Closing the week with the following stories...
Have a safe weekend!
Tom
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A FlyArystan plane caught fire at Almaty airport.
Tomiris Sharip
A FlyArystan plane caught fire on August 28 at Almaty Airport during maintenance. The fire was quickly extinguished, but one Air Astana employee was injured. The airline released its latest update on the incident, Tengri Travel reports.
According to the carrier, the aircraft was undergoing scheduled maintenance at the time of the incident. During this maintenance, a localized fire occurred.
"During the work, a localized fire occurred, which was quickly extinguished by the airport's emergency services," the company reported. 
The carrier has not yet specified the exact cause of the fire. The airline and Almaty Airport are currently investigating the circumstances of the incident.
There were no passengers or crew members on board at the time of the incident.
An employee was injured during the incident. He received medical attention and was subsequently released from the hospital.
"An Air Astana employee sustained injuries and was given medical treatment before being released from the hospital," the statement said.
Following the incident, the aircraft was temporarily taken out of service. Experts are currently assessing the extent of the damage and carrying out the necessary repairs.
"The aircraft has been temporarily taken out of service. The extent of the damage is currently being assessed and necessary repairs are being carried out. Air Astana Group, in conjunction with Almaty International Airport, is investigating the circumstances of the operational incident," the airline reported.
The reasons and details of the incident are being clarified.
https://tengrinews.kz/my-country/samolet-flyarystan-zagorelsya-v-aeroportu-almatyi-607275/
Pilot injured after crash leaves small plane on its nose near Big Bear Airport
KABC
BIG BEAR, Calif. (KABC) -- A pilot was injured in a small plane crash near Big Bear Airport on Thursday evening, authorities said. 
The crash happened just before 6:30 p.m. in a field east of the airport, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
Video from the scene showed the small plane on its nose in the field.
The pilot was transported to a hospital for treatment, sheriff's officials said. No information on the pilot's condition was immediately available.
The cause of the crash has not been determined.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident.
Investigation underway after reports of small plane crash in ocean near New Smyrna Beach
WINK Digital Team
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. (WINK) — A small banner plane crashed into the ocean just off New Smyrna Beach Thursday, according to authorities. 
Witnesses reported seeing the plane go down into the water at 10:51 a.m. The pilot was able to climb out of the aircraft without life-threatening injuries, according to the Volusia County Sherriff's Office.
The pilot was the sole occupant of the plane. No one else was involved or injured in the crash, the sheriff's office says.
The FAA and NTSB have been notified of the incident. Both agencies will be handling the investigation to determine the cause of the crash.
https://www.winknews.com/news/investigation-underway-after-reports-of-small-plane-crash-in-ocean-near-new-smyrna-beach/article_0fc30037-a0e3-40cd-b0bc-47e4882514c1.html
NTSB Final Report: DeGraw DeBird
Examination Of The Gyroplane Did Not Reveal Any Preimpact Anomalies That Would Have Precluded Normal Operations
Location: Napoleon, Michigan Accident Number: CEN24FA298
Date & Time: August 3, 2024, 20:58 Local Registration: N140DG
Aircraft: DeGraw DeBird Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Unknown or undetermined Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
Analysis: The pilot’s husband reported that his wife was conducting an evening pleasure flight in the accident gyroplane. He heard the gyroplane taxi to the runway and begin its takeoff. He said he did not hear anything unusual until he heard two loud thumps. The gyroplane was later located in a wooded area left of the departure runway. There were no witnesses to the accident and no flight track data was available.
Examination of the gyroplane did not reveal any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operations. The gyroplane’s tail surfaces were found separated from the rest of the gyroplane with unbroken trees between the resting location of the tail surfaces and the main wreckage. Additionally, impact marks and paint transfer on the rotor blades, tail, and tail boom were consistent with the main rotor blades impacting the tail. It is most likely that the main rotors impacted the tailboom which resulted in the separation of the tail.
Main rotor blade contact with the tail would have rendered the gyroplane uncontrollable. Based on the design of the gyroplane, the rotor blades would have had to droop a significant amount in order to contact the tail boom. Without flight track, engine, or rotor speed data to assist the investigation, the reason that the main rotor blade contacted the tail boom could not be determined.
The pilot’s postmortem toxicological testing indicated that the pilot had used the sedating antihistamine medication diphenhydramine. However, diphenhydramine testing in cavity blood was inconclusive. Based on these results, it was not possible to determine whether the pilot had used diphenhydramine recently enough to be experiencing impairing effects at the time of the accident
Probable Cause and Findings: The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be -- Separation of the gyroplane’s tail due to main rotor blade contact for reasons that could not be determined.
FMI:Â www.ntsb.gov
Today in History
33 Years ago today:Â On 28 August 1993 A Tajikistan Airlines Yakovlev Yak-40 crashed on takeoff from Khorog Airport, Tajikistan, killing 82 occupants; 4 survived the accident.
| Date: | Saturday 28 August 1993 |
| Time: | 10:46 |
| Type: | Yakovlev Yak-40 |
| Owner/operator: | Tajikistan Airlines |
| Registration: | 87995 |
| MSN: | 9541944 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1975 |
| Engine model: | Ivchenko AI-25 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 82 / Occupants: 86 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed, written off |
| Category: | Unlawful Interference |
| Location: | near Khorog -Â Â Â Â Tajikistan |
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi |
| Departure airport: | Khorog Airport (UTOD) |
| Destination airport: | Dushanbe Airport (DYU/UTDD) |
| Confidence Rating: | Â Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
Narrative:
A Tajikistan Airlines Yakovlev Yak-40 crashed on takeoff from Khorog Airport, Tajikistan, killing 82 occupants; 4 survived the accident.
The Yakovlev 40, configured to carry 28 passengers, was chartered to fly woman, children and militants to Dushanbe during the Tajikistani Civil War. The crew were forced into accepting more passengers, causing the plane to be grossly overloaded.
The aircraft overran the runway at high speed. The left main gear struck a low earth embankment, 150 m beyond the runway end. The right gear struck a concrete pill-box 60 m further. The aircraft then fell into the River Pyanj.
The maximum takeoff weight was exceeded by 3,000 kg.
