Convair CV-340

Convair CV-340
Type:	Airliner
Design country:	United States
Manufacturer:	Convair
First flight:	CV-340: October 5, 1951 CV-580: January 19, 1960
Commissioning:	March 1952
Production time:	June 1956
Number of pieces:	311

Convair CV-340

The Convair CV-340 (also known as Convair 340 or Convairliner 340 ) is a twin-engine passenger aircraft made by the US aircraft manufacturer Convair with piston engines . The first flight of the short-haul machine took place on October 5, 1951.

history

The low-wing aircraft was further developed from the Convair CV-240 according to new requirements on the part of United Air Lines . Two doors with built-in staircases reduced the dependency on ground facilities and accelerated passenger handling. Compared to the original type, the cabin has been extended by 1.37 meters. This extension was used for an additional row of seats. The Convair CV-340 offered 44 passengers in 11 rows of seats. The wing and the vertical stabilizer were also changed.

A total of 209 machines of this type were sold to airlines, 37 went to private operators. This made the guy economically successful. The pattern remained in use by the major airlines until around the mid-1960s, when it gave way to the emerging modern short-haul jets such as the Boeing 737 . The Lufthansa procured 1954 four of these aircraft and used them to 1968th

Many machines, including those of Lufthansa, were converted to Convair CV-440 with the help of a conversion kit supplied by Convair . Some of the aircraft were still sold to airlines in the third world . Some were still in use in the US in 2008.

C-131 : The US Air Force also ordered this type in a correspondingly modified version as the Convair C-131B / C / D Samaritan in a version as a cargo aircraft with a large loading door. Up to 48 people could be transported in these machines. 65 of this type were procured. Two copies were equipped with Allison YT-56 Turboprops for testing purposes and then designated as YC-131C. When they were later sold, the aircraft were given the unofficial designation Convair 770.

In April 2008, 7 of the Convair CV-340s were still airworthy.

construction

The engines worked on three-blade controllable pitch propellers with a fixed speed ("constant speed"). The landing gear was fitted with a retractable nose wheel. The wings were mounted in a V-shape at an angle of 6.3 ° and had a sweep of 4 °, the tail unit was conventional. The rudder and the wing trailing edge were made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic . The circular fuselage made of light metal had a pressurized cabin for passengers and crew.

Modifications

A Convair 580 from European Air Transport

After the development of propeller turbine air jet engines (PTL, turboprop ), various manufacturers offered conversion kits with which the performance of the aircraft could be increased and the operating costs for the airlines could be reduced. These include the following versions:

Convair CV-540

The Convair 540 model was created by converting the Convair CV-340 to PTL Eland engines from the British manufacturer Napier & Son . The first conversion took place in 1955. On August 22, 1958, the US aviation authority granted traffic approval. As the first airline to put Allegheny Airlines and quebecair a modified version.

Convair CV-580

The Convair 580 was a modified version with Allison 501 PTL engines . Convair CV-340 and Convair CV-440 aircraft have been converted . In addition to new engines, these machines also received an enlarged vertical stabilizer and a modified horizontal stabilizer . The first flight took place on January 19, 1960. The American Allegheny Airlines operated up to 20 aircraft of this type at the same time in the mid-1970s. In Europe, the Convair CV-580 was operated by the Belgian airline European Air Transport and the Spanish Swiftair , both on behalf of DHL , the Swedish ScanBee and the Norwegian Nor-Fly and Partnair .

Convair CV-5800

A stretched Convair 5800 from the IFL Group

The Canadian airline Kelowna Flightcraft (now KF Cargo) built a version stretched by 5.05 m to 29.18 m from the former C-131F (Convair CV-340-71) of the US Navy . This received turboprop engines of the type Allison 501-D22G with 4600 SHP instead of 3750 SHP for the CV-580. The maximum take-off weight has been increased compared to the CV-580 by 2,196 kg to 28,576 kg, but with an unladen weight increased by 1,311 kg. This rebuild also included the addition of an enlarged cargo door and digital avionics including electronic flight instrument system screens . The first flight took place on February 11, 1992, the type certification on December 11, 1993.
A total of six CV-5800 ( serial numbers 276 to 279, 309, 343) were built, which were initially mainly operated by the US cargo airline Contract Air Cargo (later the IFL Group ) were used; another copy flew for the New Zealand Air Freight NZ .

Convair CV-640

Convair offered the conversion of the CV-340 and CV-440 series with Rolls-Royce Dart PTL engines from 1964. The first flight of the CV-640 took place on August 20, 1965. The official approval was granted on December 7, 1965. A total of 27 aircraft were converted. The operators included Hawaiian Airlines , Caribair and Worldways Canada . Martinair , the Swiss SATA and Air Algérie , which had four former Lufthansa planes modified, were among the few airlines outside of North America that used the CV-640 .

Incidents

CV-340

C-131D identical in construction to the USAF plane that crashed on December 17, 1960 in Munich

From the first flight in 1951 to January 2019, the Convair CV-340 and its military versions resulted in 23 total aircraft losses. 175 people were killed in 11 of them. Examples:

• On 10 October 1955, the Convair CV-340 to 58 the Yugoslav Airlines - JAT with the air vehicle registration YU-ADC on their way from Belgrade to London before the scheduled stopover in Vienna in thick fog in the only 425-meter-high Leopoldsberg (flown CFIT , Controlled flight into terrain ). After touching a tree, the machine crashed near the Josefinenhütte . Of the 29 occupants, 7 people were killed in the accident (see also the 1955 aviation accident on the Leopoldsberg ) .

• On December 17, 1960, a Convair C-131D Samaritan (55-0291) of the United States Air Force crashed in the middle of Munich , killing all 20 aircraft occupants and 32 people on the ground (see also plane crash on December 17, 1960 in Munich ) .

• On 22 January 1963, a Convair CV-340 to 59 got the Brazilian Cruzeiro do Sul (PP CDY) while landing in heavy rain at the airport of Parnaíba ( Piauí , Brazil) from the runway, and made a Ringelpiez . All nine occupants, three crew members and six passengers survived. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

• On May 3, 1963, a Convair CV-340-59 of the Brazilian Cruzeiro do Sul (PP-CDW) caught fire in engine 2 (right). The pilots returned to the departure airport São Paulo-Congonhas ( Sao Paulo , Brazil). On the final approach, about one kilometer east of it, the aircraft took the aircraft nose very steeply upwards (45 degrees); it stalled and crashed. The cause was an improper procedure when moving the propeller out of the sail position . Of the 50 occupants, 37 were killed, 4 of the 5 crew members and 33 of the 45 passengers.

The CV-340 ZS-BRV of Rovos Air, Lanseria 2006, which crashed on July 10, 2018

• On July 10, 2018, a Convair CV-340 from Rovos Air (ZS-BRV) crashed after taking off from Pretoria Wonderboom Airport (South Africa) during a test flight 6 km from the airport after problems with the left engine. There were 20 aircraft occupants on board, including 3 crew members. One crew member was killed, 4 people seriously injured, some on the ground; the plane was destroyed. The machine had been painted in the historic colors of Martin's Air Charter and, after the test flight, was to be transferred to the Aviodrome Aircraft Museum in Lelystad , Netherlands.

• On February 8, 2019, a Convair CV-340 / C-131B of Conquest Air Cargo (N145GT) broke on a cargo flight from Nassau Airport ( Bahamas ) to Opa-Locka Airport (north of Miami) while attempting a ditching after continuous loss of altitude. The speed control of the left engine had already failed temporarily on the outbound flight. This happened again on the return flight; During the descent, the right engine misfires and pumps, whereupon it was switched off. Shortly thereafter, the left engine also started to misfire, pump and lose power. The amount could not be kept, and the machine struck about 20 kilometers east of the district of Bay Harbor Islands Miami ( Florida ) in the sea on. The first officer was found alive and the captain has been missing since then.

CV-580

From the first flight in 1960 to June 2020, there were 40 total aircraft losses with Convair CV-580. 212 people died in 17 of them.

• On June 7, 1971 a Convair CV-580 of the US-American Allegheny Airlines ( aircraft registration number N5832 ) was flown into the ground 1.5 kilometers before it was approaching New Haven Airport (Connecticut) . Of the 31 inmates, 28 were killed. The reason was that the captain deliberately fell below the minimum descent altitude in bad weather despite repeated warnings from his first officer.

• On September 8, 1989 the Convair CV-580 LN-PAA of the Norwegian Partnair crashed on the flight from Oslo-Fornebu to Hamburg with 50 passengers and 5 crew members 20 kilometers off the Danish coast from 6500 meters in the North Sea. All inmates were killed. The cause of the accident was the installation of counterfeit, unauthorized spare parts by Partnair (see also Partnair flight 394 ) .

• On October 3, 2003, a Convair CV-580 (ZK-KFU) freighter of New Zealand's Air Freight NZ on the flight from Christchurch to Palmerston North stalled while flying through a zone with extreme icing conditions due to heavy ice formation. In the crash, the structural load limits of the machine were exceeded, so that it broke apart while still in the air. The machine crashed into the Tasman Sea near Kapiti Coast . The two pilots on board died (see also Air Freight NZ flight 642 ) .

• On September 1, 2008, a Convair CV-580 of the US Air Tahoma (N587X) crashed shortly after taking off from Rickenbacker International Airport a mile southwest of the airport in a corn field, killing all three occupants. The crash was caused by gross maintenance errors (see also Air Tahoma flight 587 ) .

CV-640

From the first flight in 1965 to December 2017, there were 6 total aircraft losses with the Convair CV-640. In 2 of them 34 people were killed. Full list:

• On January 23, 1967, a Convair CV-640 of the US American Caribair ( aircraft registration number N3408 ) touched down about 80 meters from the runway when landing in San Juan (Puerto Rico) (airport not known). The nose landing gear and the right main landing gear collapsed and the right wing broke off. All 28 occupants, 3 crew members and 25 passengers survived. The machine was damaged beyond repair.

• On September 17, 1969, a Convair CV-640 of Pacific Western Airlines (CF-PWR) was flown into a hill three kilometers from the destination while approaching Campbell River Airport ( Vancouver Island ). The reason was flying an improvised, impermissible approach procedure in bad weather. In this CFIT, Controlled flight into terrain , 4 of the 15 occupants were killed, two crew members and two passengers.

• On July 17, 1973, a Convair CV-640 of the Swiss SA de Transport Aérien (SATA) (HB-IMM) hit the runway violently while landing at Tromsø Airport and jumped into the air again. At the second impact - on the nose landing gear - it collapsed. All 60 occupants survived the accident. The aircraft was totaled.

• On May 2, 1976, a Convair CV-640 of Air Algérie (7T-VAH) on the airport Djanet Inedbirene ( Algeria damaged) beyond repair. Further details are not known. People were not harmed.

• On October 28, 1987, both engines of a Convair CV-640 of the US SMB Stage Line (N3411) failed while cruising at an altitude of around 4300 meters ( flight level 140) . The pilots of the cargo flight made an emergency landing with the landing gear retracted ( belly landing ) on a grass runway near Bartlesville ( Oklahoma , USA). They had forgotten to switch the tank selector switch, which was set to supply both engines from the right-hand fuel tank until it was empty. The two crew members survived.

• On February 9, 1992, a Convair CV-640 from Dakar of the US Gambcrest (N862FW) near Diouloulou ( Senegal ) was flown into a hotel complex 50 kilometers from the destination airport while approaching Cap Skirring airport. In this CFIT ( Controlled flight into terrain ) 30 of the 56 people on board were killed.

Technical specifications

Parameter	Data
crew	2 pilots, 2 flight attendants
Passengers	44 passengers, in high-density seating up to 52 passengers
length	24.13 m
span	32.12 m
height	8.58 m
Wing area	85.5 m²
Wing extension	12.1
Empty mass	13,375 kg
Takeoff mass	21,320 kg
Cruising speed	457 km / h / 250 kts
Top speed	504 km / h
Service ceiling	7,200 m
Range	935 km
initial rate of climb	313 m / min
Engines	2 Pratt & Whitney R-2800 CB16 18-cylinder double radial engines with 1790 kW (2434 hp) each

Web links

Commons : Convair 340  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Production list

Individual evidence

1. ↑ YC-131C on www.airliners.net
2. ^ Ulrich Klee, Frank Bucher et al .: jp airline-fleets international 2008/09 . Sutton, UK, 2008.
3. ↑ Peter Alles-Fernandez: Aircraft from A to Z, Volume 2 . Bernard & Graefe Verlag, Koblenz 1988, ISBN 3-7637-5905-0 , p. 13.
4. ↑ Ulrich Klee, Frank Bucher et al .: jp airline-fleets international 1984 . Zurich Airport 1984, p. 308.
5. ^ Ulrich Klee, Frank Bucher et al .: jp airline-fleets international 1982 . Zurich Airport 1982, p. 132.
6. ↑ aerofavourites, Convair CV-240 - CV-640 (English), accessed on August 17, 2016.
7. ↑ Jennifer M. Gradidge: The Convairliners Story. Air-Britain (Historians), Tunbridge Wells 1997, ISBN 0-85130-243-2 , p. 39.
8. ↑ Ulrich Klee, Frank Bucher et al .: jp airline-fleets international 2013/14 . Sutton, UK, 2013, p. 321 and p. 583.
9. ↑ Ruud Leeuw, ConvairLiners background information (English), accessed on August 17, 2016th
10. ↑ Gradidge 1997, pp. 47-51.
11. ↑ Accident statistics Convair CV-340 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 9, 2019.
12. ^ Accident report CV-340 YU-ADC , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on December 8, 2017.
13. ^ Accident report C-131D 55-0291 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on December 8, 2017.
14. ^ Accident report CV-340 PP-CDY , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 3, 2020.
15. ^ Accident report CV-340 PP-CDW , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 3, 2020.
16. ^ Accident report CV-340 ZS-BRV , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on November 23, 2018.
17. ^ Accident report CV-340 ZS-BRV , The Aviation Herald (English), accessed on November 23, 2018.
18. ↑ Accident Report CV-340 N145GT , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on 25 February of 2019.
19. ↑ Accident Report CV-340 N145GT , The Aviation Herald (English), accessed on 25 February of 2019.
20. ↑ Message from Conquest Air Cargo on CV-340 N145GT , Facebook (English), accessed on February 10, 2019.
21. ^ Accident statistics Convair CV-580 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on July 25, 2020.
22. ↑ Accident Report CV-580 N5832 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on 27 November 2017th
23. ↑ NTSB DCA71AZ009, accident of June 7, 1971 in New Haven, CT, Convair CV-580 N5832 ( Memento of August 12, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
24. ^ Accident report CV-580 LN-PAA , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on December 8, 2017.
25. ↑ Accident Report CV-580 N587X , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on May 9, 2020th
26. ↑ Accident Statistics Convair CV-640 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on January 16, 2018.
27. ↑ Accident Report CV-640 N3408 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 3, 2020th
28. ↑ Gradidge, Jennifer M .: The Story Convairliners . Air-Britain (Historians), Tunbridge Wells, 1997, ISBN 0-85130-243-2 , p. 212.
29. ^ Accident report CV-640 CF-PWR , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 2, 2020.
30. ^ Accident report CV-640 HB-IMM , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 14, 2018.
31. ^ Accident report CV-640 7T-VAH , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 3, 2020.
32. ↑ Gradidge, Jennifer M .: The Story Convairliners . Air-Britain (Historians), Tunbridge Wells, 1997, ISBN 0-85130-243-2 , p. 214.
33. ↑ Accident Report CV-640 N3411 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 3, 2020th
34. ↑ Accident Report CV-640 N862FW , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on September 20 of 2019.