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ToplessRideFL wrote:This has been bothering me since I heard the news an hour ago.... like no other plane crash I can recall... maybe its because I have flown Chalks to the islands, or our BNer may be on the flight or just that its so close to my home.... maybe its the time of year..... Dunno... but this really gets to me...

I just needed to share that .....

I've been feeling the same way . . . only I've not flown the airline to the islands.

East Texas Parrothead wrote:
I've been feeling the same way . . . only I've not flown the airline to the islands.

While crashes in the past have been obviously tragic... and I have felt badly for the families of the deceased.... this one just hit home a little closer....

^^^^Prayers and Phin Power from ATL for families & Chalk Operations^^^^

this is terrible. i too hope our bnr wasn't on board.

prayers to all those families.

this is what i know so far. mind you it is speculative....

apparently the wing separated from the aircraft inflight. whether the structural failure was the result of a engine or fuel system fire/explosion or the fire/explosion was caused by wing failure is unknown.

however mallards are known to suffer from center wing section corrosion. given the chalk's mallards are high time, high cycle aircraft with extensive saltwater operations, it is not inconsistent to suspect the airframe suffered from extensive corrosion in the center section and the accident is consistent with a major structural failure of the wing resulting in a fire/explosion after the wing tanks ruptured.

i am also suspicious of the structural loading of the wing with the turboprop conversion which the Chalk's mallards all have. while the load on the wing is basically the same as a mallard with pistion engines, where the loads are located on the wing are very different and may have played a roll in a long term fatigue failure.

like i said this is all very speculative at this time. as i learn more i'll pass it along....

Is there any way to find out which plane went down? Earlier, during a CNN segment, they were showing the Chalks Airline web site and clicking on one plane in particular.

I didn't see the number on the plane however and it may not have even been the plane that went down.

There is a great web site with some photos of the Chalks planes.

http://www.jetphotos.net/showphotos.php ... %20Mallard

Thanks, again, Charlie.

The tail # of the plane that went down is
N130FS,

Grumman G 73 Turbine


The Grumman G-73T Turbine Mallard is a twin-engine amphibious aircraft, powered by two Pratt & Whitney-Canada PT-6 turbine engines, and is capable of operating from water as well as land-based airports.

Its interior accommodates 17 passengers in air-conditioned comfort, and the aircraft boasts a cruising speed of 200 MPH.

The Chalk's fleet of G-73T's is undergoing an extensive refurbishment program which includes complete mechanical overhaul and cosmetic renovation, in addition to all new interior appointments.

I found one that is N130FB. Could it have been that one?

http://www.flychalks.com/images/Chalks100.JPG

AlbatrossFlyer wrote:this is what i know so far. mind you it is speculative....

apparently the wing separated from the aircraft inflight. whether the structural failure was the result of a engine or fuel system fire/explosion or the fire/explosion was caused by wing failure is unknown.

however mallards are known to suffer from center wing section corrosion. given the chalk's mallards are high time, high cycle aircraft with extensive saltwater operations, it is not inconsistent to suspect the airframe suffered from extensive corrosion in the center section and the accident is consistent with a major structural failure of the wing resulting in a fire/explosion after the wing tanks ruptured.

i am also suspicious of the structural loading of the wing with the turboprop conversion which the Chalk's mallards all have. while the load on the wing is basically the same as a mallard with pistion engines, where the loads are located on the wing are very different and may have played a roll in a long term fatigue failure.

like i said this is all very speculative at this time. as i learn more i'll pass it along....

The amateur video being shown on CNN would seem to support this scenario.

Oh my goodness.....how very sad. My heart and tons of Phin Power goes out to all of the families who were affected and some extra special Phin power and prayer that our own Chalks wasn't aboard. (or anyone else we know, for that matter.)

Phin power for one of our own........and prayers for the families........

Phin Power to all friends and families involved .... what a sad, sad tragedy so close to Christmas. I was just watching Oprah today and was so touched by all the hero's she was giving presents to - all people who helped out in hurricane Katrina ..... an d then WHAM - 5 O'clock news....



may they sail on to a wonderful place.....

Here's another update from about 9:45 this evening, I saw the video that was fed on CNN, the plane's wing was on fire and landed a good distance behind the rest of the plane, which seemed intact as it hit the water.

BC-Plane Crash, 19th Ld-Writethru,1252
Seaplane crashes off Miami Beach; at least 19 killed
Eds: RAISES reference to CNN video. SUBS 20th graf bgng 'We had a
tragic...' to RESTORE dropped word 'been'
AP Photos NY117-119
AP Graphic FLA PLANE CRASH
By LAURA WIDES-MUNOZ
Associated Press Writer
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) - A propeller-driven seaplane carrying 20
people crashed just off Miami Beach within sight of the city's
high-rises Monday, killing at least 19 of those aboard, authorities
said. Witnesses said the plane exploded in flames as it came down,
and the FBI joined the investigation.
Amateur video obtained by CNN showed the main part of the
aircraft slamming into the water followed by a flaming object
trailing thick black smoke.
Scuba divers and rescuers in speedboats struggled to reach the
victims, but as evening fell, they found no sign that anyone
survived.
The Chalk's Ocean Airways plane - a twin-engine Grumman G-73T
Turbine Mallard - went down around 2:30 p.m. after taking off from
Miami for the island of Bimini in the Bahamas, the Federal Aviation
Administration said. It hit the water within sight of the beach.
The Coast Guard said 19 bodies were found. The 1940s-era plane
was carrying two crew members and 18 passengers, including three
infants, authorities said.
Because of the witness reports of an explosion, the FBI sent
agents to assist in the investigation, but there was no immediate
indication of terrorism or sabotage, said Judy Orihuela,
spokeswoman for the FBI's Miami field office.
"It's too soon to say whether we are going to get involved,"
Orihuela said. "We're just going to check it out."
Chalk's is a small air carrier that is not required to conduct
federal security screening of passengers and their luggage, said
Dale Karlen, federal security director at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood
International Airport.
With many schools already closed in advance of the holidays and
Christmas week traditionally one of the biggest times of the year
for tourism, the beach was relatively busy, and dozens of
beachgoers saw the plane go down. Dozens more gathered to watch the
rescue.
As Coast Guard helicopters hovered over the crash site, some
surfers remained in the water, only a few hundred feet away. Some
surfers used their boards to rush toward the spot where the plane
went down.
Sandy Rodriguez, 14, said he saw the plane flying low with white
smoke trailing from it and flames coming from the bottom. The right
wing then fell off as the plane went down, he said.
"It exploded in the air and one of the wings flew out of there.
The other part of the plane was on fire, and it just went straight
down," said Maurice D'Giovianni, 42, a surfer who was in the water
at the time.
Coast Guard spokesman Dana Warr also saw the crash from an
island in a channel known as Government Cut that cruise ships and
freighters take past South Beach into the Port of Miami.
"Everything looked normal, I saw the aircraft take off like it
does every other time. I didn't think anything of it when I saw the
black smoke from the pier, until I then heard the Coast Guard
alarms go off," he said.
Coast Guard Capt. James Maes said the main part of the fuselage
was submerged in about 35 feet of water that is subject to strong
tidal currents because of the narrow ship channel. Divers continued
to search after dark for the final victim.
Ship traffic in and out of the port will be suspended
indefinitely, Maes added, including three large cruise ships that
had been scheduled to depart Monday afternoon.
The National Transportation Safety Board also sent a team to
investigate.
The skies were cloudy, but there was no rain or lightning at the
time of the crash.
Garred Gadaon, 34, said his sister-in-law and her 13-year-old
daughter were on the plane.
"We had a tragic death today with many of our family members
and our friends. It doesn't seem real. Chalk's has always been a
safe plane for us," he said while standing outside the Miami Beach
Police Department.
Bahamian Prime Minister Perry G. Christie said the country's
consul general in Miami had already met some family members at the
scene of the accident. The statement did not say how many Bahamians
were among the victims.
"The nation wishes to express its deepest condolences to the
people of Bimini on their apparent loss," Christie said in a
statement.
Coast Guardsmen and emergency workers wearing protective suits
hauled bodies up from rescue boats, rushing to find victims before
darkness fell. Law enforcement speedboats, divers and helicopters
took part in the search and were joined by others in private boats,
on personal watercraft and on surfboards.
The aircraft that went down was built in 1947 and is registered
to Seaplane Adventures LLC in Greenwich, Conn., according to FAA
records.
The plane had a clean safety record with no reported incidents
for more than 21 years. In February 1984, the elevator trim tab,
which controls pitch, failed and caused the steering column to
shake. In April of that year, the landing gear failed to retract,
and investigators found the nose gear assembly was overstressed.
No passengers or crew were injured in either incident, according
to the records.
Chalk's Ocean Airways flies between Miami and the Bahamas, using
planes that take off and land on the water. Chalk's aircraft have
been featured in TV shows such as "Miami Vice." Its seaplanes
take off in view of the port and the multimillion-dollar homes that
dot islands in the bay.
Founded by Arthur "Pappy" Chalk in 1919, the airline thrived
during Prohibition, taking bootleggers, their customers and customs
agents to Bimini. According to the airline, its most famous regular
passenger was Ernest Hemingway, who flew to Bimini to go big-game
fishing.
One of its planes was hijacked to Cuba in 1974 and the company
has since had a policy of not carrying enough fuel to get to
Havana.
Two years later, the airline was sold to Resorts International,
which owned properties on Paradise Island. Donald Trump bought it
in 1988 and sold it a few months later to Merv Griffin.
The owner as of 1995 was Seth Atwood of United Capital
Corporation of Illinois/Atwood Enterprises. Chalk's was bought by
Florida businessman Jim Confalone in 1999 and renamed Chalk's Ocean
Airways.
According to its Web site, the carrier flies 17-passenger
Turbine Mallards, which can operate from land or water.
Chalk's was in the midst of an "extensive refurbishment" of
its airline fleet, according to the company's web site.
The company's Grumman G-73 aircraft - like the one that crashed
- had engines converted from older piston-driven models to
turboprops, as well as upgrades in avionics and improvements to the
plane's interior, the company said.
Chalk's general manager Roger Nair said Monday's crash was the
airline's first accident with a passenger fatality. The National
Transportation Safety Board database indicates no fatal accidents
involving passengers for Chalk's since 1982, when the database
began.
Chalk's only crash involving fatalities happened in 1994, when
two pilots died in a crash of their seaplane near Key West.
---
Associated Press writers Jessica Gresko and Denise Kalette in
Miami Beach and John Pain and Curt Anderson in Miami contributed to
this report.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

AP-NY-12-19-05 2144EST

~~~~~~~~~~~~^~~~~~~~~~~

for all involved..
Phin power..

Sail on passengers and crew....

Thank you all for sharing this story. I haven't had time to catch up with the news today. This is so sad and I do hope that our phellow phamily member is well but my thoughts and prayers go out to the families who are mourning tonight. This will be a tough holiday for those families.

Prayers out to Chalks, their passengers, the families, and friends.
A very sad day.
Peace and strength, brothers.

Here is a link to photos of seaplanes posted last year.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/seaplane66/my_photos