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The Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia is a twin-turboprop commuter airliner, produced by Embraer of Brazil.

EMB-120 Brasilia
United Express operated by SkyWest
Role	Turboprop Regional airliner Type of aircraft
National origin	Brazil
Manufacturer	Embraer
First flight	July 27, 1983
Introduction	October, 1985
Status	In Service
Primary users	Brazilian Air Force Ameriflight Swiftair
Produced	1983–2001
Number built	357[1]

Design and development

After the success of the EMB 110 Bandeirante, Embraer began the development of their first transport category airliner in 1974. The Family 12X comprised three models with modular concept designs: EMB 120 Araguaia, EMB 123 Tapajós and EMB 121 Xingu. EMB 121 was the sole 12X model effectively produced. Araguaia's name was changed to Brasilia in 1979 at the official launching of the project, when at a CAAA (Commuter Airline Association of America) convention several suggestions from prospective operators were collected and incorporated to EMB 120 design. Thus, a completely new aircraft – no longer related to the 12X family – was launched. No common parts from EMB 121 Xingu were used, and the capacity was revised from 24 to 30 seats. Originally designed to utilise the new 1500 shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PW115 turboprop, it was later upgraded to the 1892 eshp PW118.[2]

The Brasilia attracted immediate interest from many regional airlines, particularly in the US. The size, speed and ceiling allowed faster and more direct services around the US and Europe, compared to similar aircraft. The first aircraft entered service with Atlantic Southeast Airlines in October 1985. The basic EMB 120RT was upgraded to the extended range (1,575 km) EMB 120 ER, with older aircraft retrofitted via a Service Bulletin.[3]

Operational history

Most of the EMB 120s were sold in the United States and other destinations in the Western Hemisphere. Some European airlines such as Régional in France, Atlant-Soyuz Airlines in Russia, DAT in Belgium, and DLT in Germany also purchased EMB-120s, although the Angolan Air Force, for example, received new EMB 120s in 2007.[4]

Great Lakes Airlines operated six EMB 120s in its fleet, and Ameriflight flies 10 as freighters.

Variants

EMB 120

Basic production version.

EMB 120ER

Extended range and increased capacity version. All EMB-120ER S/Ns may be converted into the model EMB-120FC or into the model EMB-120QC.[5]

EMB 120FC

Full cargo version.

EMB 120QC

Quick change cargo version.

EMB 120RT

Transport version. All EMB-120RT S/Ns may be converted into the model EMB-120ER.[5]

VC-97

VIP transport version for the Brazilian Air Force.

Operators

Civil operators

As of July 2018, 105 Brasilias were in airline service: 45 in North/South America, 26 in Africa, 14 in Europe and 20 in Asia-Pacific, with major operators:[6]

• Ameriflight (16 freighters)
• Swiftair (10, including 8 freighters)
• Freight Runners Express (9 passenger and freighters)
• Airnorth (7)
• InterCaribbean Airways (7)
• Skippers Aviation, Freedom Airlines Express (6)
• Berry Aviation (freighters, on demand cargo)
• Budapest Aircraft Service (4)
• Allegiance Air (2)

Military operators

 Brazil

• Brazilian Air Force - 20 transports[7]

 Uruguay

• Uruguayan Air Force - 1 transport[7]

Specifications (EMB 120)

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1988-89[8]

General characteristics

• Crew: 2 pilots and 1 flight attendant
• Capacity: 30 passengers
• Length: 20 m (65 ft 7 in)
• Wingspan: 19.78 m (64 ft 11 in)
• Height: 6.35 m (20 ft 10 in)
• Wing area: 39.4 m² (424 sq ft)
• Airfoil: root: NACA 23018 mod.; tip: NACA 23012[9]
• Empty weight: 7,070 kg (15,587 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 11,500 kg (25,353 lb) (RT)
• Maximum Landing Weight: 11,250 kg (24,802 lb) (RT)
• Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PW118 / Pratt & Whitney Canada PW118A / Pratt & Whitney Canada PW118B turboprop engines, 1,340 kW (1,800 hp) each
• Propellers: 4-bladed 4-bladed Hamilton Standard 14RF19,[10] constant-speed fully-feathering propellers

Performance

• Maximum speed: 608 km/h (378 mph, 328 kn) at 6,100 m (20,013 ft)
• Cruise speed: 552 km/h (343 mph, 298 kn)
• Stall speed: 162 km/h (101 mph, 87 kn) (flaps down) (CAS)
• Range: 1,750 km (1,090 mi, 940 nmi) (30 passengers, reserves for 185 km (115 mi; 100 nmi) divert and 45 minute hold)
• Service ceiling: 9,085 m (29,806 ft)
  
• Take-off run: 1,420 m (4,659 ft)

Avionics

• Collins 5-screen Electronic Flight Instrument System
• Dual autopilots

Accidents and incidents

• On September 19, 1986, an Atlantic Southeast Airlines EMB 120RT (N219AS) struck a mountain near Mantiqueira, Brazil, while being delivered to Atlantic Southeast, killing all five on board.[11]
• On December 21, 1987, an Embraer 120 Brazilia operated by Air Littoral for Air France (flight AF 1919 Brussels-Bordeaux) crashed in a forest during a wrong approach of Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport (South-West of France). All 16 occupants died.[12]
• On July 8, 1988, Brazilian Air Force Embraer EMB 120RT Brasília FAB-2001 crashed during an engine-out landing at São José dos Campos. Five of the 9 occupants died.[13]
• On April 5, 1991, Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311, operating for Delta Connection, crashed on approach to Glynco Jetport in Brunswick, Georgia. The crash claimed the lives of all twenty-three people on board, including former U.S. Senator John Tower of Texas and astronaut Sonny Carter. This was due to propeller control failure which led to incorrect propeller blade angles.
• On September 11, 1991, Continental Express Flight 2574 broke up in flight and crashed at Eagle Lake, Texas, killing all 14 passengers and crew members. The NTSB determined that missing screws on the horizontal stabilizer led to part of it detaching from the aircraft.[14]
• On August 21, 1995, one of the blades on Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529's number-one propeller sheared off, partly tearing the left engine from its mount and increasing drag on the left side. It crashed in a field near Carrollton, Georgia. Of the twenty-nine people on board, ten died (one casualty was from a heart attack nearly 8 weeks after the accident).
• On January 9, 1997, Comair Flight 3272 crashed in Monroe, Michigan. All of the 29 passengers and crew died. The probable cause was in-flight icing.
• On May 21, 1997, SkyWest Airlines Flight 724, an Embraer EMB-120 (N198SW), experienced a total loss of engine power to the right engine and associated engine fire, followed by a total loss of all airplane hydraulic systems, after takeoff from San Diego International-Lindbergh Field, San Diego, California. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The 2 pilots, 1 flight attendant, and 14 passengers were not injured. The flight was destined for Los Angeles, California. It diverted to NAS Miramar, San Diego, where it landed at 14:27 hrs.
• On October 21, 1998, a Capital Táxi Aéreo EMB 120RT Brasilia registration PT-WKH crashed due to pilot error during final approach to Pinto Martins International Airport. The two-man crew and one passenger on board were killed, along with one person on the ground. Seven more people were injured.[15]
• On August 30, 2002, Rico Linhas Aéreas Flight 4823 operated by an Embraer EMB 120ER Brasília (registration PT-WRQ), en route from Cruzeiro do Sul and Tarauacá to Rio Branco crashed on approach to Rio Branco during a rainstorm, 1,5 km short of the runway. Of the 31 passengers and crew aboard, 23 died.[16]
• On May 14, 2004, Rico Linhas Aéreas Flight 4815 operated by an Embraer EMB 120ER Brasília (registration PT-WRO), en route from São Paulo de Olivença and Tefé to Manaus crashed in the forest about 18 nmi (33 km; 21 mi) from Manaus. All 33 passengers and crew died in the worst-ever accident involving the EMB 120.[17]
• On March 22, 2010, an Airnorth EMB 120 (VH-ANB) took off approximately 10.10am (ACST) from Darwin International Airport on a routine simulated engine-failure training exercise known as a V1 cut when it apparently banked sharply to the left and crashed into the nearby bushland at RAAF Base Darwin.[18] The two pilots on board were killed instantly.[19][20][21][22]
• On September 14, 2011, Angolan Air Force Embraer 120ER T-500 crashed while attempting to take off from Huambo Airport, killing 17 of 23 on board.[23]
• On October 12, 2011, a Nationale Regionale Transport EMB-120, registration ZS-PYO (MSN: 120245) performing a charter flight from Libreville to Port Gentil (Gabon), overran runway 21's end and came to a stop with the nose gear intact, both main gear struts bent backwards causing the engines to "pitch down" together with the wings. A few passengers sustained minor injuries, but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair and was written off.[24][25]
• On November 27, 2012, an Inter Îles Air Embraer EMB 120ER Brasilia (registration number D6-HUA) was underway from Moroni to Anjouan (both in Comoros Islands) on a charter flight with 25 passengers and 4 crew, when after taking off from Moroni's Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport it lost height, and while attempting to return to the airport, waterlanded 200 m (660 ft) off the coast, about 5 km north of the airport. Local fishermen rescued everybody on board. There were only minor injuries, but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair and was written off.[26][27]
• On October 3, 2013, Associated Aviation Flight 361, an EMB 120RT (5N-BJY), was involved in a crash on takeoff from Lagos Airport bound for Akure. The aircraft was on a charter flight taking the body of the former Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Agagu for burial. There were at least 16 reported fatalities amongst passengers travelling in the burial party. Two people who survived the crash died later in hospital.[28][29]
• On October 12, 2017, an Air Guicango EMB-120 (D2-FDO) crashed en route from Dundo to Luanda (both in Angola). Crew declared engine failure and fire prior to losing radio contact. The wreckage was located the following day with no survivors.[30]
• On May 4, 2020, an African Express Airways EMB-120 (5Y-AXO), operating a flight to Baidoa from Mogadishu, was reportedly shot down by a rocket in Somalia. This aircraft was carrying medical aids to fight COVID-19. A total of six people on board died after crash landing near Bardale.[31][32]

Preserved aircraft

• PT-ZBA 120001 Brasília's first prototype preserved at Brazilian Airspace Memorial at the entrance of São José dos Campos airport and Embraer plant.[33]

See also

Related development

• Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante
• Embraer EMB 121 Xingu
• Embraer/FMA CBA 123 Vector
• Embraer ERJ family

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Saab 340
• De Havilland Canada Dash 8 100/200
• Dornier 328
• British Aerospace Jetstream 41

References

• Thisdell, Dan; Morris, Rob (21 August – 3 September 2018). "World Airliner Census". Flight International. pp. 24–47. ISSN 0015-3710.

External links

• "Airport Planning Manual" (PDF). Embraer. 30 Oct 2000.

На других языках

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[de] Embraer EMB 120

Die Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia ist ein 30-sitziges Regionalflugzeug des brasilianischen Flugzeugbauers Embraer.

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- [en] Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia

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[fr] Embraer EMB 120

L'Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia est un avion bi-turbopropulseur de 30 places fabriqué par Embraer à São José dos Campos dans l'État de São Paulo. C'est un dérivé de l'Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante.

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[it] Embraer EMB 120

L'Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia è un bimotore turboelica di linea, monoplano ad ala bassa, sviluppato dall'azienda brasiliana Embraer negli anni ottanta.

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[ru] Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia

Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia — региональный турбовинтовой пассажирский самолёт. Может перевозить до 30 пассажиров. Производился компанией Embraer, Бразилия. Первый полёт совершил 27 июля 1983 года.

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