Eastwind Airlines
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| Eastwind Airlines | ||
|---|---|---|
| IATA W9 |
ICAO BBE |
Callsign Stinger Bee |
| Founded | 1995 | |
| Hubs | Trenton, NJ/Greensboro, NC | |
| Fleet size | 7 | |
| Destinations | 11 | |
| Headquarters | Trenton, NJ/Greensboro, NC | |
| Key people | Jim McNally | |
| Website: Eastwind Airlines (defunct) | ||
Eastwind Airlines was a start-up airline formed in mid-1995 and headquartered in Trenton, New Jersey, and later in Greensboro, North Carolina. It was conceived by Jim McNally, a former Price Waterhouse analyst who had headed that firms recovery teams when several other airlines sought management and investment help. McNally's paper airline found a benefactor in UM Holdings, a Haddonfield New Jersey-based investment company, which provided investment capital.
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[edit] Destinations
The airline had destinations across the East Coast of the United States including:[1]
- Trenton, New Jersey
- Greensboro, North Carolina
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Orlando, Florida
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Washington Dulles
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Richmond, Virginia
- Tampa, Florida
- Rochester, New York
- Jacksonville, Florida
- West Palm Beach, Florida
[edit] Fleet
At the height of the airline's operation in 1998, it operated a fleet of five Boeing 737-200 and two Boeing 737-700 aircraft.
[edit] Accidents and incidents
On June 9, 1996 Eastwind Airlines flight 517 experienced a reported loss of rudder control while on approach to Richmond from Trenton. There was one minor injury to a flight attendant and no damage to the airplane as a result of the incident. At the time of the event the airplane's airspeed was about 250 knots and at 4,000 feet MSL. The captain reported that he was hand flying the airplane and he felt a slight rudder "bump" to the right. He asked the first officer if he had felt the bump, then the airplane suddenly rolled to the right. He reported that he applied opposite rudder but that the rudder felt stiff. He stated the he applied opposite aileron and used asymmetric power to keep the airplane upright. He stated that after he declared an emergency to the approach controller, he and the first officer performed the emergency checklist. The captain reported that as part of the checklist they turned off the yaw damper. He reported that the airplane became controllable, but was not certain if the problem when away at the same time that the yaw damper was turned off.
It is reported that the airplane has previously had problems with uncommanded rudder deflections. Previous reports have been of "rudder bumps" during departure and that the airplane would not trim properly. The FDR was removed from the airplane for examination.
[edit] Financial problems
Due to the short runway at Trenton-Mercer Airport, the airline served Philadelphia for a short time, but consolidated their flights back to Trenton, New Jersey in early 1999 when Delta Air Lines terminated their contract to handle ground services.
By 1999, the airline faced some performance concerns as well as financial trouble. In July 1999, the airline terminated several senior managers including its CEO. [2]
The financial problems were exacerbated by the purchase of two new Boeing 737-700 aircraft in 1997. Service issues created tension with its customers, resulting in large numbers of complaints filed with the FAA [3]. In 1999, two passengers in Greensboro who feared being stranded in Greensboro refused to get off an airplane forcing the pilot to call authorities. [4]
While the airline's management refused to file for bankruptcy, in October 1999, three creditors filed a petition for involuntary bankruptcy in an effort to force the airline to liquidate. The airline ceased operations not long afterwards.
