The ATR 72 is the result of an Italian and French venture to build a twin-engine turboprop commuter plane that could carry at least 72 passengers. The larger-capacity regional airline is still in use today. But some people are questioning why the ATR 72 is still in service. The aging craft’s safety record has been plummeting in recent years. Since 1995, the plane has experienced catastrophic flight control problems due to a failure to deice the wings during flight.
In total, the ATR 72 is responsible for 46 crashes or incidents. Eleven of the failures caused fatalities, and at least three were due to de-icing problems. The most severe crashes killed 68, everyone on board, when it crashed in the U.S. in 1994, and in Cuba in 2010. In 2018, everyone on board was killed when a ATR 72 crashed into Mount Dena in Iran. Sixty-six people died.
The Ilyushin Il-62
When the Ilyushin Il-62 came out in 1963, it was the largest and fastest jet airliner in the world. Developed by Ilyushin Aviation Complex, it could carry up to 200 passengers. In 1967, it performed its maiden international passenger service flight, and, in 1977, the Il-62 broke five all-time speed and range records. In all, 292 were built.
Unfortunately, major problems plagued the Il-62. Engines were not only unreliable, but design errors worsened the situation. The engines were placed dangerously close to each other, and the failure of one engine could cause other engines to fail. Outdated systems, like the lack of a duplicate aircraft control system, placed the Soviet’s craft in last. It lagged so far behind Western technology that it lacked mandatory aircraft control systems of the West.
The F2A-3 Brewster Buffalo
The Brewster Aeronautical Corporation was the brainchild behind the F2A-3, one of the first and one of the worst WWII fighter aircraft. The Brewster Buffalo looked slick with its single wing, as opposed to the more common, bulky biplane. It beat out the Grumman F4F Wildcat in 1939 to become the U.S. Navy’s first single-wing fighter plane. All these “firsts” did not add up to “best.” It was unstable and overweight and lagged far behind the Japanese A6M.
The Brewster Buffalo was built by a former carriage and automobile manufacturer in 1938, a time when technology was rapidly improving. By 1941, U.S. Marines hated the Buffalo as it was outmatched by Japanese fighters whose battles made the Brewster’s F2A-3 obsolete. A report by Navy pilot Capt. Phil White stated, “Any commander who orders pilots out in [a Buffalo] should consider the pilot lost before leaving the ground. It is inferior to the planes we are fighting in every aspect.”
The Heinkel He-162
The He-162 started out as a promising little craft, sturdily built with a streamlined modern fuselage and designed for an excellent performance. Hitler Germany’s Volksjäger, the “people’s fighter,” was a single-engine jet-powered fighter with wood construction, as metals were in short supply due to the war effort. Its first flight took off in 1944.
The race to get the fighter planes out caused the craft’s difficulties, but its design was sound. A rudder assembly broke off to cause one crash. Flameouts and structural failures caused at least 13 losses. An ineffective glue was responsible for some structural damage. Some pilots were killed due to the limited fuel capacity of the He-162. After 30 minutes it ran dry and pilots were not able to land successfully.
The Fairey Battle
The Royal Air Force regretted ever ordering the Fairey Battle. By its first battle in 1937, the WWII fighter plane was obsolete. The British single-engine light bomber was manufactured by the Fairey Aviation Company. The head of Fairey complained that the specifications for the plane by the Air Ministry were not possible but offered an alternative design which was accepted by the ministry.
The very modern-looking aircraft was powered by a Rolls Royce engine and could carry six 250 lbs. bombs. The three-seater held a gunner seat with one machine gun. Compared to other fighters, it was weak on firepower and much slower, causing it to be easily shot down. The enemy fighters flew 100 mph faster than the RAF’s anachronistic Battle. In all, 2,201 were built. Many were lost. In May 1940, for instance, 60 of 118 Fairey Battles were lost in four days. The same losses were endured in four separate combat missions.