Scottish Aviation had taken over production of the original Jetstream design from Handley Page, and when it was nationalised along with other British companies into British Aerospace (later BAE Systems) in 1978, British Aerospace decided the design was worth further development, and started work on a "Mark 3" Jetstream. As with the earlier 3M version for the USAF, the new version was re-engined with newer Garrett turboprops (now Honeywell TPE331) which offered more power (flat rated to 1,020 shp/760 kW with a thermodynamic limit of 1,100 shp/820 kW) and longer overhaul intervals over the original Turbomeca Astazou engines. This allowed the aircraft to be offered in an 18-seat option (six rows, 2+1), with an offset aisle, and with a water methanol option for the engine to allow the ability to operate at maximum load from a greater range of airfields, particularly in the continental United States and Australia.
The result was the Jetstream 31, which first flew on 28 March 1980,[1] being certificated in the UK on 29 June 1982. The new version proved to be as popular as Handley Page hoped the original model would be, and several hundred 31s were built during the 1980s. In 1985, a further engine upgrade was planned, which flew in 1988 as the Jetstream Super 31, also known as the Jetstream 32. Production continued until 1993, by which time 386 31/32s had been produced. Four Jetstream 31s were ordered for the Royal Navy in 1985 as radar observer trainers, the Jetstream T.3, but were later used for VIP transport.
In 1993, British Aerospace adopted the Jetstream name as its brand name for all twin turboprop aircraft. As well as the Jetstream 31 and Jetstream 32, it also built the related Jetstream 41 and the unrelated, but co-branded BAe ATP/Jetstream 61. The Jetstream 61 name was never used in service, and retained its "ATP" marketing name. The company also proposed but never built the Jetstream 51 and Jetstream 71.[2]
A Pascan Bae Jetstream 32 at Aéroport Montréal Saint-Hubert LongueuilProCharter Zambia 9J-PCU at Mfuwe Airport
In July 2019, 70 Jetstream 31s were in airline service: 49 in the Americas, 15 in Europe, 5 in Asia-Pacific and 1 in Africa. Airline operators with five or more aircraft were:[3]
On May 26, 1987, a Continental Express flight, operated by Air New Orleans as flight 2962 (registration N331CY), crash landed just after takeoff from New Orleans International Airport. The plane crashed into eight lanes of traffic and subsequently injured two persons on the ground. All 11 occupants survived.[4] The cause of the crash was attributed to pilot error, including failing to follow checklists.[5][6]
On 26 December 1989, United Express Flight 2415 operated by N410UE of North Pacific Airlines crashed short of the runway at Tri-Cities Airport, Washington, USA. The crew executed an excessively steep and unstabilized ILS approach. That approach, along with improper air traffic control commands and aircraft icing, caused the aircraft to stall. Both crew members and all four passengers were killed.[7]
On 21 May 2000, an East Coast Aviation Services Jetstream (N16EJ) crashed into terrain after running out of fuel on the flight's second approach into Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, killing all 19 occupants.[11]
On 8 March 2012, BAe Jetstream 3102 G-CCPW of Links Air, operating Manx2 Flight 302 from Leeds Bradford Airport, United Kingdom to Ronaldsway Airport, Isle of Man, departed the runway on landing at Ronaldsway. The aircraft was substantially damaged when the starboard undercarriage collapsed.[13] There were no injuries amongst the twelve passengers and two crew.[14]
Following the 8 March 2012 crash, the same BAe Jetstream 3102 suffered a similar incident, again operated by Links Air under a new registration, when it crashed at Doncaster's Robin Hood Airport on a flight from Belfast on 15 August 2014. This further incident came after reported problems with its undercarriage while landing.[15] The single passenger was taken to hospital for reported minor injuries.
On 12 October 2014, an engine of a Jetstream 32 aircraft belonging to Air Century Airlines caught fire while landing after a charter flight from Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico to Puntacana international airport in the Dominican Republic. The aircraft was destroyed in the subsequent fire. There were no injuries among the 13 passengers and two crew members on the flight.[16]
On 23 January 2024, a Jetstream aircraft operating as Northwestern Air Flight 738 crashed just after takeoff 500 meters from the runway of Fort Smith Airport while carrying out a charter flight to the Diavik Diamond Mine on behalf of Rio Tinto. Of the 7 people on board, 4 passengers and 2 crew were killed. 1 passenger survived and was transported to hospital in Yellowknife, N.W.T.[17][18]
Specifications (Jetstream 31)
Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft, 1988–1989[1]
^Thisdell and Seymour Flight International 30 July –5 August 2019, p. 35.
^Kent, Jennifer C. (27 May 1987). "Plane bounces into traffic at Kenner; 13 hurt". The Baton Rouge Advocate. pp. 1A.
^"Crash blamed on pilot error". The Baton Rouge Advocate. 13 April 1988. pp. 16C.
^"Aircraft Accident Report - Air New Orleans, DBA Continental Express Flight 962, British Aerospace 3101 (Jetstream 31) N331CY, New Orleans International Airport, Kenner, Louisiana, May 26, 1987". NTRL.ntis.gov. 1988. Retrieved 4 May 2022. The report describes an accident in which an emergency landing was made because of severe yawing and engine torque fluctuation during climbout. It reviews evidence indicating that the probable cause of the accident was breakdown of the flightcrew coordination, which resulted in their failure to comply with the Before Takeoff Checklist and advance the RPM levels to the high RPM position, and the flightcrew's failure to diagnose and remedy engine oscillations on initial climbout. Crew training and checklist design are discussed and a safety recommendation is made to the Federal Aviation Administration regarding criteria for the type size of the checklist.
.jpg)
.jpg)
