Air Greenland has revised its centre-of-gravity considerations after a serious incident in which a Bombardier de Havilland Dash 8-200 failed to rotate on departure owing to higher-than-assumed passenger and baggage weights. The turboprop had been conducting its take-off roll from Nuuk's runway 05 and had reached its rotation speed of 88kt, but when the first officer pulled back on the control column there was no response from the aircraft. This prompted the first officer to abort the take-off by reducing throttle and applying maximum anti-skid braking, and the aircraft stopped about 50m from the end of the 950m runway. The surface was dry at the time. Twenty-nine passengers and three crew members had been on board the 30 May service to Kangerlussuaq, which meant the aircraft was fully laden. Pre-flight calculations – using standard weight figures for the occupants – had assumed a cabin weight of 2,445kg, evenly distributed, and this resulted in a centre-of-gravity within the aircraft's limits. But the actual weight was closer to 2,740kg with the first three rows of seats particularly heavy, at over 160kg more than the assumed figure. The pilots' weight was also heavier, and the overall discrepancy across the crew, passengers, baggage and wardrobe amounted to a 13% increase. Danish investigation authority HCL says the crew had been "aware" of a forward centre-of-gravity issue before departure, and an off-duty crew member had repositioned from the cockpit jump-seat to the cabin. But the inquiry found that the centre-of-gravity – when calculated using actual, rather than assumed, weights – was still 2.4in (6.1cm) forward of the aircraft's operational limitation. Even though the aircraft had reached rotation speed during the take-off run, the crew chose to abort after believing the lack of response signified a flight-control failure. "The rationale behind the decision on aborting the take-off roll complied with the operating procedures and potentially prevented a more severe outcome," says the inquiry. Air Greenland has since revised its centre-of-gravity envelope to account for increased passenger weights, and amended its method of passenger distribution during seating to achieve greater control of extreme forward or aft positioning.

Source: FlightGlobal

Slovenian flag carrier Adria Airways has filed for bankruptcy, after financial pressures led to days of disruption to its flight schedule. The airline says it has filed with the Carniola district court. Adria had been planning to operate several services on 30 September, having been largely inactive for the past week, but the official departure information for Ljubljana airport shows its flights have been cancelled. "Bankruptcy proceedings were filed by the management of the company due to the company's insolvency," the airline says. The court has three days to decide on the opening of bankruptcy proceedings. Adria also confirms that it will halt all scheduled flights as a result of the bankruptcy petition. It had been ordered on 30 September to stop using another Bombardier CRJ900 in its fleet following termination of the lease.

Source: FlightGlobal

French authorities are offering support to personnel of carrier Aigle Azur after a court decision to liquidate the troubled airline. Aigle Azur cancelled all flights on 7 September, having been put under creditor protection a few days earlier, and has since been the subjected of investment and acquisition proposals. But none of the proposals impressed the company's administrators. The airline operated mainly from Paris Orly to destinations primarily in Europe and Africa, using a fleet of Airbus A330s and A320s. France's transport secretary Jean-Baptiste Djebbari states that Aigle Azur had been given its "best chance" to secure a recovery proposal through the cancellation of "several million euros" in social and tax debt. But following a final decision of the commercial court in Evry, says the French ministry of ecological and solidarity transition, no offer for the carrier was considered to permit a successful recovery of the airline. "Special support will be provided for the Aigle Azur personnel to ensure a quicker return to employment," the ministry adds, including offers of training.

Source: FlightGlobal