Sukhoi Superjet 100

[rpm]

Indonesia has certified the Russian-made civilian jets as airworthy, despite a pending probe into a May crash that killed all 45 onboard

 

[Type RSA]

Mmmm, I think if SAA buy some of these I will be avoiding them

 

[HapticSimian]

What's the point of this thread?

Mmmm, I think if SAA buy some of these I will be avoiding them

Not that SAA will buy Russian planes, but why? It was, as far as has been determined, flown into a mountain thanks to human error.

 

[SirFooK'nG]

most air crashes are pilot error...

 

[KhoisanX]

Indonesia has certified the Russian-made civilian jets as airworthy...

That really doesn't mean much when looking at Indonesia's air safety record.

 

[The_Unbeliever]

most air crashes are pilot error...

...or failed mechanics...

Keep in mind any aeroplane is infintely more complex than a car. It just is not a case of a mechanic doing a simple service, lots of things can go wrong, especially when the wrong method is used to remove/replace engines etc.

As is the case of : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Al_Flight_1862

In the event of excessive loads on the Boeing 747 engines or engine pylons, the fuse pins holding the engine nacelle to the wing are designed to fracture cleanly, allowing the engine to fall away from the aircraft without damaging the wing or wing fuel tank. Airliners are generally designed to remain airworthy in the event of an engine failure, so that the plane can be landed safely. Damage to a wing or wing fuel tank can have disastrous consequences. The Netherlands Aviation Safety Board found, however, that the fuse pins had not failed properly, but instead had suffered metal fatigue prior to overload failure. The Safety Board pieced together a probable sequence of events for the loss of engine 3:

Gradual failure by fatigue and then overload failure of the inboard mid-spar fuse pin at the inboard thin-walled location.
Overload failure of the outer lug of the inboard mid-spar pylon fitting.
Overload failure of the outboard mid-spar fuse pin at the outboard thin-walled and fatigue-cracked location.
Overload failure of the outboard mid-spar fuse pin at the inboard thin-walled location.[8]

This sequence of step-by-step failures caused the engine and pylon to break free, then shot forward and by sheer chance, Engine #3 flew back and knocked outboard engine 4 and its pylon off the wing as well and inflicting serious damage on the leading edge of the right wing, including the control surfaces (flaps) that Captain Fuchs later tried to extend in flight.

Research indicated that the plane had only managed to maintain level flight at first due to its high air speed (280 knots). The damage to the right wing, resulting in reduced lift, had made it much more difficult to keep the plane level. At 280 knots (520 km/h), there was nevertheless sufficient lift on the right wing to keep the plane aloft. Once the plane had to reduce speed for landing, however, it was doomed; there was too little lift on the right wing to enable stable flight, and the plane banked sharply to the right without any chance of recovery.

Don't get me wrong. Aeroplanes are much safer than cars. If they're maintained properly, then they can last a long time.

However, if maintenance is not done properly, and shortcuts is taken, then it ends disastrously.

 

[Ockie]

Mmmm, I think if SAA buy some of these I will be avoiding them

The SJ100 was a collaborative project between UAC and Western companies. The engines are a good example. The engines, PowerJet SaM146 are 50/50 French and Russian.

As far as I know....the crash of this type of plane was due to pilot error.

 

[Ockie]

Interjet Launches Superjet Service

Superjet International expects to deliver six SSJ100s to Interjet this year. (Photo: Superjet International)
September 18, 2013, 12:37 PM

Two Sukhoi Superjet 100s operated by the Mexican airline Interjet performed their inaugural revenue flights on Wednesday, marking the first appearance of the Russian regional jets in commercial service in the Americas. Using SSJ100 MSN 95023, Interjet Flight 3153 took off at 7:37 a.m. local time from Mexico City (MEX) and landed at 8:54 a.m. in Torreon (TRC).
The second aircraft—MSN 95024 (Flight 3963)—took off at about 7:50 a.m. from Mexico City and landed at 8:52 a.m. in Aguascalientes (AGU). Interjet planned to perform eight commercial flights with the airplanes on their first day of operations from Mexico City. Other destinations include Campeche, Minatitlan, Zacatecas and Mazatlan.

“The entry in service with Interjet has opened the door to the Western market and the international aviation community has been carefully watching this major step,” said Nazario Cauceglia, CEO of the program’s Western sales and support arm, Venice, Italy-based SuperJet International (SJI). “After a start-up phase, the SSJ100 program is determined to become a competitive player in the regional aircraft segment. We are positive we will meet customers’ expectations, through operational leasing alternatives and very attractive ECA financing, supporting both start-up and legacy airlines.”

Superjet International supported the SSJ100’s service entry with a risk-assessment evaluation and a flight training campaign tailored to the “high altitude environment” typical of Mexico. Training flights, accomplished in Toluca after the completion of the type rating courses at the Venice SJI training center, included 171 “touch and goes” for roughly 35 flight hours. SuperJet International also serves as the program’s worldwide training provider, has trained 44 Interjet pilots, including five Interjet instructors, along with eight cabin attendants and almost 100 mechanics.

Interjet enjoys access to a new parts warehouse located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, recently established by Superjet International, while 10 SJI engineers remain on site in Mexico City to provide technical support and advisory assistance.
Delivery schedules call for SJI to deliver six SSJ100s to Interjet by year-end. The airline holds firm orders for 20 of the airplanes. Twenty SSJ100s now fly with six airlines, including Aeroflot, Sky Aviation, Lao Central, Yakutia and Moskovia.

http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/2013-09-18/interjet-launches-superjet-service

Wonder if this will be enough to open up the western market for this Russian regional jet.

 

[Jola]

I'm nervous about Russian planes, their history has not exactly been stellar.

I once had to fly on an old Tupolev on an internal flight in China, I have to say that I was a bit nervous - this was a type that had been involved in a few incidents in Russia.

However, I must say that the Tupolev had been immaculately maintained by the Chinese.

 

[Ockie]

I'm nervous about Russian planes, their history has not exactly been stellar.

I once had to fly on an old Tupolev on an internal flight in China, I have to say that I was a bit nervous - this was a type that had been involved in a few incidents in Russia.

However, I must say that the Tupolev had been immaculately maintained by the Chinese.

Well ... it must be remembered that those Soviet planes are terribly old. Russians apparently also are known to be erm, "agressive" and arrogant pilots that like to bend the rules. Or so I heard. The plane can be the best in the world ... but if the maintenance and piloting of that plane is bad, then you will have a bad time.

The Sukhoi have been having teething problems .... but that was with the Aeroflot planes and I think Sukhoi have now managed to sort these out before shipping the first plane to the western market. It will be interesting to see how it fares with sales in the western world. With the Cseries now in test flight, they will have a tough time competing with it I would say. They will have to make sure the price for the SSJ 100 is very very competitive.