citations.

After his Air Force career, Richard joined the Aircraft Division of the Howard Hughes Company where he became National Sales Manager and subsequently a Division Manager at McDonnell Douglas. He then joined Helisource as Vice President for Marketing.

Following the war, Kirkland studied creative writing and Art at the Universities of Nevada, Oklahoma, North Carolina and Washington State. He has published many articles and stories about his war years and also written and published four non-fiction books. Several are available here today.

Richard is married to his life partner Maria, also an accomplished artist. They have nine children and 15 grandchildren.

Kirkland's most ambitious writing effort, a 903 page historic novel was also recently completed. On January 28th Mr. Kirkland will tell us all about it.

Ron David