October 21, 1985

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Safety

Report Cites Pilot Descent Error in 1983 British Helicopter Crash

(A British Airways Helicopters, Ltd., Sikorsky S-61N on a scheduled service from Penzance to the Isles of Scilly crashed July 16, 1983, killing 19 of 23 passengers and one of three crewmembers (aw&ST July 15, 1983, p. 30; Apr. 29, p. 168). Following is the first part of the official report on the accident by D. A. Cooper, inspector of accidents, Accidents Investigation Branch, Dept. of Transport, and submitted to Nicholas Ridley, secretary of state for transport, by G. C. Wilkinson, chief inspector of accidents.

Aeronautical Engineering

Navy Upgrades Fighter Training Capability with Israeli F-21a Kfir

NAS Oceana, Va.—Twelve Navy/Israel Aircraft Industries F-21A Kfirs now operational with Fighter Squadron 43 (VF-43), the Navy's East Coast adversary squadron, have doubled the Navy's supersonic adversary capability for Atlantic Fleet fighter training, while contract maintenance provided by Israel Aircraft Services has produced an availability rate exceeding 90% for the Kfirs.

By Brendan M. Greeley9 min

Aeronautical Engineering

Navy Completes Test Program on F-14a Anti-ice Configuration

Los Angeles—U. S. Naval Air Test Center has completed a three-phase test program to determine a fix for inlet ice accumulation problems with Navy/Grumman F14A Tomcat fighters. The test program identified a modified inlet ramp position that minimizes ice formation in critical inlet areas and greatly reduces the chances of ice chunks causing foreign object damage (FOD) to the aircraft's engines.

By Keith F. Mordoff8 min

Army Conference

New Weapon Concepts Designed to Army Mission Requirements

Washington—Critical U. S. Army requirements for a short-range air defense system and a new man-portable antitank guided weapon were underscored last week by the variety of such systems, either existing or proposed, on display here last week at the annual meeting of the Assn. of the U. S. Army (AUSA).

By Robert R. Ropelewski6 min

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Avionics

Collins Developing High-speed Data Bus for Military Aircraft

Cedar Rapids, Iowa—Design of a new high-speed multiplex data bus for military aircraft that operates at 50 times the speed of the present MIL-STD-1553 Mux bus, which it is intended to supersede, is nearing completion here at Rockwell/Collins under contract to USAF's Avionics Laboratory.

By Philip J. Klass6 min

October 141985

October 281985

October 21, 1985

October 21, 1985

Report Cites Pilot Descent Error in 1983 British Helicopter Crash