LORE
Since the purchase of the A320ERs (A320-235), the Lukrativan people wanted shorter routes with less demand; not at all compatible with the A320. The ERJ series from Embraer were either too small or had too high operating costs, and the CRJs from Mitsubishi weren’t in production. The D-01 was near perfect, and Exulans Airways landed on its brother, the D-02. From the outside, it may look like an off-brand Embraer E170 series, but inside it was very technologically advanced and cheap compared to the value. Passengers reported the D-02 was much more comfortable than competing jets and Exulans Airways started buying more planes from RCP Engineering. The rest hasn’t unfolded yet, but we can tell Exulans Airways will definitely be happy.
SPECS
Engines: GE CF34-10E6
Capacity: 80 (4 abreast, 1-class layout)
Range: ~3,000 mi
THE INCIDENT
Exulans Airways Flight 82 was a scheduled flight between Longyearbyen and Glickheyt operating twice a day. This exact plane, LR-DZT, suffered a de-icing fault. Since the route operated in the very north, de-icing had to be performed for every departure and de-icing systems had to be disengaged at 15,000 feet. Sadly, Flight 82 had an unexpected malfunction on engine 1 (left engine) and outboard left wing due to an electronic problem. The maintenance team said to have fixed it. However, 12 wires were placed improperly by an unruly crew member not familiar with the aircraft. At the time of the incident, 01:20 Central Europe time, the wires failed and caused a malfunction. Warnings did go off but the pilots were already at least 100 miles from any compatible runway. The left engine’s heat kept it from making any frost, but the left outboard wing accumulated ice particles blocking the lights and causing a slight yaw. They declared a mayday to Egilstadir Airport, an airport with sufficient services. It did not have the right amount of runway, but D-02s have landed on runways shorter than that in Eastern Iceland. It was also the closest airport they had, and once they began their approach at 02:53 AM CET, the wing had accumulated around 20 kilograms of ice and caused the drag of one of the seats. Sadly the plane’s left aileron was frozen and forced the wing into the ground on touchdown. Luckily most of the fuel was near the center of the aircraft and the fuel in both wings were dumped. The runway was closed for 1 week and the longest taxiway became the runway. Debris were recovered and the only parts of the plane damaged were the areas beyond the left aileron. The left engine also had a check and some wires were replaced. To this day the route still operates as Flight 82 and people feel good luck when flying on it. As for the plane, it was repaired and returned to service, only on Flight 82. At this point, it’s become a tradition on the airline to return planes which experienced severe incidents to their own routes. The plane is now 10 years old and has been made a symbol of the airline by people worldwide. A charity to preserve LR-DZT in the future was started by the world-renowned King of Lukrativsten, Jaksen Klaadreig (Jaksen I) has received more than 12,000,000 ULC (Cork) or $24,000,000 USD.