Prompted By The Travis Barker Plane Crash, Federal Officials Order Frequent Learjet Tire Checks

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Posted on 9th June 2010 by gjohnson in Uncategorized

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Underinflated tires not only cause car accidents, they can cause planes to crash. 

That’s why federal regulators have established stricter rules regarding the tire pressure on Learjets. It’s an attempt  to prevent a fatal plane crash like the one involving Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker and the disc jockety DJ AM in 2008.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703302604575294072660453954.html?KEYWORDS=Learjet

The Federal Aviation Administration put out a directive Tuesday that orders U.S. operators of more than 200 model 60 Learjet business aircraft to do landing-gear inspections more often.

Underinflated tires have proven to be dangerous, and were cited as one of the causes of a crash of a charter Learjet carrying Travis and DJ AM in Columbia, S.C., as it tried to take off in September 2008. Travis and DJ AM were hurt, and four people died in the accident.

An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board determined that the tires on the jet’s main landing gear were underinflated, and that the tires fell apart during the takeoff. Their pressure hadn’t been checked in three weeks.   

    http://car-accident-rain.com/blog/2010/04/federal-authorities-blame-tires-pilot-for-travis-barker-jet-crash-that-killed-four-people.html?preview=true&preview_id=360&preview_nonce=ea7f96952f

Shards from the tires struck the Learjet’s brakes and hydraulic lines, disrupting other systems in the jet. That resulted in the pilot being unable to stop the plane, and it sped off the runway and crashed.

Under the new FAA rules, the tires on Learjet 60 model will have to be checked every four days.

The federal agency was aware that underinflated tires posed a safety hazard. A year ago the FAA put out a safety  alert that told pilots to pay attention to tire pressure.  

 

 

  

Oregon, Washington Postpone Deadline For Studded Tire Removal

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Posted on 5th April 2010 by gjohnson in Uncategorized

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Because winter-like conditions have extended into spring, Oregon and Washington have pushed back the deadline for the removal of studded snow tires. They must now be removed by April 11.  http://news.opb.org/article/7027-oregon-and-washington-extend-studded-tire-season/

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) not only considered the recent weather conditions, but also the feedback it heard from residents who live or travel at higher elevations.

Just this past Tuesday, even though spring has officially started, winter-like weather was blamed for a number of accidents and road closings.

In Oregon, drivers can be fined $190 if they don’t remove their tired by the new deadline of April 11. In Washington, the penalty is $124.

Studded tires rack up $11 million in damage to Oregon’s roads every year, according to ODOT.

 

 

Spectator Killed By Flying Tire From NHRA Crash In Arizona

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Posted on 22nd February 2010 by gjohnson in Uncategorized

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A woman spectator was killed this weekend when a tire flew off a drag racing car and hit her before the vehicle crashed at the National Hot Rod Association Arizona Nationals in Chan
dler, Ariz., according to USA Today.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/nhra/2010-02-21-crewmember-injury-phoenix_N.htm

The unidentified woman was taken from Firebird International Raceway by helicopter to Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix and died there several hours later.

The accident during the first round of the Arizona Nationals is reportedly the first non-participant death at an NHRA event since the mid-1970s, according to the Arizona Republic.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2010/02/21/20100221nhra-firebird-raceway-fan-injured.html

The accident took place Sunday when Top Fuel dragster Antron Brown lost control, crossed into the lane of his rival Troy Buff and then hit a wall. The car flipped onto its right side, caught fire and then its left rear tire flew off and went into a crowd of bystanders.

Brown was examined at Chandler Regional Medical Center and released.

In a statement, the NHRA said it was investigating the crash.

“The entire NHRA community is deeply saddened by today’s incident and sends its thoughts and prayers to the woman’s family and friends,” the organization said.

Rain postponed the rest of the race Sunday. It was set to resume Monday.

Worn, Mismatched Tires Likely Lead to SUV’s Rollover

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Posted on 18th February 2010 by gjohnson in Uncategorized

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We’ve made a crusade of warning the public of the care that must be taken with their tire placement, and here’s another incident that bears us out.

Authorities in Port Saint Lucie, Fla., were blaming mismatched tires on an SUV with causing the vehicle to roll over, ejecting several children. Luckily, the victims didn’t sustain any critical injuries. See http://www.cbs12.com/news/lucie-4724233-port-turnpike.html

In the accident, a man was driving his 1997 Ford Explorer with five kids, all younger than 13, on the Turnpike.

His right rear passenger tire blew, he lost control of the SUV and it rolled over several times.

Three of the children were thrown out of the vehicle. They were hospitalized, but did not sustain any serious injury.

Authorities said that the tire that failed was a different brand than those on the SUV’s other three wheels. And the front left tire was badly worn and needed to be changed.

The main cause of accidents on the Turnpike are worn-out and under-inflated tires, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. To that list we would add having uneven tread between front and back tires, with the better tires on the front. See http://car-accident-rain.com for more information.
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