Badly damaged Saab 200 - write off?

[Alaskaairlines]

Hello guys!

I tought I'd ask all the pilots on this board, especially the regional guys.

The Saab 2000 listed in the 2 links crash landed in a bad storm, it folded up its gear, but as it looks the props are in one piece. Would this be a write off, or is it fixable?

<http://www.airliners.net/open.file/252100/M/>
<http://www.airliners.net/open.file/252099/M/>

Lets hear what you all have to say about this - now thats got to hurt!

BTW, will the pilot be fired or not? It says that according to the charts they did not say the RWY had sand on it.

Thanks!

 

[xjavro85]

That is most likely fixable. It all depends on if the spar is bent. Mesaba had a hangar fall on saab 340 in DTW. They cut the tail off with a sawzall and rebuilt it. I think this one will be fixed

 

[Alaskaairlines]

OH OK - wonder how they will get that Saab out of the small remote strip - and I am guessing it has no mecahnic shop ther, etc....

How did that hangar fall on the S340 in DTW? Weather?

 

[jobear]

Saab Use

What ya got there is the worlds largest door stop. LOL
Nah I have seen a lot worse. You can get a ferry permit for anything.

Jobear

 

[Alaskaairlines]

The question is how are they going to get that thing off the ground?

 

[Rick1128]

Most likely they will use large airbags to lift the aircraft. It's not that bad. I have seem aircraft that they had to truck out in several parts, back on the line in under a year. This one looks ferriable.

 

[embdrvr]

Saab 2000

Did that Saab 2000 ever get US certification? I remember some years back Pro Air was going to use some of them and even went so far as to doing some intereviewing for the slots but I guess one of the rocket scientists in management didn't realize that the thing had to be certified in the US. I remember reading about it and it sounded like a pretty good airplane.

 

[Alaskaairlines]

Why can't they or don't certify that plane in the US? Sure would be nice! I guess it would compete with the Q400?

 

[Cardinal]

The runway had a lot more than just "sand" on it. The Saab crew was having some real weather problems, with thunderstorms everywhere, got into that cycle of waffling decisions. Eventually they end up WAY short on fuel, and just ahve to land, the only place they can get to is theic closed airport. Well turns out somebody in a GA aircraft had enjoyed using the field, even after it was officially closed. The neighbors got pissed about the noise and rendered some vigilante justice. They built a several foot high berm directly across the runway. Well our Saab encounters berm and that was that.

 

[T-Gates]

It is certified in the US. I know that a few companies had used them for corporate shuttles. It came around at the advent of the RJ and never really caught on.

 

[Alaskaairlines]

Cardinal, is that posted on some site?

 

[cl-65link]

Yep, it's certified. You still might see one on the ramp in DTW. It's a GM corporate shuttle aircraft. Actually, I had some sim instruction for the 340 from a guy at FSI-STL who was typed in it and flew for Crossair for a few years.

 

[CRJ puppy]

Yes, the SAAB 2000 is a wonderful aircraft. I was qualified to fly it. All glass, Fadec controlled engines...54-58 pax (including crew). Did my training at FSI. There were 3 of them in the USA. I say "were" because as of last summer or fall 2 of them were listed "for sale" in "Trade-A-Plane". Don't know if they sold or not.

The story behind the 2000 is that it was being developed around the same time as the RJ's (exact dates escape me at the moment and I'm too tired to look them up). Unfortunately the SAAB engineers went with "cost was no object" and there were many last minute design changes that drove the cost way too high to make it competitive with the RJ's (especially when customer preference for jets was factored in). Production of the 2000 sent SAAB into bankruptcy. They were left with the a total production run of somewhere between 57-64 (again exact numbers escape me). Three of them ended up in the US flying for a company whose name also escapes me and the remainder ended up in Europe where it's short field performance and quietness was desirable. Most of them were in the Crossair livery.

When GM bought controlling interest in the SAAB corporation, they inherited the 3 SAAB 2000's which were already certified and flying in the US. They used (maybe still use?) them for corporate shuttle craft.

That, in a nutshell is the story of the SAAB 2000. It will always have a special place in my heart as it was the first "all-glass" cockpit airplane that I flew.

As for the belly landing, as you will learn "Alaska...", retractable gear aircraft are built to withstand a belly landing/gear collapse with relative ease. (It) Won't be any problem to have repaired that and probably flew it out. However, trucking it out would have been relatively easy also...have you seen some of the buildings that they jack up and trailer or put on barges to move these days?! Piece o' cake! (Relatively speaking.)

 

[Alaskaairlines]

CRJ,

thanks for the detailed post!

Yes, I have seen houses trucked, small aircraft, etc.. so I see that Saab 2000 wouldn't be that hard either.

 

[Cardinal]

http://www.airdisaster.com has the story on the Saab incident.

 

[Alaskaairlines]

Thanks Cardinal!

 

[fokkerjet]

General Motors bought 3 SAAB 2000's to replace their 4 Convair 580's back in 1995. At the time GM owned Allison, which powers both the SAAB 2000 and the Citation X, so this was the logical replacement for GM's 580's and the Citation X's that replaced their Citation VI's. Shortly after GM sold Delco, the shuttle business ended and the SAABs were put up for sale but they have not been able to find any buyers. Roger Penske either bought or leased one SAAB and it's used for his NASCAR racing team, otherwise the other 2 just basically sit in Detroit.

As for Proair deal, GM was to supply Proair with their SAAB's but there was an issue with the FAA regarding these SAAB's being the first ones entering airline service and the expense of certifing them (maybe someone could explain what's involved in bring a new type into 121 service) so the deal fell through.

 

[Freightdog75]

One of the NASCAR teams based out of JQF (Concord, NC), are running a 2000. Sharp looking plane actually.