None Seriously Hurt in Hawker-Sailplane Midair
Remarkably, the two pilots and three passengers on a NetJets Hawker 800XP (N879QS) and the pilot of a Schleicher sailplane escaped serious injury when the two aircraft collided at about 16,000 feet yesterday afternoon near Carson City, Nev. The pilot of the glider bailed out and landed safely, while the jet made a gear-up landing at Carson City Airport. A photo of the Hawker on the runway after the landing shows damage to the nose, including a missing nose cone and embedded parts of the glider. According to NetJets, the captain of the jet was treated for minor injuries. The company also said the collision caused damage to the underside of the jet, as well as to the nose. The accident happened while the Hawker was descending to land at Reno-Tahoe Airport, Nev., about an hour after taking off from Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, Calif. Weather in the area at the time of the accident was reported as 10 miles visibility and a few clouds at 10,000 feet. The NTSB is investigating.

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Citation CJ4 Will be Announced at NBAA Convention
Prompted by inquiries last week from AIN, Cessna today will confirm in a short press release that it is introducing the Citation CJ4 at the NBAA Convention in October. The manufacturer said in its release only that the new aircraft will have a 45,000-foot certified ceiling, Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 will be the primary avionics, it will be powered by Williams FJ44-4A FADEC turbofans and that it will have “some cabin and airframe changes, such as a new wing.” Separately from Cessna’s announcement today, AIN learned that the company will display a full-scale mockup at the convention. AIN also obtained the following preliminary specifications and performance data. The new airplane is a stretched version of the CJ3 but with a swept wing based on the Citation Sovereign airfoil. With a cabin 21 inches longer than that of the CJ3, the CJ4 engines will produce 3,400 pounds of thrust and the new jet will likely replace the Citation Encore. The CJ4 will offer a 1,000-pound full-fuel payload; 1,840-nm NBAA IFR range; 425-ktas cruise at FL410; 3,300-foot balanced field length; and 2,710-foot landing distance at max landing weight. Cessna will be seeking certification under FAR Part 23 commuter category rules to accommodate the twinjet’s planned mtow of 16,630 pounds. The CJ4 is scheduled to fly in the first half of 2008 and enter service in 2010. Price has not been released publicly.

NTSB Wants Ice Detectors on all Jet Engines
In the aftermath of four dual flameouts involving P&WC JT15D-powered Beechjets, the NTSB on Friday issued an urgent recommendation to help prevent further incidents on Beechjets and a broader recommendation calling on the FAA to work with engine and airplane OEMs to develop an ice detector for new engines, as well as for retrofit. Specifically for the Beechjet, the Safety Board said the FAA “should require pilots to activate ignition and anti-ice systems at high altitudes whenever they are in or near visible moisture, or near convective storm activity, or before any power reduction while in those conditions.” In addition to requiring Raytheon Aircraft to incorporate information regarding anti-ice operation and ice formation contained in the company’s Safety Communiqué No. 269 into the Beechjet AFM, the FAA wants the information in that communiqué incorporated into the AFMs of other JT15D-powered airplanes. The NTSB believes that many pilots might not be aware of the risk posed by ice crystals at high altitude. 

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Icing Training Mandate For Caravan Pilots?
Cessna has submitted material to the FAA that could be a new AFM supplement requiring flight into known icing training for Caravan pilots. Cessna declined to comment about the possible AFM supplement and how training will be implemented, but a company spokeswoman did respond via e-mail, saying, “We are unable to provide any comments until the FAA signs off on what we’ve submitted to them. While that sign-off is anticipated to be very soon, I do not have a date yet as to when we will get their feedback.” Caravan charter operator Linear Air told AIN that its industry contacts mentioned not only a mandatory Cessna icing training program but also that Cessna has conducted Caravan icing tests and will release new performance charts and procedures this year.

Williams-powered Citation Conversion Gets STC
Citation modification specialist Sierra Industries last week received an STC for its Stallion conversion, a Citation 500/501 powered by Williams FJ44-2A turbofans in place of the twinjet’s original P&WC JT15Ds. Sierra CEO Mark Huffstutler said the Stallion will climb straight to FL430 “at any weight or temperature and cruise at 380 knots on 620 pounds per hour of fuel for more than 1,400 nm.” The FJ44-2A turbofans feature electronic engine controls that “virtually eliminate any engine-management issues,” according to Huffstutler. These controls automatically determine the proper power setting from the conditions present and set the maximum power for those conditions. Said Huffstutler: “Push the throttles to the stop for takeoff and never touch them again until descent.” Conversion price is about $1.47 million and downtime is about 10 weeks. Sierra’s Eagle II conversion will add 730 pounds of fuel capacity to the Stallion to provide a range of up to 1,750 nm, but specific fuel consumption will be greater than for just a Stallion conversion.