Pilot Killed In Air Force Jet Crash In Nevada

2nd Pilot In Stable Condition, Officials Say

LAS VEGAS -- A pilot from the Nellis Air Force Base has died following the crash of a U.S. Air Force F-15D Eagle two-seater jet in Nevada, Nellis Air Force Base officials said.

Another pilot from the aircraft was transported to Mike O’Callaghan Federal Hospital at about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, reported KVVU-TV. The second pilot is under observation and in stable condition, officials said.

The crash occurred on the Nevada Test and Training Range about 50 miles east of Goldfield, Nev., said Charles Ramey of Nellis Air Force Base.

He said the crash occurred about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday as the jet was taking part in an Exercise Red Flag combat training mission.

Both pilots were assigned to the 65th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, whose mission is to simulate opposing enemy air forces during Red Flag exercises.

The names of the pilots involved are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

A board of military officials is being convened to investigate the crash. The board will include a senior pilot, a maintenance expert, a flight surgeon, a judge advocate and any other needed specialist. The board president will release a report on the board's findings following the investigation.

http://www.kcra.com/news/17043309/detail.html

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 20/07/2008.

Jet lost pilot instruments in blast

The Qantas jumbo jet hit by a mid-air explosion lost critical pilot instruments in the blast, it has emerged.

The explosion last Friday, caused by a faulty oxygen cylinder during a flight from London to Melbourne, forced the crew of the Boeing 747 to make an emergency landing in the Philippines.

Australian Transport Safety Bureau director of aviation safety Julian Walsh said investigators found that the jet's three landing instrument systems and its anti-skid braking mechanism were not working after the accident

"However evidence indicates that all the aircraft's main systems including engines and hydraulics were functioning normally," he said.

"The approach to Manila airport was conducted in visual conditions and it should be noted that the pilot had other navigation instruments available should the conditions not have been visual," he added.

But another ATSB investigator said later that the failed instruments would have made landing "extremely difficult" if conditions over Manila had been cloudy or foggy.

Mr Walsh said: "The ATSB can confirm it appears that part of an oxygen cylinder and valve entered the passenger cabin. Clearly the valve has travelled vertically through the floor of the aircraft, glanced with the door handle and impacted with the ceiling of the cabin," he said.

But he said "there was never any danger of the door opening" because it is designed never to be opened while the plane is in the air. This is a unique event. It's not happened before that we're aware of," he added.

The jet with 365 people aboard was flying at 29,000 feet when the explosion occurred in the cargo bay, rupturing the fuselage and causing rapid decompression in the cabin.

The pilots took about five and a half minutes to bring the jet down to 10,000 feet where oxygen was not needed. The ATSB is examining reports that around 10 passengers were unable to get oxygen from their overhead masks during the steep decent.

http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5grClvqN5NXc5CEsDrlFv8tOj_NRw

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 20/07/2008.

Small jet skids off Pa. runway; 2 aboard uninjured

WEST CHESTER, Pa.(AP)—Authorities say two people escaped injury when a small jet airplane skidded off a runway at a suburban Philadelphia airport.

The plane was attempting a landing at the Brandywine Airport in Chester County around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday when the aircraft overshot the runway. The plane crossed a street and came to a stop in a wooded area, damaging the fuselage.

Fire crews sprayed the aircraft with foam as a precaution against fire.

Officials say the Eclipse Jet was registered to My Aviation in Lafayette Hill, Pa.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 20/07/2008.

Honeywell Delivers 737 Nitrogen System

Boeing has begun manufacturing 737 Next Generation aircraft with center wing tanks that feature Honeywell nitrogen generation systems (NGSs), and expects to issue service bulletins for retrofits to aircraft in service within six months to satisfy a recent FAA rulemaking.

Honeywell and Boeing have been working on the system since 2004 while the FAA went through its rule-making process following the 1996 loss of TWA Flight 800 to a center fuel tank explosion.

Honeywell’s Steve Pitts, VP of Boeing business segment, said first production for 777s will begin by the end of the year and 747-8s by early next year. On a 737, the NGS system adds about 120 pounds to the aircraft’s weight. For a larger 747 tank, it adds 275 pounds.

The FAA rule requires action within two years and applies only to commercial aircraft built since 1992 operated by U.S. carriers--about 2,700 in all.

Honeywell is developing systems for “classic” 737-300/400/500s, 757s, 767s, 777s and 747-400s. Boeing also selected Honeywell to build an NGS system for the 747-8, which is under development.

The 787 series is the first new production aircraft that will be built with an NGS as standard equipment. Hamilton Sundstrand holds that contract.

NGS is mandated only to center fuel tanks because they face venting issues that wing tanks don’t. Center fuel tanks are normally reserved for long-distance aircraft and are normally a customer choice.

Retrofits will be needed for 965 737s, 60 747s, 475 757s, 150 767s and 130 777s.

http://www.aviationweek.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/search/AvnowSearchResult.do?reference=xml/awx_xml/2008/07/29/awx_07_29_2008_p0-70232.xml

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 31/07/2008.

Plane with blown tire lands safely at NYC airport

NEW YORK (AP) — A Delta Air Lines plane carrying 167 people safely made an emergency landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport Tuesday evening, hours after it blew out a tire on takeoff from the Queens airport, authorities said.

Flight 141, which was bound for Salt Lake City, circled Kennedy for several hours to burn off fuel, then dumped extra fuel over a nearby body of water before landing, said Alan Hicks, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which oversees the airport.

Passengers were taken by bus back to a terminal.

A spokeswoman for Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines Inc. said there were no injuries. She said maintenance workers would inspect the plane, a Boeing 737-800, and passengers would be rebooked on other flights.

She said the tires are checked regularly but that she didn't know when they were last replaced.

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 31/07/2008.

UK AAIB issues Special Bulletin on Airbus A340 landing incident at Nairobi

The flight crew of an A340 landing at Nairobi (NBO) stated that they became visual with the runway at a height of 300-200 ft. At the decision height of 200 ft, both pilots could see all the approach lights and a good section of runway lights. The autopilot was disconnected at 100 ft radio altitude and the PF began to flare the aircraft. The aircraft floated at around 20 ft for a few seconds before it entered an area of fog and the PF lost sight of the right side of the runway and the runway lights.

The commander also lost sight of the right side of the runway. The aircraft touched down normally on the main gear only. The commander was only aware of their position by the glow of the lights illuminating the fog. The commander called "GO AROUND" and the PF immediately advanced the thrust levers from idle to full thrust within one second. G-VAIR became airborne after a period of just under five seconds on the ground.

An inspection by airport staff confirmed the presence of a single set of landing gear marks off to the left of the paved surface. (AAIB)

(aviation-safety.net)

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 29/07/2008.

Qantas 747 Incident

Status: Preliminary - official
Date: 25 JUL 2008
Time: ca 11:00
Type: Boeing 747-438
Operator: Qantas
Registration: VH-OJK
C/n / msn: 25067/857
First flight: 1991-05-21
Engines: 4 Rolls Royce RB211-524G2
Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 19
Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 346
Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 365
Airplane damage: Substantial
Location: near Manila (Philippines)
Phase: En route (ENR)
Nature: International Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport: Hong Kong-Chek Lap Kok International Airport (HKG/VHHH), Hong Kong
Destination airport: Melbourne-Tullamarine Airport, VIC (MEL/YMML), Australia
Flightnumber: 30
Narrative:
The aircraft, a Boeing 747-400 was operating a scheduled passenger service from Hong Kong to Melbourne Australia. At approximately 29,000 feet, the crew were forced to conduct an emergency descent after a section of the fuselage separated and resulted in a rapid decompression of the cabin. The crew descended the aircraft to 10,000 feet in accordance with established procedures and diverted the aircraft to Manila where a safe landing was carried out.

The aircraft taxied to the terminal unassisted, where the passengers and crew disembarked.
There were no reported injuries.

The ongoing investigation has confirmed that there is one unaccounted for oxygen cylinder from the bank of cylinders that are located in the area of the breech. There are 13 oxygen cylinders in the bank that are responsible for supplying oxygen to the passenger masks and cabin crew.

Also recovered are a number of parts of components including part of a valve in the vicinity of the breech. However, it is yet to be determined whether these components are part of the aircraft system.

A number of passengers have reported that some of the oxygen masks appeared not to function correctly when they deployed from the overhead modules. The ATSB intends to examine the oxygen system including the oxygen masks.

(aviation-safety.net)

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 29/07/2008.

FAA, Partners Say NextGen Is Slowly Taking Shape

Conference Outlines Who's Doing What On Future Of ATC

FAA Acting Administrator Robert Sturgell and representatives of industry organizations recently met with reporters to provide a background for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen,) the much-ballyhooed FAA proposal to transform US aviation through the use of 21st-century technologies to meet future demands, avoid gridlock in the sky, improve safety and increase environmental protections.

Sturgell was joined by representatives from four of the organizations collaborating with the agency to make NextGen a reality: Ann Carroll, Vice President of Legal Affairs of Helicopter Association International (HAI); Ed Iacobucci, DayJet CEO; David Hayzlett, co-founder of the Alliance for Sustainable Air Transportation (ASAT); and Wade Lester, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University NextGen program manager.

Each representative provided reporters with an overview of how their organization and the agency are working together to make the FAA's (nebulous) vision of the future of air traffic control a reality.

HAI is collaborating with the agency to deploy Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) in the Gulf of Mexico. This will, for the first time, provide actual air traffic control services to a region that sees more than 5,000 helicopter flights per day to and from nearly 7,000 oil platforms, rigs, and ships operating in the Gulf. Twenty-five platforms have been targeted for the installation of weather and communications equipment, which is expected to be operational by December 2009.

DayJet is equipping its fleet of very light jets with ADS-B avionics. This equipment will allow the company to transmit and collect data on their flight operations, which can help build the agency’s understanding of how ADS-B will play out in a real-world environment.

Embry-Riddle’s research capability will provide tremendous support to the advancement of NextGen. The university is working with the agency to create a test bed that will feature Required Area Navigation (RNAV) routes between Florida airports, including Miami, Orlando, and Daytona, and New York area airports Teterboro, JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark. RNAV procedures increase the number of departure routes, allowing air traffic controllers to disperse aircraft more efficiently. This reduces taxi time, ground delays and miles flown. The test bed is expected to begin its work later this year.

ASAT represents the interests of local, state, and federal organizations, as well as industry, academia, and other NGOs. The organization builds awareness with the states, the private sector, and the industry to help advance leading NextGen technologies.

The agency is encouraged by the engagement of industry. The entrepreneurial efforts represented by the collaborations with these independent organizations will allow the FAA to get an early jumpstart on NextGen capabilities.

FMI: www.faa.gov/nextgen/
aero-news.net

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 29/07/2008.

Southwest flight returns to BWI for cockpit smoke

LINTHICUM, Md. (AP) — A Southwest Airlines spokeswoman says smoke from a faulty cockpit fan prompted a flight to return to Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport shortly after takeoff Sunday.

Southwest spokeswoman Whitney Eichinger says the fan was changed after landing and the flight to Norfolk, Va. was expected to take off again later Sunday afternoon.

BWI spokeswoman Cheryl Stewart originally said the plane returned due to a cockpit fire, but later confirmed smoke from a cockpit fan prompted the return of the plane, which landed without incident.

Southwest Flight 121 took off at 2:43 p.m. and landed at 2:50 p.m., the airport spokeswoman said. Both spokeswomen said they did not know if the smoke was visible in the passenger cabin.

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 29/07/2008.

NTSB Sends Team to Phillipines to Join Qantas 747 Investigation

July 25, 2008 - The National Transportation Safety Board will be sending a team of investigators to the Philippines to assist in the investigation of today's accident in which a Qantas B747 made an emergency landing after the flight crew reportedly heard a loud bang and the airplane experienced depressurization while in flight.

The airplane, Qantas flight 30, a B747-400, en route to Melbourne, Australia from Hong Kong, landed safely in Manila at 11:15 am local time. There were no reported injuries among the 346 passengers and 19 crewmembers. The aircraft has a 5 foot hole in the cargo area forward of the right wing leading edge and there is also some wing damage.

NTSB Chairman Mark V. Rosenker has designated senior air investigator Joe Sedor as the U.S. Accredited Representative, and he will be accompanied by a technical specialist in the area of airworthiness. The U.S. team will also include technical advisors from the FAA and Boeing.

http://www.amtonline.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=6075

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 29/07/2008.

Qantas jet probe focuses on exploding oxygen cylinders

MANILA (AFP) — Air safety investigators said Sunday that an exploding oxygen cylinder may have been to blame for tearing a huge hole in an Australian Qantas jumbo jet in mid-air, nearly causing a disaster.

Officials said an oxygen back-up cylinder is missing from the aircraft, and ordered the airline to inspect all such bottles on its fleet of Boeing 747s.

The Qantas Boeing 747 was flying from Hong Kong to Melbourne on Friday when an explosive bang led to a sudden loss of air pressure in the cabin.

The plane, which had originated in London and was carrying 365 passengers and crew, plunged 6,000 meters (20,000 feet) before stabilizing, then made an emergency landing in the Philippines capital Manila.

There, stunned passengers saw a three-meter (10 foot) hole in the fuselage adjoining the right wing.

An investigator from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, Neville Blyth, told reporters in Manila that an oxygen back-up cylinder was missing.

"It is too early to say whether this was the cause of the explosion," Blyth said. "But one of the cylinders which provides back-up oxygen is missing."

He said investigators had ruled out terrorism.

"There is no evidence of a security-related event here. Philippine sniffer dogs have inspected the baggage and found no materials of concern."

Blyth would not be drawn on the oxygen cylinder, which is roughly the size of a diver's scuba tank, nor say how many were on the aircraft.

He said the initial inquiry would take two to three days and a preliminary report on the findings should be released in two to three months.

In a statement, Qantas said it would inspect emergency oxygen cylinders on its entire fleet of 747s "as a precaution" by the end of the week.

A spokeswoman for the airline said it had 30 747-400s, including the plane involved in Friday's drama, plus four 747-300s. All 34 aircraft would be affected by the checks, she said.

Peter Gibson, a spokesman for Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority, told AFP in Sydney that there were two cylinders "located pretty much exactly where that hole appeared."

"We cannot just say that is the cause but clearly the fact that two oxygen bottles are in that location, and clearly this was damage caused by some sort of outward pressure... means that is a key aspect of the investigation."

He said the cylinders provided emergency oxygen for the flight deck.

If confirmed, Gibson said, it would have implications for all of Qantas's 747s and probably for many others around the world.

He discounted a report that corrosion was to blame, saying that while minor corrosion had been found during a routine check a few months ago, it was in a totally different part of the plane.

Qantas prides itself on its extremely good safety record, and the plane's pilot John Bartels said in a statement that solid training enabled the flight crew to handle the emergency.

"As soon as we realized this was a decompression, I immediately pulled out my memory checklist," Bartels said.

"There were three of us in the cockpit and we all worked together and focused on doing what we had to do to get the aircraft down safely, which is exactly what we are trained to do."

Passengers praised the crew's handling of the incident, but some complained that not all the oxygen masks worked properly.

David Saunders told The Sunday Age paper in Melbourne that the elastic had deteriorated and his mask kept falling, while in some parts of the cabin they failed to drop down at all.

"A guy just went into a panic and smashed the whole panel off the ceiling to get to the mask," he said.

"The kids were screaming and flailing. Their cheeks and lips were turning blue from lack of oxygen."

Qantas defended its procedures, saying the masks had been properly checked, although it added that some systems were probably damaged as a result of the accident.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is leading the probe. The US Federal Aviation Administration is also involved, along with manufacturer Boeing.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5ifAnc2a7jQpLRuiSNKY-kSlpfUdg

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 29/07/2008.

Passenger tries to open plane door mid-flight

Police: Plane makes emergency landing because of drunken passengers

Two UK women accused of attempted assault, interfering with air traffic

Police: 26-year-old woman attempted to open the cabin door.

Flight from Greece to northern England continued after an hour

BERLIN, Germany (AP) -- Two drunken British women went on a rampage on a charter plane, hitting one flight attendant with a bottle of vodka and trying to open a cabin door as the aircraft was cruising over Austria at 10,000 meters (32,800 feet), police said Saturday.

Passengers await flights at Frankfurt, where a flight was diverted after a passenger tried to open the cabin door.

The staff on the flight from Greece to England eventually forced the women back to their seats and the pilot made an emergency in Frankfurt on Thursday, police told The Associated Press, confirming a statement they had issued on Friday.

The identities of the women, aged 26 and 27, were not released, but police said the 26-year-old may be charged with attempted assault and interfering with air traffic.

Both women were released, police said.

The rampage occurred when a flight attendant denied the women alcohol because they were visibly intoxicated, police said.

The 26-year-old took a swipe at a cabin attendant with a bottle of vodka, then attempted to open a cabin door.

"Apparently the 26-year-old wanted to catch some fresh air," the statement said, in an effort to make light of the altercation.

The two women were taken into custody by police at Frankfurt airport and given a breathalyzer test. Both were legally intoxicated.

After an hour in Frankfurt, the flight continued on to Manchester, England.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/07/27/drink.plane.ap/index.html

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 29/07/2008.

NTSB: Helicopter that crashed clipped power lines

SALESVILLE, Ark. (AP) - Federal investigators say a helicopter that crashed in north Arkansas, killing two, struck a power line before going down.

The National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report released Wednesday that a rotor blade on the Hughes 269B helicopter struck a power line before crashing July 15.

The accident killed pilot James Dean Evertsen of West Plains, Missouri, and passenger Randall J. Arthur of Marshfield, Missouri.

Arthur worked for Sho-Me Power Electric Cooperative and was conducting an aerial inspection of the company's transmission line at the Norfork Dam.

Authorities have said they don't know what caused the helicopter to clip the power line and crash.

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 25/07/2008.

US Airways pilot dismissed over firing gun in jet cockpit

WASHINGTON — The US Airways captain whose gun discharged in the cockpit of a plane landing in Charlotte , N.C., was fired by the airline and removed from the program that allows pilots to be armed, federal safety officials said Thursday.

"The individual is no longer a federal flight deck officer," Kip Hawley, administrator of the Transportation Security Administration and assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said after testifying at a House aviation subcommittee hearing.

Hawley wouldn't say if investigators had decided the March incident was caused by pilot error.

Some industry activists have suggested that the design of the gun's trigger lock and holster makes an accidental discharge possible. But Hawley said Thursday that wasn't a contributing factor.

According to a Charlotte airport police report, the US Airways captain, James Langenhahn, was stowing his .40-caliber pistol when it discharged a bullet through the jet's cockpit wall and fuselage.

Nobody was injured on the March 22 flight from Denver carrying 124 passengers and five crew members when the gun discharged about eight minutes before landing at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport.

TSA said that the discharge was the first since pilots were allowed to be armed in an effort to protect flights from the same fate of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Langenhahn and spokesmen for US Airways and its pilots union did not immediately return phone messages seeking comment.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/5906506.html

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 25/07/2008.

Bird – hit planes catches fire, close shave for 252 .

NEW DELHI: As many as 241 passengers and 11 crew members of an Air Mauritius flight, headed for Mauritius, had a narrow escape on Thursday afternoon when a suspected bird-hit at IGI airport at the time of takeoff led the pilot to apply emergency brakes. This sparked a fire in the underbelly, which was quickly controlled. The passengers escaped by sliding down through three chutes amid emergency procedures.

According to sources, Flight MK 745, an Airbus 330-200, was to take off from the secondary runway at 1.30pm but was delayed due to bird activity. It finally began taxiing around 2.08pm. Passengers on the flight confirmed to TOI that their pilot had announced an initial 10-minute delay due to "bird activity".

"Our pilot had warned of birds on the runway which is why we did not get clearance. After 10 minutes or so, we were ready for takeoff. However, even as we gathered speed and were seconds away from being airborne, there was a loud thud and the entire plane shook violently and came to a sudden halt," said Vijay Kumar, heading a group of bankers who were travelling to Mauritius.

Sources said the engine of the aircraft was damaged by the bird-hit; possibly two birds were sucked in by the engine.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Delhi/Bird-hit_plane_catches_fire_close_shave_for_252/articleshow/3276984.cms

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 25/07/2008.

Canadair - Ground Accident (Baton Rouge, LA)

Date: 21 JUL 2008
Type: Canadair CRJ701ER (CL-600-2C10)
Operator: Atlantic Southeast Airlines - ASA / Delta Connection
Registration: N706EV
C/n / msn: 10054
First flight: 2002
Engines: 2 General Electric CF34-8C1
Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants:
Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants:
Airplane damage: Substantial
Location: Baton Rouge-Ryan Airport, LA (BTR) (United States of America)
Phase: Standing (STD)
Nature: -
Departure airport: -
Destination airport: -
Narrative:
Three Canadair CRJ planes were parked at the ASA maintenance facility at Baton Rouge. CRJ700 N706EV was supposed to be getting a compressor wash. When the right hand engine was done, the left engine was started. It reportedly spooled up to nearly full power. It jumped the chocks and ran into two CRJ200ER aircraft, N916EV and N975EV. All three aircraft sustained serious damage. None of the mechanics working in the hangar were injured.

(aviation-safety.net)

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 25/07/2008.

Qantas 747 makes emergency landing in Manila after hole appears in fuselage

Passengers report a loud bang and air swirling around the cabin.

The flight was heading from Hong Kong, China, to Melbourne, Australia.

No reports of injuries among the 346 passengers and 19 crew, airline says.

(CNN) -- A Qantas flight from Hong Kong to Melbourne made an emergency landing in the Philippines on Friday after a hole appeared in the fuselage and the cabin lost pressure suddenly.

"There was an almighty crack," one passenger said. "We dropped a bit in the air, but other than that it was fine."

"There was a big bang," said another. "I knew there was a hole somewhere, but I didn't know what was going on."

Marina Scaffidi, 39, from Melbourne, told The Associated Press: "There was wind swirling around the plane and some condensation."

She said a hole extended from the cargo hold into the passenger cabin.

Michael Rahill, 57, an architect from Melbourne, told AP the bang sounded "like a tire exploding, but more violently."

Images of the Boeing 747-400 after it landed showed a large hole where the leading edge of the wing attaches to the fuselage.

The flight originated in London. It was diverted to Manila International Airport, where it landed around 11:15 a.m. (11:15 p.m. ET Thursday.)

There were no reports of injuries among the 346 passengers and 19 crew, the airline said in a statement. Oxygen masks were deployed during the emergency.

Passengers said their ears popped because of the plane's rapid descent to a lower altitude.

Some passengers vomited after disembarking, Manila International Airport Authority deputy manager for operations Octavio Lina told AP.

The Australian Transportation Safety Bureau and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority have been notified and plan to investigate, according to Geoff Dixon, Qantas CEO.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/07/25/jet.emergency/index.html

Fonte: Fligth Safety Information 25/07/2008.

NTSB Investigates Near-Midair Over ORD

Plane Cleared For Takeoff Into Path Of Landing Traffic

There's been another close call involving simultaneous runway operations at a busy US commercial airport. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a near-midair collision in Chicago, in which a regional jet was apparently directed to takeoff into the path of landing traffic.

According to initial reports cited by the NTSB, on Monday at 12:47 CDT an Embraer ERJ-145, operating as American Eagle flight 298, and a Learjet LR60 (N252RP) were involved in a near midair collision at Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD). The ERJ-145 was operating under 14 CFR Part 121 as a scheduled air carrier and the Learjet was operating under 14 CFR Part 91 as a corporate flight.

The ERJ-145 airplane was departing runway 32L and the Learjet was landing on runway 9R. The local assistant/monitor for the local air traffic controller observed the converging paths of the two airplanes and advised the local controller to instruct the Learjet to go around. The ERJ-145 was instructed to stay low on departure.

Analysis of radar replays revealed that the Learjet passed 325 feet above and slightly behind the departing ERJ-145. There were no reported injuries or damage to the aircraft.

As a result of this incident, new procedures have been implemented for arrivals to runway 9R requiring specific coordination between approach control and the tower regarding whether 9R is in use.

A preliminary report of the incident will be available on the Board's website later this week.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov
aero-news.net

Fonte: Fligth Safety Information 25/07/2008.

NTSB Wants Fixes To Airbus Cockpit Electronics

49 Reported Cases Of Dark Displays In Recent Years

Few would argue that so-called "glass cockpits" are a major leap forward in cockpit management and crew safety... until those panels go dark in-flight, which the National Transportation Safety Board says has happened at least 49 times in recent years onboard several Airbus airliners.

On Wednesday, the NTSB issued five recommendations to address concerns about cockpit displays going inop on Airbus A319 and A320 narrow bodies. Of the 49 incidents reported to the Board, seven involved all six cockpit displays going blank at once... something safety experts once thought was all-but impossible.

Sixteen planes lost five of the six cockpit displays. In addition to flight instruments and engine monitoring systems, loss of the avionics displays also resulted in the loss of comm systems, transponders, and traffic advisory systems.

In January of this year, a United A320 had to make a hasty return to Newark Liberty, when the captain's primary flight display (PFD) and navigational display (ND), along with the upper electronic centralized aircraft monitoring (ECAM) display, went blank on takeoff. The plane was able to make a safe emergency landing, helped greatly by the fact conditions were VMC.

The NTSB notes the first officer's ND remained functional, as did the lower ECAM display. The first officer also reported that the attitude information on his PFD was initially not usable, but that the information appeared to be reliable later in the flight.

Those circumstances were similar to those experienced onboard a British Airways A319 three years before, which suffered failures to five of six cockpit displays while cruising at FL200 from London to Budapest. Most of the screens returned within 90 seconds.

British investigators have already issued safety recommendations related to the problem, and Airbus issued a safety bulletin in May 2007 recommending new wiring fixes and increased crew training on how to handle electrical systems failures. But those fixes aren't mandatory, and the NTSB says they should be.

Included in the six recommendations from the NTSB are calls for a backup power supply to be added to the standby attitude indicator, and the automatic reconfiguration of the AC essential bus power supply in the event that the AC 1 electrical bus fails. The NTSB also wants greater crew training, and additional simulator time for pilots to learn how to handle such failures.

aero-news.net

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 25/07/2008.

Safety Recommendations A-08-53 through –55

NTSB SAFETY RECOMMENDATION

National Transportation Safety Board Washington, DC 20594

July 23, 2008

Safety Recommendations A-08-53 through -55

The National Transportation Safety Board recommends that the Federal Aviation Administration:

Require all operators of Airbus A320 family aircraft to modify these aircraft in accordance with Airbus Service Bulletin A320-24-1120 to provide the automatic reconfiguration of the AC essential bus power supply in the event that the AC 1 electrical bus fails. (A-08-53)

Require Airbus to develop a modification for in-service A320 family aircraft such that, in the event of an AC 1 electrical bus failure, the standby attitude indicator is powered by an additional power source that will last for a minimum of 30 minutes, and require operators to incorporate this modification as soon as possible after it is available. (A-08-54)

Require all operators of A320 family aircraft to develop new procedures, if necessary, and to provide flight crews with guidance and simulator training regarding the symptoms and resolution procedures for the loss of flight displays and systems in conjunction with an AC 1 electrical bus failure. (A-08-55)

Fonte: NTSB Advisory 25/07/2008.

Too close: Private plane, passenger jet pass less than a mile apart near Ontario

A westbound Delta Air Lines 737 passenger jet and a single-engine private plane on the way to Arizona had a close call in the skies near Ontario on Tuesday, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Mike Fergus said.

The Delta two-engine jet was on approach to Los Angeles International Airport at 11,900 feet when the four-seat private plane at 11,500 feet came within seventh-tenths of a mile, said Fergus, who is based in the FAA's northwest region in Renton, Wash.

"It was way too close," Fergus said. "It was a very serious situation."

The incident happened about 9:20 a.m. Fergus said the private pilot acknowledged he made a wrong turn.

Fergus said the matter would be investigated.

Records indicate the Cirrus plane is owned by Tavelogic Enterprises LLC, based in Henderson, Nev. The plane took off from Van Nuys at 9:03 a.m. and landed in Tucson, Ariz., at 11:22 a.m. Mountain Standard Time. A telephone listing for Tavelogic Enterprises could not be located.

Dave Stevenson, a pilot who owns several planes at Corona Municipal Airport, said the Cirrus is a popular plane because it is made of carbon fiber and fiberglass and can go 200 mph and faster.

Anthony Black, a Delta spokesman, said the airline has not received information on the incident from its pilot and the FAA.

http://www.pe.com/localnews/rivcounty/stories/PE_News_Local_W_plane23.4a8f9b8.html

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 23/07/2008.

NTSB Issues Recommendations To Address Challenger Mistrim Takeoffs

Full-Forward CG, Nose-Down Trim Led To 2005 TEB Crash

Stating a potentially dangerous situation could arise for pilots of Bombardier Challenger jets when trying to take off under certain weight and pitch trim conditions, this week the National Transportation Safety Board issued two recommendations to the FAA Federal Aviation Administration to step up training methods and operating guidelines for the aircraft.

The Board cites the February 2, 2005 takeoff crash of a Challenger at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport in making its recommendations. As ANN reported, the National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause was the flight crew's attempt to take off with the center of gravity (c.g.) well forward of the forward takeoff limit, which prevented the airplane from rotating at the expected rotation speed.

"During the Safety Board’s investigation, vehicle performance engineers conducted simulator tests to study takeoff rotation characteristics of the CL-600, as configured at the time of the Teterboro accident, as well as for a normal takeoff and a mist rim-takeoff," writes the NTSB in its latest recommendation. "They found that in the mist rim scenario, with the c.g. at the most forward limit and with the horizontal stabilizer at the nose-down limit of the takeoff green band, the airplane did not rotate, even with full nose-up elevator control, until it was significantly above the nominal rotation speed (VR, that is, the speed at which the pilot applies elevator control to rotate the airplane for takeoff)."

The Safety Board is concerned that the delayed rotation characteristics of this condition may cause pilots to believe that their airplanes will not fly, leading them to abort takeoff at a speed well above the takeoff-decision speed (V1), with possible catastrophic results," the Board concludes.

The recommendations -- available in full at the FMI link below -- include new language addressing an earlier European Joint Aviation Authorities Notice of Proposed Amendment to be placed in an advisory circular on the mist rim issue, as well as providing Challenger flight crews with addition training emphasizing proper stabilizer trim settings and the possible results of mist rim situations.

aero-news.net

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 23/07/2008.

Flight carrying members of Congress makes emergency landing

HOUSTON -- A Continental Airlines flight carrying seven members of Congress from Houston to Washington was forced to make an emergency landing after it lost cabin pressure Tuesday afternoon.

Flight 458 was bound for Reagan National Airport, but was diverted and landed safely in New Orleans, a spokeswoman for U.S. Rep. Ted Poe told 11 News.

Poe and fellow Texas Congressmen Nick Lampson, Ron Paul, John Carter, Ciro Rodriguez, Solomon Ortiz and Henry Cuellar were aboard the flight, said Poe's press secretary DeeAnn Thigpen.

Ironically, the seven congressmen were trying to get back in time for a Tuesday night vote on an aviation safety bill, a spokesman for one of the representatives said.

There were 118 people total aboard the plane, Continental spokeswoman Julie King said.

No one was hurt.

Continental Airlines said the problem was caused by a sudden loss in cabin pressure.

Trevor Kincaid, a spokesman for passenger and Rep. Nick Lampson, said his boss told him “there was absolutely no panic on the plane.” Lampson told Kincaid the plane’s oxygen masks dropped down.

“Continental Airline’s personnel and staff were exceptional; executing what seemed to me a textbook performance in emergency procedure. I was very impressed,” Lampson said in a release.

Poe told 11 News the flight was about an hour late leaving Houston because of mechanical difficulties with an engine. He said things went downhill from there not long after taking off from Bush Intercontinental Airport.

"Suddenly, we started to descend more rapidly than normal and the oxygen masks came out," Poe said.

The pilots told everyone to fasten their seatbelts.

"There wasn't any talk because a lot of people had their oxygen masks on," according to Poe. "Everyone seemed to be quite calm."

The flight landed about 20 minutes after the scare began.

"You're thinking of everything, of course. You're thinking of all the possibilities," Poe told 11 News. "But the pilots did a great job of getting us down. And when we got down we saw all the fire trucks on the runway, just like in the movies."

For Poe and the others, it was an unforgettable experience.

"It was exciting to say the least," Poe said. "Glad to see that landing gear come down."

The cause of the loss of cabin pressure will be investigated.

Thigpen said the flight is frequently used by members of the Texas delegation who have returned home for the weekend. The 1:05 p.m. flight is the latest one that allows them to get back to Washington in time for 6:30 p.m. votes, she said.

The emergency landing was the third time in two days a plane was diverted over cabin pressure issues. A US Airways flight and a Northwest Airlines flight were diverted to airports in Kentucky and Wisconsin on Monday over cabin pressure issues.

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 23/07/2008.

FAA plane crash-lands at SLC International airport

(ABC 4 News) SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) -A runway at Salt Lake International Airport was re-opened Monday night after a small plane owned by the United States government had a bumpy landing.

Airport officials say the King-Air turboprop's landing gear collapsed when it touched down.

The pilot and passenger were not hurt.

The plane belongs to the Federal Aviation Administration. The National Transportation Safety board will investigate.

http://www.abc4.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=3acfa08b-3884-4cc1-9240-73477b317b52

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 22/07/2008.

FAA Warms to Proposed Safety Changes

WASHINGTON -- Federal Aviation Administration chief Robert Sturgell signaled a readiness to compromise in a dispute that could change how the agency monitors airline safety, four months after revelations about lax oversight rocked the agency.

An aviation bill from House transportation leaders would force the FAA to adopt proposals by the Department of Transportation Inspector General Calvin Scovel (second from left, testifying on Capitol Hill in April).
Department of Transportation Inspector General Calvin Scovel, a former Marine officer, wants Mr. Sturgell, a former instructor at the Navy's "Top Gun" aviator school, to adopt two recommendations: Rotate supervisory FAA inspectors to ensure they don't get too cozy with airlines; and establish an independent body to investigate concerns raised by agency employees.

"We may move forward with some version of what the inspector general is recommending at the end of the day," Mr. Sturgell said.

Mr. Scovel has already persuaded Mr. Sturgell to embrace several changes. His position on the remaining points has won backing in Congress.

Last week, House transportation leaders unveiled a bipartisan aviation-safety bill that would force the FAA to adopt proposals by Mr. Scovel.

Similar legislation has been introduced in the Senate, but quick passage is unclear, making Messrs. Scovel and Sturgell key to determining how far the FAA goes in adopting changes this year.

"We have consistently pointed out areas where we thought the FAA's approach was weak or misguided," said Mr. Scovel, 56 years old, in an interview. "We're going to follow on their heels."

Mr. Sturgell, 49, praised Mr. Scovel's work and indicated he may be willing to give a little. "We're trying to be thoughtful about the right approach to use," he said.

The overhaul efforts stem from probes that revealed, among other things, that an FAA office last year allowed Southwest Airlines to operate 46 jets that were long overdue for mandatory inspections. The FAA stepped up its scrutiny of airline maintenance, and one technical dispute with AMR Corp.'s American Airlines grounded 3,000 flights.

The FAA last week said it would spend $400 million over three years to install specialized lighting systems at major airports to reduce the threat of runway accidents. The agency also finalized rules on fuel-tank flammability that will force the industry to spend at least $1 billion in coming years.

Still, the FAA faces considerable pressure to adopt Mr. Scovel's slate of recommendations and overhaul its approach to safety inspections.

"I'm pleased that we're seeing some movement, but they've got a long way to go," said Rep. Jerry Costello, an Illinois Democrat who chairs the House Aviation subcommittee.

Mr. Sturgell said the discussions on rotating FAA supervisors touch on "how often, what percentage and why is it just supervisory and not all inspectors." He also said that a wave of FAA whistleblowers working with Mr. Scovel's office, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel and other outside groups suggests that "perhaps the processes we're using aren't meeting the needs of our employees."

Mr. Sturgell also must consider the views of the airline industry, which is pushing back against changes that would make the FAA less partner and more regulator. Basil Barimo, vice president of the Air Transport Association trade group, said rotating inspectors "has the potential of keeping good candidates out of those jobs," among other things.

For now Mr. Scovel has the momentum. Beyond the issues under disagreement, he says he isn't convinced the FAA will follow through on its promises.

"Right now, we have their verbal assurances at a very high level and generalized level. We want to see the implementation," he said.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121668910118972343.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Fonte: Fligth Safety Information 22/07/2008.

DHC-6 Twin Otter Accident (Canada)

Status: Preliminary - official
Date: 16 JUL 2008
Time: 22:15 UTC
Type: de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300
Operator: North-Wright Airways
Registration: C-GBEB
C/n / msn: 272
First flight: 1970
Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27
Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Airplane damage: Substantial
Location: Hook Lake, NWT (Canada)
Phase: Approach (APR)
Nature: Cargo
Departure airport: #
Destination airport: #
Narrative:
A float-equipped DHC-6 Twin Otter was on a cargo flight to Hook Lake. When the aircraft turned final for landing on the lake, the aircraft stalled and descended into trees on the shore. The pilots were not injured and later picked up.
(aviation-safety.net)

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 22/07/2008.

DHC-6 Twin Otter Accident (Maldives)

Status: Preliminary
Date: 14 JUL 2008
Type: de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
Operator: Maldivian Air Taxi
Registration: #
C/n / msn: #
First flight: #
Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3
Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 14
Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 17
Airplane damage: Substantial
Location: North Ari Atoll (Maldives)
Phase: Landing (LDG)
Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport: #
Destination airport: #
Narrative:
A Maldivian Air Taxi seaplane was on its way to the North Ari Atoll. On board were 14 tourists on their way to a local resort. A speedboat was waiting near the landing zone for the seaplane to arrive. The first attempt to land was aborted. During the second attempt to land, the left float collided with the speedboat.
The Twin Otter tilted to the left and finally ended up half-submerged in the lagoon.
(aviation-safety.net)

Fonte: Fligth Safety Information 22/07/2008.

Northwest jet makes safe emergency landing in Wis.

MADISON, Wis.(AP) - A Northwest Airlines jetliner made a safe emergency landing in Madison on Monday after the pilot reported a pressurization problem, an airline spokesman said.

Flight 126 with 115 passengers and a crew of six was flying from Minneapolis to O'Hare Airport in Chicago when the incident took place about 10:30 a.m., Northwest spokesman Vin Parker said.

"There was no danger to the passengers," he said. "It was a computer alerting the pilots that there may be an issue."

The plane was flying at 29,000 feet when the automatic pressurization system gave a reading for about 10,000 feet, he said.

"If the pressure is below 14,000 feet, the (oxygen) masks won't drop because it is not critical," Parker said. "There was no breach in the aircraft. The system showed a loss of pressure. Whether that actually happened or not remains to be seen."

The flight was diverted to Dane County Regional Airport as a precaution, and no one was hurt, Parker said. The passengers were taken off the DC-9 to be bused to Chicago.

Fonte: Fligth Safety Information 22/07/2008.

Rescuers search off Guam for crew of crashed B-52

HONOLULU - Rescue crews were searching a vast area of floating debris and a sheen of oil Monday for crew members of an Air Force B-52 bomber that crashed off the island of Guam, officials said.

At least two people from the bomber's six-man crew were recovered from the waters, but their condition was not immediately available, the Coast Guard said.

Six vessels, three helicopters, two F-15 fighter jets and a B-52 bomber were involved in the search, which had covered about 70 square miles of ocean, said Coast Guard spokeswoman Lt. Elizabeth Buendia.

"We have an active search that's going to go on throughout the night," she said Monday. The Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force and local fire and police departments were involved.

The B-52 bomber based at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana was en route to conduct a flyover in a parade when it crashed around 9:45 a.m. Monday about 30 miles northwest of Apra Harbor, the Air Force said.

The Liberation Day parade celebrates the day when the U.S. military arrived on Guam to retake control of the island from Japan.

The Air Force said a board of officers will investigate the accident.

The accident is the second for the Air Force this year on Guam, a U.S. territory 3,700 miles southwest of Hawaii.

In February, a B-2 crashed at Andersen Air Force Base shortly after takeoff in the first-ever crash of a stealth bomber. Both pilots ejected safely. The military estimated the cost of the loss of the aircraft at $1.4 billion.

The B-52 is a long-range, heavy bomber that can refuel in mid air. Since the 159 foot-long bomber was first placed into service in 1955, it has been used for a wide range of missions from attacks to ocean surveillance. Two B-52s, in two hours, can monitor 140,000 square miles of ocean surface.

According to the Air Force's Web site, the B-52 Stratofortress has been the backbone of the manned strategic bomber force for the United States for more than four decades. It is capable of dropping or launching the widest array of weapons in the U.S. inventory, including cluster bombs and precision guided missiles.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080721/ap_on_re_us/b52_crash

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 21/07/2008.

O'Hare safety area stops jet that overshot runway

(AP) A Mexicana Airlines flight overshot a runway while landing at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport Friday night and struck a safety barrier, injuring a flight attendant, authorities said.

Flight 802 was arriving from Mexico City just after 7 p.m. when it was stopped by a barrier of lightweight, crushable concrete blocks, authorities said.

The safety barrier, known as an arrestor bed, was specifically installed to stop planes that overshoot runways, said Department of Aviation spokeswoman Karen Pride.

''The good news is the safety enhancements that we had in place worked perfectly and things are OK out there,'' she said.

One crew member went to the hospital with minor injuries, said Chicago Fire Department spokesman Richard Rosado. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Tony Molinaro said the injured person was a flight attendant.

Authorities differed on the number of people on board the Airbus A320.

Mexicana Airlines spokesman Adolfo Crespo said there were 145 passengers and crew aboard, but Rosado said 142 people were evacuated using a stair truck raised to the rear of the plane.

The passengers were transported by bus to a nearby terminal.

''Everything went textbook,'' Rosado said of the evacuation.

Crespo says crosswinds forced the plane's nose gear off the runway, but Molinaro said an investigation will take some time.

The arrestor bed was installed recently, ''probably in the past year,'' Molinaro said.

''It did its job, it stopped the plane,'' he said.

O'Hare Runway 22L closed Friday, but Pride said she expected it to reopen soon.

''The incident has not significantly affected traffic at the airport,'' she said.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/1064179,CST-NWS-suit19.article

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 21/07/2008.

NTSB ASSISTS GOVERNMENT OF KOREA IN AVIATION ACCIDENT

The National Transportation Safety Board has dispatched a team of investigators to assist the government of Korea in its investigation of yesterday's crash of a Korean- registered Sikorsky S-92A helicopter equipped with General Electric engines.

At approximately 5:20 p.m. local time on July 19, the helicopter experienced a hard landing after colliding with trees and other ground obstacles while attempting a precautionary landing on a nearby helipad due to weather.
The helicopter was consumed by a post-crash fire.

Of the 16 persons onboard the helicopter, preliminary reports indicate that 3 persons suffered severe injuries and 7 suffered minor injuries. There are no reported injuries on the ground.

NTSB Chairman Mark V. Rosenker has designated senior investigator Bill English as the U.S. Accredited Representative. His team will include an NTSB helicopter operations specialist, as well as technical advisors from the Federal Aviation Administration, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, and General Electric.

The investigation is being conducted by the Korean Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (KARAIB) of the Ministry of Construction and Transportation which will release all information on the progress of the investigation.

Fonte: NTSB Press Release 21/07/2008.

Government Tests Airplane Missile Defense System

NEW YORK (CBS) ― Some still theorize Flight 800 was brought down by a missile, even though officials say there's no proof. But on Thursday, the threat of shoulder-fired missiles is a real and growing concern.

The threat has led Homeland Security and a major airlines to begin testing new defensive technology on commercial flights taking off from New York.

Passengers may be checked for explosives before boarding a plane, but a growing concern is what could happen away from the airport.

The light-weight weapons are becoming more and more available on the black market. As many as 150,000 are believed to be in circulation and can easily bring down a plane. But now American Airlines is flying with new defensive technology on some of its New York to Los Angeles flights.

Developed in New Hampshire by defense contractor, BAE Systems, the cross-country passenger jets are now equipped with a laser deterrent system mounted on the plane's belly. It can identify and misdirect an incoming missile.

"Over several years we have been testing and validating the system. So now it is really great to see us now at this point on an in-service passenger aircraft," said Program Manager of BAE Systems Laurie Nuzzo.

BAE Systems is one of the two defense contractors hoping to win a government contract. Congress will decide the future of this technology before next summer.

"No one is going to catch you by surprise now, maybe it will save a lot of lives," said an unidentified traveler.

American Airlines tells us its first flight equipped with the system flew from Kennedy to Los Angeles last Friday. It plans to have two more planes fitted with the system in the coming months.

http://wcbstv.com/topstories/american.airlines.flight.2.773865.html

Fonte: Filght Safety Information 18/07/2008.

Holiday jet passenger tried to open aircraft door at 35,000 feet

A holiday jet was forced to land after a passenger tried to open a door in the plane at an altitude of 35,000 feet, it emerged yesterday. Passengers claimed the man had been drinking and become abusive before making a lunge for one of the doors.

The First Choice Boeing 767 plane, with 257 passengers and 11 crew on board, had flown from Gatwick on Wednesday, and was bound for Cuba. It had to land in Bermuda, where the man was taken away by officials. It is believed he was with a group of seven or eight people and that he was abusive to a passenger outside the group. Reports said he came close to blows.

The captain asked people to stay calm and crew tried to quieten him but as they did so he made a grab for the door.

A First Choice spokeswoman said: "The safety of all our customers and crew is our number-one priority and First Choice Airways operates a zero tolerance policy in regard to abusive or drunken behavior on our flights. On landing in Bermuda the disruptive passenger was met by airport officials and placed in their custody."

The other passengers stayed overnight in hotels in Bermuda and were flown on to Cuba yesterday.

Air-rage incidents on British planes have more than tripled in recent years. The Civil Aviation Authority received 2,219 reports of disruptive behavior on flights in 2006-07, compared with 1,359 the previous year. Common causes included drunkenness and lighting up or getting angry when stopped from smoking. Disputes often involved couples' rows, anger over seat allocation and irritation at people reclining seats into personal space. In 42 cases passengers were restrained. Planes were diverted in 14 incidents, and on 19 occasions take-off stopped. Passengers were ordered off planes in 235 cases and police or security attended 345 times.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2008/jul/18/flights.theairlineindustry

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 18/07/2008.

Pilots say they feel pressure to cut back on fuel

NEW YORK (CNN) -- U.S. Airways is pressuring pilots to use less fuel, undermining their authority and possibly compromising safety, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Airline Pilots Association.

U.S. Airways says it wants pilots to balance an appropriate amount of fuel with rising gas prices.

Eight pilots and their union have filed complaints with the Federal Aviation Administration, accusing the airline of infringing on their authority and making them fly with less fuel than they feel is safe, said James Ray, a spokesman for the U.S. Airline Pilots Association.

The pilot in command of each flight determines the amount of fuel carried. FAA regulations state that each flight is required to carry enough fuel to reach its destination plus an extra 45 minutes' worth.

The eight senior captains say U.S. Airways singled them out for carrying 10 to 15 minutes of extra fuel above the FAA mandate and called them in for "fuel conservation training," Ray said.

Ray said the training amounts to "intimidation" and said the pilots feel it could place their licenses in jeopardy if they request extra fuel. Watch a report on the pilots' claims »

"Captains have been singled out for exercising their judgment on determining fuel loads for their flights," he said.

But a spokesman for U.S. Airways insisted the training is not punitive and denied the pilots' jobs were in danger.

"We are absolutely not employing intimidation tactics to pressure pilots into operating aircraft with unsafe fuel levels," Morgan Durrant said. "Safety is the number one priority in everything we do."

Durrant said the airline organized the paid, one-day training session to review safety practices and emphasize the need to use appropriate fuel levels in a time of necessary conservation.

Extra fuel makes the plane heavier, causing it to burn more fuel as it flies. A gallon of jet fuel weighs almost 7 pounds, and a large, twin-engine jetliner can burn hundreds of pounds of fuel and hour.

"Our arrival fuel amounts on average are more than twice the FAA minimum standards," Durrant said. "With the high price of oil, it is a balance between having enough to travel safely and also flying efficiently."

U.S. Airways said it will pay $2 billion more in fuel costs than it did last year.

In the complaint, the pilots said the training undermines their authority to determine how much fuel is necessary.

"If a pilot doesn't feel that a plane has enough fuel in it for the trip that he or she is about to make, then they have the discretion of not flying that flight," Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said Wednesday.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/16/pilots.fuel/index.html

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/07/2008.

2 planes make emergency landings at Rochester airport

Two aircraft in distress both landed safely this morning at the Greater Rochester International Airport.

A regional jet bound for Rhode Island safely landed at airport this morning after smoke filled the plane’s cockpit.

Emergency responders were called to the airport about 10:10 a.m. today to assist.

The jet, which was operated by United Airlines, safely landed by 10:20 a.m., said Airport Director David Damelio. Approximately 71 people were on board the jet, which was traveling from O’Hare International Airport in Chicago to Providence, R.I.

After the landing, airport firefighters evacuated the jet and determined that a faulty air-conditioning unit created the smoke and an odor in the jet, Damelio said. The unit was to be repaired by airline mechanics today and the flight was expected to leave Rochester this afternoon.

About 75 minutes later, about 11:30 a.m., a small military cargo plane was having hydraulic problems and radioed for help. The aircraft, operated by the Syracuse National Guard, was traveling from the Syracuse area to Rochester this morning and also landed safely, Damelio said.

Two people were on the plane and were traveling to Rochester to pick up another passenger, Damelio said. The aircraft will need to be repaired before it can be flown from the airport, he said.

No injuries were reported for either incident.

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080716/NEWS01/80716019/1002/NEWS

Fonte: Fligth Safety Information 17/07/2008.

SKorean airplane makes emergency landing in Japan

TOKYO Thomson Financial - A South Korean airliner bound for New York made an emergency landing on Thursday in northern Japan after apparent technical problems, an airport official said.

The Korean Air plane appeared fine from the outside as it landed in the rain at Chitose airport near the northern city of Sapporo, according to television footage.

The TBS network reported that a light had gone off on the plane warning of the possibility of a fire.

http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2008/07/17/afx5224263.html

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/07/2008.

Dual engine failure cited in Kalitta 747F Bogota crash inquiry

Preliminary inquiries into the Kalitta Air Boeing 747-200 freighter crash in Colombia indicate that both outboard engines on the aircraft lost power shortly after the jet took off from Bogota.

With the resulting loss of thrust probably too great to permit a return to the airport, the crew apparently attempted to land the aircraft, in darkness, in an area of open countryside between the towns of Madrid and Mosqueta.

Sources in contact with the crew, who survived the 7 July accident, claim that the outboard starboard engine failed after rotation, as the aircraft departed to the northwest bound for Miami.

As the pilots prepared to carry out the standard set of procedures for loss of an engine during take-off, the outboard port engine also failed. It appears to have touched down heading south, just to the west of a body of water, disintegrating and leaving a trail of debris hundreds of meters long.

The cockpit separated and came to rest away from the central fuselage and wing assemblies, which were consumed by a fierce blaze. Two people on the ground were killed.

Images of the instrument panel inside the cockpit of the wrecked aircraft, while not conclusive, appear to show similar, much lower oil pressure indications for the outboard engines than the inboard pair.

The landing-gear and flap levers also appear to be in the retracted position, although it is unclear whether this accurately reflects the configuration of the aircraft before impact.

Loss of power from an engine during take-off is a central aspect of the investigation into another Kalitta Air 747-200F accident at Brussels on 25 May. The aircraft broke up after overrunning the runway but, again, the crew survived.

Source: Air Transport Intelligence news (Fligth Safety Information 17/07/2008).

NTSB To Investigate Two Runway Incursions At TEB

Lear Lands On Closed Runway; Cessna, Falcon Come Too Close For Comfort

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating two runway incursions that occurred at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport within two weeks of each other.

ANN reported on one of those incidents last week. On June 25, 2008, at 0534 EDT, a Learjet 45 operated as Windrider flight 988 landed on a closed runway.

Runway 1/19 had been closed by airport operations at 0505. A lighted X, indicating that the runway was closed, was placed at the departure end of the runway. Additionally, the controller placed two runway incursion devices, which are memory aides to remind the tower controller of the closure, at the local control position. However, the controller did not notify the approach control facility, New York Terminal Radar Approach Control, of the runway closure.

Twenty-seven minutes after the closing of the runway, the approach controller called the tower controller to request a visual approach to runway 19 for flight 988. The tower controller approved the request. The airplane flew over two employees who were working north of the displaced threshold of runway 19 and landed on the runway. ATIS information Hotel, in effect at the time of the incident, did not include the closed runway.

The second incident occurred July 9 at 1010 EDT involving a Cessna 172 (N316AS) and a Dassault Falcon 200 (N277QS). The Cessna landed on runway 19 and requested a back taxi to the approach end of runway 19 for departure. The ground controller instructed the pilot to taxi to runway 19 via taxiway L and to hold short of runway 19.

However, the pilot was not instructed to hold short of runway 24, which intersected runway 19. The airplane had crossed the hold line for runway 24 but not over the runway edge when the tower controller cleared the Falcon for takeoff on runway 24. The tower cancelled the Falcon's clearance once it was determined that the Cessna was across the runway hold line.

The FAA reports the two airplanes were 1,200 feet apart. The incident occurred during the day shift with a front line manager and two air traffic control specialists on position.

NTSB Air Traffic Control Investigator Daniel Bartlett has been designated Investigator-in-charge for both incidents. Both preliminary reports are on the Board's web site.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov
aero-news.net

Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/07/2008.

Outlook For Summer Air Travel: Addressing Congestion And Delay

Statement of Henry Krakowski, Chief Operating Officer, Air Traffic Organization


Chairman Rockefeller, Senator Hutchison, Members of the Subcommittee:

Thank you for inviting me here to testify about aviation congestion and delays. With me today is Michael Reynolds, the Acting Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs from the Department of Transportation (DOT). With the summer travel season upon us, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the DOT have a number of efforts underway to address aviation congestion and delays.

State of the Industry

In order to frame the issues properly, we must first take a look at the state of the aviation industry today. Record oil prices, a slowing economy, and increased competition are just a few factors that have created a number of significant challenges for airlines — challenges that certainly will change the face of the aviation industry in the years to come.

To meet these challenges, many carriers are raising fares, streamlining operations, and reducing service. With a few notable exceptions — JFK, Denver and San Francisco, for example — air traffic is down. General aviation operations are also down, due to fuel and insurance costs, further de-stressing the system. System-wide, FAA data shows the number of flights have decreased just over 2 percent, comparing May 2008 to May 2007.

While airlines are announcing reductions in service, and air traffic overall is down, it is likely that the busiest and most congested airports, particularly in the New York/New Jersey region, will not see a significant reduction. Even if they do see a downturn in the short run, history tells us that the aviation industry is very cyclical and that service will eventually return to — and exceed — the record levels we saw last year. Of the current delay minutes, 32.9 percent were at the three largest airports in the New York area (Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia Airport, and John F.

Kennedy International Airport), as compared to 33.4 percent from last year. Approximately one-third of the nation’s flights and one-sixth of the world’s flights either start or traverse the airspace that supports the New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia (NY/NJ/PHL) region.

In 2007, the aviation industry recorded the second worst year for delays since 1995; 27 percent of flights were delayed or cancelled in 2007. Both the frequency and the severity of ground delays were unprecedented. The costs of delays are huge — the Senate Joint Economic Committee estimates that last year flight delays alone cost passengers, airlines, and the U.S. economy over $40 billion. Additionally, the Travel Industry Association estimates that air travelers avoided over 41 million trips last year — leading to lost revenues and taxes of over $26 billion.

Even if carriers reduce flights this summer enough to reduce congestion, we still must do something to fix the problems that caused last summer’s horrible delays. We continue to work towards developing and providing solutions for all of the users of the nation’s airspace system.

As we frame the problem, we should note that we are living in the safest period in aviation history and we are constantly striving to make it safer still. In the past 10 years, the commercial fatal accident rate has dropped 57 percent. General aviation accidents are down. Safety is and will always be the primary goal of the FAA. Nothing we do to address congestion and delays will compromise the FAA’s safety mandate.

Summer 2008

A snapshot of the system comparing May 2008 to May 2007 for the 35 Operational Evolution Partnership airports is telling. As you know, we had far more severe weather during May 2008 than we had in May 2007, particularly in the Midwest. Previously, this would have caused major delays throughout the NAS, and had the FAA done nothing, we would have seen thousands of delayed and stranded passengers all over the country. Instead, our projected data estimates that the average minutes of delay for all flights decreased slightly (by almost 1 percent), while the number of flights with more than one hour of delay decreased by 8 percent. Although the data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics has not been finalized, we are expecting to see that cancellations for May 2008 have decreased approximately 8 percent and on-time arrivals increased nearly 1 percent over May of last year.

According to FAA data, bad weather causes 70 percent of all delays. The situation is worse during the summer, unlike winter storms, which take time to develop and move slowly, summer storms can form quickly, stretch for hundreds of miles and travel rapidly over large portions of the country, grounding flights and sending chain reaction delays throughout the NAS. While we cannot control the weather, we can control how we manage the delays. With new dispersal headings, the use of
Adaptive Airspace Flow Programs (detailed below), new westbound departure routes out of New York, and other improvements, we are dealing more effectively with delays, using people, procedures, and technology.

In 1998, the FAA initiated Collaborative Decision Making (CDM), which represented a change in how the FAA communicates with the airlines in order to reduce delays. Prior to CDM, airlines were hesitant to share certain information for competitive reasons. Airlines now share schedule information with the FAA’s Command Center in Herndon, VA, including flight delays, cancellations and newly created flights. The Command Center uses this information to monitor airport arrival demand and take steps to reduce delays caused by heavy traffic and severe weather. Daily teleconferences are held every two hours between FAA air traffic managers, the airlines, and general aviation users, to discuss problems affecting capacity in the system and decide the most efficient, and collaborative solution as these situations arise.

For 2008, the FAA is implementing a number of new procedures and tools to enhance this system and to help manage and reduce congestion, outlined below:

Western Atlantic Route System

This initiative will increase capacity along the East Coast over the Atlantic this summer by reducing lateral separation from 90 miles to 50 miles for aircraft with avionics that provide an appropriate level of accuracy.

The area includes parts of Miami and New York high altitude airspace, as well as the San Juan Center Radar Approach Control airspace.In the past, lateral separation in oceanic airspace has been set at 90 miles between aircraft to maintain safe separation.

This initiative takes advantage of more precise aircraft position technology to allow for more Atlantic routes, 20 more transition route fixes and ultimately more access to the available airspace. The procedures became fully operational on June 5, 2008.

New Playbook Routes

Playbook routes are pre-coordinated routes that are developed to route aircraft around convective weather. New playbook routes will be in place this summer to provide alternate route options during periods of severe weather.

Nineteen new playbook routes will be available, including four Virginia Capes Area (VACAPES) routes designed for use in military airspace when it is available.

Integrated Collaborative Rerouting Tool

This is a new automated tool that depicts constrained airspace to airlines and other users of the NAS. This alleviates the need for the FAA to implement required reroutes, which may be less favorable to the users. It gives the airlines scheduling options and a more efficient utilization of the available airspace. The tool will allow pilots to provide early intent of their preferred routing around constrained areas, such as storms-affected areas.

Adaptive Airspace Flow Programs (AFPs)

The Airspace Flow Program was deployed in June 2006 and enables the FAA to manage adjustments to changing weather patterns. This is crucial during the summer convective weather season when storms grow rapidly and move across large swaths of the country. Before the FAA developed the technology to implement AFPs, the FAA's primary tool was a ground delay programs to prevent aircraft from taking off if they were headed for a delayed airport from any direction.

Ground delay programs remain valuable under appropriate circumstances, but sometimes have the unintended consequence of delaying flights that would otherwise not encounter severe weather.

Last summer from May 2 through August 30, 2007 a total of 58 AFPs were used. Use of these AFPs provided approximately $68 million in savings for the airlines. AFPs, which focus on particular areas in the sky where severe weather is expected, generally are a more equitable and efficient way of handling flights during severe weather.

The Adaptive Airspace Flow Program is an enhancement to the original program. This summer, the FAA can adjust the parameters of an AFP based on changing weather intensity, providing a more effective way to manage traffic during severe summer storms that will minimize delays.Using AFPs, the FAA is able to target only those flights that are expected to encounter severe weather. The targeted flights are issued an Expect Departure Clearance Time (EDCT), giving the airlines the option to accept a delayed, but predictable departure time, to take a longer route to fly around the weather or to make alternate plans.

Adaptive Compression

This program, launched in March 2007, automatically identifies unused arrival slots at airports affected by AFP or ground delays and moves other flights into those slots. This means that maximum arrival rates will be maintained, easing congestion and delays. Adaptive Compression saved $27 million for the airlines and 1.1 million delay minutes for the airlines and the flying public in its first year of operation.

Expanding Capacity

Expanding capacity in the overall NAS is always our preference, both on land and in the air. Airport capacity is critical. Along with our partners in the airport community, we have achieved significant progress in increasing capacity and we intend to continue to support this with our ongoing airport improvement programs. A brief overview of the status of recent airport projects as well as projects in the planning stages might be helpful.

The 35 airports included in the Operational Evolution Partnership (OEP) account for about 75 percent of all passenger enplanements. Much of the delay in air traffic can be traced to inadequate “throughput” (measured as arrival and departure rates) at these airports. Airfield construction (new runways, runway extensions, new taxiways, end around perimeter taxiways, and airfield reconfigurations) is the most effective method of increasing throughput.

Consequently, constructing new and/or extending runways, taxiways, and airfield reconfiguration are solution sets of the OEP’s.

Airport Development Domain.

Arrival and departure rates at the nation’s busiest airports are constrained by the limited number of runways that can be in active use simultaneously. The addition of new and extended runways or airfield reconfigurations will expand airport throughput at the target airports, and possibly for other airports in the same metropolitan area.

In most cases the airfield projects are sufficient to keep pace with forecasted demand. Since FY 2000, 14 of the 35 OEP airports have opened 15 airfield projects (including 13 new runways providing 20 miles of new runway pavement, 1 end around taxiway, and 1 airfield reconfiguration).

The projects have provided these airports with the potential to accommodate 1.6 million more annual operations and decrease average delay per operation at these airports by about 5 minutes, and reduce the potential for runway incursions.

Fonte: FAA Press Release 17/07/2008.

"Fuel Tank Flammability"

Good morning. I'm honored to be here today as we take another step forward on what has been a long journey of investigation, discovery, innovation and cooperation. Every step in the process of finding answers and creating solutions has been driven by our need to serve 230 families who simply asked, “Why?”

Our intent today is to close the door on fuel tank explosions. That is what today is all about.

Through the years, as we delved into finding a solution, we took action on two paths. First, while we were looking for a viable fix to address flammability, we made some immediate changes to attack ignition sources, issuing more than 150 airworthiness directives and other factors that could cause another catastrophe. I can assure you the safety level of commercial airplane fuel tanks is far greater today than at the time of Flight 800.

Second, FAA engineers and scientists addressed the flammability of fuel tanks by developing an inerting system that works — something early on people said could not be done. We’ve worked with Boeing to further develop the technology so that it will now be mandatory. Older aircraft will be required to retrofit their systems. New aircraft will have the technology built in.

Every member of our research, compliance, certification and operations teams involved in this process over the last 12 years has had one thing in mind: to prevent another tragedy like Flight 800. We have been mindful all along the way of our mission as stewards of the skies — to ensure the safety of those we serve.

With that said, I think that the NTSB deserves particular recognition today. First, for completing one of history’s most challenging and comprehensive aircraft accident investigations, and identifying this critical safety issue; and second, for being steadfast advocates for the safety improvement we are realizing today. From Chairmen Hall, Blakey, Engleman, Connors and now to Chairman Rosenker, I want to thank you, Mark, for your personal commitment and involvement on this issue.

And finally, to the families of Flight 800, we again offer you thanks for your inspiration and for your vigilance and dedication to ensuring that the safety of future generations remains topmost in our minds.

Fonte: FAA Press Release 17/07/2008.

NTSB Chairman commends FAA on major advancement in aviation safety

WASHINGTON, D.C. - National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Mark V. Rosenker today commended the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration for its final rule on fuel tank inerting.

This rule is a result of a Safety Board recommendation aimed at eliminating fuel tank explosions in transport category aircraft. This recommendation has been on the Board's Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements since 2002.

"The NTSB congratulates the DOT and the FAA on this important safety achievement," said Chairman Rosenker. "From tragedy we draw knowledge to improve safety and today's announcement represents a significant step toward avoiding future aviation accidents of this nature."

On July 17, 1996, TWA flight 800, a 747 en route from New York to Paris, exploded shortly after taking off from JFK Airport. 230 people lost their lives. In its final report, the Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the TWA 800 crash was an explosion of the center wing fuel tank, resulting from ignition of the flammable fuel/air mixture in the tank.

The Safety Board called upon the FAA to require design or operational changes that will preclude the operation of large airplanes with explosive fuel-air mixtures in the fuel tank.

In particular, the Board recommended that the FAA give significant consideration to the development of airplane design modifications, such as nitrogen-inerting systems, and to apply such modifications to newly certificated airplanes and, where feasible, to existing airplanes. The rule issued today by the DOT was in response to the Safety Board's recommendation A-96-174.

Fonte: NTSB Advisory 17/07/2008.

Denver International LOI Announcement

Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you.

It doesn’t take much to see what all the excitement’s about around here. I’ve just had an opportunity to walk around and see all the construction that’s going on with the new concourses. The Mayor was telling me how fast the city’s growing, and Denver International is keeping pace, right alongside.

Over the last few years, DIA’s been moving up the list of the nation’s busiest airports. Today it stands just five positions away from Number One, behind only Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth and LAX.

Good news, indeed, but there’s a downside to all of this growth. There’s very little elbow room around the end of the A and C concourses. When planes are taxiing in and out of the gates, some of them have to come to a full stop to make their way around the parked aircraft. We can make that safer.

When the two concourses are eventually expanded, it’s going to mean even more planes, more gates and more potential for delays. That’s a congestion issue.

At the FAA, we’re all about finding safety and congestion solutions. That’s why it gives me great pleasure to announce that we’re committing $28 million over the next six years to construct two new aprons near concourses A and C, the two most congested wings of the three.

This will provide that extra bit of elbow room to keep the taxiing lanes cleared of parked aircraft. That means more safety and capacity.

When all is said and done, the total cost will be about $59 million. The FAA is stepping up and covering about half of that, because this is about DIA keeping in step with Denver’s reputation as the city everyone wants to visit and do business.

That’s why a project of this magnitude can’t afford to take years to complete. The plan is to start construction later this month and be finished by early spring, before the first snowflake of 2009 hits the ground.

I have to admit, the week after the Fourth of July hardly sounds like a time to be thinking about snow. But as the city knows all too well, you’ve got to be ready for whatever Mother Nature throws at you, and that’s another benefit of the new aprons.

They’ll give DIA more flexibility to handle aircraft on the ground, even with reduced runway capacity, when the next blizzard hits. Snow removal will be quicker and easier, too, with the extra space that the aprons will afford.

Our efforts will complement what Denver’s doing to avoid a repeat of 2006, when the airport was shut down for almost two days. We’ve all learned a valuable lesson from that, and now’s the time to turn those lessons into concrete action.

The city is already getting almost $30 million of the best snow removal equipment money can buy, which should be a clear message to anyone that the city’s prepared for when the next big one hits.Congratulations, Denver. Being ready, being pro-active.

Those are key when you’re Denver International and you’re closing in on Number One. Thank you.

Fonte: FAA Speeches 15/7/2008.