Berry Aviation
{{short description|American charter airline}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = Berry Aviation, Inc
| logo = Berry Aviation Logo.gif
| logo_size = 250
| fleet_size = 25
| destinations =
| IATA = -
| ICAO = BYA
| callsign = BERRY
| parent = AGC Aerospace & Defense{{Cite web|url=https://acorngrowthcompanies.com/portfolio|title=Portfolio of Companies|website=Acorn Growth}}
| founded = 1983
| headquarters = San Marcos, Texas, United States
| key_people = Stanley Finch, CEO/President
| bases = HYI, CAK, ABQ, DTO
| hubs = San Marcos Municipal Airport, Akron-Canton Airport
| focus_cities =
| alliance =
| website = http://www.berryaviation.com
}}
Berry Aviation, Inc is an American charter airline with its headquarters based in San Marcos, Texas. It operates charters for the US Department of Defense in multiple locations worldwide and Part 135 On-Demand Cargo across North America and the Caribbean. It was founded in 1983.
Fleet
The Berry Aviation fleet includes the following aircraft (as of December 2021):{{cite journal|title=Global Airline Guide 2016 (Part Two)|journal=Airliner World|issue=November 2016|page=37}}{{Cite web|last=Ranter|first=Harro|title=ASN Aircraft accident Embraer EMB-120ER Brasilia N233SW Detroit-Willow Run Airport, MI (YIP)|url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20210307-0|access-date=2021-12-17|website=aviation-safety.net}}
| class="toccolours" border="1" cellpadding="3" style="margin:1em auto; border-collapse:collapse"
|+ Berry Aviation Fleet |
| bgcolor=#75aadb
! Aircraft ! In ! Orders ! Passengers ! Notes |
| De Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter
|align="center"|4 |align="center"|— |align="center"| | |
| Bombardier Dash 8-Q200
|align="center"|7 |align="center"|— |align="center"| | |
| Embraer EMB 120ER Brasilia
|align="center"|9 |align="center"|— |align="center"| | |
| Fairchild SA227 Metroliner
|align="center"|3 |align="center"|— |align="center"| | |
| Total
!23 ! !colspan="2"| |
|---|
The airline fleet previously included the following aircraft:{{Cite web|url=https://www.berryaviation.com/about/fleet/|title=Fleet}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.berryaviation.com/about/|title=About}}
- 3 further Dornier 328-100
- 4 UH-72 Lakota Helicopters
2017 Niger terrorist incident
{{Main|Tongo Tongo ambush}}
On October 4, 2017, four U.S. Army personnel and five Nigerien soldiers were killed and two more injured after being ambushed while assisting local forces in Southwest Niger.{{cite web |last1=Starr |first1=Barbara |title=Pentagon identifies fourth US soldier killed in Niger |date=6 October 2017 |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2017/10/06/politics/body-recovered-us-niger-ambush/index.html |publisher=CNN |access-date=October 11, 2017}}{{cite web |last1=Mitchell |first1=Ellen |title=Officials suspect Islamic State militants responsible for Niger attack|url=https://thehill.com/policy/defense/354164-officials-suspect-isis-militants-responsible-for-niger-attack-that-killed-3/|website=The Hill |date=5 October 2017 |access-date=October 5, 2017}} It was later reported that private contractors working for Berry Aviation "conducted casualty evacuation and transport for U.S. and partner forces". Berry Aviation was described as having a "sole source bridge contract" in Niamey for duties including casualty evacuation.{{cite news | author1 = Barbara Starr | author2 = Greg Wallace | author3 = Jamie Crawford | title = US Military Reveals Contractors Flew to the Rescue in Niger, but Little Else | url = http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/18/politics/niger-private-contractor-us-forces-evacuation/index.html | work=CNN | date = 2017-10-18 | access-date = 2017-10-20
}}
2017 hurricane relief and pet evacuation flights
{{More citations needed|date=March 2025}}
Starting on August 28, 2017, Berry Aviation conducted over fifty flights for Wings of Rescue and the Humane Society of the United States, carrying over 100 tons of emergency supplies into the Hurricane Harvey, Irma and Maria zones and then flying over 4,500 pets, who otherwise would have died, to safety at no-kill animal shelters throughout the mainland United States.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}
Accidents and incidents
| class="wikitable"
|+ !Type !Flight !Date !Aircraft !Location !Description !Damage !Injuries !Fatalities !Probable Cause |
| [https://www.aeroinside.com/12206/berry-e120-near-houston-on-sep-20th-2018-cargo-shift Accident]
|BYA233 |September 20, 2018 |N233SW |Houston, TX |A Berry Aviation Embraer EMB-120, registration N233SW performing flight BYA-480 from Shreveport, LA (USA) to Querétaro (Mexico), was en-route at 18,000 feet near Houston, TX (USA) when unsecured cargo shifted. The crew continued the flight to Querétaro for a landing without further incident. |Substantial |None |None |Unsecured Cargo |
| [https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20190815-2 Accident]
|BYA969 |August 15, 2019 |N322AV |San Marcos, TX |On August 15, 2019, at 1233 central daylight time, a De Havilland DHC-6-300 airplane, N322AV, impacted runway 13 during a go-around at San Marcos Regional Airport (HYI), San Marcos, Texas. The airplane sustained substantial damage. |Substantial |3 Minor |None |The pilot's delayed go-around attempt and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action that resulted in a nose-down impact with terrain during an attempted go-around. |
| [https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20210307-0 Accident]
|BYA233 |March 7, 2021 |N233SW |Ypsilanti, MI |Berry Aviation flight BYA233, an Embraer EMB-120ER Brasilia, performed a gear-up landing at Detroit-Willow Run Airport, Michigan (YIP). The aircraft was damaged beyond repair. |Substantial |None |None |Under Investigation |
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- [http://www.berryaviation.com/ Berry Aviation]
{{Portal bar|United States|Texas|Companies|Aviation}}
{{Airlines of the United States|state=collapsed}}
Category:Charter airlines of the United States
Category:Airlines established in 1983