Cameroon’s ‘Flying Coffins’ on inaugural flight today

TJX-SE and MA60 TJX-SD, are due to hit the skies on Saturday on inaugural flight after an initial flight flopped on December 29, 2015.

Jean Paul Nana Sandjo, General Manager of Camair-Co, told reporters that one of the planes will take off from Yaounde Nsimalen International Airport to Douala, while the other leaves the Douala International Airport to Yaounde.

Both 50-seater planes are expected to boost Camair-Co’s fleet to five and help the national carrier to break away from traditional routes: Yaounde, Douala, Garoua as well as Maroua and increase its domestic flights to Tiko, Bamenda, Bafoussam, Ngoundere and Bertoua.

Camair-Co’s general manager has vehemently dismissed claims that the planes are unsafe, though it took over seven months (after the planes arrived in April 2015) for the carrier to secure certification from the Cameroon Civil Aviation Authority. We gathered that the aviation authority had been reluctant to certify the planes on technical considerations.

However, Cameroon air force aeronautics experts, who have been using the plane before it was diverted for commercial use, say the MA60s have high-rated security mechanisms. “The planes have been conceived to fly short distances at low altitudes, consume less fuel and are comfortable,” one of the army officers told the national broadcaster a fortnight ago.

Much earlier, Joshua Nambangi Osih, SDF Parliamentarian with a well-known aviation expert, had objected to the purchase of the aircrafts, describing them as “flying coffins.” The SDF held that with the numerous technical problems and accidents the MA60 has registered across the world, it was not safe.

We gathered that the  MA 60 aircrafts manufactured by a Chinese company, AVIC International Holding,  since 2000 have been grounded for various technical lapses in various countries across Europe and America.

Since the acquisition of the planes, they have faced two-level polemics; one concerning its viability; and the second about its estimated cost of 34.4 FCFA billion, said to have been inflated.

 

Fidel Accidents and incidents[edit]

As of May 11, 2015, there have been 13 accidents involving the MA60. One accident was fatal (MZ8968) resulting in 21 passenger and 4 crew deaths.[19] This caused for instance New Zealand to go as far as suspending tourism aid to Tonga and warned tourists about flying the aircraft which had been gifted to the country.[20]

On 11 January 2009, a MA60 operated by Philippine carrier Zest Airways crashed at Caticlan Airport when it landed too short on the runway, skidded out of control and crashed into a concrete barrier. The aircraft caught fire and suffered extensive damage to its wing, landing gear, undercarriage and one engine. Several passengers were injured.[21]

In June 2009, a MA60 operated by Zest overshot the runway while trying to land at Caticlan airport. As a consequence of this accident lengthening of the runway and the flattening of a hill that obstructs one of its approaches was carried out.[22]

On 7 May 2011 Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 8968 (with Indonesian registration PK-MZK) went into sea only 500 metres from the runway[23] in bad weather with poor visibility on visual approach to Kaimana Airport, Kaimana, West Papua in Indonesia. It had left Sorong Airport with 19 passengers and 6 crew members on board.[24] All passengers and crew were killed, making this the first reported fatal accident for the Xian MA60. On 24 August 2011 Indonesia’s Transportation Minister determined human error was to blame for the disaster.[25]

On 9 January 2012 a TAM flight from Riberalta Airport to Guayaramerín Airport, Bolivia operated by FAB-96 landed with the undercarriage not deployed due to a fault, resulting in substantial damage to the aircraft. There were no injuries amongst the five crew and sixteen passengers.[26]

On 16 May 2013 a Myanma Airways flight from Heho Airport to Monghsat Airport in Burma, overran the runway on landing, resulting in two serious injuries and substantial damage to the aircraft. The MA60 allegedly suffered a brakes failure.[27]

On 10 June 2013 Merpati Nusantara Airlines flight MZ6517 (with Indonesian registration PK-MZO) from Bajawa to Kupang, with 50 people on-board landed hard at Kupang airport in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Two passengers were injured. The plane, which has been damaged beyond repair, lay on its belly on the runway with its engines jammed face down into the tarmac and its wings bent forward which one would expect after such a hard landing.[28] Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) has released preliminary report on this accident. The preliminary report consists of factual information collected until the preliminary report published without analysis and conclusion.[29]

This is from wikipedia:

On 10 June 2013 Myanma Airways flight UB309 from Mawlamyine, Myanmar carrying four crew members and 60 passengers swerved off the runway upon landing atKawthaung. The plane came to a stop in bushes about 200 feet to the west of the runway, with smoke coming from the left side propeller housing and the propellers on both wings damaged. There were no injuries. It is possible the captain was too early in switching the nosewheel steering to the ‘taxi’ mode during the landing roll and lost directional control. A similar incident occurred in December 2011.[30]

On 4 February 2014 Joy Air flight JR1533 from Taiyuan, China carrying 7 crew members and 37 passengers, had a mechanical failure on the landing gear while landing atZhengzhou. This caused landing gear to break and the aircraft’s nose cone to hit the tarmac. There were no injuries.[31]

On 10 May 2015, Joy Air flight JR1529 from Yiwu to Fuzhou with 45 passengers and 7 crew, landed on Fuzhou runway 03 at about 11:57L (03:57Z) but veered right off the runway and came to a stop right off the runway edge about 500 meters past the runway threshold and about 50 meters off the runway centerline with all gear on soft ground. The engines made ground contact causing the wings to be nearly torn off and substantial damage to the fuselage and structure. 7 occupants received injuries in the accident.[32]

Operational problems[edit]

The New Zealand Government suspended its programme of development aid to Tonga’s tourism industry in July 2013 after a MA60 donated by the Chinese Government was delivered to the airline Real Tonga.[33] In August 2013 the New Zealand Government also issued a statement advising tourists to not travel on Real Tonga’s MA60 on the grounds that “this aircraft has been involved in a significant number of accidents in the last few years”, and the type “is not certified to fly in New Zealand or other comparable jurisdictions”.[34][35] Real Tonga ceased operating the MA60 in early 2015 after the Tongan Government passed legislation adopting New Zealand’s civil aviation regulations.[36] A proposal to re-establish Royal Tongan Airlines to operate the MA60 was reported later in the year.[37]