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CBC
2 days ago
- General
- CBC
Plane crash 'dead zone' leaves neighbours with environmental worries
Robbyn Plumb looks over a brown patch of sickly vegetation, a remnant of a tragedy from two weeks ago. "Above our head was where the plane was suspended, caught up in a tree," she said. The pilot died in the July 31 crash on Riverside Drive, while two passengers were injured. Plumb saw the small Grumman AA-5A plane fly over the house next door. She heard the crack of the trees and the popping from the hydro lines the plane struck. As she watched aviation fuel leaking from its wings, Plumb worried the plane would explode. The plane is long gone now. The trees it struck have been cut down, but the crash has left a lasting impact on this tranquil neighbourhood along the Rideau River. "You can see that there's significant vegetation that is dying away," Plumb said. "It's right in the middle of a creek ... which flows directly into the Rideau River." Ontario's environment ministry said there was less than 100 litres of fuel lost in the crash, but Plumb said there's a "particular smell in the air that still remains." "It's kind of still triggering to me — that as I walk down the road, I am first hit with that smell, and just sort of realizing, that's right, there was a plane crash here." Anxious about wells and wildlife Plumb noticed a crew working at the site on Wednesday and learned they were taking water and soil samples. She wonders why it's taken so long. "Every time I walk past the site and see more and more of the vegetation dying off, I start to really get worried about what's the longer-term impact of this plane crash," she said. "We all have wells, and so I'm worried about what's happening with our water… I understand that aviation fuel still has lead in it and so that, of course, is quite a concern." Plumb often kayaks along the river with her children, looking for frogs, turtles, fish and birds. She worries about what any potential contamination will do to them. Her next door neighbour, John Logan, walks his flat-coated retrievers, Ace and Jazz, past the site. He can see the foam that bubbles up when it rains, and figures it's the residue of fire retardant used to douse the flames. The Ottawa Airport Authority says the retardant its fire service used is biodegradable and environmentally friendly. But Logan has also watched the grass and foliage die off under the crash site, creating a stark contrast to the lush forest that surrounds it. "Where the aviation fuel leaked out, it's just all like a dead zone," he said. Logan said he worries about petroleum reaching his well water, adding that he doesn't think remediation work is coming quickly enough. "It's basically two weeks since the accident," he said. "And so we're sort of thinking the horse has already left the barn." 'It can only go so fast' Nick DeFazio of Ottawa Fire Services (OFS) confirmed that there was fuel leaking down the creek into the river the day of the crash. As a result, he said, the department's hazmat and water rescue teams were deployed, installing booms to contain the spill. But with the emergency response and extrication completed, OFS is no longer in control of the site, DeFazio said. Ontario's Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks said its staff were on site the evening of the crash to assess the environmental risks and co-ordinate a response. They made a followup visit on Wednesday. "We have assessed the volume of fuel involved and determined that the risk to the environment and human health is low. Nonetheless, a qualified firm is conducting cleanup and evaluating site conditions to ensure risks are mitigated," the ministry said in an emailed statement. "Responsibility for the spill and cleanup lies with the aircraft owners and their insurer, as outlined under Ontario's Environmental Protection Act." McLarens Aviation is the adjuster representing the aviation insurer. Its regional director, Wayne Donald, said site evaluation is in progress, adding that it takes time to deal with an insurance claim of such magnitude. "It can only go so fast. And when you're working with the ministry, you've got to follow their protocols," he said. Donald said he doesn't believe there is any risk to the residents, though he said he can't really comment until the results of the testing comes back. "The engineers who are doing it with the ministry will decide what kind of remediation needs to be done," he said. "They will be looking for fuel. They will be looking for whatever other contaminants would appear." Power surge caused damage Beyond fears of contamination, the crash has taken a financial toll. When the plane struck electrical lines, it triggered a power surge that damaged furnace motors, garage door openers, freezers, hot tubs and more. "The power surge basically fried any electronic devices that weren't connected to a surge protector," said Logan, whose central vacuum system shorted out. Plumb, meanwhile, figures she's out about $5,000. She said McLarens has told her she'll have to go through her home insurance company, which comes with a sizeble deductible. "I'm completely unsatisfied with that," she said. Asked about the insurance concerns, Donald had a simple answer. "Residential insurance is there to cover homeowners," he said. "Like car insurance is there to cover cars." Despite all the headaches and anxiety, Logan said he knows his troubles pale in comparison with the tragedy for the pilot, his family and the two injured passengers. "I feel like some of our complaints are kind of low priorities, [compared to] the loss of life and the accident itself and the trauma that the passengers must have experienced," he said. "But there is sort of this long tail to the event, and we're sort of concerned that we have to live with whatever the long-term consequences were."
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pilot confirmed dead in small plane crash west of Ottawa airport
The pilot of a small aircraft that crashed in Ottawa near the airport Thursday evening was pronounced dead at the scene, paramedics told CBC on Friday. Three people were aboard the aircraft, with the crash happening shortly before 6 p.m. in the area of Riverside Drive and West Hunt Club Road. The privately registered Grumman AA-5A aircraft took off from Gatineau airport at around 5:35 p.m., according to Jean-Pierre Régnier, an investigator with the Transportation Safety Board (TSB). At some point, "the engine sputtered and failed" and there was a substantial loss of engine oil, Régnier said. "The pilot declared an emergency with the Ottawa control tower air traffic control and he was cleared to land on runway 14 here in Ottawa. Unfortunately, the aircraft lost altitude and collided with terrain in behind me," he said. A photo shared by a resident showed a plane wedged in the trees. A man and a woman were rescued from the plane and taken to the hospital in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries. The TSB and police have not yet identified the deceased man who piloted the plane. The Ottawa Airport Fire Service also responded to the crash, according to the Ottawa International Airport Authority. Operations at the airport were not disrupted. Witness recalls crash Adelle Forth heard the crash from inside her house and was able to approach the wreckage before authorities asked residents to move back. Forth said she saw fuel leaking from the plane stuck in the trees and worried about damage to a nearby power line. She tried to communicate with the plane's occupants but did not get a verbal response. "My other neighbour... yells at me 'Adelle get back because it's sparking and it could get it could go on fire' so I backed away," she told CBC. Forth said she's lived in her house near the airport since 1998, and has never seen a plane crash in the area. "It's just so sad that the pilot did not make it," she said.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Yahoo
This S-2 Tracker Is The Last Of Its Kind In Military Use
The Argentine Navy has brought back to service an example of the classic Cold War-era Grumman S-2 Tracker anti-submarine warfare aircraft. Returning to duty a remarkable 73 years after the type first took to the air, the S-2 in question is currently the only example of the Tracker in active military service anywhere in the world. At the same time, the fact that the aircraft has been reactivated points to the very limited resources available to modernize the Argentine Navy's aging air component. The aircraft, with the serial number 2-AS-23, was returned to active Argentine Navy service on July 11. This was captured by photographer Sebastián Solis, as seen at the top of this story. Several months of work were required to bring it back to airworthy status, since it had last flown in August 2023. It had originally been grounded due to a lack of spare parts, but once this issue was resolved, work on the aircraft could resume. 2-AS-23 is an S-2T version, indicating that it was re-engined with turboprops in place of the type's original radial piston engines. That the aircraft looks anachronistic is no surprise, after all, the first prototype of what was then known as the S2F Tracker first flew in December 1952. It was developed for the U.S. Navy as a carrier-based anti-submarine warfare aircraft and entered service in 1954. Compared to its predecessors, the Tracker (designated S-2 from 1962) combined the 'hunter' and 'killer' functions in a single airframe, making for a much more efficient carrier air wing. It was also compact enough to operate from smaller, dedicated anti-submarine warfare carriers. Ultimately, in U.S. Navy service, the S-2 was replaced by the jet-powered S-3 Viking, a far more capable platform, but one that was never exported. The Tracker was developed for other U.S. Navy functions, including the C-1 Trader for carrier onboard delivery and the E-1 Tracer for airborne early warning. It was also widely exported and, as well as its military career, it has seen notable service for firefighting, including as the Turbo Firecat, developed by Conair. The last of the Conair Firecats were retired in France in 2020. As for Argentina, the final military user of the S-2 has long been an enthusiastic operator of the type. Argentina first received half a dozen of the original S-2A versions in 1962, operating them from the Colossus class aircraft carriers Independencia, which was withdrawn in 1970, and latterly from the Veinticinco de Mayo, which was also a Colossus class ship. The aging S-2As were replaced in the late 1970s by a similar number of ex-U.S. Navy S-2Es, which saw active service in the Falklands War, including from the Veinticinco de Mayo. In 1988, the Veinticinco de Mayo was removed from service, leaving Argentina without any flattops of its own, although the Argentine Trackers continued to operate from carriers, performing 'cross-decking' during exercises with the U.S. Navy starting in the 1990s. The loss of one of the S-2Es in a fatal accident in 1990 was attributed to engine failure, after which it was decided to replace the aircraft's Wright R-1820-82C engines with more efficient and reliable turboprops. Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) was responsible for the modernization, based on a package developed by Marsh Aviation of Mesa, Arizona. The Argentine Navy's S-2T is powered by a pair of 1,645-horsepower Allied Signal 331-15 engines driving new five-blade propellers. The first modified Argentine aircraft was re-flown in Israel in 1993 and was redelivered the same year. The S-2T was also flown from carriers, not only U.S. Navy flattops during exercises, but also the Brazilian Navy's Colossus class carrier Minas Gerais and the São Paulo (the former French carrier Foch). Since then, Argentina's economic woes have prevented the replacement of the S-2s but also limited the scope of their modernization. Changes that have been introduced include a new navigation computer and processor for the active sonobuoys and magnetic anomaly detector (MAD). The original AN/APS-88A radar has also been replaced with a Bendix RDR-1500. In 2017, the S-2 was used in the ill-fated effort to locate the missing Argentine Navy submarine San Juan. For its anti-submarine warfare, the Argentine S-2 uses active and passive sonobuoys as well as the MAD. Targets can be prosecuted using Whitehead A-244S torpedoes and depth charges, both U.S.-made Mk 54 devices and locally made examples. General-purpose bombs and rockets can also be carried, with offensive stores normally carried under the wings, leaving the weapons bay free for an extra fuel tank. The difficulty in obtaining spare parts and the increasing maintenance costs of the S-2 mean that the Argentine Navy has long sought a replacement. The United States offered surplus S-3 Vikings in 2006, but there were no funds to acquire them. Also under consideration was the Airbus C295 Persuader, but this plan was also dropped for budgetary reasons. The Tracker has therefore soldiered on, from its home station of Base Aeronaval Comandante Espora, Bahía Blanca, in Buenos Aires province. However, the Argentine Navy is now in the process of upgrading its maritime patrol capabilities through the introduction of four former Norwegian P-3 Orions. The first of these arrived in Argentina last September. While more capable, the P-3 is in a different category to the S-2, and Argentina still has a requirement for a smaller and cheaper maritime surveillance type. The Argentine Navy has, in the past, also operated fast jets, but the last Super Etendards ceased being operational around 2014. Argentina planned to replace them with five examples transferred from the French Navy in 2019, but these never entered service, and there were more recent suggestions that Buenos Aires might seek to transfer them to Ukraine. With available funds being used for the Orion acquisition, the purchase of a direct successor to the Tracker is not currently a realistic option. For that reason, 2-AS-23 has been reactivated, although it's not clear if any further examples will also return to the air. Despite being introduced by the Argentine Navy 63 years ago, the Tracker remains a useful platform and one that is, as of today, a truly unique aircraft in military service. With thanks to Santiago Rivas and Sebastián Solis. Contact the author: thomas@ Solve the daily Crossword
News18
22-06-2025
- Politics
- News18
Truth Social Crashes After Trump Announces US Strikes On Iran's Nuclear Sites
Last Updated: Following President Trump's announcement of a successful bombing of Iran's nuclear sites, Truth Social experienced outages. Iran warned of severe consequences. Just minutes after President Donald Trump announced that the US had bombed Iran's nuclear sites, the social media platform Truth Social went down across the United States on Saturday evening. As of 8:20 p.m. EDT, DownDetector had received over 1,700 reports of outages, with many users experiencing server issues affecting both the app and the website. 'We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran's airspace. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home," Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran's airspace. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home," Trump wrote on Truth Social. Referring likely to the underground nuclear facility near Natanz, Trump, in a separate social media post, said, 'Fordow is gone". The bombings followed the deployment of B-2 bombers to Guam earlier on Saturday. Announcing the operation, Trump confirmed that B-2 stealth bombers carried out the attacks. He described it as a 'historic moment" for the US, Israel, and the global community, asserting that the strike marked a decisive step in the ongoing regional crisis. The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit, also known as the Stealth Bomber, is a revolutionary aircraft that has been a cornerstone of American airpower for over three decades. This strategic bomber features advanced stealth technology, allowing it to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defences undetected. With its cutting-edge design and engineering, the B-2 Spirit boasts unparalleled battlefield survivability. Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, earlier this week had warned the United States that any attacks on the Islamic Republic will 'result in irreparable damage for them." Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei had also declared, 'Any American intervention would be a recipe for an all-out war in the region." Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published:
New York Post
16-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Israel destroys one of Iran's last remaining F-14 Tomcats — iconic US fighter jet from ‘Top Gun'
Great balls of fire. The Israel Defense Forces has released dramatic footage of its air force destroying two of Iran's last remaining F-14 Tomcats — the iconic US fighter jets made famous by 'Top Gun.' Aerial videos show the moment the two US-made jets are blown up in Israeli drone strikes on an airfield near Tehran. Advertisement Both airframes are destroyed in the videos, which show a huge ball of flame emerging from the scene of the strikes. 'These jets were intended to intercept Israeli aircraft,' the IDF wrote alongside the footage on X. 5 Israel has shared footage of its Air Force destroying two Iranian F-14 Tomcat fighter jets. X / IDF Advertisement The devastating strike, part of what the IDF called a wider preemptive operation, was confirmed by its spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, during a Monday press briefing. Further heart-stopping footage of an Israeli strike on Iranian soldiers reportedly preparing to launch drones at Israel was also shared on X by the Times of Israel reporter Emanuel Fabian. The F-14 Tomcat, a two-seater twin-tail fighter aircraft built by US manufacturer Grumman, was retired by the United States Navy almost two decades ago in September 2006, more than three decades after it was introduced in September 1974. 5 Drone footage shows the two US-made jets exploding in huge fireballs during strikes at a Tehran airfield. X / IDF Advertisement However, it has remained in service in Iran, after the pre-Islamist government of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi bought a total of 80 F-14s from the US in the early '70s before the 1979 Islamic Revolution saw relations sour between Washington and Tehran. Iran still has a reported 40 to 42 Tomcats at its disposal, and to this day, remains the only country outside the United States to have ever flown the fighter jet, The Aviationist reports. The F-14 Tomcat famously features in the 1986 action blockbuster 'Top Gun.' Producers paid the US Navy almost $900,000 for flight time in an F-14. Advertisement 5 The iconic F-14 was created by the US manufacturer Grumman in the early 1970s. ASSOCIATED PRESS 5 Iran is the only country outside of the US to ever use the Tomcat. X / IDF The movie starring Tom Cruise was such a hit that the US Navy set up recruitment desks outside movie theaters. An F-14 Tomcat also made an appearance in the sequel, 'Top Gun: Maverick,' in 2022. 5 The fighter jets are associated with the 1986 movie 'Top Gun.' AP Reports are conflicted as to the condition of the 50-year-old aircraft seen in the IDF video. Defense analysts reviewing the imagery suggested that the two F-14s seen in the footage were likely no longer airworthy and had been grounded for some time, Defence Blog reported. Advertisement It comes as the deadly conflict between Israel and Iran enters its fourth day. In Iran, 224 people have been killed, while 24 have died in Israel since hostilities began.
