3 Americans killed in Shanghai plane crash

[undeterred]

Source: CNN

Beijing, China (CNN) -- Three American crew members died when a Zimbabwean cargo plane crashed early Saturday at Shanghai's Pudong International Airport, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing said.

The embassy said one of the injured crew members was also an American.

The Xinhua news agency reported that the plane was on its way to Kyrgyzstan and caught fire on takeoff. Thick smoke was seen billowing from the crash site.

The agency said there were seven crew members on the plane and that the four survivors were taken to Pudong Xinqu People's Hospital.



Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/11/27/china.plane.crash/

[htuttle]

1. The more details I read about this, the odder it seems

A Zimbabwean cargo plane, crewed by Americans, traveling from Shanghai to Kyrgyzstan?

Isn't Air Zimbabwe owned by the government, ie., Mugabe? Are there any other air freight companies in Zimbabwe?

[nyy1998]

2. I was thinking the same thing

Very weird situation.

[tabatha]

3. Al Jazeera gets it right.

At least three Americans have been killed after a Zimbabwean-registered cargo aeroplane crashed in China.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2009/11/2009112814387545484.html

[Lydia Leftcoast]

4. Yes, Zimbabwean-registered AND Zimbabwe-based, according to its own webiste

So an American crew of an obscure air freight company is flying from Shanghai to Kyrgyzstan?

It's still weird.

UPDATE: I looked at the company's website, and it says that it was FOUNDED in Zimbabwe in 1993 (no information on who the founders were) with other headquarters in the UK and Europe.

Something smells spooky.

[tabatha]

5. It is Avient Aviation, that flies cargo all over the world.

SHANGHAI — A cargo plane crashed as it took off from Shanghai's main airport Saturday, killing three American crew members and injuring four other employees after it veered off the runway and burst into flames.

Three Americans on the seven-member crew died and a fourth American was injured, U.S. Embassy spokesman Richard Buangan told The Associated Press. He did not know the injured person's condition.

Shanghai television showed what it called a 61-year-old American co-pilot in a hospital bed, conscious and saying "Thank you" to staff and officials.

The TV report said the other crew were from Indonesia, Belgium and Zimbabwe.

The aircraft's tail struck the ground on takeoff, China Central Television reported. Footage showed black smoke billowing from the wreckage.

The crash at Shanghai Pudong International Airport occurred just after 8 a.m. (0000 GMT), the official Xinhua News Agency said. The plane was headed to Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan.

The aircraft was operated by Zimbabwe-based Avient Aviation. An Avient Harare official said the flight was operated out the United Kingdom and could not say what cargo was on board. The official was not authorized to speak to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ingATA3SLzrdRiQuy_jbZjNGpoRQD9C8I8700


Avient Aviation is a freight charter airline based in Zimbabwe. It was established in 1993 and operates scheduled services between Europe (Hub in Liège airport) and Africa and UAE, as well as charters.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avient_Aviation

http://www.avient.aero/

[Lydia Leftcoast]

6. Yes, and it wouldn't be the first air worldwide freight carrier to have spooky connections

I used to live near the headquarters of Evergreen Aviation.

[tabatha]

8. A Crash in Shanghai raises questions about an airline...

November 28, 2009 12:38 PM

A Zimbabwean cargo aircraft crashed earlier today at Shanghai-Pudong airport, killing three and seriously injuring four. It is not yet known why the aircraft, an ex Varig MD-11F (pic) operated by an airline called Avient, failed to become airborne, but the airline itself has received quite some attention recently. Headquartered in Salisbury, Wiltshire, United Kingdom, they almost went bankrupt, leaving behind massive debts in France, only to almost out of nowhere get this MD-11F, which crashed within a week of being acquired. (pprune, reg req) But that's not the only shady thing about this airline...

Avient is run by Andrew Smith, a former captain of the Royal Engineers, who has made a fortune from a bloody African civil war. "A United Nations report has accused Smith of organising bombing raids in the DRC on behalf of President Joseph Kabila to suppress rebel forces. It is alleged that three years ago Avient received $30,000 a month for recruiting crew from Ukraine to fly in Russian-made Antonovs behind enemy lines in 1999 and 2000." (Observer, link above)

Amnesty International mentioned Avient in A catalogue of failures: G8 Arms Exports and Human Rights Violations: "Besides the “official” trade in weapons, there are a large number of arms traffickers and brokers willing to supply arms to warring factions across Africa. One example is the network operated by Victor Bout who, through his UAE based Air Cess Company, is reported to have delivered arms clandestinely to Angola, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Congo and to have been paid in “conflict diamonds” mined illegally. Much of the weaponry traded originated in Russia, Central Asia and other Eastern European countries. Another example is the Zimbabwean company, Avient, with management links to the UK, which was reported to have hired Russian aircraft and air crew to support the government of Laurent Kabila in the Congo with “air drops”, and also admitted to repairing and maintaining Russian MIG fighters for the Kabila regime."

It is not yet known if Avient was engaged in mercenary activities at the time of this crash but one should hope this event will cause authorities to investigate this operation. Bout is in jail, Smith is still free.

http://www.metafilter.com/87033/A-Crash-in-Shanghai-raises-questions-about-an-airline

The comments are interesting.

[Capn Sunshine]

13. Evergreen?

You lived in Honduras?

[KataVideo]

7. Yep, Americans abroad

You are all correct, this stinks from top to bottom. The airline "Avient" is connected to all sorts of awful hijinx in Africa.
Here's a link about its involvement in war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article634255.ece).
Here's a link to Avient delivering arms to Zimbabwe (http://freebornjohn.blogspot.com/2008/05/chinese-arms-reach-zimbabwe.html).

Some are speculating that this Avient flight is connected to the C.I.A., although I haven't seen anything concrete. And that might be giving the C.I.A. too much credit.

If I had to guess? Avient was delivering chinese arms somewhere. Why would any American flight crew be involved in this garbage? Thrills. Right-wingers. War-mongers. Or, maybe they just needed to do something that pays. Let's not forget, Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story" introduced us to a few pilots who earn less than a McDonald's manager. Guys like "Sully" Sullenberger don't have a pension anymore.

Check me out on youtube, www.youtube.com/KataVideo

[Holy Joe]

10. Avient

You are guessing, KataVideo, and guessing wrong. I have connections with Avient, and the cargoes they carry are legit.

They have often flown into Afganistan to deliver equipment for Nato forces based there.

Conspiracy theorists will no doubt have a field day.

American pilots were involved with this "Garbage" as you term them because Avient paid them to do so, and there were no jobs for them back home.

Avient employ crew from the U.S.A, the U.K. South Africa Zimbabwe Australia and N.Z.

The cargo was not Arms and munitions, as the burned out wreckage would surely make obvious?

Some are speculating a CIA involvement? "I speculate, therefore I am" (an idiot) As descartes may have posited.

How about a little respect for the dead, instead of vilifying them as gun-runners?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

12. Evergreem Aviation carries legitimate cargos in addition to its CIA errands

:shrug:

[Colandra]

17. Dont Guess

They are Zimbabwean. They are flying out of China equals they are delivering Chinese Arms somewhere. I think maybe your guesswork is a little "Michael Mooreish" in itself. ie doesnt look for logical answers but rather resorts to conspiracy theories.

This Airline flies legitimate charters all over the world, including Humanitarian Aid Charters for several world bodies. Being Zimbabwean and flying out of China does not make them garbage. The Crew being American does not make it suspiscious !!!!! I Think not. Almost every airline in the world has crews of Mixed nationalities. Jobs in America are hard to come by in an aviation industry hit hard by the current economic crisis.

Why not let the facts speak for themselves ?? A full report will no doubt establish exactly what happened,what the cargo was being carried etc. Uneducated speculation will only cloud the real truth as will conspiracy theories .

Ask questions....dont make up answers

[XemaSab]

9. I'm with you

:shrug:

[Colandra]

15. Use the facts

There are several other freight companies in Zimbabwe,however Avient is the only privately owned operational Freight airline.The Airline operates all over the world on a charter basis and also has contracts into and out of major African Hubs.

Crew make-up is not hard to explain.Very few airlines are without crews of mixed nationalities. Emirates is a prime example of an airline with crews from nearly every corner of the Globe.MK airlines has largely Zimbabwean crews and also operates into China, the Middle East etc.

To state that something is fishy based on the fact that it was a Zimbabwean Aircraft operating out of China is far fetched. There are certainly rumours and accusations surrounding Avient,however the Airline irrefutably has legitimate and above board operations in many many countries. The deaths and injuries that occurred during this tragedy should not be sullied by unsubstantiated innuendo and rumour. The investigation will no doubt in time provide information from which anyone can make their own decisions based on facts. If there was in fact anything underhanded about the flight then I am sure that it will come out in the was but for the meantime I for one will be giving the dead crew members and their families the benefit of the doubt

[saigon68]

11. Avient adds MD-11F to fleet

Avient adds MD-11F to fleet

CARGO airline Avient is to take delivery of its first MD-11 freighter tomorrow. The ex- Varig Log aircraft is currently stored at Miami and will be delivered to Avient’s operations in Liège on 18 November. It will then enter service operating charter flights from Asia to Europe in December.

Avient has said that it plans to upgrade its existing fleet of DC-10-30 freighters with the MD-11Fs. Originally, chief executive officer, Andrew Smith, told Air Cargo News this time last year that, the company would replace the MD-11s with A330s.

However, following Avient’s abrupt departure from Vatry to Liege in September, the company now says that the MD-11’s increases capacity, payload and range over the DC-10 make it an acceptable substitute.



Very Handsome Air Craft Parked at MIA

Avient’s new MD-11F crashes In Shanghai

Days after being delivered to the airline, Avient’s first MD-11F has crashed at Shanghai-Pudong’s International airport, claiming the lives of three crewmembers.

The accident happened at 08.16 local time on 28 November as the aircraft was departing on a charter flight bound for Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Of the seven crewmembers on board three were killed, one is in a critical but stable condition and three others suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Early reports state that the aircraft broke up and caught fire after failing to stop following a rejected take-off from runway 35R, the wreckage coming to rest some 400 m beyond the end of the runway. Around 50 fire engines were involved in the operation to extinguish the resulting fire.

The aircraft, that had recently received the registration Z-BAV, made its delivery flight to the airline on 20 November and had only just commenced commercial services. It had previously operated with VarigLog and, after a period in storage at Miami International, had been prepared for its return to service by Commercial Jet at its Miami facilities.

Aveint confirmed the accident on its website stating: "An Avient Aviation operated aircraft was involved in an accident at approximate 00:16 GMT today while the aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 Freighter, was operating a charter freight flight from Pudong International Airport in China.

"Preliminary information indicates that the accident occurred on takeoff from Pudong International Airport. The aircraft was carrying a crew of 7.

"At this time, the full resources of Avient's accident response team have been mobilised and will be devoted to cooperating with all authorities responding to the accident."

Note: apparently an aborted Take Off and the aircraft entered the Overrun and could not stop in time.

[hayu_lol]

14. Seem to be a lot of errors in the reporting of this accident...

Al Jazeera article said that the aircraft veered off the runway and hit a storage building...another article says that the tail hit the ground and that smoke was coming from the aircraft...and yet another says that the aircraft went through the overrun in an aborted takeoff(implies that the plane was still lined up on the runway).

Would be informative if the weight and balance sheet could be produced showing how the aircraft was loaded and if they were overweight for the takeoff.

Anyone know if Avient has it's own loadmasters or if the pilots perform this part of the equation? Could ground personnel have loaded the plane incorrectly?

Blown tires could explain the veering off the runway. Tail hitting the ground could explain the aborted takeoff and going straight off the end of the runway.

[Colandra]

16. Loadmasters

Avient do carry their own Loadmasters . There are a number of scenarios currently . The MD-11 is a difficult aircraft to load , so an incorrect load, a load shift, trim settings, etc etc could be responsible. I understand that the Zimbabwean on Board was the Loadmaster who was still undergoing training with a Training Loadmaster who was also on board