Boeing 747 breaks in HALF during takeoff in Brussels

by Grant Martin on

The Associated Press is reporting that A Kalitta Air Boeing 747 broke in half while trying to take off on Sunday. The cargo aircraft, which was carrying diplomatic baggage for the United States ambassador to Belgium, ruptured in the center of the aircraft around the main fuselage and again at the rear of the plane.

All five crew members escaped with no injuries.

There is no indication as to how or why the aircraft crashed, but speculation is buzzing around the internet. Runway 20 is one of the shortest in the Brussels airport, so it’s possible that the increased strain of pulling the aircraft up at lower speed caused the airframe to rupture. It’s another possibility that the cargo was overloaded to begin with and that failure was imminent anyway. Others conjecture that the cargo could have shifted during take off and caused the tail to strike the tarmac as the aircraft lifted off.

Either way, don’t let this deter you from flying on a 747 any longer. A variety of factors could have caused the failure that aren’t necessarily the product of the aircraft design. Once the NTSB (or Europe’s version of the NTSB) gets their hands on the data we’ll have a better idea of what truly happened.

Until then, take a look at this footage of the carnage.

Silverjet’s shares suspended as airline begins to falter

by Grant Martin on

Remember when Eos bit the bullet a few months back and Silverjet grazed close to the line but was bailed out by the United Arab Emirates? Well, that money didn’t work out. One of the last business-class-only carriers just suspended it’s shares from trading in a move that many suspect may lead to the airline’s collapse.

“It’s business as usual” they claim, however, as they’ve been looking desperately for that five million dollars that the UAE was supposed to front, and company brass still encourages passengers to keep booking tickets.

Recall that right before Eos went south that they suspended trading of their shares as well. And that Maxjet, another competitor on the transatlantic business-class-only sector folded late last year because they couldn’t operate in the black.

Would I buy a ticket now? Nope.

But for some reason, bureaucrats still believe that business-class-only service is a profitable operation. Singapore Air recently started service direct between New York to Singapore with Los Angeles to Singapore slated for later this year. British Airways‘ OpenSkies plans to start service between JFK and much of Western Europe. Why? What do you know that these niche carriers didn’t?

At least the two new competitors have strong financial backing from legacy carriers. As history predicts though, they’re in for a tough road ahead.

Gadling TAKE FIVE: Week of May 17-23

by Jamie Rhein on

This has been a week where deal snagging has been a bit elusive and prices are rising.

For example:

  • Grant noted American Airlines announcement that it will start charging $15 for the first checked bag.
  • Jeffrey gave us details about how we can expect the price of plane tickets to keep going up as the availability of flights go down.
  • Aaron made note of the higher gas prices which could affect some travel plans for drivers this three-day weekend.
  • Iva has been searching in Moscow for things that are cheap without much luck, unless one considers the subway, vodka and symphony tickets.

But, on the bright side, Tynan was hooked up once more with his beloved Aloksak Plastic Bags which can help pack items more tightly so they can fit in those carry-ons. Plus, they are waterproof so things like your camera won’t get ruined. That’s money saving.

OpenSkies airlines set to take flight June 19th

by Grant Martin on


With availability in the transatlantic sector starting to open up, airlines are starting to take advantage of new slots and flexibility across the pond. OpenSkies, British Airways‘ new niche airline, plans to do just that.

Named after the oft mentioned OpenSkies agreement put into place between the US and European Union earlier this year, the airline of the same moniker plans to offer a new, unique approach to intercontinental travel. With only 82 seats on a Boeing 757 aircraft (for comparison, Continental‘s 757 has over 215 seats), OpenSkies aims to offer a more comfortable, personal experience on air travel at a price barely more than a ticket on a legacy carrier.

Three classes of service will be offered, biz, premium and economy, with prices ranging from the $1,746 one way at the high range to $554 at the low end.

In addition to the space proffered by low seat count, OpenSkies boasts superior in-flight amenities, including leather seats, 50 hours of audio and video on personal entertainment systems, lie-flat seats in biz, a la carte meals and wine service and everything you need to make you fit and prepared for the new morning in the EU.

Sound nice? I thought so too. June 19th marks the first flight for the airline, traveling between New York‘s JFK airport and Orly in Paris. Planned routes include Brussels, Milan, Frankfurt and Amsterdam by the end of 2009.

What’s nice about OpenSkies is that they have strong financial backing from British Airways, a solid management and strong experience in the sector. So you can have confidence in the niche carrier being not only around for a while but also in reasonable financial shape for the near future, even if oil is more expensive than gold.

Competition in the premium transatlantic market has recently dropped off as well, so hopefully this will leave them a larger market share.

You can book tickets and check out the sweet service on flyopenskies.com.

New Zealand pilots have prayers answered in emergency landing

by Jeffrey White on

Two New Zealand pilots appeared to have their prayers answered yesterday — literally.

The Associated Press reports that the two, flying a microlight plane, ran out of fuel inflight. Forced with making an emergency landing, the two offered up some prayers and managed to land in a field, where they stopped right next to a 20-foot sign that read “Jesus is lord.”

One of the pilots, Grant Stubbs, told the AP: “My friend and I are both Christians so our immediate reaction in a life-threatening situation was to ask for God’s help.”

It appears to have worked. The two managed to make it over an imposing mountain ridge before finding their flat landing area. Stubbs even thinks something divine was at work in the timing of the incident: Had their engines shut down a few minutes before, the plane would not have made it over the mountains.

Gives new meaning to the phrase heavenly skies, I guess.