Ameriflight

Last updated

Ameriflight
Ameriflight logo.svg
IATA ICAO Callsign
A8AMFAMFLIGHT
Founded1968
Operating bases
Hubs Dallas/Fort Worth
Subsidiaries Wiggins Airways
Fleet size133
Destinations200
Headquarters Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Key peopleJim Martell (Owner, Chairman)

Sandy Smith (Co-chairman)
Alan Rusinowitz (President, COO)
Will Folger (Chief Financial Officer)
Robert Barrett (Vice President of Business Development)
Pat Kremer (Vice President of Technical Operations)
Ryan Balzarini (Vice President of Flight Operations)
Sheri Larkin (Corporate Controller)

Frank Vaughan

Contents

(Vice President of Human Resources)
Employees600+
Website https://w3.ameriflight.com/

Ameriflight LLC is an American cargo airline with headquarters at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. It is the largest United States FAA Part 135 cargo carrier, operating scheduled and contract cargo services from 19 bases to destinations in 250 cities across 43 US states as well as in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America. Ameriflight serves major financial institutions, freight forwarders, laboratories, and overnight couriers in the US, and provides feeder services for overnight express carriers nationwide and internationally. [1] Ameriflight averages 525 daily departures with over 100,000 combined flight hours annually and a 99.5% on-time performance. Ameriflight employs over 700 people (225 pilots, 140 mechanics). [2]

History

Ameriflight was established in 1968 as California Air Charter. The company's first route, CalAir 103, was bank mail and cancelled checks flown in a Piper Cherokee Six (PA-32) from Hollywood-Burbank Airport to Riverside Municipal Airport, and then on to Blythe Airport near the Colorado River.

The company merged with United Couriers, a wholly owned subsidiary of ATI Systems International (ATIS), in 1971. In April 1993, the fixed-wing division of Wings Express (which was based at Van Nuys Airport) was purchased, and the outstanding shares of Sports Air Travel were acquired in mid-1997. In March 2007, when Canadian company Garda Security bought ATIS, Ameriflight was sold to a group of investors that included the company's president, Gary Richards.

In May 2014, the airline announced it was moving its headquarters to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). Maintenance operations and flight operations were scheduled to move to DFW. [3]

In late 2014, Ameriflight reached agreement to acquire Wiggins Airways (48 aircraft and 100 employees), which would result in Ameriflight becoming the largest regional air cargo carrier in the world with 163 aircraft in its fleet. [4] [5]

Flight services

An Ameriflight Beechcraft Model 99 upon take-off from Mojave Air and Space Port (2009) Ameriflight-be99-N62989-090123-01-cr8.jpg
An Ameriflight Beechcraft Model 99 upon take-off from Mojave Air and Space Port (2009)

The majority of Ameriflight's operations consists of air feeder service for major package express integrators such as UPS, FedEx, and DHL. Its other significant customers include Lantheus Medical Imaging, ACS Products, and Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals. On schedules set by the customers, cargo is received in the early morning from large jet freighters at hub airports and distributed by Ameriflight airplanes to smaller communities whose traffic (or airports) would not support the big airplanes. In the evening, the Ameriflight aircraft fly back to the hubs to feed them with cargo from the smaller communities, which is carried onwards to the integrators' distribution centers for sorting and redistribution to the ultimate destinations.

Although demand is decreasing as use of digital imaging and electronic data transfer increases, Ameriflight also transports high-priority intercity financial documents. Pharmaceuticals, film for development, medical laboratory samples, and other miscellaneous cargo are also carried.

Ameriflight is one of the few Part 135 cargo carriers in the U.S. with a special Department of Transportation permit to carry high Transport Index radioactive cargo, an important element in the company's time-critical radioactive medical raw materials business, which transports radioactive "generator" materials between points of manufacture and cities where it is used to produce materials used in diagnostics and cancer therapy. [6]

In addition to scheduled flying (with contract schedules set by customers), all Ameriflight bases can respond to unscheduled on-demand cargo flights to destinations in Alaska, Canada, the contiguous US, Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America. A single King Air 200 was used for on-demand passenger charter flights, but has since been retired.

Fleet

Current

An Ameriflight EMB-120ER Brasilia rests on the ramp at the company's new DFW Airport headquarters. EMB-120.JPG
An Ameriflight EMB-120ER Brasilia rests on the ramp at the company's new DFW Airport headquarters.

The Ameriflight fleet includes these aircraft: [7] [8]

AircraftIn fleetOrdersMaximum payload
Beechcraft 1900 2505,800 lb
Beechcraft Model 99 5203,500 lb
Embraer EMB 120ER Brasilia 1308,000 lb
SA227 Metroliner 4104,900 lb
Saab 340B 3127,500 lb
Total13312—

Former fleet

AircraftIn fleetRetiredMaximum payloadNotes
Cessna 402 42005
Dassault Falcon 20 --
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter --
King Air 200 12015Charter
Learjet 35A 42011Charter
Mitsubishi MU-2 --
Piper PA-31 422019
Piper PA-32R 82005
Piper PA-32 --
Piper PA-28R --
Piper PA-23 --
Piper PA-31T Cheyenne --
Total330

Accidents and incidents

DateFlight NumberInformation
15 September 1989AMF1952An Ameriflight Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain (registered N70PE) on a cargo flight from Ontario International Airport to Santa Barbara Municipal Airport experienced an engine failure and the aircraft eventually rolled sharply right before impacting the ground in a near inverted attitude about a mile northwest of Runway 26R. The pilot was killed in the crash. The NTSB determined that a propeller blade separated from the right propeller hub. The rest of the propeller hub then separated striking the right front of the fuselage and the damage done made the aircraft uncontrollable. [9]
03 March 1994AMF107An Ameriflight Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain (registered N78DE), on a cargo flight, departed from Hollywood-Burbank Airport flying nonstop to Oakland International Airport. Around 23:46 local time, the aircraft collided with terrain near the summit of Mount Pinos, about 9 miles west of Frazier Park. The airplane was destroyed, and the ATP-rated pilot was killed in the crash. The NTSB determined the probable cause was the pilot's failure to select a cruise altitude to ensure adequate terrain clearance. Contributing factors related to the nighttime condition and to the pilot's lack of attentiveness. [10]
16 November 1994-An Ameriflight Beechcraft Model 99 (registered N63995) on a cargo flight from Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport to Oakland International Airport descended steeply into the ground from cruise altitude near Avenal, and the pilot was killed in the crash. The probable cause could not be determined, although pilot incapacitation was suspected. [11]
23 December 1995-While performing a 135.297 instrument competency check, an Ameriflight Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain (registered N27954) impacted terrain in the hills southeast of Oakland International Airport (KOAK) around 00:19 local time. The airplane was destroyed, and the two pilots were killed in the crash. In the National Transportation Safety Board's narrative, the cause was determined to be the failure of the air traffic controller to comply with instructions contained in the Air Traffic Control Handbook and vectoring an aircraft at below the minimum vectoring altitude (MVA). In addition, the ATC supervisor's failure to detect and correct the situation. Lower situational awareness by the flight crew was also considered a contributing factor. [12]
13 August 1997AMF262A Beechcraft 1900 (registered N3172A) was damaged in a crash, landing at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport and destroyed in a fire that had erupted from spilled fuel. Investigation into the accident determined that the airplane had been overloaded and that the pilot had been misinformed by staff members of the company that contracted for the flight about the cargo weight and center of gravity, which led to a stall [13] during the landing flare.
12 February 1999AMF1902A Beechcraft C99 (registered N205RA) crashed into a canyon of the White Mountains, while en route on a positioning flight from Tonopah Airport to Bishop Airport. The wreckage was finally discovered two days later. According to relatives and witnesses, the pilot (who was killed in the crash) had stated his intent to take aerial pictures of the local scenery and likely lost control of the aircraft while doing so. [14]
14 October 1999AMF121An Ameriflight Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain (registered N1024B) on a cargo flight from North Las Vegas Airport (KVGT) to Sacramento Executive Airport (KSAC) impacted terrain 11 miles north of KVGT airport. The pilot was fatally injured. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause was the failure of the pilot-in-command to maintain separation from terrain while operating under visual flight rules. Contributing factors were the improper issuance of a suggested heading by air traffic control personnel, inadequate flight progress monitoring by radar departure control personnel, and failure of the radar controller to identify a hazardous condition and issue a safety alert. [15]
29 November 2003AMF1966Flight 1966 from Boeing Field crashed into trees in bad visibility conditions while approaching its destination Felts Field, in which the pilot was killed. The aircraft involved, a Fairchild Metro III registered N439AF, had one of its two instrument landing system receivers deferred due to intermittent flag activity at the time of the accident. The pilot had initiated his final descent late and then descended through the glide slope. [16]
18 March 2006AMF2591A Beechcraft Model C99 (registered N54RP) crashed during a flight from Helena to Butte in Montana about 8.1 miles southwest of its destination, killing the two pilots on board. The plane impacted trees and mountainous terrain, where the wreckage was only located on March 20. The cause of the crash was determined to be the pilot's failure to follow the proper instrument approach procedure. [17] [18]
17 December 2007-A Beechcraft Model 99 (registered N206AV) that was operating as Flight 4844 landed short of the runway at Vernal Regional Airport in low-visibility conditions, during which the aircraft was considerably damaged. [19]
22 September 2009-An Ameriflight Fairchild Merlin IV-C sustained substantial damage to its nose and forward pressure bulkhead at Eppley Airfield, when another company's Cessna 402 collided with the parked plane. This accident was not charged to Ameriflight, since their airplane was parked unattended at the time. [20]
4 November 2009-A Beechcraft Model 99 (registered N330AV) suffered a bird strike when approaching Show Low Regional Airport following a cargo flight from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. A western grebe impacted and penetrated the left pilot side of the flight-deck windscreen, striking and injuring the single pilot. The impact left an 11- by 8-inch hole in the windshield. The pilot was able to continue the approach and land without further incident. [21] [22]
6 January 2010-A Beechcraft Model 99 (registered N206AV) was damaged in a hard landing at Kearney Regional Airport following a cargo flight from Omaha. The aircraft may have behaved unexpectedly because of unconfirmed icing that may have been present on the wings. [23]
10 March 2011AMF1951A Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner, slid off the runway and onto the grass at Boeing Field in Seattle when completing a flight from Nez Perce County Airport. Preliminary reports indicated a nosewheel steering problem, but difficult wind shear conditions also were occurring at the time of the accident. The single pilot of the airplane was uninjured. [24] [25] [26]
30 June 2015-A Beechcraft Model 99 (Flight 1802) crashed immediately after takeoff on Salt Lake City International Airport's Runway 16L just before 8:00 am local time. Both pilots were reported uninjured. The flight was bound for Ely, Nevada.
6 February 2018-A Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner experienced a runway excursion at the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport. No injuries were reported, with only minor delays to commercial flights. [27]
15 November 2022AMF7141A Fairchild SA227-AT Expediter with 2 crew members, 1 passenger and 56 dogs on board (registered N247DH) made a belly landing on Western Lakes Golf Club, 6km short of runway 10 at Waukesha County Airport. Everyone on board survived with the 3 people suffering minor injuries and the 56 dogs receiving only bumps and scratches. [28] [29]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westchester County Airport</span> Public airport in Westchester County, New York

Westchester County Airport is a county-owned airport in Westchester County, New York, three miles (6 km) northeast of downtown White Plains, with territory in the towns of North Castle and Harrison, New York, and village of Rye Brook, New York. It is sometimes referred to as the White Plains Airport and is so identified by the Official Airline Guide (OAG).

Continental Express was the operating brand name used by a number of independently owned regional airlines providing commuter airliner and regional jet feeder service under agreement with Continental Airlines. In 2012 at the time of Continental's merger with United Airlines, two carriers were operating using the Continental Express brand name:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pensacola International Airport</span> International airport in Pensacola, Florida, United States

Pensacola International Airport, formerly Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport and Pensacola Regional Airport, is a public use airport three nautical miles northeast of the central business district of Pensacola, in Escambia County, Florida, United States. It is owned by the City of Pensacola. Despite its name, the airport does not offer scheduled international flights, though chartered international flights are not uncommon. This airport is one of the five major airports in North Florida, and among these is the second largest by passenger count, only behind Jacksonville. The other airports in the North Florida region are: Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport, Tallahassee International Airport, and Jacksonville International Airport.

US Airways Express was the brand name for the regional affiliate of US Airways, under which a number of individually owned commuter air carriers and regional airlines operate short and medium haul routes. This code sharing service was previously operated as USAir Express. Mainline carriers often outsource to regional airlines to operate services in order to increase frequency, serve routes that would not sustain larger aircraft, or for other competitive reasons. US Airways Express operations were conducted from smaller markets in the United States, Canada, and the Bahamas primarily centered on US Airways' major hubs and focus cities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Cod Gateway Airport</span> Public airport in Hyannis, Massachusetts

Cape Cod Gateway Airport, also known as Boardman/Polando Field and formerly known as Barnstable Municipal Airport, is a public airport located on Cape Cod, one mile (1.6 km) north of the central business district of Hyannis, in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. This airport is publicly owned by Town of Barnstable. It is Cape Cod's major airport as well as an air hub for the Cape and the Islands. The airport is served by scheduled commercial flights as well as charters and general aviation. Barnstable Municipal Airport served as a hub for Nantucket-based commuter airline Island Airlines until its shutdown in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Midwest Flight 5481</span> 2003 aviation accident in North Carolina, United States

Air Midwest Flight 5481 was a Beechcraft 1900D on a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, to Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport in Greer, South Carolina. On the morning of January 8, 2003, the Beechcraft stalled while departing Charlotte Douglas International Airport and crashed into an aircraft hangar, killing all 21 passengers and crew aboard and injuring one person on the ground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpine Air Express</span> American cargo airline

Alpine Air Express is an American airline based in Provo, Utah, USA. It operates scheduled and chartered air cargo services on over 100 routes throughout Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah. Its main base is the Provo Municipal Airport. At one point also, Alpine Air Express was a passenger airline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beechcraft 1900</span> Commuter airliner and light transport aircraft

The Beechcraft 1900 is a twin-engine turboprop regional airliner manufactured by Beechcraft. It is also used as a freight aircraft and corporate transport, and by several governmental and military organizations. With customers favoring larger regional jets, Raytheon ended production in October 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner</span> Small airliner and executive aircraft family by Swearingen, later Fairchild

The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner is a 19-seat, pressurized, twin-turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild Aircraft at a plant in San Antonio, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Modibo Keita International Airport</span> Main airport of Mali

Modibo Keita International Airport is Mali's main airport located approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) south of downtown Bamako, the capital of Mali in West Africa. It is the country's only international airport. It is managed by Aéroports du Mali (ADM). Its operations are overseen by the Malian Ministry of Equipment and Transport.

Taos Regional Airport is a public use airport eight nautical miles (15 km) northwest of the central business district of Taos, in Taos County, New Mexico, United States. It is owned by the Town of Taos. FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013 classifies it as a general aviation airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Sierra Regional Airport</span> Airport in the United States

Eastern Sierra Regional Airport is two miles east of Bishop, in Inyo County, California, United States. It is owned by the City of Los Angeles, Department of Public Works and operated by Inyo County.

Ameristar Air Cargo, Inc. is an American passenger and cargo airline based in Dallas, Texas, USA. It operates passenger and cargo services in the Americas and acts as a broker to other cargo carriers. Its main base is Addison Airport in north Dallas, with hubs at Willow Run Airport and El Paso International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air New Orleans</span> Airline based in Birmingham, Alabama

Air New Orleans was an airline based in Birmingham, Alabama that was conceived as a commuter air carrier to provide scheduled passenger service to cities throughout the Southeastern United States from Texas to Florida. The airline was founded in 1981 in Panama City, Florida and operated scheduled passenger service between 1981 and 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L'Express Airlines Flight 508</span> 1991 aviation accident

On July 10, 1991, a L'Express Airlines Beechcraft C99, flying as Flight 508 originating in New Orleans, and in transit from Mobile to Birmingham, crashed while attempting to make an ILS approach to Runway 5 at Birmingham Municipal Airport in Birmingham, Alabama. The plane crashed in the Fairview area near Five Points West in the Ensley neighborhood and subsequently injured four persons on the ground, as well as destroying two homes. Of the 15 occupants on board, there were 13 fatalities. The cause of the crash was attributed to the captain's decision to attempt an instrument approach into severe thunderstorms resulting in a loss of control of the airplane. To date it is the deadliest commercial aviation accident in Alabama history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colgan Air Flight 9446</span> 2003 aviation accident near Massachusetts, United States

Colgan Air Flight 9446 was a repositioning flight operated by Colgan Air for US Airways Express. On August 26, 2003, the Beechcraft 1900D crashed into water 300 feet (91 m) offshore from Yarmouth, Massachusetts, shortly after taking off from Barnstable Municipal Airport in Hyannis. Both pilots were killed.

Delta Connection is a regional airline brand name for Delta Air Lines, under which a number of individually owned regional airlines primarily operate short- and medium-haul routes. Mainline major air carriers often use regional airlines to operate services via code sharing agreements in order to increase frequencies in addition to serving routes that would not sustain larger aircraft as well as for other competitive or operational reasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CommutAir Flight 4821</span> 1992 aviation accident

On Friday, January 3, 1992, a Beechcraft 1900 operating CommutAir Flight 4821 crashed into a wooded hillside near Gabriels, New York while conducting an ILS approach to Runway 23 at the Adirondack Regional Airport. The cause of the accident was determined to be pilot error. There were two people killed in the crash, and two survivors.

Ground collision (GCOL), also known as terrain collision refers to the collision that occurs while an aircraft is taxiing to or from its runway. A ground collision occurs when an aircraft collides with another aircraft and/or structure on the runway.

References

  1. ↑ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International . March 27, 2007. p. 75.
  2. ↑ "Pilot Jobs/Aviation Careers in Dallas, Texas with Ameriflight | Apply Today". Ameriflight. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  3. ↑ Murray, Lance and Nicholas Sakelaris. "Cargo carrier Ameriflight to relocate HQ, operations to D/FW Airport." Dallas Business Journal . May 15, 2014. Retrieved on May 16, 2014.
  4. ↑ Airliner World: 15. January 2015.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
  5. ↑ "Wiggins Acquisition Goes Ahead". Airliner World: 14. December 2014.
  6. ↑ "Moving Cargo, Saving Lives". Ameriflight. October 10, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Fleets & Bases". Ameriflight. August 10, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Ameriflight takes delivery of 2nd Saab 340B(F) of 15 on order with Jetstream Aviation Capital" . Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  9. ↑ "20001213X29403-20230615-10433". app.ntsb.gov. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  10. ↑ "NTSB Report LAX94FA149, adopted - 02/24/1995" . Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  11. ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident Beechcraft C99 Commuter N63995 Avenal, CA". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  12. ↑ "NTSB Report LAX96FA078, adopted - 03/31/1997" . Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  13. ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident Beechcraft 1900C N3172A Seattle/Tacoma International Airport, WA (SEA)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  14. ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident Beechcraft C99 Commuter N205RA Bishop Airport, CA (BIH)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  15. ↑ "NTSB Report: LAX00FA014, adopted 04/06/2001" . Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  16. ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident Swearingen SA227-AT Merlin IVC N439AF Spokane-Felts Field, WA (SFF)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Accident Description, Ameriflight 2591." Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on June 12, 2011.
  18. ↑ "NTSB Report SEA06FA068 - 03/18/2009." National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved on June 12, 2011.
  19. ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident Beechcraft C99 Commuter N206AV Vernal Airport, UT (VEL)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  20. ↑ "NTSB Report CEN09CA600 - 09/22/2009." National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved on June 12, 2011.
  21. ↑ "NTSB Report WPR10IA045 - 11/04/2009." National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved on June 12, 2011.
  22. ↑ Plane lands near Show Low after bird strike." The Arizona Republic. Retrieved on June 12, 2011.
  23. ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident Beechcraft C99 Commuter N206AV Kearney Regional Airport, NE (EAR)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  24. ↑ "Cargo plane slides off runway at Boeing Field Archived March 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine ." Seattle Times. Retrieved on June 12, 2011.
  25. ↑ "AMF1951 Flight History 03/11/2011." FlightAware.com. Retrieved on June 12, 2011.
  26. ↑ "NTSB Report WPR11FA159 - 03/10/2011." National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved on June 12, 2011.
  27. ↑ The Tribune News (subscription required)
  28. ↑ "Accident: Ameriflight SW4 at Waukesha on Nov 15th 2022, landed about 2.7nm short of runway". avherald.com. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  29. ↑ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Fairchild SA227-AT Expediter N247DH Pewaukee, WI". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.