Saab 340

Saab 340

Estonian Air Saab 340A
Role	Passenger aircraft/Airliner
National origin	Sweden
Manufacturer	Saab
First flight	25 January 1983
Introduction	1983
Status	Out of production, in active service
Primary users	Regional Express Airlines SkyBahamas Airlines Silver Airways Loganair
Produced	1983–1999
Number built	459
Variants	Saab 340 AEW&C
Developed into	Saab 2000

The Saab 340 is a Swedish twin-engine turboprop aircraft designed and initially produced by a partnership between Saab AB and Fairchild Aircraft in a 65:35 ratio. Under the initial plan Saab built the all-aluminium fuselage and vertical stabilizer, and also performed final assembly in Linköping, Sweden, while Fairchild was responsible for the wings, empennage, and wing-mounted nacelles for the two turboprop engines. After Fairchild ceased this work, production of these parts was shifted to Sweden.

The aircraft first flew on 25 January 1983. Production of the Saab 340 ended in 1998.^[1]

Design and development

Originally designated the SF340, the aircraft first flew on 25 January 1983. When Fairchild exited the aircraft manufacturing business in 1985 after about 40 units, Saab dropped the name Fairchild from the project and continued aircraft production under the designation Saab 340A and 159 A models were built. An improved version, the second generation 340B, introduced more powerful engines and wider horizontal stabilizers in 1989 and the later 340Bs also had an active noise control system. 200 aircraft were built. The final third generation version, the 340B Plus, was delivered for service in 1994 and incorporated improvements that were being introduced at the same time in the Saab 2000. 100 aircraft were built adding up to a total of 300 B models. The Saab 340 typically seated between 30 and 36 passengers, with 34 seats being the most common configuration. The last two 340s built were constructed as older configuration 36-seat aircraft for Japan Air Commuter.

One of the improvements introduced in the 340B Plus was the installation of an active noise and vibration control system in the cabin, reducing noise and vibration levels by about ten dB during cruising flight. This optional feature carried over from the 340B was standard in the 340B Plus along with extended wingtips which was an option on the 340B, about 30 aircraft having the WT option.^[2] Another change from earlier models was a more modern interior design and the moving of the lavatory compartment from the aft of the passenger cabin to just aft of the flight deck in most 3rd generation units. This increased total available cargo volume as the original location intruded into the cargo bin area. While the active noise control became standard on all Saab 340Bs in 1994 the first-ever 340B Plus (third B+ built) was delivered new to Hazelton Airlines in Australia in 1995, later operating for Regional Express, and currently for the Japanese Coast Guard.

The military variants are the Saab 340AEW, 340AEW-200 & 340AEW-300, which are airborne early warning (AEW) and airborne early warning & control (AEW&C) aircraft. Production of all 340 models ended in 1999, and Saab ceased all civil aircraft production in 2005.

Variants

Hokkaido Air System Saab 340B+ WT.

LADE Saab 340B

Saab 340A: 30- to 36-seat commuter airliner, powered by two 1,735shp (1215kW) General-Electric CT7-5A2 turboprop engines. (340A-001 to 340A-159) Available in passenger, VIP and cargo.
Saab 340B: 33- to 36-seat commuter airliner, powered by two 1,870shp (1394kW) General-Electric CT7-9B turboprop engines. (340B-160 to 340B-359)
Saab Tp 100: VIP transport version of the Saab 340B and B Plus for the Swedish Air Force.
Saab Tp 100A: VIP transport version of the Saab 340B
Saab OS 100: Single Tp 100A modified into an Open Skies aircraft.
Saab 340B Plus: Improved version of the Saab 340B. Some have extended wingtips. (340B-360 to 340B-459)
Saab 340B plus SAR-200: Maritime search and rescue version for the Japan Coast Guard. Extended Wingtips fitted.

Saab 340AF (cargo)

Saab 340A QC: Quick-change freight transport version

TP 100C

Saab 340 AEW&C: Airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) version
Saab 340 MSA: Maritime Security Aircraft for multi-role surveillance for detection, classification and identification of maritime contacts and can also be used as a Search-And-Rescue aircraft.; Can be fitted with an auxiliary fuel tank for extended operation.

A stretched version of the aircraft, being the Saab 2000, was also produced.

Operators

Main article: List of Saab 340 operators

As of July 2015, Saab Aircraft AB reports there were 373 Saab 340s in service with 49 operators around the world having accumulated 15,317,000 flight hours.^[3] SAAB is considering extending the airframe lifespan, which was initially 60,000 hours and 90,000 cycles, up to 75,000 hours. The most used aircraft in the fleet (-023), as of January 2013, had reached approximately 62,000 hours and over 63,000 cycles and has reached the end of its airframe lifespan.^[4]

Nine SAAB 340s have been written off in accidents, six of them without fatalities.^[5]

Accidents and incidents

Between 1983 and 2013, there were 13 hull loss accidents involving the Saab 340 series aircraft, resulting in the deaths of 48 people.^[6]

21 February 1990: The undercarriage was accidentally retracted on a Crossair Saab 340A, on the apron at Zürich Airport. No fatalities, aircraft destroyed.^[6] The captain involved was killed in a subsequent crash in 2001.
2 January 1993: Express Airlines Saab 340A crashed hard onto the runway at Chisholm-Hibbing Municipal Airport due to wing ice accretion. No fatalities, aircraft destroyed.^[6]
4 April 1994: KLM Cityhopper Flight 433 suffered engine problems, stalled and struck the ground while landing at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The aircraft broke apart on impact. Three people were killed.^[6]
14 May 1997: Pilots of Regional Líneas Aéreas 340B landing at Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport were not aware of runway construction work. Aircraft plowed through trench, shearing off the undercarriage. No deaths.^[6]
19 March 1998: Formosa Airlines 340B crashed into the ocean 11 km off the city of Hsinchu in Taiwan, caused by electrical fault and disorientation of crew. 13 people killed.^[6]
10 January 2000: After taking off from Zürich Airport, Crossair Flight 498 banked steeply and entered a high-speed spiral dive, crashing into a field in Niederhasli. All ten people on board were killed.^[6]
21 March 2000: American Eagle Airlines 340B overshot the runway at Killeen Municipal Airport, crashing into a ditch. No fatalities.^[6]
6 September 2001: Aerolitoral Airlines 340B made an emergency belly landing in farmland after running out of fuel near the Las Palmas River, in Mexico. No fatalities. Aircraft written off and scrapped.^[6]
8 June 2005: Shuttle America 340A, operating as United Express Airlines reported undercarriage problems on approach to Washington Dulles International Airport. Undercarriage collapsed on landing, aircraft skidded off the runway, and onto grass. No fatalities, aircraft damaged beyond repair.^[6]
18 May 2011: Sol Líneas Aéreas Flight 5428 en route from Neuquén to Comodoro Rivadavia, a Saab 340A (LV-CEJ), crashed in Prahuaniyeu, Rio Negro Province, Argentina, causing 22 fatalities.^[7]^[8]^[9]
14 June 2013: SkyBahamas Airlines Flight 9561 from Fort Lauderdale to Marsh Harbour attempted to land on Marsh Harbour's runway 09 but touched down hard, bounced four times until the right wing detached, and veered right, off the runway. The Saab SF-340B came to a stop with the right wing fractured and right main gear collapsed. No injuries, aircraft received substantial damage.^[10]
21 February 2016: A Regional Express Airlines Saab 340B, registered VH-ZLA, was forced to take evasive action to avoid a glider while operating from Orange Airport. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) says the Rex aircraft was climbing through 7,500 ft after departing Orange when the crew sighted the glider in “close proximity”, and took evasive action.^[11]

Specifications (340B)

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1993–94^[12] and ^[13]

General characteristics

Crew: two pilots, one flight attendant
Capacity: 34 passengers
Length: 19.73 m (64 ft 8¾ in)
Wingspan: 21.44 m (70 ft 4 in)
Height: 6.97 m (22 ft 10½ in)
Wing area: 41.81 m² (450.0 sq ft)
Airfoil: NASA MS(1)-0313
Empty weight: 8,140 kg (17,945 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 13,155 kg (29,000 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × General Electric CT7-9B turboprops, 1,305 kW (1,750 shp) (take-off) each
Propellers: Dowty Rotol or Hamilton Standard 14RF19 four-blade constant speed propeller, 1 per engine
- Propeller diameter: 3.35 m (11 ft 0 in)

Performance

Never exceed speed: 522 km/h (282 knots, 325 mph)
Maximum speed: 502 km/h (271 knots, 312 mph) (V_MO) (IAS), 0.5 Mach M_MO
Cruise speed: 467 km/h (252 knots, 290 mph) at 7,620 m (25,000 ft) (range cruise)
Stall speed: 164 km/h (88 knots, 102 mph) (landing flaps)
Range: 1732 km (935 nmi, 1076 mi)
Service ceiling: 7,620 m (25,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 10.2 m/s (2,000 ft/min)

References

↑ "Saab 340 history". Airliners.net. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
↑ Halvorsen W. and Emborg U., Interior Noise Control of the Saab 340, SAE Technical Paper 891080, 1989
↑ "saabaircraft.com". Retrieved 5 July 2015.
↑ Reed Business Information Limited. "Saab considers 340 cycle programme extension". Retrieved 5 July 2015.
↑ Harro Ranter. "Aviation Safety Network > ASN Aviation Safety Database > ASN Aviation Safety Database results". Retrieved 5 July 2015.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Saab 340 Crash Record". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
↑ "Plane crashes in Argentina, 22 dead: hospital". Reuters. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
↑ "Passenger plane crashes in Argentina: local TV." Reuters. May 19, 2011. Retrieved on May 19, 2011.
↑ Warren, Michael (19 May 2011). "22 Dead in Plane Crash in Argentine Patagonia". The Guardian. Associated Press. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
↑ http://avherald.com/h?article=463cfa1c&opt=1 Retrieved 14 June 2013
↑ "Rex Saab 340 in near-miss with glider". Flight Global. Retrieved 29 Feb 2016.
↑ Lambert 1993, pp. 352–354.
↑ http://www.saabaircraftleasing.com/prod/dataSheets/340A_JAR.pdf

Magnusson, Michael. Saab 340 & Saab 2000 – The Untold Story. Stockholm, Sweden: Aviatic Förlag, 2014. ISBN 978-9186642051
Lambert, Mark (ed.). Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1993–94. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Data Division, 1993. ISBN 0-7106-1066-1.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saab 340.

SAAB/Saab aircraft

Military aircraft	17 18 21 21R 29 32 35 36 37 38 39 105 210 Tp 100A/C S 100B/D

Civil aircraft	90 91 107 340/340 AEW&C 2000 MFI-15

Aircraft names	Argus Draken Gripen Lansen Safir Safari Scandia Tunnan Viggen

Swedish Air Force military aircraft designations 1940–present

1-25	B/S/T/Tp 16 Sk 16 B/S 17 B/S/T 18 J 19 J 20 A/J 21 A/J 21R J/S 22 J 23 B/J 24 Tp 24 Sk 25

26-50	Sk 26 B/S 26 J/S 26 J 27 A/J/Sk 28 A/J/S 29 J 30 S 31 A/J/S 32 J 33 J 34 J/S/Sk 35 A 36 AJ/JA 37 A/Sk 38 JAS 39 Tp 45 Tp 46 Tp 47 Sk 50

51-100	Fpl 51 Tp 52 Tp 53 Fpl 54 Tp 54 Tp 55 Sk 60 Sk/Fpl 61 Tp 78 Tp 79 Tp 80 Tp 81 Tp 82 Tp 83 Tp 84 Tp 85 Tp 86 Tp 87 Tp 88 Tp 89 Tp 91

100-	Tp 100 Tp 101 Tp 102 Tp 103

Authority control	GND: 4463841-3

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