Monthly Archives: March 2015
AC624 – Normal vs Not Normal.
By now, we have all seen and heard the stories about the landing of AC624, A Toronto to Halifax flight with a A320 Aircraft. This route and aircraft land in Halifax dozens of times per week. Saturday night, this one came up short.
Runway 05/23 is the main runway at YHZ. runway 05 is a quick landing, as after you exit the runway, you end up at the terminal. this runway was extended in 2012, and may have reduced the impact of this crash.
The MK airlines crash, the Same ILS Antenna was taken out, however then it was on a berm. the space between the berm and the end of the runway was filled in as part of the Extension.
note the Alignment of Runway 05 and taxiway J in 2007:
And now, on the Current Chart.
(Below) the aircraft sits on the runway. the ILS Localizer lays broken on the left at the end of the runway.
Compare that with the normal Approach below. Note the plane is also an Air Canada A320. Also note that windsock above.
Here is the touchdown. Rear wheels are down, and the nose is coming down. Note the windsock. AC624 came to rest right where it should have touched down.
How Low was the plane? Here is the crater it left in the snow, and on the left the remains of the ILS Localizer. also note the snapped off lead light in the foreground. thats an 8 foot fence.
These are the leading lights in advance of the broken one. Note the height difference. This flight was luckey. The aircraft clipped powerlines, but somehow managed to miss the wooden telephone poles. also the large dent in the snow probably cushioned the impact, as the recent snowfalls were still relatively fluffy compared to the earth mound.
Below an AC flight landing. this is landing on runway 23. Note the clearance over the localizer
Parts of the Landing Gear lie among parts of the localizer, and the right side of the runway.
Thanks to ADS-B, You can watch a replay of the flight Here
More Ferry Builds for A.F. Theriault and Sons
A.F. Theriault and Sons Ltd., in Meteghan River, Digby Co., has been awarded the contract to build the new Digby Neck ferry.
The new ferry will replace the 20-year-old Joe Casey. The Joe Casey will be used as a spare ferry for provincial operations. The ferry will be about 35 metres long and 13 metres wide, accommodating 18 cars with additional seating for 10 passengers.
The government has a fleet of nine ferries operating around the province. Delivery of the new ferry is expected to be late next year.
The Joe Casey (Left) was also built by A.F. Theriault and Sons. the Joe Casey provides service to Brier Island and carries over 30,000 vehicles and 75,000 passengers per year.
Aussie Immigrant – Svitzer Wombi Arrives in Halifax.
The tug Svitzer Wombi made port today. Svitzer recently purchased 3 Chinese tugs in May 2014 for use in Australia, though word was one was sent north to be used in Point Cartier PQ at the Cargill grain Facility there.
After Purchase, The tug went through a work period in Singapore, and was then delivered to Panama, where the Dutch firm TOS was responsible for crewing the delivery voyage to Halifax.
On her arrival today, the Aussie Name was very small, and the Letters Svitzer Cartier could be seen under the blue paint, Suggesting that will be her name. weld marks for Svitzer Wombi could also bee seen under the paint.
She was built in 2006 by the San Lin Shipyard as Hai Gang 107 and was flagged in Shang Hai China. She is equipped with 2 x Voith-Schneider drives. I expect she will hang out at ECTUG until registered in Canada.
Atlantic Navigator – Quick stop at Fairview Cove
The Atlantic RO-RO lines vessel Atlantic Navigator made a brief stop this morning at the west pier of Fairview Cove. She tied up around 9am, arriving from Immington UK, and sailed at 11 for Baltimore.
She was built in Germany in 1992, and is owned by Baltic Mercur of Russia. She is currently runs between the Baltic and the North American east coasts. Outfited with Cranes, and a RO-RO Ramp, she is a versatile vessel.
Lois M and Barge Nunavut Spirit.
The Mckeil tug Lois M arrived over the weekend with the Barge Nunavut Spirit.
The tug has been working with the Hebron offshore project, and is likely here to pick up parts from Cherubini in Dartmouth.
The Tug was Built in Japan in 1991 as Lambert, and was Acquired in 2013. She is built to the same basic design as Beverly M1, Another tug acquired by Mckeil a year before, and a 2 time visitor to Halifax.
The barge Nunavut Spirit was built in Portland Oregon in 1983 as a single hull tank barge, but was converted to a flat top in 2008. she is 116m long and 32m wide, and is also owned by Mckeil.
Both Tug and Barge are registered in St. John’s Newfoundland.