Small planes collide midair near Dallas, three dead
MCKINNEY, Texas, Jan. 1 (UPI) — Three people died after two small airplanes collided midair and crashed into a populated area outside Dallas, local officials said.
Authorities have not identified the victims or the cause of the crash, but witnesses said the planes were flying close to the ground, the collision was loud and the debris field was widespread. The Federal Aviation Administration said both aircrafts were flying under visual flight rules and had no contact with air traffic control. The crash happened shortly after 5:30 p.m. Saturday about 30 minutes north of Dallas.
«They were making a turn and one of the planes slid into the other,» witness Rodney Livermore told NBCDFW. «You heard a loud crash and bang. One of them came straight down. The other one had a little control, but it was coming down. There was no stopping it. »
One of the aircrafts crashed into a storage facility and the other onto a road. No one on the ground was injured. The aircrafts were a Piper PA-28R and a Luscombe and left from Aero Country Airport, the National Transportation Safety Board said.
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Two countries, two airlines, two apparently drunk pilots While pilots attempting to fly commercial planes after having consumed alcohol or drugs is not unknown, two pilots; one in Indonesia and one in Canada appeared to be extremely intoxicated before attempting to fly aircraft filled with passengers. Purna seemed to have a lot of difficulty when he went through security. His allegedly drunken state was so obvious, a passenger who had already cleared security began filming him. The video was later uploaded on YouTube. The video shows the pilot drop the hat he is holding in his hand while he is entering the security area. He can then be seen staggering as he walks through the scanner. He then, with some difficulty, walks over to the conveyor belt and picks up his bag. As soon as he lifts the bag up, some of the contents fall on the floor. Security officers pick the items up while Purna can be seen helping them put the items back into the bag. While putting things back in the bag, he puts his sunglasses in his mouth. The pilot then drops his hat again and picks it up. As he is leaving the area, the glasses in his mouth drop to the floor and break. A security guard can be seen picking up the broken parts and handing them to the pilot. The airline, owned by Indonesia’s national carrier, Garuda, The plane took off an hour later with another pilot although some of the 194 passengers cancelled their flight. At least Purna managed to remain conscious, unlike a pilot for the Canadian airline, Sunwing. A flight was scheduled to take off Saturday morning from Calgary to Cancun with stops in Regina and Winnipeg. When the co-pilot went into the cockpit, he found the pilot appearing to be drunk while doing his pre-flight preparation. The co-pilot notified the airlines and when the gate crew boarded the aircraft they found the pilot sitting in his seat, slumped over the controls. Calgary police were called and the pilot was arrested. His name was not released but he was identified as a 37-year-old Slovakian who was in Canada on a work visa. The pilot has been charged with having the care and control of an aircraft while impaired and having the care and control over an aircraft with a blood alcohol level exceeding 0.08. Further charges may be laid by Transport Canada. Stacey did note while this is serious, the likelihood of a pilot being able to take off while drunk is remote due to the checks and balances in place and the fact they are not alone in the cockpit. But in the Indonesia incident, it appeared it was some of the passengers and not fellow crew members or airport workers who prevented the pilot from flying. The scheduled flight to Cancun took off later with another pilot. The first incident happened Wednesday. An Airbus A320, owned by the Indonesian budget airline Citilink, was scheduled to fly from Surabaya, Indonesia to Jakarta. The pilot, identified as 32-year-old Tekad Purna, went into the plane and made an announcement from the cockpit. His words were slurred and some passengers, believing he was drunk, managed to leave the aircraft and report him. Purna seemed to have a lot of difficulty when he went through security. His allegedly drunken state was so obvious, a passenger who had already cleared security began filming him. The video was later uploaded on YouTube. The video shows the pilot drop the hat he is holding in his hand while he is entering the security area. He can then be seen staggering as he walks through the scanner. He then, with some difficulty, walks over to the conveyor belt and picks up his bag. As soon as he lifts the bag up, some of the contents fall on the floor. Security officers pick the items up while Purna can be seen helping them put the items back into the bag. While putting things back in the bag, he puts his sunglasses in his mouth. The pilot then drops his hat again and picks it up. As he is leaving the area, the glasses in his mouth drop to the floor and break. A security guard can be seen picking up the broken parts and handing them to the pilot. The airline, owned by Indonesia’s national carrier, Garuda, initially denied Purna was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. But later Citilink’s president, Albert Burhan, announced both he and the airline’s production director were resigning over the incident. The pilot was fired. The plane took off an hour later with another pilot although some of the 194 passengers cancelled their flight. At least Purna managed to remain conscious, unlike a pilot for the Canadian airline, Sunwing. A flight was scheduled to take off Saturday morning from Calgary to Cancun with stops in Regina and Winnipeg. When the co-pilot went into the cockpit, he found the pilot appearing to be drunk while doing his pre-flight preparation. The co-pilot notified the airlines and when the gate crew boarded the aircraft they found the pilot sitting in his seat, slumped over the controls. Calgary police were called and the pilot was arrested. His name was not released but he was identified as a 37-year-old Slovakian who was in Canada on a work visa. According to Staff Sgt. Paul Stacey of the Calgary police, the pilot showed “extreme signs of impairment” two hours after he was taken into custody. He blew three times the legal limit of 0.08. The pilot has been charged with having the care and control of an aircraft while impaired and having the care and control over an aircraft with a blood alcohol level exceeding 0.08. Further charges may be laid by Transport Canada. Stacey did note while this is serious, the likelihood of a pilot being able to take off while drunk is remote due to the checks and balances in place and the fact they are not alone in the cockpit. But in the Indonesia incident, it appeared it was some of the passengers and not fellow crew members or airport workers who prevented the pilot from flying. The scheduled flight to Cancun took off later with another pilot.
JAKARTA, Indonesia — At least 23 people were killed and 17 others were missing after a ferry caught fire Sunday off the coast of Indonesia’s capital, officials said. 
Last Updated Jan 1, 2017 9:26 AM EST 
New Year revellers had to flee from a pub before it was gutted by a fire that started just 30 minutes into 2017. 
Ученые снова отличились новым исследованием. На этот раз они решили выяснить, почему люди так обожают Новый год и Рождество. Вернее, откуда берется ликование и то самое новогоднее настроение. Результаты их работы были опубликованы в солидном научном журнале The Conversation. 
Пилот Бэн Дэвис из британского города Букингем (графство Бакингемшир) «начертил» в небе над королевством гигантское поздравление с Новым годом. Траектория маршрута сложилась во фразу Happy NY. Об этом сообщает Daily Mail. 
Как минимум 1 млн человек, по уточненным данным встретили Новый год на Таймс-сквер в Нью-Йорке, где проходит ежегодная церемония «Хрустального шара». В течении одной минуты подсвеченный разноцветными подсветками шар спускается по шпилю, ознаменовывая приход 2017 года. 
КИЕВ. 1 января. УНН. Как мир встречал 2017-й год, удивительные шоу, освещенные пирамиды и небоскребы, передает УНН со ссылкой на Euronews. 
