A group of former Eclipse Aviation workers seem to have launched a company called Eclipse 500 Services to provide maintenance for Eclipse 500 very light jets, according to Aviation International News.
The contact information lists an Albuquerque phone number, but has no information identifying the principals of the company.
But the company offers maintenance, inspections, service bulletin compliance, downloads, nav databases and upgrades.
Eclipse Aviation is in Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
The Cessna SkyCatcher that crashed in an open field in Butler County last week did not recover from a planned rapid and disorienting spin during spin testing, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board said. The pilot was uninjured.
Cessna spokesman Doug Oliver said it is too soon to say what this will mean to the plane’s delivery schedule. Deliveries had been slated to begin later this year.
“All I can tell you is that were committed to the program,” Oliver said.
The plane was not required to undergo spin testing for its certification.
“Cessna traditionally tests well above standards, and that’s what we were doing here,” Oliver said.
It’s the second time the SkyCatcher has had problems in spin testing. In September, another test pilot bailed out of the plane after a SkyCatcher had problems during spin test maneuvers. In response, the company had enlarged the plane’s tail.
It’s too soon to say what kinds of changes may now be made in the SkyCatcher’s design, the company said.
The accident occurred on March 18.
The SkyCatcher’s test pilot deployed the plane’s parachute after he applied spin recovery controls, and the airplane continued to spin without response, the NTSB’s report said.
After the parachute deployed, the plane became stabilized. The pilot tried to jettison the parachute several times, but was unsuccessful. He then opened the door to bailout and use a personal parachute, but was the plane was too low to the ground and he elected to stay with the aircraft.
Spin testing was largely the last part of the flight test program.
