UK investigators have revealed that reluctance to use a cockpit cup-holder resulted in coffee being spilled over control panels on a Condor Airbus A330, causing substantial radio communications problems and forcing a diversion. The A330-200 had been operating from Frankfurt to Cancun on 6 February this year. It had commenced the transatlantic crossing when the cockpit crew was served coffee in cups without lids. The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch says that, while Airbus recommends using the cup-holder, the size of cups used by the carrier on the route made lifting them from the holder difficult. "This incompatibility generally discouraged use of the cup holder, despite the policy," it states, adding that the crew naturally tended to place cups on the fold-out table in front of them – making them "vulnerable" to being knocked over.
The coffee on the A330 captain's table was spilled, with a small amount falling on the left-hand audio control panel, which immediately malfunctioned and subsequently failed. Some 20min later the first officer's corresponding control panel also became hot and failed – although the precise reason for this was not clear. VHF radio transmissions and public-address announcements were affected by the malfunctions and the captain chose to divert to Shannon, with the precautionary use of cockpit oxygen masks owing to electrical smoke emanating from the panel.

Source: FlightGlobal

Two fatalities resulted from the Convair 440 crash near Toledo Express airport on 11 September. Preliminary US FAA incident data lists the aircraft as having a single crew member and a single passenger on board. It confirms the aircraft as N24DR, which unverified data indicates is a 1957 airframe originally delivered to Scandinavian operator SAS. The aircraft is owned by Barker Aeromotive, a business located in Laredo, Texas, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. This is consistent with FAA records indicating the aircraft was privately held by a Laredo citizen, whose name matches that of one of the two individuals who had been on board at the time. Highway patrol officers were notified of vehicles on fire, as a result of the crash, at 02:44. The aircraft came down at the site of a trucking business, about 1km from the threshold of Toledo Express airport's runway 25. "No other injuries on the ground have been reported," says the law enforcement agency. It says the twin-engined aircraft was loaded with automotive parts. The type of approach being carried out at the time has yet to be clarified. National Transportation Safety Board investigators are carrying out assessment work at the scene. The board has not confirmed whether the cargo aircraft had a flight-data or cockpit-voice recorder on board.

Source: FlightGlobal

Details are still emerging from the Convair freighter crash outside Toledo Express airport but the impact site appears to be about 1,000m from the threshold of runway 25. The aircraft – provisionally identified, but yet to be confirmed, as a Convair 440 registered N24DR – came down apparently after a flight from Millington, just north of Memphis. Images from the scene indicate the aircraft has been completely destroyed, but there is no confirmed information on the crew. The aircraft was reportedly transporting automotive parts and came down in a diesel vehicle repair facility, which is situated some 1,000m ahead of runway 25, and is said to have struck at least two large trucks before being consumed by fire. Weather conditions at the time of the accident, which occurred in darkness at around 03:00, indicate winds from 230-240°, which would suggest approaches would have been conducted to runway 25.

Source: FlightGlobal