PIREP - THE AVIATION FORUM RUN BY PILOTS FOR PILOTS.

[Kaptin M]

The YS11 is a Japanese manufactured turboprop aircraft, designed by the Nihon Aircraft Manufacturing Company, a consortium of Fuji, Kawasaki, Mitsubishi, Nippi, Shin Meiwa and Showa.
The consortium was formed in June, 1959.

The Fuji company constructed the tail unit, Kawasaki made the wings and engine nacelles, Mitsubishi formed the forward fuselage and final assembly, Nippi constructed the ailerons and flaps, Shin Meiwa did the aft fuselage construction, and Showa made the light alloy honeycomb structural components.

The YS11 is powered by 2 RollsRoyce Dart 54210K engines (the same as used on the early F27's) each driving a four-blade csu (constant speed unit) propeller.

The YS11 made its first flight on August 30 1962, and achieved final certification in August 1964. Production finished in February 1974.



Toa Airways (renamed JAS, and then JAC) was the launch customer in April 1965.
The largest operators in Japan, were All Nippon (6) and Japan Air Commuter (12).

Air Philippines also operated several YS11's.

Similar in appearance to the HS748, the aircraft proved a reliable workhorse, and was operated in all passenger, as well as passenger/cargo combinations.

The YS11 was retired from service this year (2006) from JAC, and is photographed in all of these shots at JAC's main base, Kagoshima.


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A pilot is responsible for delivering the final product. The SAFE transportation of passengers to their destination.

[lame.]

I hope you got inside that one.

[Kaptin M]

No luck, lame.. They're finished now - retired - and locked up.
Quite sad isn't it - that was a magic era of aeroplanes.
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A pilot is responsible for delivering the final product. The SAFE transportation of passengers to their destination.

[lame.]

Yes.

All the more reason that they wouldn't need the you know whats though.

[bafanguy]

The YS-11 had some issues with tailplane icing resulting in an approach accident involving a Mid-Pacific Air freighter in KLAF. I know they operated in Hawaii, but they also ran a freight operation in the midwest US.

Can't find the accident report, but a mentor of mine was the FAA inspector for that accident. They were making an approach in icing and when they selected final flaps, pitch control was lost and the airplane pitched over into a gravel pit short of the runway killing both pilots.

Apparently, their procedure was to take landing flaps "...after landing was assured..." or words to that effect. Unfortunately, the airplane was too low at that point to recover when it pitched over.

There is an NTSB incident report for a subsequent case where the same airline, same airplane type, same airport selected final flaps at a much higher altitude, lost pitch control but was able to select a lesser flap setting, go around and live to fly another day. This happened after my buddy leaned on them to change their procedure.

The way I hear it, the FAA accepted the Japanese certification of the YS-11, lock, stock, and barrel, with no further testing. The Japanese certification apparently contained inadequate testing of inflight icing characteristics...or none at all. The NTBS incident report alludes to this fact.

The airplane wasn't widely used here but Piedmont Airlines did operate it for a good while in the SE US where there is plently of opportunity to take on icing. I don't know what their approach procedures may have been and don't recall another icing-related accident involving the YS-11 in the US.

My friend did say that when he got to the accident site several hours after it happened, the tail still had appreciable ice on it even though the ambient temp was above freezing.

Interesting stuff...but a sad way to learn it.
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"Damn these human beings; if I had invented them I would go hide my head in a bag." Mark Twain