Air Tahoma Crash

[Publishers]

To blame the company for this without any shread of knowledge about he accident is like blaming the passengers for pushing the crew on another thread.
This was a training flight, we do not know who was sitting where, we know the instructor had been there for two years and knew the aircraft, they did not think they had a severe problem initially, and yet the aircraft obviously did not fly. While I don't know the 580, I would imagine just an engine out that did not feather would be a challenge with the size o f those blades.
Sooner or later we will find out what went wrong.

 

[Rick1128]

To blame the company for this without any shread of knowledge about he accident is like blaming the passengers for pushing the crew on another thread.
This was a training flight, we do not know who was sitting where, we know the instructor had been there for two years and knew the aircraft, they did not think they had a severe problem initially, and yet the aircraft obviously did not fly. While I don't know the 580, I would imagine just an engine out that did not feather would be a challenge with the size o f those blades.
Sooner or later we will find out what went wrong.

I have flown the 580 and had an excellent ground school on the airframe. Plus almost a 1000 hours in it. It is a fine aircraft that makes all the other commuter turboprops look second best. However, if the prop will not feather, you are SOL! But the prop system is a very simple system and I have not heard of one not feathering. If the rudder cables are not properly adjusted, with an engine out you are SOL! And that has happened at least once.

I have flown 580's that have sat for 6 months. They flew fine, just a few minor Hydraulic leaks and some avionics issues. After a week or so, they went away.

Maintenance items that you can let slide in the 340/440, you can't in the 580. The increased weight, speed and power don't allow for that.

 

[Golden Falcon]

The propellor a6441fn by areoproducts is actually a rather complex device when it comes to modern-style propellors, however the operation side is easy..if the autofeather system fails, then th NTS system will coarsen the blades to the point of no existing drag..if it goes low blade angle, it should pitch-lock..all speculation...i'd be inclined to speculate on some sort uncontrollable airframe malfunction given the experience of the crew..

 

[on autopilot]

Great Aviators, sorry to hear that. Air Tahoma = Air to a Tombstone. I get sick every time I hear of these guys, another crash, more people trying to put food on thier tables or pay obligations die, and for what?

Air Tahoma or Air Tombstone should be shut down. There is already too much blood paid out as there is.

 

[152hvy]

I don't know the crew personally but I remember sharing a van ride to the custom in MIA with Mr. Urs on several occasion. A true aviator, my deep respect to everyone involved and to their families...

 

[HalinTexas]

The other two were new-hires-in-training. Jim Monohan had 20 years or so at ATA. Was an L1011 CA for quite a long time.

 

[waka]

Jimmy Monahan had just reached his 20th year with ATA only days before the company went TU. He was a well-respected L1011 Captain, who also had extensive experience in previous lives with many older transport category aircraft. He was a pleasure to fly with, and even more fun to drink beer with in exotic locales.

My condolences to his family. God give your soul rest, Jimmy.

The scumbags at GAL have claimed another victim.

I'm not defending GAL but what, pray tell, did they have to do with this accident?

 

[Joker 152]

I'm not defending GAL but what, pray tell, did they have to do with this accident?

The accident itself, no.

For Jimmy being on that aircraft, yes.

If not for the incompetence and malfeasance of ATA management, exacerbated and abetted by the greed of GAL and the amateurs at MatPat, Jim Monahan wouldn't have found himself on the street, forced to take a job he wouldn't have even considered previously.

The following is from an article in the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel:

PLANTATION - When three Plantation police officers knocked on her door Monday night, Holly Monahan knew her worst nightmare had finally come true.

James Monahan, 58, her husband of 39 years, a devoted pilot who loved everything about airplanes, had died in a fiery crash during a training mission in Ohio for Air Tahoma, a cargo transporter that had recently hired him.

Holly Monahan said she never thought twice about her husband's new job, because he had previously flown 20 years for ATA before that airline folded.

"Aviation was his whole life," said Monahan, 57, still in shock today. "No one from the company has told us any details."
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash.

James Monahan and Urs Anderegg, 58, and Sean Gardiner, 41, both of Miami, died when the 1956 Convair 580 they were flying crashed into a row of trees, skidded into a cornfield in Lockbourne, Ohio, and burst into flames Monday.

Holly Monahan said she doesn't know who was behind the controls at the time.

According to the FAA, the plane was headed to Mansfield in northern Ohio when it crashed. The FAA has cited the company for flight operations problems several times, most recently in 2005.

Holly Monahan said her husband's body was so badly burned he will have to be identified through dental records.

"This was a new company [for him] and this was a new job ," she said. "This was a flight training mission."

James Monahan was qualified to fly an array of different planes and was a certified flight instructor.

The couple met in high school, and married when they turned 18, his wife said.

They are parents to Jennifer, 32, of Melbourne, and Patrick, 28, who lives at home.

The tragedy couldn't have come at a more difficult time, Holly Monahan said.

Their daughter is expecting a baby girl any day, Monahan said. They already have a grandson, Logan, 16 months.

In addition to working for ATA for 20 years, James Monahan had also worked form National Jets Inc. in Fort Lauderdale for 10 years, flying charter flights and air ambulances throughout the United States, Caribbean, Canada and Central and South America, according to his resume.

He had also worked for Florida Aircraft Leasing Corp. in Fort Lauderdale where he conducted ground and flight instruction, and had served in the Army in the early 1970s, his wife said.

"He never had an accident," Holly Monahan said.

She said one of her husband's favorite jobs involved flying U.S. troops to and from the Middle East.

"He loved it when he got to bring them home," she said.

Longtime friend George Friedlund, who worked with James Monahan at National Jets, was heartbroken by news of his death.

"He was beyond a nice guy. He was the best guy you'd ever know," said Friedlund, of Pompano Beach. "I had lunch with him the week before he went out there. He was excited about flying again. And he was a very, very safe pilot. He never took chances."

The receipt for Monahan's first flying lesson is framed inside the couple's home, hanging next to the front door. The receipt for $5 is dated July 17, 1967, from the Showalter Flying Service in Orlando.

Monahan also was an avid fisherman. A 28-foot Seabird the Monahans often took to the Florida Keys is docked behind their home.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

 

[BornAgainPagan]

The accident itself, no.

For Jimmy being on that aircraft, yes.

If not for the incompetence and malfeasance of ATA management, exacerbated and abetted by the greed of GAL and the amateurs at MatPat, Jim Monahan wouldn't have found himself on the street, forced to take a job he wouldn't have even considered previously.

i don't know what has gone on with management at ATA or umbrella companies and no disrespect intended to you or your fallen friend but that is an irrational thing you said. nobody "forced" him to work for Air Tahoma or anywhere

 

[avbug]

It's kind of along the same lines as "xxx owes me a living." "XXX owes me a job because of my seniority with an entirely different company...we have the same union." Blah, blah, blah.

"XXX ruined my marriage." "It's management's fault." "They made me fly overweight." "They make us fly in weather." "They can't make me fly into Baghram...sure I knew we did it when I hired on, but I didn't think they'd want me to do it." Yada, yada.

Nobody made anybody hire on with Tahoma or anywhere else. This is aviation. Jobs end, companies fold, companies merge. People are furloughed, fired, terminated, transferred, wet leased, traded, and sold out. It's not new. When any of those and more happen, it's not the old employer's fault that the furloughed employee takes a job which leads to his or her demise.

We live in a society that loves to find fault. Loves to have some one to blame. The thing is, it doesn't bring anybody back, no matter how righteous it may make you feel. Newsflash; you're not righteous, and nobody forced these men, or anyone else to work for Tahoma. Their choice. It's still a free country, gents.