Air East

Air East was a commuter airline based at Johnstown–Cambria County Airport, Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

Air East
IATA ICAO Callsign
– – –
Founded1967
Ceased operations1974
HubsJohnstown–Cambria County Airport
HeadquartersJohnstown, Pennsylvania, United States

History

It was established in 1967. On April 26, 1970, Air East inaugurated six daily passenger flights under the Allegheny Commuter brand.[1] In 1974, Air East's commercial certificate was revoked by the FAA.[2] The airline operated Beechcraft Model 99 commuter turboprop aircraft.

The Johnstown, Pennsylvania-based Air East appears to be unrelated to the family run airline that operated out of Farmingdale, New York under "Air East" brand from 1982[3] through the end of 2011,[4] when it merged with Ventura, an airline that remains in operation as of July, 2016.[5]

Yet another commuter airline using the name "Air East" was operating flights between New Orleans and Lafayette, LA in 1970.[6]

Accidents and incidents

On January 6, 1974, an Air East Beechcraft 99A crashed short of the runway at Johnstown, Pennsylvania after it failed to maintain flying speed and made a premature descent below the safe approach slope for reasons undetermined. Of the 15 passengers and two crew members on board, 11 passengers and one crew member were killed.[7] The National Transportation Safety Board released its findings regarding the crash on January 15, 1975. It concluded the probably cause was "A premature descent below a safe approach slope followed by a stall and loss of aircraft control. The reason for the premature descent could not be determined, but it was probably the result of: (1) A deliberate descent below the published minimum descent altitude to establish reference with the approach lights and make the landing, (2) a visual impairment or optical illusion created by the runway/approach lighting systems, and (3) downdrafts near the approach end of the runway.".[8]

On March 7, 1974, the Federal Aviation Administration revoked Air East, Inc.'s operator's certificate stating "By reason of numerous violations, unsafe practices, policies, and coercing tactics... Air East, Inc., has demonstrated that it does not possess the judgement, responsibility or compliance disposition required of a holder of an air taxi commercial operators certificate."[9]

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See also

References
  1. Aviation Subcommittee, United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (1971). Local Air Service to Small Communities: Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Aviation. United States Government Printing Office. p. 402.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  2. "Air East, Inc. Is Ordered to Halt Operations; Pilots and Planes Cited". news.google.com. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
  3. "Our Family". Air East -Live Your Flight Style. archive.org. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2016.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  4. "Air East is now Ventura". Air East -Live Your Flight Style. archive.org. Archived from the original on 14 December 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2016.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  5. "Your Dream of Personal Aviation Made Possible Since 1955". Ventura. Ventura Air Services, Inc. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  6. http://www.timetableimages.com, March 15, 1970 Air East timetable
  7. "January 6, 1974 – Accident details". PlaneCrashInfo.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2014-07-04.
  8. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Beechcraft 99A N125AE Johnstown-Cambria County Airport, PA (JST)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
  9. "Air East, Inc. Is Ordered to Halt Operations; Pilots and Planes Cited". news.google.com. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
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