ATR 72

infobox Aircraft
name = ATR 72
type = Regional airliner
manufacturer = ATR

---

caption =ATR 72 of Aer Arann at take off
designer =
first flight =October 27 1988
introduced = October 27 1989 (Finnair)
retired =
status =In revenue service
primary user =American Eagle
more users =
produced =
number built =408
unit cost =
developed from = ATR 42
variants with their own articles =

The ATR 72 is a twin-turboprop short-haul regional airliner built in France and Italy by ATR. It seats up to 72 passengers in a single-class configuration and is operated by a two-pilot crew.

Development

The ATR 72 was developed from the ATR 42 by stretching the fuselage by 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in), increasing the wingspan, adding more powerful engines, and increasing fuel capacity by approximately 10 percent. The 72 was announced in 1986, [ [http://www.atraircraft.com/milestone2.htm Detailed Milestones] ] and made its maiden flight on October 27 1988. Exactly one year after that, on October 27, 1989, Finnair became the first company to put the plane into service. [ [http://www.atraircraft.com/ATRprofile.htm ATR Profile] ]

At least 408 ATR 72s have been delivered worldwide with orders pending at least 28 more.

Design

Passengers are boarded using the rear door (which is rare for a passenger plane) as the front door is used to load cargo. Finnair ordered their ATR 72s with front passenger door so they could use the jet bridges at Helsinki-Vantaa airport. [ [http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0290349/M/ Photos: ATR ATR-72-201 Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net ] ]

A tail stand must be installed when passengers are boarding or disembarking to prevent the nose from coming off the ground.

The ATR aircraft does not have an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU), but it has a propeller brake (referred to as "Hotel Mode") that stops the propeller on the #2 (right) engine, allowing the turbine to run and provide air and power to the aircraft without the propeller spinning. This eliminates the need for the added weight and expense of an APU. [http://www.atraircraft.com/downl/ATR%2042-72%20The%20Regional%20Way%202005.pdf] Engines are periodically switched during maintenance to ensure equal wear.

Variants

There are four main variants of the ATR 72:

ATR 72-200

The -200 was the original production version, powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PW124B engines rated at 2400 shp. [ [http://www.atraircraft.com/atr72200_210_ok.htm ATR 72-200] ]

ATR 72-210

The -210, (and with an enlarged cargo door, called the -212), is a -200 with PW127 engines producing 2750 shp each for improved performance in hot and high-altitude conditions.

ATR 72-500

Originally named the -210A and called the -212A by American Eagle, the -500 is an upgraded version of the -210 using six-bladed propellers on otherwise identical PW127F engines. Other improvements include higher maximum weights and superior performance, as well as greater automation of power management to ease pilot workload.

ATR 72-600

On Tuesday 2 October 2007, ATR CEO Stéphane Mayer announced the launch of the -600 series aircraft at a press conference in Washington, D.C.. The new ATR 42-600 and ATR 72-600 will feature the latest technological enhancements while building upon the advantages of the current aircraft. It will include the new PW127M as standard engine. The -600 series ATR aircraft will be introduced during the second half of 2010. [ [http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/170506680.html ATR 42/72-600] ]

Other variants

ATR unveiled a large cargo door modification for all ATR 72 at Farnborough 2002, coupled with a dedicated cargo conversion. FedEx, DHL, and UPS all operate the type. [ [http://www.atraircraft.com/cargo_sol.htm ATR Cargo Solutions] ]

A VIP version of the -500 is available with a luxury interior for executive or corporate transport. [ [http://www.atraircraft.com/atrVIP.htm ATR VIP] ]

An anti-submarine warfare (ASW) variant of the -500 (itself a version of the maritime patrol variant of the ATR 42-500) is also in production [ [http://www.atraircraft.com/atrasw.htm ASW variant] ] and has been selected by the Turkish Navy for ASW and anti-surface warfare (ASuW) duties. Ten aircraft will be delivered to the Turkish Navy by 2010. The aircraft will be armed with anti-surface missiles and torpedoes for ASuW and ASW missions. They will also be equipped with the AMASCOS (Airborne Maritime Situation and Control System) maritime surveillance system of Thales, as well as electronic warfare and reconnaissance systems, and will also be used for maritime search and rescue operations. [ [http://www.deagel.com/Maritime-Patrol-Aircraft/ATR-72-ASW_a000090004.aspx ATR 72-500ASW] ]

Major operators

*Air Algerie (10)
*Aer Arann (9)
*Airlinair (5)
*Air Deccan (8)
*Air Dolomiti (8)
*Air Jamaica (2)
* Air New Zealand -- see Mount Cook Airline (11)
*Air Nostrum (7)
*Air Tahiti(5)
*Alitalia Express (10)
*AMR Eagle Holding Corporation (Executive Air) (39)
*Arkia (4)
*Atlantic Southeast Airlines (12)
*Aurigny Air Services (3)
*Azerbaijan Airlines (6)
*B&H Airlines (2)
*Bangkok Airways (9)
*Binter Canarias (13)
*CCM Airlines (6)
*Cebu Pacific Air (3)
*China Southern Airlines (5)
*Cimber Air (4)
*Conviasa (1)
*Czech Airlines (4)
*Delta Connection
*DOT LT (1)
*Eurolot (8)
*Executive Airlines (American Eagle Airlines) (39)
*Farnair Europe (11)
*FedEx Express (13)
*Finncomm Airlines (9)
*Iran Aseman Airlines (6)
*Jat Airways (5)
*Jet Airways (10)
*Hansung Airlines (4)
*Kingfisher Airlines (12)
*Lot Polish Airlines (8)
*Mount Cook Airline as a subsidiary of Air New Zealand (11)
*Olympic Airlines (7)
*Precisionair (1)
*Santa Barbara Airlines (5)
*Total Linhas Aéreas (2)
*TransAsia Airways (10)
*TRIP Linhas Aéreas (2)
*TACV Cabo Verde Airlines (4)
*UTair (3)
*Vietnam Airlines (10)

47 other airlines also operate the type in smaller numbers.

Major firm orders include:
*Aer Arann (10)
*Air Deccan (27)
*Cebu Pacific Air (6, with options for another 8 aircraft) [cite web|url=http://cebupacificair.com/aboutus/press/2007/05202007.html|title=Cebu Pacific orders up to 14 brand new ATR72-500 aircraft]
*Finncomm Airlines (7)
*Hansung Airlines (20)
*Kingfisher Airlines (31)
*Berjaya Air (4)
*Malaysia Airlines (20, with options for another 15 aircraft)
*Precisionair (3)
*Total Linhas Aéreas (4)
*TRIP Linhas Aéreas (7, with options for 5 more)
*UTair (3)

Accidents and incidents

* American Eagle Flight 4184 crashed due to icing on October 31, 1994 in Roselawn, Indiana. The accident had a significant effect on procedures for dealing with ATR in-flight icing as well as US airlines' utilization of ATR aircraft in specific geographical areas. After a period of mandatory grounding, American Eagle and Delta Connection permanently stopped using the plane on temperate routes. Since the Eagle incidents, ATR has improved the anti-ice boots and the aircraft has had no problems with icing since [http://www.airliners.net/articles/read.main?id=17 ATR from the pilot's perspective] . ATRs are used in the European markets, including the colder regions out of Germany.
*TransAsia Airways (TAA) cargo flight 79, an ATR 72-200, crashed due to icing on December 21 2002 during flight from Taipei to Macau. Both crew members were killed. The plane encountered severe icing conditions beyond the icing certification envelope of the aircraft and crashed into sea 17 km southwest of Makung city. The Aviation Safety Council of Taiwan investigation found that the crash was caused by ice accumulation around the plane's major components, resulting in the aircraft's loss of control. The investigation identified that flight crew did not respond to the severe icing conditions with the appropriate alert situation awareness and did not take the necessary actions. [ [http://www.asc.gov.tw/asc_en/accident_list_2.asp?accident_no=85 Aviation Safety Council-Occurrence Investigations ] ]
* American Eagle Flight 5401 crashed on landing in San Juan, Puerto Rico during a failed go-around attempt on May 9, 2004. Seventeen people were injured, but there were no fatalities.
* On August 6, 2005, a Tuninter ATR 72 en route from Bari, Italy, to Djerba, Tunisia, ditched into the Mediterranean Sea about 18 miles from the city of Palermo. Sixteen of the 39 people on board died.Fact|date=February 2008 The accident resulted from engine fuel starvation due to the installation of ATR 42 fuel quantity indicators in the ATR 72.Fact|date=February 2008
* On August 24, 2008, an Air Dolomiti ATR 72 en route from Munich, Germany, to Bologna, Italy, abandoned take off after the pilot announced a smoke alarm. The airline treated the plane's evacuation as a mild incident. But on August 26, an amateur video, filmed by a bystander, showed 60 passengers jumping from and fleeing the burning plane before fire department workers extinguish the flames. [ [http://www.thelocal.de/13931/20080826/ Amateur films flaming plane at Munich airport ] ]

pecifications (72-500)

aircraft specifications

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop

ref=ATR website [cite web
url=http://www.atraircraft.com/public/atr/html/products/products.php?aid=506
title=ATR 72-500 - Products - ATR
last=
first=
date=
accessdate=2007-07-19
work=
publisher=]

crew=2
capacity=62-74 passengers
length main=27.166 m
length alt=89 ft 2 in
span main=27.050 m
span alt=88 ft 9 in
height main=7.650 m
height alt=25 ft 1 in
area main=61.00 m²
area alt=656.6 ft²
airfoil=
empty weight main=12,950 kg
empty weight alt=28,550 lb
loaded weight main=22,970 kg
loaded weight alt=50,640 lb
useful load main=7,850 kg
useful load alt=17,306 lb
max takeoff weight main=22,800 kg
max takeoff weight alt=50,265 lb
more general=

engine (jet)=
type of jet=
number of jets=
thrust main=
thrust alt=
thrust original=
afterburning thrust main=
afterburning thrust alt=
engine (prop)=Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127F
type of prop=6 blade Hamilton Standard 568F
number of props=2
power main=1,846 kW
power alt=2,475 hp
power original=

max speed main=
max speed alt=
cruise speed main=511 km/h
cruise speed alt=276 knots, 318 mph
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
range main=1,650 km
range alt=890 nm, 1,020 mi
ceiling main=7,000 m
ceiling alt=21,000 ft
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=

armament=

avionics=

pecifications

References

External links

* [http://www.atraircraft.com Official site]
* [http://www.skycontrol.net/business-general-aviation/atr-launches-the-%E2%80%98-600-series%E2%80%99-aircraft/ ATR -600 Series launch announcement]

ee also

aircontent
related=
* ATR 42

similar aircraft=
* Antonov An-24
* Antonov An-140
* Ilyushin Il-114
* BAe ATP
* de Havilland Canada Dash 8
* Dornier 328
* Fokker F27 and F50
* Saab 2000 and 340
* Xian MA60

sequence=
* ATR-42 - ATR 72

lists=

see also=