Dornier Do 228

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The Dornier Do 228 is a small German twin turboprop STOL-utility aircraft, manufactured by Dornier GmbH (later DASA Dornier, Fairchild-Dornier) from 1981 until 1998. In 1983 Hindustan Aeronautics bought a production licence and manufactures the 228 till this day. Approximately 270 Do 228 were built at Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany and Kanpur, India. In August 2006 a total of 127 Dornier Do 228 aircraft (all variants) remain in airline service.^[1]

LGW (Luftfahrtgesellschaft Walter mbH) Do 228-200.

Flight deck.

Cabin view.

[edit] History

In the late 1970s Dornier GmbH developed a new kind of wing, the TNT ("Tragflügel neuer Technologie"), subsidized by the German Government. Dornier tested it on a modified Do 28D-2Skyservant and with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-110 Turboprop engines. Finally Dornier changed the engine and tested the new aircraft, which was named Do 128 with two Garrett AiResearch TPE-331-5 engines. The company developed a new fuselage for the TNT and TPE 331-5 in two variants (15 and 19 Passenger) and named the both project-aircraft E-1 (later Do 228-100) and E-2 (later Do 228-200). At ILA '80 Dornier presented the new aircraft in public. The both prototypes was flown on March 21, 1981 and May 9, 1981 first time. After the certification the first Do 228 entered service in the fleet of Norving Flyservice in February 1982. Over the years Dornier offered the 228 in upgraded variants and with special equipment for special missions. In 1998 the production line was stopped for better development of the successor Fairchild-Dornier 328.

[edit] Accident summary

Hull-loss accidents: 22 with a total of 109 fatalities
Other occurrences: 1 with a total of 3 fatalities
Unfiled occurrences: 1 with a total of 0 fatalities
Hijackings: 1 with a total of 0 fatalities
Selection of incidents: 3 with a total of 0 fatalities
On 18 September 2006 ten of Nigeria's most senior army commanders died when their military Dornier 228 crashed near the south-eastern town of Obudu. Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo called the crash a "monumental tragedy". Those killed included eight major generals and two brigadier generals.

[edit] Civilian operators

The major operators of the 127 Do 228 aircraft remaining in service in August 2006 include: Dornier Aviation Nigeria (15), Daily Air (5), Dolphin Air (6), Indian Airlines (6), Iran Aseman Airlines (5), Luftfahrtgesellschaft Walter (6), Air Caraïbes (7), Summit Air (7) and Vision Airlines (8). Some 35 other airlines operate smaller numbers of the aircraft.^[1] Cosmic Air, a Nepali airline, for example, operates 3 Do 228's.