Robert A. Sturgell,
Hyderabad, India October 15, 2008
India Air Show
Let me begin by thanking the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry for this opportunity.
It doesn’t get more exciting than this, especially for those of us who love aviation. Air shows have a special way of connecting us with our past, our present, and our future.
This is especially true in India, and right here in Hyderabad, where aviation is growing so rapidly.
Just consider the spot where we stand at this precise moment. Think back to earlier this year on March 22nd. Thai Airways flight 330 took off from this very site and closed an important chapter in India’s aviation history.
It was the last flight to take off from what’s now the old international airport, marking the end of more than 70 years of aviation operations.
At the same time, it opened a new chapter with the state-of-the-art Rajiv Gandhi International that many of us flew into earlier this week.
This is what aviation in India is all about — moving forward and opening new chapters. It’s about the future.
As you look to tomorrow, there’s no question that you’ll face many challenges as you expand your infrastructure. But you’re not alone.
These challenges are the very ones that confront us all as we look to ensure safety and improve operational efficiencies while we increase capacity.
Aviation is an economic driver for our countries, and we need to provide a system that’s capable of meeting future demand.
To help us succeed, we’ve established a Joint Aviation Steering Committee with working groups to address safety and efficiency issues.
We’re casting this net as widely as we can, promoting partnership and cooperation in areas like air traffic management, aircraft certification, airports, safety oversight, and the environment.
Through this partnership, we hope to learn from each other and find common threads that will lead us toward safety and efficiency solutions that benefit everyone.
A good example of something that works — the Commercial Aviation Safety Team — CAST. This international partnership is focused on preventing fatal aviation accidents before they happen.
To date, it’s identified 70 specific safety risks — and corresponding actions to mitigate those risks — in many areas.
They include Controlled Flight Into Terrain, Approach and Landing, Loss of Control, Runway Incursions, and Mid-Air Collisions. As a former line pilot, I can tell you that these areas are on our mind all the time. CAST really does make a difference.
When I talk about sharing information, it includes an even wider range of operational safety data, like information collected through ramp inspections.
If we broaden our databases to include info from more countries, we can pinpoint more recurring safety issues. This can help us avoid incidents and accidents before they become tomorrow’s headline.
Improving data sharing also means promoting voluntary safety information sharing.
We need to promote effective and non-punitive procedures for reporting potential safety issues.
This applies to every tier of our aviation system.
Whether it’s a tower controller, a machinist on the production line, or a pilot in the cockpit, we need systems in place that are conducive to reporting safety issues.
In the United States, our effort to increase capacity centers on the Next Generation. It’s a major priority for me and every employee at the FAA. And I encourage you to visit our exhibit at the air show and see for yourself what NextGen is all about.
In the air and on the ground, NextGen means transformation to a more automated system, greater airport design flexibility, reduced physical footprint, reduced separation between runways, and a smaller environmental footprint.
The recent Ajay Prasad Committee report provides India with a similar path for its aviation system.
As our nations develop and implement our respective future aviation systems, we need to ensure that they’re harmonized.
This was one of the key points I underscored at the ICAO NextGen/SESAR Integration Forum in Montreal last month.
In the aviation system of the future, a pilot should find the same procedures whether flying into Dulles or Delhi, Hartsfield or Hyderabad.
It’s ambitious, I know, but it’s a big part of what we hope to accomplish through initiatives like our aviation partnership with India.
I also believe that, to make this partnership even stronger, it’s important to have the right people.
And we do. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming the FAA’s newest representative to India, Mr. Aaron Wilkins. Aaron, please stand up.
Aaron’s been with the FAA for over a decade.
Most recently, he was in our Beijing office, where he worked on a range of aviation activities, including the Olympics. Please take a minute to introduce yourselves to him when we’re done.
Thanks, Aaron.
In closing, I would like to congratulate the Indian government and the Federal of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry for what they’ve accomplished here this week. I would also like to wish everyone in the audience a successful air show. As you meet with your colleagues and engage in aviation discussions here this week, remember to think global. Our future, and the future of aviation safety, depends on it.
Thank you.
Fonte: FAA 20/10/2008.
segunda-feira, 20 de outubro de 2008
Cockpit Runway Safety Technology
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has reached agreements with three additional U.S. airlines to fund in-cockpit runway safety systems in exchange for critical operational data. The data will help the FAA evaluate the safety impact of this technology and is expected to accelerate key safety capabilities necessary for the transition to the Next Generation Air Transportation System.
Atlas Air Inc. received $510,000 to equip 17 aircraft with electronic flight bags (EFBs), CommutAir received $544,000 to equip 16 aircraft with EFBs and Aural Alerting Systems, and Shuttle America received $680,000 to equip 20 aircraft with EFBs and Aural Alerting Systems.
The surface moving maps with own-ship position and aural alert systems will be used on flights to or from 21 test bed airports, as well as other airports. The safety technology provides greater situational awareness for pilots to help them avoid unsafe operations on the airport surface.
In September, the FAA provided $600,000 each to SkyWest, Piedmont, US Airways and Southwest Airlines to install the cockpit safety equipment.
“This technology is on every pilot’s wish list,” said Robert A. Sturgell, the FAA’s acting administrator. “It’s going to be a big boost for runway safety. As a former airline pilot myself, I can tell you putting these systems in the cockpit will raise situational awareness considerably.”
The technology will be installed in aircraft at each airline by September 2009. By that time the agency also expects initial results from the data analysis. Each agreement will remain in effect through September 2011.
The FAA continues to review other proposals to deploy the surface moving map or an approved aural runway safety alerting system and expects to announce other awards. Twenty-two airlines responded to the FAA’s request for proposals to invest in the two runway safety technologies.The test bed airports were selected because they had a history of runway incursions or runway safety issues. They are: Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago (O’Hare), Newark, Cleveland, Ft. Lauderdale, Houston (Hobby), Anchorage, San Francisco, Las Vegas McCarran, Charlotte, Miami, Philadelphia, Albuquerque, Daytona Beach, Phoenix, Dallas-Ft. Worth, New York (JFK and LaGuardia), Atlanta and Seattle.
Fonte: FAA 20/10/2008.
Atlas Air Inc. received $510,000 to equip 17 aircraft with electronic flight bags (EFBs), CommutAir received $544,000 to equip 16 aircraft with EFBs and Aural Alerting Systems, and Shuttle America received $680,000 to equip 20 aircraft with EFBs and Aural Alerting Systems.
The surface moving maps with own-ship position and aural alert systems will be used on flights to or from 21 test bed airports, as well as other airports. The safety technology provides greater situational awareness for pilots to help them avoid unsafe operations on the airport surface.
In September, the FAA provided $600,000 each to SkyWest, Piedmont, US Airways and Southwest Airlines to install the cockpit safety equipment.
“This technology is on every pilot’s wish list,” said Robert A. Sturgell, the FAA’s acting administrator. “It’s going to be a big boost for runway safety. As a former airline pilot myself, I can tell you putting these systems in the cockpit will raise situational awareness considerably.”
The technology will be installed in aircraft at each airline by September 2009. By that time the agency also expects initial results from the data analysis. Each agreement will remain in effect through September 2011.
The FAA continues to review other proposals to deploy the surface moving map or an approved aural runway safety alerting system and expects to announce other awards. Twenty-two airlines responded to the FAA’s request for proposals to invest in the two runway safety technologies.The test bed airports were selected because they had a history of runway incursions or runway safety issues. They are: Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago (O’Hare), Newark, Cleveland, Ft. Lauderdale, Houston (Hobby), Anchorage, San Francisco, Las Vegas McCarran, Charlotte, Miami, Philadelphia, Albuquerque, Daytona Beach, Phoenix, Dallas-Ft. Worth, New York (JFK and LaGuardia), Atlanta and Seattle.
Fonte: FAA 20/10/2008.
US safety board repeats calls for more robust flight recorders
US safety officials are asking the FAA to bolster its March 2008 final rule requiring enhanced flight data recorders for new and existing commercial, commuter and business aviation aircraft.
In a letter to FAA, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) acting chairman Mark Rosenker says that after reviewing the new rule, officials were "pleased" that all larger passenger airliners will now be required to carry 2h cockpit voice recorders (CVRs), up from the current 30min minimum, but he is urging FAA to revisit the need for video recorders in the cockpit, a reconstruction tool the NTSB has previously recommended.
Other weaknesses in the rule, says the NTSB, include not requiring the older 30min CVRs in commuter and corporate jet aircraft be upgraded to 2h units, though the FAA will require 2h recorders for newly manufactured commuter and corporate aircraft. The new units will also feature higher sampling rates for flight control positions, providing more accurate accident and incident investigations.
The Board had also asked that all airliners be equipped with emergency power pack to add 10min of recorder operations after an electrical interruption, a feature that would have helped with accidents like ValuJet Flight 592 in 1996 and Swiss Air 111 in 1998. FAA is requiring new aircraft to have the feature, but is not asking for retrofits.
NTSB is also unhappy that its requests for certain configurations of microphones and dedicated channels, as well as for a recorder for the back of the plane, were not heeded.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 20/10/2008.
In a letter to FAA, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) acting chairman Mark Rosenker says that after reviewing the new rule, officials were "pleased" that all larger passenger airliners will now be required to carry 2h cockpit voice recorders (CVRs), up from the current 30min minimum, but he is urging FAA to revisit the need for video recorders in the cockpit, a reconstruction tool the NTSB has previously recommended.
Other weaknesses in the rule, says the NTSB, include not requiring the older 30min CVRs in commuter and corporate jet aircraft be upgraded to 2h units, though the FAA will require 2h recorders for newly manufactured commuter and corporate aircraft. The new units will also feature higher sampling rates for flight control positions, providing more accurate accident and incident investigations.
The Board had also asked that all airliners be equipped with emergency power pack to add 10min of recorder operations after an electrical interruption, a feature that would have helped with accidents like ValuJet Flight 592 in 1996 and Swiss Air 111 in 1998. FAA is requiring new aircraft to have the feature, but is not asking for retrofits.
NTSB is also unhappy that its requests for certain configurations of microphones and dedicated channels, as well as for a recorder for the back of the plane, were not heeded.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 20/10/2008.
Voluntary safety reporting program suspended at American
Pilot union leaders at American Airlines have informed members that a voluntary program that allows for the reporting of safety incidents has been suspended due to what the union characterizes as unreasonable demands by management.
The Allied Pilots Association adopted the Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) in 1994. FAA grants carriers approval to establish ASAP programs for pilots, mechanics, dispatchers and flight attendants. Those carriers are generally free from penalties related to the given incident.
APA tells its members in an update that during the ASAP renewal process American management supplied a proposal that increases a pilot's risk for discipline and would leave pilots "dangerously exposed".
American explains it is disappointed by APA's action, but stresses that the safety of its operations will not be affected by ASAP's expiration.
"The APA's willingness to discard a 14-year program that has done so much for our pilots, our airline and our industry is impossible to understand," a company spokeswoman says.
The carrier says it is supplying pilots with a confidential hotline and online reporting systems to express concerns directly to its safety department.
But APA is discouraging the use those outlets by American's pilots. "Do not use the Flight Department's 'confidential' safety reporting hotline," says APA, adding, "You have the right to remain silent."
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 20/10/2008.
The Allied Pilots Association adopted the Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) in 1994. FAA grants carriers approval to establish ASAP programs for pilots, mechanics, dispatchers and flight attendants. Those carriers are generally free from penalties related to the given incident.
APA tells its members in an update that during the ASAP renewal process American management supplied a proposal that increases a pilot's risk for discipline and would leave pilots "dangerously exposed".
American explains it is disappointed by APA's action, but stresses that the safety of its operations will not be affected by ASAP's expiration.
"The APA's willingness to discard a 14-year program that has done so much for our pilots, our airline and our industry is impossible to understand," a company spokeswoman says.
The carrier says it is supplying pilots with a confidential hotline and online reporting systems to express concerns directly to its safety department.
But APA is discouraging the use those outlets by American's pilots. "Do not use the Flight Department's 'confidential' safety reporting hotline," says APA, adding, "You have the right to remain silent."
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 20/10/2008.
Robertson R44 Helicopter Wire Strike Accident (South Africa)
Date: 18-OCT-2008
Time: ±13:00
Type: Robinson R44
Operator:
Registration: ZS-
C/n / msn:
Fatalities: Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3
Other fatalities: 0
Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Mountain Range between Lydenburg and Ohrigstad, Mpumalanga - South Africa
Phase: En route
Nature: Private
Departure airport:
Destination airport:
Narrative:
Helicopter became entangled in electrical wires near the Sambrech Mine outside Lydenburg, crashed onto rocks and caught fire.
(aviation-safety.net)
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 20/10/2008.
Time: ±13:00
Type: Robinson R44
Operator:
Registration: ZS-
C/n / msn:
Fatalities: Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3
Other fatalities: 0
Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Mountain Range between Lydenburg and Ohrigstad, Mpumalanga - South Africa
Phase: En route
Nature: Private
Departure airport:
Destination airport:
Narrative:
Helicopter became entangled in electrical wires near the Sambrech Mine outside Lydenburg, crashed onto rocks and caught fire.
(aviation-safety.net)
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 20/10/2008.
German Charter Flight Forced into Emergency Landing
Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The XL Boeing 737-800, like this one from Gol Airlines, had to land with engine trouble.
The German air carrier XL Airways has confirmed that one of its aircraft had to make an emergency landing Saturday, Oct. 18 in Belgrade.
The Frankfurt-based firm said its Boeing 737-800 with 188 passengers and crew landed following a warning of an unspecified "engine problem" in the cockpit, spokesman Asger Schubert told the DPA news agency.
Schubert denied Serbian media reports claiming that one of the plane's engines caught fire.
Smoke was seen coming from one of the plane's two engines and firefighters doused the aircraft with foam when it landed, he added.
The pilot reported engine failure before entering Serbian airspace and asked for permission to land in Belgrade, the spokesman said.
"Passengers were safely evacuated and nobody was injured," a spokesperson for Belgrade airport said.
The aircraft was flying from Frankfurt to Antalya in Turkey. Passengers were to be transferred to Turkey with another engine during the day.
XL was founded two years ago. It charters planes to travel agencies, mostly for destinations in the Mediterranean basin.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3723384,00.html
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 20/10/2008.
The German air carrier XL Airways has confirmed that one of its aircraft had to make an emergency landing Saturday, Oct. 18 in Belgrade.
The Frankfurt-based firm said its Boeing 737-800 with 188 passengers and crew landed following a warning of an unspecified "engine problem" in the cockpit, spokesman Asger Schubert told the DPA news agency.
Schubert denied Serbian media reports claiming that one of the plane's engines caught fire.
Smoke was seen coming from one of the plane's two engines and firefighters doused the aircraft with foam when it landed, he added.
The pilot reported engine failure before entering Serbian airspace and asked for permission to land in Belgrade, the spokesman said.
"Passengers were safely evacuated and nobody was injured," a spokesperson for Belgrade airport said.
The aircraft was flying from Frankfurt to Antalya in Turkey. Passengers were to be transferred to Turkey with another engine during the day.
XL was founded two years ago. It charters planes to travel agencies, mostly for destinations in the Mediterranean basin.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3723384,00.html
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 20/10/2008.
Regional Jet, Maintenance Truck Collide At ORD; 3 Injured
Two Reported In "Good" Condition, One "Critical"
A pre-dawn collision of a regional jet and a maintenance truck on a runway at Chicago O'Hare International Airport has left three people hospitalized.
The Associated Press reports two mechanics and no passengers were aboard the United Express jet, operated by SkyWest Airlines. Chicago Fire Department Chief Joe Roccasalva said the plane was traveling from a hangar to a gate at O'Hare with it collided with the truck around 5 a.m.
The driver of the truck was extricated from the city vehicle and transported in critical condition to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. The two mechanics from the plane were transported in good condition to Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago, Roccasalva said.
Chicago Department of Aviation spokeswoman Karen Pride said a runway at O'Hare was closed for almost two hours due to the incident, but flight operations were not affected.
United Airlines spokeswoman Megan McCarthy said United planned to work with SkyWest to determine what caused the collision. "We will conduct a full investigation," she said.
Officials reviewed United surveillance footage, but due to the morning darkness and lights on the runway, they "could not find who was responsible for the accident," SkyWest spokeswoman Nicole Drew said. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were also investigating the incident, she added.
FMI: www.ohare.com, www.skywest.com
aero-news.net
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 20/10/2008.
A pre-dawn collision of a regional jet and a maintenance truck on a runway at Chicago O'Hare International Airport has left three people hospitalized.
The Associated Press reports two mechanics and no passengers were aboard the United Express jet, operated by SkyWest Airlines. Chicago Fire Department Chief Joe Roccasalva said the plane was traveling from a hangar to a gate at O'Hare with it collided with the truck around 5 a.m.
The driver of the truck was extricated from the city vehicle and transported in critical condition to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. The two mechanics from the plane were transported in good condition to Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago, Roccasalva said.
Chicago Department of Aviation spokeswoman Karen Pride said a runway at O'Hare was closed for almost two hours due to the incident, but flight operations were not affected.
United Airlines spokeswoman Megan McCarthy said United planned to work with SkyWest to determine what caused the collision. "We will conduct a full investigation," she said.
Officials reviewed United surveillance footage, but due to the morning darkness and lights on the runway, they "could not find who was responsible for the accident," SkyWest spokeswoman Nicole Drew said. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were also investigating the incident, she added.
FMI: www.ohare.com, www.skywest.com
aero-news.net
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 20/10/2008.
NTSB Notes Shortcomings In FAA's Revised Flight Recorder Rule
But Praises Enhancements Overall
The National Transportation Safety Board has told the Federal Aviation Administration that many elements of its new rule dealing with aircraft flight recorders comply with previous NTSB recommendations... but noted that some of its recommendations were not adopted.
The FAA issued a final rule, titled "Revisions to Cockpit Voice Recorder and Digital Flight Data Recorder Regulations," in March 2008 as ANN reported. After reviewing the rule, the NTSB this week classified several recommendations referenced in the rule.
The Board was pleased to see that all larger passenger airliners will be required to carry 2-hour cockpit voice recorders (CVRs), greatly expanding the current 30-minute requirement. But the rule stopped short by not requiring that older 30-minute CVRs be replaced on existing commuter and corporate jet aircraft. The FAA did require that newly manufactured commuter and corporate jets come equipped with 2-hour CVRs. Recommendation A-96-171 was closed "Acceptable Action."
The Board had asked that airliners be retrofitted with CVRs that had an emergency 10-minute power supply in case of an electrical interruption, such as occurred on ValuJet flight 592 in 1996 and Swiss Air flight 111 in 1998. The FAA agreed that newly manufactured airliners be so equipped but declined to require retrofits. The Board acknowledged that a retrofit rule might have posed a roadblock for regulatory approval for the rule, so classified recommendation A-99-16 "Closed - Acceptable Alternative Action."
The Board closed as unacceptable action A-96-89, which called for certain configurations of microphones and dedicated channels in airliner cockpits, and A-99-17, which called for dual combination recorders, one in the front and one in the back of the plane.
"Flight recorders have proven themselves invaluable in providing crucial information during accident and incident investigations," NTSB Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker said. "While I am happy to see that some of the enhancements we've been advocating for years are being adopted by the FAA, I again urge the FAA to act on the Board's recommendations for cockpit image recorders, which were not addressed in the new rule."
The new rule calls for increased flight control position sampling rates on flight recorders, which should improve the quality of data available to investigators. Improvements in flight recorders has been on the Board's list of Most Wanted Transportation Safety Improvements since 1999.
FMI: www.ntsb.gov
aero-news.net
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 20/10/2008.
The National Transportation Safety Board has told the Federal Aviation Administration that many elements of its new rule dealing with aircraft flight recorders comply with previous NTSB recommendations... but noted that some of its recommendations were not adopted.
The FAA issued a final rule, titled "Revisions to Cockpit Voice Recorder and Digital Flight Data Recorder Regulations," in March 2008 as ANN reported. After reviewing the rule, the NTSB this week classified several recommendations referenced in the rule.
The Board was pleased to see that all larger passenger airliners will be required to carry 2-hour cockpit voice recorders (CVRs), greatly expanding the current 30-minute requirement. But the rule stopped short by not requiring that older 30-minute CVRs be replaced on existing commuter and corporate jet aircraft. The FAA did require that newly manufactured commuter and corporate jets come equipped with 2-hour CVRs. Recommendation A-96-171 was closed "Acceptable Action."
The Board had asked that airliners be retrofitted with CVRs that had an emergency 10-minute power supply in case of an electrical interruption, such as occurred on ValuJet flight 592 in 1996 and Swiss Air flight 111 in 1998. The FAA agreed that newly manufactured airliners be so equipped but declined to require retrofits. The Board acknowledged that a retrofit rule might have posed a roadblock for regulatory approval for the rule, so classified recommendation A-99-16 "Closed - Acceptable Alternative Action."
The Board closed as unacceptable action A-96-89, which called for certain configurations of microphones and dedicated channels in airliner cockpits, and A-99-17, which called for dual combination recorders, one in the front and one in the back of the plane.
"Flight recorders have proven themselves invaluable in providing crucial information during accident and incident investigations," NTSB Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker said. "While I am happy to see that some of the enhancements we've been advocating for years are being adopted by the FAA, I again urge the FAA to act on the Board's recommendations for cockpit image recorders, which were not addressed in the new rule."
The new rule calls for increased flight control position sampling rates on flight recorders, which should improve the quality of data available to investigators. Improvements in flight recorders has been on the Board's list of Most Wanted Transportation Safety Improvements since 1999.
FMI: www.ntsb.gov
aero-news.net
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 20/10/2008.
Lessons Learned Safety Library
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has established a one-of-a-kind online safety library that teaches “lessons learned” from some of the world’s most historically significant transport airplane accidents — especially how that knowledge can help maintain today’s extraordinary aviation safety record.
Back to the Future
Why study aircraft accidents that happened as long as 40 years ago? The FAA believes many of the lessons learned from these tragedies are timeless, and are relevant to today's aviation community. By learning from the past, aviation professionals can use that knowledge to recognize key factors, and potentially prevent another accident from occurring under similar circumstances, or for similar reasons, in the future.
The FAA’s Lessons Learned library, in its initial release, lists 11 major airplane accidents that made an impact on the way the aviation industry and the FAA conduct business today. The FAA’s goal is to stock the library with 40 more historically significant accidents by the end of 2009.
The 11 selected accidents now in the library are:
Braniff L-188 (Electra) in Texas (September 29, 1959)
Northwest L-188 (Electra) in Indiana (March 17, 1960)
United Viscount 745D in Maryland (November 23, 1962)
United 727 near Los Angeles (January 18, 1969)
Eastern L-1011 in Florida (December 29, 1972)
Continental DC-10 at LAX (March 1, 1978)
Air Florida 737 at Washington, D.C. (January 13, 1982)
British Airtours B737 at Manchester, UK (August 22, 1985)
USAir 737 in Pennsylvania (September 8, 1994)
ValuJet DC-9 in Florida (May 11, 1996)
China Airlines 747 near Taipei (May 25, 2002)
Each accident entry features the accident investigation findings, resulting safety recommendations and subsequent regulatory and policy changes, if any. The entry also includes sections on the unsafe conditions that existed, precursors that pointed to an impending accident, and the basic safety assumptions made during the airplanes’ design, or that led to the airplanes’ continued operation.
Most important, the lessons learned from the investigation are explained in detail, and grouped into relevant technical areas and common themes, such as organizational lapses, human error, flawed assumptions, preexisting failures and unintended consequences of design choices.
Knowledge is Power
The FAA believes that the Lessons Learned library can help foster a culture in which aviation professionals capture and use day-to-day information from certification, maintenance, and operational activities to improve safety. The expected benefits from examining the library include more consistent safety decisions and fewer safety problems caused by breakdowns in communication between design, maintenance and operational organizations.
The Lessons Learned library is at: http://accidents-ll.faa.gov/
Beyond the Tarmac
The model developed to create this Lessons Learned library may have applications beyond airplane accidents. The library format and lesson development process could be valuable to non-aviation disciplines in developing lessons learned for other industries. For example, universities could develop curricula addressing safety training for other occupations, especially in the human factors arena.
Fonte: FAA 17/10/2008.
Back to the Future
Why study aircraft accidents that happened as long as 40 years ago? The FAA believes many of the lessons learned from these tragedies are timeless, and are relevant to today's aviation community. By learning from the past, aviation professionals can use that knowledge to recognize key factors, and potentially prevent another accident from occurring under similar circumstances, or for similar reasons, in the future.
The FAA’s Lessons Learned library, in its initial release, lists 11 major airplane accidents that made an impact on the way the aviation industry and the FAA conduct business today. The FAA’s goal is to stock the library with 40 more historically significant accidents by the end of 2009.
The 11 selected accidents now in the library are:
Braniff L-188 (Electra) in Texas (September 29, 1959)
Northwest L-188 (Electra) in Indiana (March 17, 1960)
United Viscount 745D in Maryland (November 23, 1962)
United 727 near Los Angeles (January 18, 1969)
Eastern L-1011 in Florida (December 29, 1972)
Continental DC-10 at LAX (March 1, 1978)
Air Florida 737 at Washington, D.C. (January 13, 1982)
British Airtours B737 at Manchester, UK (August 22, 1985)
USAir 737 in Pennsylvania (September 8, 1994)
ValuJet DC-9 in Florida (May 11, 1996)
China Airlines 747 near Taipei (May 25, 2002)
Each accident entry features the accident investigation findings, resulting safety recommendations and subsequent regulatory and policy changes, if any. The entry also includes sections on the unsafe conditions that existed, precursors that pointed to an impending accident, and the basic safety assumptions made during the airplanes’ design, or that led to the airplanes’ continued operation.
Most important, the lessons learned from the investigation are explained in detail, and grouped into relevant technical areas and common themes, such as organizational lapses, human error, flawed assumptions, preexisting failures and unintended consequences of design choices.
Knowledge is Power
The FAA believes that the Lessons Learned library can help foster a culture in which aviation professionals capture and use day-to-day information from certification, maintenance, and operational activities to improve safety. The expected benefits from examining the library include more consistent safety decisions and fewer safety problems caused by breakdowns in communication between design, maintenance and operational organizations.
The Lessons Learned library is at: http://accidents-ll.faa.gov/
Beyond the Tarmac
The model developed to create this Lessons Learned library may have applications beyond airplane accidents. The library format and lesson development process could be valuable to non-aviation disciplines in developing lessons learned for other industries. For example, universities could develop curricula addressing safety training for other occupations, especially in the human factors arena.
Fonte: FAA 17/10/2008.
Collective Madness
Travellers to Help Bail Out Bankers with New Departure Taxes
Geneva - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) criticised budget plans in Belgium and Ireland that mimic British and Dutch departure taxes as “collective madness.”
“Collective madness is the only way to describe the EUR 150 million Irish and EUR 132 million Belgian departure tax proposals. Filling budget gaps or financing government investment in the banking industry with gratuitous travel taxes is policy myopia at its worst,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO.
On Tuesday, the Belgian and Irish governments announced plans to implement departure taxes in their new budgets. Combined with the proposed UK Aviation Duty and the recently implemented Dutch departure tax, by 2010 air travellers could face a tax burden of up to EUR 3.8 billion annually in these four counties alone.
“The timing could not be worse for governments to make mobility more expensive. Look at what has happened in fuel, the biggest cost item for airlines. Even with the recent drop, today’s price is still over 300% more expensive than it was only a few years ago,” said Bisignani.
“Rather than collective action to squeeze taxpayers, Europe’s governments should be looking to improve European competitiveness. An effective Single European Sky would save 16 million tonnes of CO2 annually and improve the competitiveness of Europe’s skies by over EUR 5 billion,” said Bisignani.
Fonte: IATA 17/10/2008.
Geneva - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) criticised budget plans in Belgium and Ireland that mimic British and Dutch departure taxes as “collective madness.”
“Collective madness is the only way to describe the EUR 150 million Irish and EUR 132 million Belgian departure tax proposals. Filling budget gaps or financing government investment in the banking industry with gratuitous travel taxes is policy myopia at its worst,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO.
On Tuesday, the Belgian and Irish governments announced plans to implement departure taxes in their new budgets. Combined with the proposed UK Aviation Duty and the recently implemented Dutch departure tax, by 2010 air travellers could face a tax burden of up to EUR 3.8 billion annually in these four counties alone.
“The timing could not be worse for governments to make mobility more expensive. Look at what has happened in fuel, the biggest cost item for airlines. Even with the recent drop, today’s price is still over 300% more expensive than it was only a few years ago,” said Bisignani.
“Rather than collective action to squeeze taxpayers, Europe’s governments should be looking to improve European competitiveness. An effective Single European Sky would save 16 million tonnes of CO2 annually and improve the competitiveness of Europe’s skies by over EUR 5 billion,” said Bisignani.
Fonte: IATA 17/10/2008.
TRANSPORTATION FATALITIES DROP IN 2007; MOTORCYCLE DEATHS CONTINUE TO INCREASE
Washington, DC - Transportation fatalities in the United States decreased by 4 percent in 2007 from 2006, according to preliminary figures released today by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The data indicate that transportation fatalities in all modes totaled 43,193 in 2007, compared to 45,085 in 2006.
Although highway, marine, aviation, and pipeline deaths declined, rail fatalities showed an increase."While statistics show that transportation fatalities have declined this past year," said Acting Chairman Mark Rosenker, "there is still much work to do to prevent the loss of life on our roads, rails, waterways, and skies.
"Highway fatalities, which account for nearly 95% of all transportation deaths, decreased from 42,708 in 2006 to 41,059 in 2007.
However, motorcycle fatalities not only increased 6 percent from 4,837 to 5,154, but the 317 additional deaths that occurred in 2007 marked the single largest increase in a specific category across all modes.
The number of fatalities decreased or remained approximately the same in most other highway vehicle categories.
Aviation deaths decreased from 784 to 545. Nearly 90% of aviation fatalities occurred in general aviation accidents (491), but they still represented a significant decrease from the previous year (703).
Marine deaths dropped from 800 to 766, with the vast majority occurring in recreational boating (685).
Other marine categories, including cargo transport and commercial fishing, remained nearly unchanged, although commercial passengers vessels showed a slight increase.
Rail fatalities increased slightly from 774 to 808.
The vast majority of these fatalities were persons struck by a rail vehicle.
Pipeline fatalities decreased by four (19 to 15), with a slight decrease related to gas pipelines and an increase in liquid pipeline operations.
Aviation statistics are compiled by the NTSB.
Marine numbers are provided by the Department of Homeland Security, and numbers for all other modes by the Department of Transportation.
Related items:* Table* Chart
Fonte: NTSB 17/10/2008.
The data indicate that transportation fatalities in all modes totaled 43,193 in 2007, compared to 45,085 in 2006.
Although highway, marine, aviation, and pipeline deaths declined, rail fatalities showed an increase."While statistics show that transportation fatalities have declined this past year," said Acting Chairman Mark Rosenker, "there is still much work to do to prevent the loss of life on our roads, rails, waterways, and skies.
"Highway fatalities, which account for nearly 95% of all transportation deaths, decreased from 42,708 in 2006 to 41,059 in 2007.
However, motorcycle fatalities not only increased 6 percent from 4,837 to 5,154, but the 317 additional deaths that occurred in 2007 marked the single largest increase in a specific category across all modes.
The number of fatalities decreased or remained approximately the same in most other highway vehicle categories.
Aviation deaths decreased from 784 to 545. Nearly 90% of aviation fatalities occurred in general aviation accidents (491), but they still represented a significant decrease from the previous year (703).
Marine deaths dropped from 800 to 766, with the vast majority occurring in recreational boating (685).
Other marine categories, including cargo transport and commercial fishing, remained nearly unchanged, although commercial passengers vessels showed a slight increase.
Rail fatalities increased slightly from 774 to 808.
The vast majority of these fatalities were persons struck by a rail vehicle.
Pipeline fatalities decreased by four (19 to 15), with a slight decrease related to gas pipelines and an increase in liquid pipeline operations.
Aviation statistics are compiled by the NTSB.
Marine numbers are provided by the Department of Homeland Security, and numbers for all other modes by the Department of Transportation.
Related items:* Table* Chart
Fonte: NTSB 17/10/2008.
NTSB PRAISES FLIGHT RECORDER ENHANCEMENTS; NOTES SOME SHORTCOMINGS IN NEW FAA RULE
Washington, DC - The National Transportation Safety Board has told the Federal Aviation Administration that many elements of its new rule dealing with aircraft flight recorders comply with previous NTSB recommendations, but noted that some of its recommendations were not adopted.The FAA issued a final rule, titled "Revisions to Cockpit Voice Recorder and Digital Flight Data Recorder Regulations," earlier this year.
After reviewing the rule, the NTSB this week classified several recommendations referenced in the rule.The Board was pleased to see that all larger passenger airliners will be required to carry 2-hour cockpit voice recorders (CVRs), greatly expanding the current 30-minute requirement.
But the rule stopped short by not requiring that older 30-minute CVRs be replaced on existing commuter and corporate jet aircraft.
The FAA did require that newly manufactured commuter and corporate jets come equipped with 2-hour CVRs. Recommendation A-96-171 was closed "AcceptableAction."The Board had asked that airliners be retrofitted with CVRs that had an emergency 10-minute power supply in case of an electrical interruption, such as occurred on ValuJet flight 592 in 1996 and Swiss Air flight 111 in 1998.
The FAA agreed that newly manufactured airliners be so equipped but declined to require retrofits.
The Board acknowledged that a retrofit rule might have posed a roadblock for regulatory approval for the rule, so classified recommendation A-99-16 "Closed - Acceptable Alternative Action."The Board closed as unacceptable action A-96-89, which called for certain configurations of microphones and dedicated channels in airliner cockpits, and A-99-17, which called for dual combination recorders, one in the front and one in the back of the plane."Flight recorders have proven themselves invaluable in providing crucial information during accident and incident investigations," NTSB Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker said.
"While I am happy to see that some of the enhancements we've been advocating for years are being adopted by the FAA, I again urge the FAA to act on the Board's recommendations for cockpit image recorders, which were not addressed in the new rule."The new rule calls for increased flight control position sampling rates on flight recorders, which should improve the quality of data available to investigators.Improvements in flight recorders has been on the Board's list of Most Wanted Transportation SafetyImprovements since 1999.
Fonte: NTSB 17/10/2008.
After reviewing the rule, the NTSB this week classified several recommendations referenced in the rule.The Board was pleased to see that all larger passenger airliners will be required to carry 2-hour cockpit voice recorders (CVRs), greatly expanding the current 30-minute requirement.
But the rule stopped short by not requiring that older 30-minute CVRs be replaced on existing commuter and corporate jet aircraft.
The FAA did require that newly manufactured commuter and corporate jets come equipped with 2-hour CVRs. Recommendation A-96-171 was closed "AcceptableAction."The Board had asked that airliners be retrofitted with CVRs that had an emergency 10-minute power supply in case of an electrical interruption, such as occurred on ValuJet flight 592 in 1996 and Swiss Air flight 111 in 1998.
The FAA agreed that newly manufactured airliners be so equipped but declined to require retrofits.
The Board acknowledged that a retrofit rule might have posed a roadblock for regulatory approval for the rule, so classified recommendation A-99-16 "Closed - Acceptable Alternative Action."The Board closed as unacceptable action A-96-89, which called for certain configurations of microphones and dedicated channels in airliner cockpits, and A-99-17, which called for dual combination recorders, one in the front and one in the back of the plane."Flight recorders have proven themselves invaluable in providing crucial information during accident and incident investigations," NTSB Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker said.
"While I am happy to see that some of the enhancements we've been advocating for years are being adopted by the FAA, I again urge the FAA to act on the Board's recommendations for cockpit image recorders, which were not addressed in the new rule."The new rule calls for increased flight control position sampling rates on flight recorders, which should improve the quality of data available to investigators.Improvements in flight recorders has been on the Board's list of Most Wanted Transportation SafetyImprovements since 1999.
Fonte: NTSB 17/10/2008.
NTSB ISSUES URGENT RECOMMENDATION REGARDING PRATT & WHITNEY 2037 ENGINES INSPECTIONS
Washington, DC -- As a result of its ongoing investigation of an incident involving a Pratt & Whitney PW2037 engine experiencing an uncontained failure, the National Transportation Safety Board issued an urgent recommendation today to the Federal Aviation Administration to require all Pratt & Whitney PW2037 engines be removed from service for inspection of the second stage turbine hubs when they have accumulated significantly fewer hours (10,880) and/or cycles (4,392) than the incident engine.
On August 6, 2008, Delta Air Lines flight 624, a Boeing 757-232 equipped with PW2037 engines, experienced an uncontained failure of the right engine’s high pressure turbine second stage hub at McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada. According to the pilots, at the start of the takeoff roll they heard a loud bang and observed that the right engine had lost power. The pilots rejected the takeoff and the airplane returned to the gate. All 166 passengers and the crew of four deplaned. There was no fire or injuries.
Examination of the incident airplane’s right engine revealed a hole in the bottom of the core cowl that was in line with a hole through the engine’s high pressure turbine. The inspection also revealed missing lugs and cracks in the turbine hub. Additionally, the Safety Board learned that at least four other PW2037 second stage turbine hubs have had cracks in the blade retaining lugs. And, NTSB has also learned that, during a routine overhaul, an American Airlines PW2037 second stage turbine hub with cracks in two adjacent blade retaining lugs was reported. The Safety Board has requested information on all of these hubs.
“These discoveries raise serious concerns and warrant immediate action by the FAA,” said NTSB Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker. “A string of consecutively fractured blade retaining lugs could result in the simultaneous release of multiple blades, which would exceed the design capacity of the engine’s cases and result in an uncontainment. Preventive safety measures must be taken.”
The NTSB issued a second recommendation today that would require a continuing inspection schedule for the hubs until the cause of previous instances of cracking is found and corrective action is identified.
The Safety Board is still investigating this incident.
A copy of the Board’s safety recommendation letter may be accessed on the NTSB’s website at the following link: http://ntsb.gov/Recs/letters/2008/A08_85_86.pdf
Fonte: NTSB 17/10/2008.
On August 6, 2008, Delta Air Lines flight 624, a Boeing 757-232 equipped with PW2037 engines, experienced an uncontained failure of the right engine’s high pressure turbine second stage hub at McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada. According to the pilots, at the start of the takeoff roll they heard a loud bang and observed that the right engine had lost power. The pilots rejected the takeoff and the airplane returned to the gate. All 166 passengers and the crew of four deplaned. There was no fire or injuries.
Examination of the incident airplane’s right engine revealed a hole in the bottom of the core cowl that was in line with a hole through the engine’s high pressure turbine. The inspection also revealed missing lugs and cracks in the turbine hub. Additionally, the Safety Board learned that at least four other PW2037 second stage turbine hubs have had cracks in the blade retaining lugs. And, NTSB has also learned that, during a routine overhaul, an American Airlines PW2037 second stage turbine hub with cracks in two adjacent blade retaining lugs was reported. The Safety Board has requested information on all of these hubs.
“These discoveries raise serious concerns and warrant immediate action by the FAA,” said NTSB Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker. “A string of consecutively fractured blade retaining lugs could result in the simultaneous release of multiple blades, which would exceed the design capacity of the engine’s cases and result in an uncontainment. Preventive safety measures must be taken.”
The NTSB issued a second recommendation today that would require a continuing inspection schedule for the hubs until the cause of previous instances of cracking is found and corrective action is identified.
The Safety Board is still investigating this incident.
A copy of the Board’s safety recommendation letter may be accessed on the NTSB’s website at the following link: http://ntsb.gov/Recs/letters/2008/A08_85_86.pdf
Fonte: NTSB 17/10/2008.
AAMS Works with FAA, Congress Toward Safety Enhancements
ALEXANDRIA, VA – In light of recent accidents, the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS) is working closely with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and concerned members of Congress to actively promote safety enhancements in the air medical community through FAA rulemaking and federal legislation. AAMS is deeply saddened by these recent tragedies and offers the heartfelt condolences of all of its members to the families, friends, and co-workers of the victims of the most recent helicopter EMS accident.
AAMS and the FAA, along with representatives of the aviation community, have planned closed-door meetings to discuss short and long term rulemaking changes to address possible deficiencies in the current rules that apply to Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS). The purpose of these discussions, and the subsequent actions, is to increase the current regulatory standards based on recommendations made by the NTSB.
AAMS also continues to support Congressional legislation that promotes changes similar to those under consideration in the regulatory arena. These changes include higher weather minima on all legs of an air medical flight, and the mandatory use of risk assessments before take-off. Furthermore, AAMS supports the continued study and future implementation of recording devices in helicopters, both in an effort to ensure flight quality and to provide additional information in the event of an incident or accident. AAMS also continues to advocate for low-altitude weather reporting and aviation infrastructure improvements desperately needed to enhance pilots’ decision-making.
While these efforts address both short- and long-term regulatory changes, AAMS also continues to promote safe operations in air medicine. Air medical transport is a critical part of the medical system in the United States, transporting nearly 400,000 patients via helicopter per year. These services transport the sickest and most critically ill patients, and the level of care offered by air medical services combined with the speed and accessibility of helicopters are often the determining factor in lifesaving medical interventions.
For more information visit www.aams.org. http://www.amtonline.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=6590
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
AAMS and the FAA, along with representatives of the aviation community, have planned closed-door meetings to discuss short and long term rulemaking changes to address possible deficiencies in the current rules that apply to Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS). The purpose of these discussions, and the subsequent actions, is to increase the current regulatory standards based on recommendations made by the NTSB.
AAMS also continues to support Congressional legislation that promotes changes similar to those under consideration in the regulatory arena. These changes include higher weather minima on all legs of an air medical flight, and the mandatory use of risk assessments before take-off. Furthermore, AAMS supports the continued study and future implementation of recording devices in helicopters, both in an effort to ensure flight quality and to provide additional information in the event of an incident or accident. AAMS also continues to advocate for low-altitude weather reporting and aviation infrastructure improvements desperately needed to enhance pilots’ decision-making.
While these efforts address both short- and long-term regulatory changes, AAMS also continues to promote safe operations in air medicine. Air medical transport is a critical part of the medical system in the United States, transporting nearly 400,000 patients via helicopter per year. These services transport the sickest and most critically ill patients, and the level of care offered by air medical services combined with the speed and accessibility of helicopters are often the determining factor in lifesaving medical interventions.
For more information visit www.aams.org. http://www.amtonline.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=6590
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
'We've lost too many lives' in EMS crashes
RECORD U.S. DEATH TOLL: 35 KILLED Safety Board pushes FAA for tougher rules
Emergency medical services aircraft have been in nine fatal accidents in the last 12 months, killing 35 people -- the highest number of fatalities since such flights began in the 1970s.
The grim toll has prompted the National Transportation Safety Board -- which has been critical of EMS flight operations -- to step up pressure on the Federal Aviation Administration to adopt safety measures the board wanted two years ago.
"The NTSB is extremely concerned with the EMS helicopter record," said Robert Sumwalt, NTSB director. "We want the FAA to move forward with these recommendations. We've lost too many lives."
The NTSB plans a three-day public hearing in February on EMS helicopter safety. At its Oct. 28 meeting, the NTSB will consider adding its EMS recommendations to its "most wanted list" of safety improvements.
In a 2006 study of 55 EMS accidents between 2002 and 2005, the NTSB identified the following problems:
• • Less stringent requirements for operations conducted without patients on board.
• • Lack of flight risk evaluation programs.
• • Lack of consistent, comprehensive dispatch procedures.
• • No requirement to use certain safety technologies, such as those that can warn when an obstacle is approaching.
The FAA takes the NTSB concerns seriously and is focusing on ways for EMS operators to reduce risk, according to FAA spokeswoman Alison Duquette. But she said turning a recommendation into a regulation takes time.
It's difficult to say why there are so many EMS crashes. Sumwalt said the operating environment is "challenging" -- EMS pilots often go out at night and in bad weather. In some cases, they're picking someone up off the highway.
The National EMS Pilots Association advocates the use of night vision goggles, currently used on only 25 percent of EMS helicopters. A survey by the group in May found that 82 percent of pilots want them. One pilot said he felt "virtually blind" without them.
Pilot Del Waugh, who died in Wednesday's helicopter crash in Aurora, was not wearing the goggles. His outfit, Air Angels, has not purchased or trained in them, the FAA said.
The technology is expensive -- $118,000 for equipment and training. Goggle supplies are also limited because so many are being used by the military in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Dawn Mancuso, executive director of the Association of Air Medical Services.
The need for EMS flights has exploded because complex equipment isn't available in every hospital, and emergency rooms are closing down, so there's more need to move patients quickly from one hospital to another, Mancuso said.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/1226994,CST-NWS-safe17.article
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
Emergency medical services aircraft have been in nine fatal accidents in the last 12 months, killing 35 people -- the highest number of fatalities since such flights began in the 1970s.
The grim toll has prompted the National Transportation Safety Board -- which has been critical of EMS flight operations -- to step up pressure on the Federal Aviation Administration to adopt safety measures the board wanted two years ago.
"The NTSB is extremely concerned with the EMS helicopter record," said Robert Sumwalt, NTSB director. "We want the FAA to move forward with these recommendations. We've lost too many lives."
The NTSB plans a three-day public hearing in February on EMS helicopter safety. At its Oct. 28 meeting, the NTSB will consider adding its EMS recommendations to its "most wanted list" of safety improvements.
In a 2006 study of 55 EMS accidents between 2002 and 2005, the NTSB identified the following problems:
• • Less stringent requirements for operations conducted without patients on board.
• • Lack of flight risk evaluation programs.
• • Lack of consistent, comprehensive dispatch procedures.
• • No requirement to use certain safety technologies, such as those that can warn when an obstacle is approaching.
The FAA takes the NTSB concerns seriously and is focusing on ways for EMS operators to reduce risk, according to FAA spokeswoman Alison Duquette. But she said turning a recommendation into a regulation takes time.
It's difficult to say why there are so many EMS crashes. Sumwalt said the operating environment is "challenging" -- EMS pilots often go out at night and in bad weather. In some cases, they're picking someone up off the highway.
The National EMS Pilots Association advocates the use of night vision goggles, currently used on only 25 percent of EMS helicopters. A survey by the group in May found that 82 percent of pilots want them. One pilot said he felt "virtually blind" without them.
Pilot Del Waugh, who died in Wednesday's helicopter crash in Aurora, was not wearing the goggles. His outfit, Air Angels, has not purchased or trained in them, the FAA said.
The technology is expensive -- $118,000 for equipment and training. Goggle supplies are also limited because so many are being used by the military in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Dawn Mancuso, executive director of the Association of Air Medical Services.
The need for EMS flights has exploded because complex equipment isn't available in every hospital, and emergency rooms are closing down, so there's more need to move patients quickly from one hospital to another, Mancuso said.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/1226994,CST-NWS-safe17.article
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
CHICAGO SUBURB: 4 killed in helicopter crash
The NTSB recommended in January 2006 that federal regulators require the systems on the nation's 750 medevac helicopters. The NTSB said terrain warning systems likely would have prevented 17 of 55 accidents it studied.
Legislation sponsored by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., also would require the systems.
The Federal Aviation Administration, which oversees air ambulance firms, believes the devices have promise but require further study, said John Allen, deputy director of the FAA's Flight Standards Service.
"These processes, undeniably, go a little slow for some folks, especially the NTSB," Allen said. "But when we go to a new technology, we have to make sure there isn't some unforeseen hazard. We'd hate to make a rule that would contribute to future accidents."
The Association of Air Medical Services, an air ambulance trade group, informally urges members to use terrain avoidance systems, but would prefer not to see a requirement, said Christopher Eastlee, the group's government relations manager.
Some companies are not waiting for a government mandate. Air Methods, the largest air ambulance firm in the nation, decided two years ago to equip its fleet of about 340 helicopters.
"I think it's critical for our company to be very proactive about safety," said Craig Yale, the firm's vice president of corporate development.
In a demonstration flight last week for USA TODAY, Lajeunesse flew near New York City to show how the Honeywell system reacts to hazards.
Flying toward the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, he pointed the helicopter toward one of two 693-feet-high support towers. The towers were clearly visible on the cockpit display when the helicopter was still miles away.
When the on-board computer estimated the helicopter was about 30 seconds from hitting the tower, the system issued an alert: "Warning, obstacle! Warning, obstacle!" Lajeunesse turned away.
"I've used (the device) for almost 10 years on both airplanes and helicopters and I would not want to fly an aircraft without it," he said.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-10-16-crashwarning_N.htm
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
Legislation sponsored by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., also would require the systems.
The Federal Aviation Administration, which oversees air ambulance firms, believes the devices have promise but require further study, said John Allen, deputy director of the FAA's Flight Standards Service.
"These processes, undeniably, go a little slow for some folks, especially the NTSB," Allen said. "But when we go to a new technology, we have to make sure there isn't some unforeseen hazard. We'd hate to make a rule that would contribute to future accidents."
The Association of Air Medical Services, an air ambulance trade group, informally urges members to use terrain avoidance systems, but would prefer not to see a requirement, said Christopher Eastlee, the group's government relations manager.
Some companies are not waiting for a government mandate. Air Methods, the largest air ambulance firm in the nation, decided two years ago to equip its fleet of about 340 helicopters.
"I think it's critical for our company to be very proactive about safety," said Craig Yale, the firm's vice president of corporate development.
In a demonstration flight last week for USA TODAY, Lajeunesse flew near New York City to show how the Honeywell system reacts to hazards.
Flying toward the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, he pointed the helicopter toward one of two 693-feet-high support towers. The towers were clearly visible on the cockpit display when the helicopter was still miles away.
When the on-board computer estimated the helicopter was about 30 seconds from hitting the tower, the system issued an alert: "Warning, obstacle! Warning, obstacle!" Lajeunesse turned away.
"I've used (the device) for almost 10 years on both airplanes and helicopters and I would not want to fly an aircraft without it," he said.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-10-16-crashwarning_N.htm
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
Industry slow to adopt warning system for helicopters
By Alan Levin, USA TODAY
MORRISTOWN, N.J. — The helicopter flies toward a ridge looming in late-afternoon shadow. But before it can get too close a voice comes over pilot Marc Lajeunesse's headphones:
"Caution, terrain. Caution, terrain."
Lajeunesse intentionally continues toward the ridge as a voice intones, "Warning, terrain! Warning, terrain!" A computer map displays the high ground in bright red and the words "PULL UP" appear on the cockpit display. Lajeunesse turns safely away and the warnings end.
A computerized safety system such as the Honeywell model demonstrated by Lajeunesse is one of the best defenses against the epidemic of accidents on air ambulance helicopter flights that have killed 35 people in nine crashes over the past 12 months, say federal accident investigators and safety experts.
The system is designed to help prevent accidents such as the crash Wednesday night in Aurora, Ill., that killed four people, including a 1-year-old girl being ferried to a hospital. Preliminary reports indicate the medical evacuation helicopter struck a support wire holding a 750-foot radio tower. Besides natural obstacles, the system warns helicopter pilots when they fly too close to towers and other man-made obstructions.
"I don't want to have to see the numbers of deaths continue in this area when we have technology that can prevent these kinds of accidents," said Mark Rosenker, head of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The board has urged federal regulators to mandate the safety systems on air ambulance flights.
Only a tiny faction of the industry's helicopters are equipped and federal regulators say they will not consider requiring them until studies on the devices are completed next year.
Honeywell was the first company to create a worldwide database of every hilltop and radio tower to help stem one of the biggest killers in aviation — pilots who inadvertently strike the ground in darkness or poor weather.
The system, known as Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS), tracks an aircraft's heading and altitude, and issues alerts if pilots get too close to danger. A computer screen in the cockpit shows approaching obstacles, so pilots can steer clear well in advance.
It virtually wiped out such crashes on airliners since becoming mandatory in 2005.
Honeywell adapted the system for helicopters in 2000, but the industry has been slower to adopt it than airlines. So far the company has sold about 200 of the helicopter devices, mostly to firms that ferry workers and equipment to off-shore oil rigs, said Doug Kult, a sales director for Honeywell's helicopter division.
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
MORRISTOWN, N.J. — The helicopter flies toward a ridge looming in late-afternoon shadow. But before it can get too close a voice comes over pilot Marc Lajeunesse's headphones:
"Caution, terrain. Caution, terrain."
Lajeunesse intentionally continues toward the ridge as a voice intones, "Warning, terrain! Warning, terrain!" A computer map displays the high ground in bright red and the words "PULL UP" appear on the cockpit display. Lajeunesse turns safely away and the warnings end.
A computerized safety system such as the Honeywell model demonstrated by Lajeunesse is one of the best defenses against the epidemic of accidents on air ambulance helicopter flights that have killed 35 people in nine crashes over the past 12 months, say federal accident investigators and safety experts.
The system is designed to help prevent accidents such as the crash Wednesday night in Aurora, Ill., that killed four people, including a 1-year-old girl being ferried to a hospital. Preliminary reports indicate the medical evacuation helicopter struck a support wire holding a 750-foot radio tower. Besides natural obstacles, the system warns helicopter pilots when they fly too close to towers and other man-made obstructions.
"I don't want to have to see the numbers of deaths continue in this area when we have technology that can prevent these kinds of accidents," said Mark Rosenker, head of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The board has urged federal regulators to mandate the safety systems on air ambulance flights.
Only a tiny faction of the industry's helicopters are equipped and federal regulators say they will not consider requiring them until studies on the devices are completed next year.
Honeywell was the first company to create a worldwide database of every hilltop and radio tower to help stem one of the biggest killers in aviation — pilots who inadvertently strike the ground in darkness or poor weather.
The system, known as Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS), tracks an aircraft's heading and altitude, and issues alerts if pilots get too close to danger. A computer screen in the cockpit shows approaching obstacles, so pilots can steer clear well in advance.
It virtually wiped out such crashes on airliners since becoming mandatory in 2005.
Honeywell adapted the system for helicopters in 2000, but the industry has been slower to adopt it than airlines. So far the company has sold about 200 of the helicopter devices, mostly to firms that ferry workers and equipment to off-shore oil rigs, said Doug Kult, a sales director for Honeywell's helicopter division.
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
Boeing 737-200 Runway Overrun (Venezuela)
Status: Preliminary
Date: 16 OCT 2008
Time: ca 15:30
Type: Boeing 737-2H4
Operator: Rutaca
Registration: YV162T
C/n / msn: 23055/970
First flight: 1983-05-26
Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9A(HK3)
Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 7
Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 47
Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 54
Airplane damage: Minor
Location: Caracas-Simón Bolívar International Airport (CCS) (Venezuela)
Phase: Landing (LDG)
Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport: Puerto Ordaz Airport (PZO/SVPR), Venezuela
Destination airport: Caracas-Simón Bolívar International Airport (CCS/SVMI), Venezuela
Narrative:
RUTACA Boeing 737 registered YV162T landed on runway 28R at Caracas-Simón Bolívar International Airport (CCS) following a domestic flight from Puerto Ordaz (PZO). After touchdown the airplane swerved to the left. The nose came to rest on the runway embankment.
The weather at the time of the incident (18:00 UTC) was reported as:
SVMI 161800Z 34002KT 9999 -DZ SCT016 OVC090 26/23 Q1012= (wind 340 degreees at 2 knots, light drizzle, scattered clouds at 1,600 ft. and overcast 9,000 ft., temperature 26°C,dewpoint 23°C, QNH 1012 mb.)
(aviation-safety.net)
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
Date: 16 OCT 2008
Time: ca 15:30
Type: Boeing 737-2H4
Operator: Rutaca
Registration: YV162T
C/n / msn: 23055/970
First flight: 1983-05-26
Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9A(HK3)
Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 7
Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 47
Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 54
Airplane damage: Minor
Location: Caracas-Simón Bolívar International Airport (CCS) (Venezuela)
Phase: Landing (LDG)
Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport: Puerto Ordaz Airport (PZO/SVPR), Venezuela
Destination airport: Caracas-Simón Bolívar International Airport (CCS/SVMI), Venezuela
Narrative:
RUTACA Boeing 737 registered YV162T landed on runway 28R at Caracas-Simón Bolívar International Airport (CCS) following a domestic flight from Puerto Ordaz (PZO). After touchdown the airplane swerved to the left. The nose came to rest on the runway embankment.
The weather at the time of the incident (18:00 UTC) was reported as:
SVMI 161800Z 34002KT 9999 -DZ SCT016 OVC090 26/23 Q1012= (wind 340 degreees at 2 knots, light drizzle, scattered clouds at 1,600 ft. and overcast 9,000 ft., temperature 26°C,dewpoint 23°C, QNH 1012 mb.)
(aviation-safety.net)
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
FAA Creates 'Lessons Learned' Online Database
Pilots, Others Encouraged To Review Lessons From The Past
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has established a one-of-a-kind online safety library that teaches "lessons learned" from some of the world's most historically significant transport airplane accidents... especially how that knowledge can help maintain today's aviation safety record.
"Why study aircraft accidents that happened as long as 40 years ago?" the agency asks, rhetorically. "The FAA believes many of the lessons learned from these tragedies are timeless, and are relevant to today's aviation community. By learning from the past, aviation professionals can use that knowledge to recognize key factors, and potentially prevent another accident from occurring under similar circumstances, or for similar reasons, in the future.
"The FAA's Lessons Learned library, in its initial release, lists 11 major airplane accidents that made an impact on the way the aviation industry and the FAA conduct business today. The FAA's goal is to stock the library with 40 more historically significant accidents by the end of 2009."
The 11 selected accidents now in the library are:
Braniff L-188 (Electra) in Texas (September 29, 1959)
Northwest L-188 (Electra) in Indiana (March 17, 1960)
United Viscount 745D in Maryland (November 23, 1962)
United 727 near Los Angeles (January 18, 1969)
Eastern L-1011 in Florida (December 29, 1972)
Continental DC-10 at LAX (March 1, 1978)
Air Florida 737 at Washington, D.C. (January 13, 1982)
British Airtours B737 at Manchester, UK (August 22, 1985)
USAir 737 in Pennsylvania (September 8, 1994)
ValuJet DC-9 in Florida (May 11, 1996)
China Airlines 747 near Taipei (May 25, 2002)
Each accident entry features the accident investigation findings, resulting safety recommendations and subsequent regulatory and policy changes, if any. The entry also includes sections on the unsafe conditions that existed, precursors that pointed to an impending accident, and the basic safety assumptions made during the airplanes' design, or that led to the airplanes' continued operation.
Most important, the lessons learned from the investigation are explained in detail, and grouped into relevant technical areas and common themes, such as organizational lapses, human error, flawed assumptions, preexisting failures and unintended consequences of design choices.
"The FAA believes that the Lessons Learned library can help foster a culture in which aviation professionals capture and use day-to-day information from certification, maintenance, and operational activities to improve safety," the agency notes. "The expected benefits from examining the library include more consistent safety decisions and fewer safety problems caused by breakdowns in communication between design, maintenance and operational organizations."
FMI: http://accidents-ll.faa.gov/
aero-news.net
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has established a one-of-a-kind online safety library that teaches "lessons learned" from some of the world's most historically significant transport airplane accidents... especially how that knowledge can help maintain today's aviation safety record.
"Why study aircraft accidents that happened as long as 40 years ago?" the agency asks, rhetorically. "The FAA believes many of the lessons learned from these tragedies are timeless, and are relevant to today's aviation community. By learning from the past, aviation professionals can use that knowledge to recognize key factors, and potentially prevent another accident from occurring under similar circumstances, or for similar reasons, in the future.
"The FAA's Lessons Learned library, in its initial release, lists 11 major airplane accidents that made an impact on the way the aviation industry and the FAA conduct business today. The FAA's goal is to stock the library with 40 more historically significant accidents by the end of 2009."
The 11 selected accidents now in the library are:
Braniff L-188 (Electra) in Texas (September 29, 1959)
Northwest L-188 (Electra) in Indiana (March 17, 1960)
United Viscount 745D in Maryland (November 23, 1962)
United 727 near Los Angeles (January 18, 1969)
Eastern L-1011 in Florida (December 29, 1972)
Continental DC-10 at LAX (March 1, 1978)
Air Florida 737 at Washington, D.C. (January 13, 1982)
British Airtours B737 at Manchester, UK (August 22, 1985)
USAir 737 in Pennsylvania (September 8, 1994)
ValuJet DC-9 in Florida (May 11, 1996)
China Airlines 747 near Taipei (May 25, 2002)
Each accident entry features the accident investigation findings, resulting safety recommendations and subsequent regulatory and policy changes, if any. The entry also includes sections on the unsafe conditions that existed, precursors that pointed to an impending accident, and the basic safety assumptions made during the airplanes' design, or that led to the airplanes' continued operation.
Most important, the lessons learned from the investigation are explained in detail, and grouped into relevant technical areas and common themes, such as organizational lapses, human error, flawed assumptions, preexisting failures and unintended consequences of design choices.
"The FAA believes that the Lessons Learned library can help foster a culture in which aviation professionals capture and use day-to-day information from certification, maintenance, and operational activities to improve safety," the agency notes. "The expected benefits from examining the library include more consistent safety decisions and fewer safety problems caused by breakdowns in communication between design, maintenance and operational organizations."
FMI: http://accidents-ll.faa.gov/
aero-news.net
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
Wire likely ripped off blades in fatal chopper crash
CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- The rotor blades on a critical-care helicopter that crashed -- killing all four passengers -- likely clipped a guy wire, causing the blades to break off, an air safety investigator said Thursday.
A helicopter blade lies in a field after the Wednesday night crash that killed four people.
1 of 3 "A rotor blade is not designed to travel through anything except air," said National Transportation Safety Board investigator John Brannen.
The Wednesday night crash in Aurora, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, is the latest in a string of medical helicopter accidents that has raised concerns among NTSB officials.
Pieces of what appear to be the main rotor blades, their hubs and shaft were found in a nearby apartment complex apartment lot, about 100 yards from the main wreckage, Brannen said.
"It indicates that possibly the main rotor blades separated from the aircraft during flight," Brannen said, citing "preliminary information."
Police evacuated 16 apartment buildings near the crash as a precaution while crews assessed the tower's stability. The guy wires add stability to the tower, which Brannen said is 1,149 feet high.
Two crew members, a nurse and a 1-year-old patient were killed when the Air Angels Inc. chopper, a Bell 222, crashed in a field, authorities said.
The aircraft was en route from Valley West Community Hospital in the town of Sandwich to Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory.
Investigators don't know whether they will be able to retrieve any usable data from the chopper because it caught fire, Brannen said. Weather conditions were clear when the accident occurred, he added.
"We don't have any indication at this point that there was a distress call from the helicopter," he said. Brannen said he reached the crash scene about 90 minutes after the copter went down.
Air Angels Inc. is an independent emergency medical transport service based at Clow Airport in Bolingbrook, officials said.
The FAA and NTSB are investigating the accident.
Last month, NTSB Vice Chairman Robert Sumwalt said his agency was concerned about the increasing number of medical helicopters that had been crashing.
"We have had too many of them," he said. "We need to do something about it. We need to do something about it right now."
His remarks came three days after a Maryland State Police chopper carrying two victims of an automobile accident crashed in foggy weather as it attempted to land in suburban Washington.
The September 27 crash marked the eighth fatal medical helicopter accident in a year. While the NTSB acknowledges that emergency medical operations are often conducted in darkness and bad weather and over rough terrain, the agency says the accident rate for the missions is too high.
The NTSB has raised concerns about medical helicopter crashes in the past.
The agency investigated 55 crashes -- resulting in 54 fatalities -- between January 2002 and January 2005. In a 2006 report, the NTSB said 29 of the accidents could have been prevented.
At that time, the NTSB noted some recurring themes: less stringent requirements for flights with no patients on board; a lack of flight risk-evaluation programs; lack of consistent, comprehensive dispatch procedures; and few requirements to use certain safety-enhancement technologies, such as night-vision goggles.
More than 50 people have died in medical flight accidents since the NTSB made its recommendations in 2006. Nearly two-thirds of the fatalities involved nighttime or poor-visibility conditions.
Fewer than a third of about 800 emergency medical services helicopters in the United States have night-vision technology. A lot more would like to have it, according to a survey of 382 active helicopter EMS pilots by the National EMS Pilots Association.
The survey, published in May, found that 82 percent of pilots prefer to use night-vision equipment.
"We are an independent federal agency, charged by Congress to investigate transportation accidents, to determine the probable cause and then to issue safety recommendations," Sumwalt said last month. "When those recommendations are not implemented, lives are lost, needlessly."
Although the NTSB offers recommendations, the FAA has the power to make regulations mandatory.
"We understand the NTSB safety recommendations, and we agree with all of them," said Jim Ballough, director of the FAA's flight standards service. "We also understand that rulemaking takes a long time."
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
A helicopter blade lies in a field after the Wednesday night crash that killed four people.
1 of 3 "A rotor blade is not designed to travel through anything except air," said National Transportation Safety Board investigator John Brannen.
The Wednesday night crash in Aurora, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, is the latest in a string of medical helicopter accidents that has raised concerns among NTSB officials.
Pieces of what appear to be the main rotor blades, their hubs and shaft were found in a nearby apartment complex apartment lot, about 100 yards from the main wreckage, Brannen said.
"It indicates that possibly the main rotor blades separated from the aircraft during flight," Brannen said, citing "preliminary information."
Police evacuated 16 apartment buildings near the crash as a precaution while crews assessed the tower's stability. The guy wires add stability to the tower, which Brannen said is 1,149 feet high.
Two crew members, a nurse and a 1-year-old patient were killed when the Air Angels Inc. chopper, a Bell 222, crashed in a field, authorities said.
The aircraft was en route from Valley West Community Hospital in the town of Sandwich to Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory.
Investigators don't know whether they will be able to retrieve any usable data from the chopper because it caught fire, Brannen said. Weather conditions were clear when the accident occurred, he added.
"We don't have any indication at this point that there was a distress call from the helicopter," he said. Brannen said he reached the crash scene about 90 minutes after the copter went down.
Air Angels Inc. is an independent emergency medical transport service based at Clow Airport in Bolingbrook, officials said.
The FAA and NTSB are investigating the accident.
Last month, NTSB Vice Chairman Robert Sumwalt said his agency was concerned about the increasing number of medical helicopters that had been crashing.
"We have had too many of them," he said. "We need to do something about it. We need to do something about it right now."
His remarks came three days after a Maryland State Police chopper carrying two victims of an automobile accident crashed in foggy weather as it attempted to land in suburban Washington.
The September 27 crash marked the eighth fatal medical helicopter accident in a year. While the NTSB acknowledges that emergency medical operations are often conducted in darkness and bad weather and over rough terrain, the agency says the accident rate for the missions is too high.
The NTSB has raised concerns about medical helicopter crashes in the past.
The agency investigated 55 crashes -- resulting in 54 fatalities -- between January 2002 and January 2005. In a 2006 report, the NTSB said 29 of the accidents could have been prevented.
At that time, the NTSB noted some recurring themes: less stringent requirements for flights with no patients on board; a lack of flight risk-evaluation programs; lack of consistent, comprehensive dispatch procedures; and few requirements to use certain safety-enhancement technologies, such as night-vision goggles.
More than 50 people have died in medical flight accidents since the NTSB made its recommendations in 2006. Nearly two-thirds of the fatalities involved nighttime or poor-visibility conditions.
Fewer than a third of about 800 emergency medical services helicopters in the United States have night-vision technology. A lot more would like to have it, according to a survey of 382 active helicopter EMS pilots by the National EMS Pilots Association.
The survey, published in May, found that 82 percent of pilots prefer to use night-vision equipment.
"We are an independent federal agency, charged by Congress to investigate transportation accidents, to determine the probable cause and then to issue safety recommendations," Sumwalt said last month. "When those recommendations are not implemented, lives are lost, needlessly."
Although the NTSB offers recommendations, the FAA has the power to make regulations mandatory.
"We understand the NTSB safety recommendations, and we agree with all of them," said Jim Ballough, director of the FAA's flight standards service. "We also understand that rulemaking takes a long time."
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
Airbus returns to Perth airport with burning smell
PASSENGERS have told of fumes in the cabin of an Emirates Airbus that returned to Perth for an emergency landing nearly three hours after it took off.
Perth Airport was on high alert this morning when the Air Emirates plane made an emergency landing with reports of smoke or a burning smell in the cabin.
Passengers said this afternoon there had been a strong smell of fumes in the cabin of the plane.
WA businessman Michael Chaney, who was on board, said there was 'a bit of smoke in the cabin' before the pilot announced the plane was returning to Perth.
Read more accounts here from passengers on the plane.
The flight, EK425, left Perth International Airport bound for Dubai at 6.01am but turned back after 90 minutes with the pilot apparently reporting smoke in the plane.
The pilot told air traffic control at 7.50am that there was a technical issue with the Airbus A340.
The plane was met by emergency personnel after it made a textbook emergency landing about 8.45am. It was parked away from the terminal, which is standard procedure.
http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,24505324-2761,00.html
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
Perth Airport was on high alert this morning when the Air Emirates plane made an emergency landing with reports of smoke or a burning smell in the cabin.
Passengers said this afternoon there had been a strong smell of fumes in the cabin of the plane.
WA businessman Michael Chaney, who was on board, said there was 'a bit of smoke in the cabin' before the pilot announced the plane was returning to Perth.
Read more accounts here from passengers on the plane.
The flight, EK425, left Perth International Airport bound for Dubai at 6.01am but turned back after 90 minutes with the pilot apparently reporting smoke in the plane.
The pilot told air traffic control at 7.50am that there was a technical issue with the Airbus A340.
The plane was met by emergency personnel after it made a textbook emergency landing about 8.45am. It was parked away from the terminal, which is standard procedure.
http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,24505324-2761,00.html
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
Mechanics In Jet Crash Death Quiz
A Spanish judge is to question three mechanics on suspicion of manslaughter over a jet crash that killed 154 people.
A total of 154 people lost their lives in the disaster
Judge Juan Javier Perez of Madrid's Superior Court has subpoenaed two mechanics who checked the plane before it crashed while taking off, causing what was Spain's worst air disaster in 25 years.
Spanair's head of maintenance at Madrid's Barajas airport is also to be quizzed.
None of them has been charged.
The MD-82 plane abandoned a first attempt at take-off because of a faulty air temperature gauge outside the cockpit.
The plane crashed about an hour later during its second take-off attempt.
Earlier this month, the first official report into the tragedy said investigators were focusing on a problem with the plane's wing flaps and the failure of a cockpit alarm to sound.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Spain-Air-Crash-Mechanics-To-Be-Quizzed-On-Suspicion-Of-Manslaughter/Article/200810315122146?lpos=Home_Top_Stories_Header_1&lid=ARTICLE_15122146_Spain_Air_Crash%3A_Mechanics_To_Be_Quizzed_On_Suspicion_Of_Manslaughter
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
A total of 154 people lost their lives in the disaster
Judge Juan Javier Perez of Madrid's Superior Court has subpoenaed two mechanics who checked the plane before it crashed while taking off, causing what was Spain's worst air disaster in 25 years.
Spanair's head of maintenance at Madrid's Barajas airport is also to be quizzed.
None of them has been charged.
The MD-82 plane abandoned a first attempt at take-off because of a faulty air temperature gauge outside the cockpit.
The plane crashed about an hour later during its second take-off attempt.
Earlier this month, the first official report into the tragedy said investigators were focusing on a problem with the plane's wing flaps and the failure of a cockpit alarm to sound.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Spain-Air-Crash-Mechanics-To-Be-Quizzed-On-Suspicion-Of-Manslaughter/Article/200810315122146?lpos=Home_Top_Stories_Header_1&lid=ARTICLE_15122146_Spain_Air_Crash%3A_Mechanics_To_Be_Quizzed_On_Suspicion_Of_Manslaughter
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
Boeing 737 Runway Overrun (Turkey)
Date: 15-OCT-2008
Time:
Type: Boeing 737-78J
Operator: Tarom
Registration: YR-BGH
C/n / msn: 28438/1394
Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 94
Airplane damage: Minor
Location: Istanbul-Atatürk Airport (IST) - Turkey
Phase: Landing
Nature: International Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport: Bucharest/Otopeni (OTP)
Destination airport: Istanbul-Atatürk Airport (IST)
Narrative:
Overran the runway.
(aviation-safety.net)
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
Time:
Type: Boeing 737-78J
Operator: Tarom
Registration: YR-BGH
C/n / msn: 28438/1394
Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 94
Airplane damage: Minor
Location: Istanbul-Atatürk Airport (IST) - Turkey
Phase: Landing
Nature: International Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport: Bucharest/Otopeni (OTP)
Destination airport: Istanbul-Atatürk Airport (IST)
Narrative:
Overran the runway.
(aviation-safety.net)
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
Report: NTSB Finds Preliminary Evidence Of Engine Issues In TX Helo Downing
Powerplant To Be Shipped To Rolls-Royce For Analysis
The National Transportation Safety Board is sharing a few clues into what may have caused the crash of a TV news helicopter in a wooded area of a Houston suburb Monday morning.
The pilot, 43-year-old John Downhower, was an employee of Helicopters, Incorporated, which provided the Bell 206L-4 (type shown above) which TV viewers knew as "SkyEye 13 HD." The reporter and photographer along as his passenger, 36-year-old Dave Garrett, was an employee of Metro Networks, a national chain which provides pooled news and traffic coverage to TV stations in many cities.
As ANN reported, the two were on their way to cover a shooting incident for a local ABC affiliate when the chopper went down. That station, KTRK-13, reports there was a gap of about two minutes from the loss of the uplink signal from the aircraft, and the 911 call that summoned responders to the crash.
As the wreckage was removed from the scene Tuesday for further testing, NTSB Senior Air Safety Investigator Arnold Scott told the station, "We've examined the helicopter, and we're satisfied that the helicopter was intact at impact when it started hitting the trees."
Investigators added they also found what on first glance appeared to be possible issues within the helicopter's engine, although they stressed nothing concrete has been determined as of yet.
"We've examined the servos and the pitch and collective linkages. They are all attached, so we don't, at this point, see a flight control problem," Scott said. "We're having the engine manufacturer, Rolls Royce, ship down a shipping container, and we'll ship the engine back to Indianapolis, where it will be disassembled and examined."
The tragedy has touched a nerve among local reporters, law enforcement personnel, and others. Visitors have brought flowers and words of condolence to both the crash site and the KTRK studios.
Further investigation of the wreckage will be conducted at a salvage yard in Fort Worth.
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 6ZV Make/Model: B206 Description: BELL 206B HELICOPTER
Date: 10/13/2008 Time: 1615
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Destroyed
LOCATION
City: HOUSTON State: TX Country: US
DESCRIPTION
N6ZV, A BELL 206 ROTORCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE TWO
PERSONS ON BOARD WERE FATALLY INJURED, NEAR HOUSTON, TX
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 2
# Crew: 2 Fat: 2 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
WEATHER: KIAH 131648Z SPECI 13007KT 10SM SCT026 27/22 A3012
OTHER DATA
Activity: Unknown Phase: Unknown Operation: OTHER
FAA FSDO: HOUSTON, TX (SW09) Entry date: 10/14/2008
FMI: www.faa.gov, www.ntsb.gov
aero-news.net
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
The National Transportation Safety Board is sharing a few clues into what may have caused the crash of a TV news helicopter in a wooded area of a Houston suburb Monday morning.
The pilot, 43-year-old John Downhower, was an employee of Helicopters, Incorporated, which provided the Bell 206L-4 (type shown above) which TV viewers knew as "SkyEye 13 HD." The reporter and photographer along as his passenger, 36-year-old Dave Garrett, was an employee of Metro Networks, a national chain which provides pooled news and traffic coverage to TV stations in many cities.
As ANN reported, the two were on their way to cover a shooting incident for a local ABC affiliate when the chopper went down. That station, KTRK-13, reports there was a gap of about two minutes from the loss of the uplink signal from the aircraft, and the 911 call that summoned responders to the crash.
As the wreckage was removed from the scene Tuesday for further testing, NTSB Senior Air Safety Investigator Arnold Scott told the station, "We've examined the helicopter, and we're satisfied that the helicopter was intact at impact when it started hitting the trees."
Investigators added they also found what on first glance appeared to be possible issues within the helicopter's engine, although they stressed nothing concrete has been determined as of yet.
"We've examined the servos and the pitch and collective linkages. They are all attached, so we don't, at this point, see a flight control problem," Scott said. "We're having the engine manufacturer, Rolls Royce, ship down a shipping container, and we'll ship the engine back to Indianapolis, where it will be disassembled and examined."
The tragedy has touched a nerve among local reporters, law enforcement personnel, and others. Visitors have brought flowers and words of condolence to both the crash site and the KTRK studios.
Further investigation of the wreckage will be conducted at a salvage yard in Fort Worth.
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 6ZV Make/Model: B206 Description: BELL 206B HELICOPTER
Date: 10/13/2008 Time: 1615
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Destroyed
LOCATION
City: HOUSTON State: TX Country: US
DESCRIPTION
N6ZV, A BELL 206 ROTORCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE TWO
PERSONS ON BOARD WERE FATALLY INJURED, NEAR HOUSTON, TX
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 2
# Crew: 2 Fat: 2 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
WEATHER: KIAH 131648Z SPECI 13007KT 10SM SCT026 27/22 A3012
OTHER DATA
Activity: Unknown Phase: Unknown Operation: OTHER
FAA FSDO: HOUSTON, TX (SW09) Entry date: 10/14/2008
FMI: www.faa.gov, www.ntsb.gov
aero-news.net
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
4 killed in helicopter crash in Chicago suburb
AURORA, Ill. - A medical helicopter crashed in a Chicago suburb, killing three crew members and a 13-month-old patient, authorities said early Thursday.
The helicopter was headed to Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago from Valley West Hospital in Sandwich when it went down minutes before midnight, said Aurora police spokesman Sgt. Robb Wallers.
Children's Memorial Hospital spokeswoman Julie Pesch initially said the child, a girl, was being transported to the hospital because of epileptic seizures. She later said the child's symptoms were not clear.
The helicopter may have clipped a wire before it crashed and burned, according to authorities. The guide-wire came from a 750-foot tall radio tower, said assistant Fire Chief John Lehman, who added there is some concern about the tower's structural integrity and engineers are evaluating it.
Wallers said the helicopter belonged to Air Angels Inc., an emergency medical transport service based at Clow Airport in suburban Bolingbrook. Telephone calls to the Air Angels offices were not answered early Thursday.
However, Air Angels CEO Jim Adams told the Chicago Tribune that the helicopter's crew included the pilot, nurse and a paramedic employed by the company. He added the helicopter's pilot did not report mechanical problems, and weather was not an issue.
According to Wallers, the helicopter crashed in a field near a residential area in east Aurora and was engulfed in flames. No one on the ground was hurt.
The Aurora crash is the third involving Air Angels helicopters. In January 2003, an Air Angels helicopter crashed killing the pilot. Investigators determined pilot error and weather caused the accident. Mechanical problems was blamed for an August 2007 crash in which there were no injuries.
It was at least the ninth fatal crash in the past 12 months across the country involving medical transport helicopters. Observers say the accident demonstrates a disturbing rise in the number of emergency air transport crashes, and wonder if a system designed to save lives may be costing them.
On the Net:
http://www.airangels.comhttp://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081016/ap_on_re_us/medical_helicopter_crash
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
The helicopter was headed to Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago from Valley West Hospital in Sandwich when it went down minutes before midnight, said Aurora police spokesman Sgt. Robb Wallers.
Children's Memorial Hospital spokeswoman Julie Pesch initially said the child, a girl, was being transported to the hospital because of epileptic seizures. She later said the child's symptoms were not clear.
The helicopter may have clipped a wire before it crashed and burned, according to authorities. The guide-wire came from a 750-foot tall radio tower, said assistant Fire Chief John Lehman, who added there is some concern about the tower's structural integrity and engineers are evaluating it.
Wallers said the helicopter belonged to Air Angels Inc., an emergency medical transport service based at Clow Airport in suburban Bolingbrook. Telephone calls to the Air Angels offices were not answered early Thursday.
However, Air Angels CEO Jim Adams told the Chicago Tribune that the helicopter's crew included the pilot, nurse and a paramedic employed by the company. He added the helicopter's pilot did not report mechanical problems, and weather was not an issue.
According to Wallers, the helicopter crashed in a field near a residential area in east Aurora and was engulfed in flames. No one on the ground was hurt.
The Aurora crash is the third involving Air Angels helicopters. In January 2003, an Air Angels helicopter crashed killing the pilot. Investigators determined pilot error and weather caused the accident. Mechanical problems was blamed for an August 2007 crash in which there were no injuries.
It was at least the ninth fatal crash in the past 12 months across the country involving medical transport helicopters. Observers say the accident demonstrates a disturbing rise in the number of emergency air transport crashes, and wonder if a system designed to save lives may be costing them.
On the Net:
http://www.airangels.comhttp://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081016/ap_on_re_us/medical_helicopter_crash
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
Perth airport to get Sensis surface movement surveillance system
Airservices Australia has contracted Sensis to provide a surface movement surveillance system at Perth Airport in Western Australia.
Sensis says in a statement that Perth will be the fourth airport in Australia to receive its Advanced - Surface Movement Guidance and Control System, or A-SMGCS. Two years ago it announced a contract covering A-SMGCS installations at Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney airports.
"Sensis A-SMGCS uses the most advanced multilateration, surface movement radar and conflict prevention and alerting technology available to provide air traffic controllers with improved situational awareness," says Sensis Air Traffic Systems VP and general manager Tony Lo Brutto.
"The controllers at Perth will now have the tools to enhance runway safety and work more efficiently with the other major airports in the Australian national air traffic system."
The system gathers data from multiple surveillance sources at an airport including multilateration, radar and vehicle locator systems.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
Sensis says in a statement that Perth will be the fourth airport in Australia to receive its Advanced - Surface Movement Guidance and Control System, or A-SMGCS. Two years ago it announced a contract covering A-SMGCS installations at Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney airports.
"Sensis A-SMGCS uses the most advanced multilateration, surface movement radar and conflict prevention and alerting technology available to provide air traffic controllers with improved situational awareness," says Sensis Air Traffic Systems VP and general manager Tony Lo Brutto.
"The controllers at Perth will now have the tools to enhance runway safety and work more efficiently with the other major airports in the Australian national air traffic system."
The system gathers data from multiple surveillance sources at an airport including multilateration, radar and vehicle locator systems.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
Hijacker overpowered on Turkey-Russia flight
ISTANBUL, Oct 15 (Reuters) - A man attempted to hijack a Turkish Airlines THYAO.IS plane on a flight to Russia on Wednesday but was disarmed by fellow passengers, an airport spokeswoman told Reuters.
Passengers on the aircraft, which had taken off from the southern Mediterranean Turkish resort of Antalya, overpowered the assailant after he said he had a bomb strapped to his body, the spokeswoman for airport operator TAV TAVHL.IS said.
The plane, with 162 passengers on board, was shortly due to land in St Petersburg.
American Airlines safety program ends amid bickering with pilots
A lauded safety program at American Airlines has ended amid bickering between the airline and its pilots, a development that an airline official called "sad and incomprehensible."
The Aviation Safety Action Partnership was a joint program run by the airline, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Allied Pilots Association. Launched in 1994, it allowed pilots to report safety-related incidents for investigation without fear of discipline from American or the FAA. Aviation experts have praised it as an effective way to identify potentially dangerous safety lapses that otherwise might go unreported.
The program expired Monday after American and the union failed to negotiate its renewal. Each side is blaming the other for the failure to keep the partnership alive.
"The APA’s willingness to discard a 14-year program that has done so much for our pilots, our airline and our industry is impossible to understand," American spokeswoman Tami McLallen said.
Billy Nolen, an American pilot who works for airline management, said in a message to pilots that the program’s lapse was "sad and incomprehensible." Airline officials say the union had made unreasonable demands for additional immunity under the plan.
Union officials, meanwhile, alleged that the airline had begun to use the program to punish pilots, and they chafed against a proposal they say would have allowed the airline to label pilots as "reckless."
"Management, in this case, flight department management, has lost the trust of its pilots," union leaders said in an e-mail to pilots. "It is that simple."
American still has ASAP programs for flight attendants and ground workers. Pilots who wish to report safety incidents can still do so confidentially to the airline’s safety department, American officials said. Pilots can also report safety cases under a system operated by NASA.
The collapse of the program, which served as a model for the industry, is the latest casualty of deteriorating relations between American pilots and management. A proposed flight from Dallas/Fort Worth to China was scrapped last year after airline officials and pilots failed to negotiate an agreement to fly the lengthy route.
Contract talks with pilots have dragged on for two years with little progress. And pilots have opposed a bid by American to win antitrust immunity for an alliance with British Airways, which airline executives say is vital to compete on overseas routes.
"Given closer arrangements now being forged between Delta and Northwest, and Continental and United, [American] would be strategically wounded if labor is successful at thwarting" the alliance with British Airways, Daniel McKenzie, airline analyst at Credit Suisse, said in a recent note to investors.
http://www.star-telegram.com/business/story/974879.html
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
Passengers on the aircraft, which had taken off from the southern Mediterranean Turkish resort of Antalya, overpowered the assailant after he said he had a bomb strapped to his body, the spokeswoman for airport operator TAV TAVHL.IS said.
The plane, with 162 passengers on board, was shortly due to land in St Petersburg.
American Airlines safety program ends amid bickering with pilots
A lauded safety program at American Airlines has ended amid bickering between the airline and its pilots, a development that an airline official called "sad and incomprehensible."
The Aviation Safety Action Partnership was a joint program run by the airline, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Allied Pilots Association. Launched in 1994, it allowed pilots to report safety-related incidents for investigation without fear of discipline from American or the FAA. Aviation experts have praised it as an effective way to identify potentially dangerous safety lapses that otherwise might go unreported.
The program expired Monday after American and the union failed to negotiate its renewal. Each side is blaming the other for the failure to keep the partnership alive.
"The APA’s willingness to discard a 14-year program that has done so much for our pilots, our airline and our industry is impossible to understand," American spokeswoman Tami McLallen said.
Billy Nolen, an American pilot who works for airline management, said in a message to pilots that the program’s lapse was "sad and incomprehensible." Airline officials say the union had made unreasonable demands for additional immunity under the plan.
Union officials, meanwhile, alleged that the airline had begun to use the program to punish pilots, and they chafed against a proposal they say would have allowed the airline to label pilots as "reckless."
"Management, in this case, flight department management, has lost the trust of its pilots," union leaders said in an e-mail to pilots. "It is that simple."
American still has ASAP programs for flight attendants and ground workers. Pilots who wish to report safety incidents can still do so confidentially to the airline’s safety department, American officials said. Pilots can also report safety cases under a system operated by NASA.
The collapse of the program, which served as a model for the industry, is the latest casualty of deteriorating relations between American pilots and management. A proposed flight from Dallas/Fort Worth to China was scrapped last year after airline officials and pilots failed to negotiate an agreement to fly the lengthy route.
Contract talks with pilots have dragged on for two years with little progress. And pilots have opposed a bid by American to win antitrust immunity for an alliance with British Airways, which airline executives say is vital to compete on overseas routes.
"Given closer arrangements now being forged between Delta and Northwest, and Continental and United, [American] would be strategically wounded if labor is successful at thwarting" the alliance with British Airways, Daniel McKenzie, airline analyst at Credit Suisse, said in a recent note to investors.
http://www.star-telegram.com/business/story/974879.html
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
Because Information Changes Everything
New York October 16, 2008 -- The deadly crash of an emergency medical helicopter outside of Chicago late Wednesday night illustrates a grim statistical reality; the eight hours between ten p.m. and six am are the most dangerous hours to fly by helicopter medivac. Nearly half of all the EMS helicopter crashes take place during this time.
Statistics from the Comprehensive Medical Aviation Services Database (CMAS) shows that out of 193 accidents over the past 21 years, 90 accidents occurred on what it calls "the back side of the clock". The database has just been introduced through Humanitarian Research Services Inc, a New York based agency.
Fatigue is a pervasive problem in these accidents, according to Dr. Patrick Veillette a commercial pilot, former EMS pilot and noted threat and error management specialist who created the CMAS Database, and the situation seems to be getting worse. "In just the last 8 years there have been 48 accidents that occurred on the "back side of the clock."
Nighttime accidents are more likely to be fatal. Air ambulance accidents that occurred at night were almost four times more likely to result in fatalities than those occurring during the day.
The CMAS Database is a proprietary commercial database and the first to combine more than two decades of medical aviation events, incidents and accidents in one searchable repository. Using the safety research and analysis from Patrick Veillette's provocative 2001 reports on helicopter and fixed wing medical flights for the Flight Safety Foundation, Dr. Veillette and air safety expert, Christine Negroni have updated and expanded their sources to include not only government data but events recorded by industry as well. The CMAS Database is constantly updated and searchable by more than two dozen separate parameters.
Dr. Veillette's writing on aviation safety has earned him awards including the NBAA Golden Wing and Aerospace Journalist of the Year. Christine Negroni is an air safety consultant, researcher and writer. Humanitarian Research Services Inc. is a private investigation and research company based in New York. Find us on the web at www.humanitarian-research.com.
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
Statistics from the Comprehensive Medical Aviation Services Database (CMAS) shows that out of 193 accidents over the past 21 years, 90 accidents occurred on what it calls "the back side of the clock". The database has just been introduced through Humanitarian Research Services Inc, a New York based agency.
Fatigue is a pervasive problem in these accidents, according to Dr. Patrick Veillette a commercial pilot, former EMS pilot and noted threat and error management specialist who created the CMAS Database, and the situation seems to be getting worse. "In just the last 8 years there have been 48 accidents that occurred on the "back side of the clock."
Nighttime accidents are more likely to be fatal. Air ambulance accidents that occurred at night were almost four times more likely to result in fatalities than those occurring during the day.
The CMAS Database is a proprietary commercial database and the first to combine more than two decades of medical aviation events, incidents and accidents in one searchable repository. Using the safety research and analysis from Patrick Veillette's provocative 2001 reports on helicopter and fixed wing medical flights for the Flight Safety Foundation, Dr. Veillette and air safety expert, Christine Negroni have updated and expanded their sources to include not only government data but events recorded by industry as well. The CMAS Database is constantly updated and searchable by more than two dozen separate parameters.
Dr. Veillette's writing on aviation safety has earned him awards including the NBAA Golden Wing and Aerospace Journalist of the Year. Christine Negroni is an air safety consultant, researcher and writer. Humanitarian Research Services Inc. is a private investigation and research company based in New York. Find us on the web at www.humanitarian-research.com.
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 17/10/2008.
terça-feira, 14 de outubro de 2008
NTSB Safety Recommendations A-08-79 through -82
The National Transportation Safety Board recommends that the Federal Aviation Administration:
Require all operators of Airbus single-aisle and Bombardier CL-600 airplane models to revise existing aircraft maintenance manual procedures and maintenance inspection documents to require a dual inspection signoff to confirm that engine fan cowls are latched after completing anyengine maintenance that involves the opening of an engine fan cowl. (A-08-79)
Require all operators of Airbus single-aisle and Bombardier CL-600 airplane models to require maintenance personnel to inform flight crews when engine fan cowls have been openedbefore flight. (A-08-80)
Require all operators of Airbus single-aisle and Bombardier CL-600 airplane models to provide guidance to maintenance personnel and flight crews on how to inspect engine fan cowls to verify that they are latched properly. (A-08-81)
Determine the extent of the problem of engine fan cowl separations on all airplanes and, should a widespread problem exist for any airplanes, require operators of those airplanes to include a dual inspection signoff in their maintenance procedures to confirm that engine fan cowls are latched after completing any engine maintenance that involves the opening of an engine fan cowl. (A-08-82)
Fonte: NTSB - http://www.ntsb.gov/Recs/letters/2008/A08_79_82.pdf 14/10/2008.
Require all operators of Airbus single-aisle and Bombardier CL-600 airplane models to revise existing aircraft maintenance manual procedures and maintenance inspection documents to require a dual inspection signoff to confirm that engine fan cowls are latched after completing anyengine maintenance that involves the opening of an engine fan cowl. (A-08-79)
Require all operators of Airbus single-aisle and Bombardier CL-600 airplane models to require maintenance personnel to inform flight crews when engine fan cowls have been openedbefore flight. (A-08-80)
Require all operators of Airbus single-aisle and Bombardier CL-600 airplane models to provide guidance to maintenance personnel and flight crews on how to inspect engine fan cowls to verify that they are latched properly. (A-08-81)
Determine the extent of the problem of engine fan cowl separations on all airplanes and, should a widespread problem exist for any airplanes, require operators of those airplanes to include a dual inspection signoff in their maintenance procedures to confirm that engine fan cowls are latched after completing any engine maintenance that involves the opening of an engine fan cowl. (A-08-82)
Fonte: NTSB - http://www.ntsb.gov/Recs/letters/2008/A08_79_82.pdf 14/10/2008.
IATA Environment Stand Inauguration - Remarks of Giovanni Bisignani
Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam - Let’s start with one clear fact: aviation’s contribution to climate change is 2% according to the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Aviation is a small part of a big problem, and we are determined to be a part of the solution.
The Commitment
IATA’s four-pillar strategy addresses climate change by investing in technology, flying planes effectively, building efficient infrastructure and using positive economic measures. All 179 states attending the 2007 ICAO Assembly endorsed the strategy. It is also a common industry commitment, signed by the CEOs of Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Embraer, CFM, GE, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce as well as IATA, ATAG, ACI, CANSO and other associations and companies. Our common target is to achieve a 25% improvement in fuel efficiency by 2020 compared to 2005.
IATA is even more ambitious, mapping the way to carbon-neutral growth, with a vision for a carbon-emission-free future. No other industry is as united, responsible or ambitious.
The Stand
We have a good story to tell as you can see in this stand brought here with the help of Schiphol, KLM and the Board of Airline representatives in the Netherlands (BARIN). The purpose is to tell travellers that the industry takes environment seriously, delivers significant results and is determined to do more. We will take this stand to Europe’s main airports.
The Crisis
Even in this crisis, environment is a top priority. Today oil is below US$90, down from the summer peak of US$140. The average for the year is likely to be US$113, much higher than the US$73 of last year. Airlines face a fuel bill of US$186 billion, US$50 billion more than last year. The bigger worry is the global financial crisis. Even a 1% drop in revenues is US$5 billion. Saving fuel today not only reduces CO2 emissions, but it is a matter of survival.
Results
IATA’s environment leadership is delivering results that are helping our members to survive. Working with airlines, airports and air navigation service providers, between 2004 and 2007, we saved 44.5 million tonnes of CO2, equal to US$7.7 billion in fuel costs. Already this year we identified and saved a further 13.5 million tonnes of CO2, equal to US$4.6 billion. Now others - particularly governments - must help us to deliver even bigger results.
Alternative fuels
Bio-fuels are a good example. Trials proved that they are viable. Air France-KLM is part of a group of airlines committed to exploring them. There are many exciting sustainable possibilities that do not compete with food crops for land. The EU has set a target of 20% biofuels by 2020. Now Governments must work with the industry to certify biofuels and then ramp up production.
Greater Efficiency in Air Navigation
In addition to a Single European Sky, we must also look at how aircraft land and take-off. Every Continuous Descent Approach (CDA) saves between 150 to 600kg of CO2. Each Clean Airspeed Departure (CAD) saves between 600 to 5000 kg of CO2. But we can take advantage of these efficiencies at fewer than 50 of Europe’s airports. Much faster action is needed. Last month in Montreal I signed a joint work programme with CANSO and EUROCONTROL. The goal is to save EUR390 million and 1.5 million tonnes of CO2. And there is much more that can be done…
Single European Sky
And there is much more that can be done including a Single European Sky. Clearing up the mess of 35 different air traffic control providers could save US$5 billion and 16 million tonnes of CO2. For decades, instead of progress all we have had is hot air. This summer Vice President Tajani achieved Commission approval for the second package. The technical solutions are well known and many are in place. But it will take political will to turn Europe’s biggest environmental embarrassment into a success story.
Governments and Taxation
But governments think green and see cash. And they only move fast when implementing taxes. Look how quickly the Netherlands Government implemented the departure tax, originally conceived in the name of the environment. My colleagues on the panel will expand on how this is distorting the market and hurting the environment. Last Monday the Prime Minister promised to look at this by 2012 when aviation becomes part of the European emissions trading scheme (ETS). Double-taxing the industry makes no sense. I will be knocking at the Prime Minister’s door in a few years time to remind him of his promise
ETS
Worse is Europe’s unilateral approach to emissions trading. Instead of working on a global solution that could be positive for the environment, we have a unilateral approach fixated on one aspect of the four pillars that leaves the rest of the world behind. Kyoto asked the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to deal with aviation’s climate change emissions. In June, the G8 declaration supported ICAO’s role even as the EU pushed forward unilaterally. This approach could not be more wrong:
First, it’s meant to be a EUR 3.5 billion incentive to improve performance. Airlines are already doing everything that they can to save every drop of fuel possible. So it’s cost that airlines could better spend investing in new technology.
Second, regional schemes are not effective. EU ETS will introduce commercial distortions that hurt Europe’s carriers. So it will be less costly to fly from here to Singapore via a Middle East hub than flying direct.
Third, the ETS concept went morally bankrupt when the European Parliament only suggested that profits from this tax scheme “should” be spent on environmental projects. That’s almost a guarantee that none of the money will be used on environmental projects.
Finally, it is illegal. This unilateral approach contravenes the Chicago Convention. Already over 130 countries have stated their opposition to Europe’s action. Instead of cleaning up the environment, Europe is creating an international legal mess with a responsible airline industry caught in the middle. If Europe genuinely wants to take leadership on environment it must support the Group on International Aviation and Climate Change (GIACC) at ICAO, the only hope for a global solution. Europe is represented by France, Germany and Switzerland. They must be strong voices for effective global solutions
Time to Focus
To recap, this stand is a strong reminder that airlines take their environmental responsibility seriously, are delivering results and that even better results could be achieved if governments focused on operations and efficiency rather than taxation. And that this is a global industry in need of effective global solutions. Thank you very much.
Fonte: Flight Safety Informations 14/10/2008.
The Commitment
IATA’s four-pillar strategy addresses climate change by investing in technology, flying planes effectively, building efficient infrastructure and using positive economic measures. All 179 states attending the 2007 ICAO Assembly endorsed the strategy. It is also a common industry commitment, signed by the CEOs of Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Embraer, CFM, GE, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce as well as IATA, ATAG, ACI, CANSO and other associations and companies. Our common target is to achieve a 25% improvement in fuel efficiency by 2020 compared to 2005.
IATA is even more ambitious, mapping the way to carbon-neutral growth, with a vision for a carbon-emission-free future. No other industry is as united, responsible or ambitious.
The Stand
We have a good story to tell as you can see in this stand brought here with the help of Schiphol, KLM and the Board of Airline representatives in the Netherlands (BARIN). The purpose is to tell travellers that the industry takes environment seriously, delivers significant results and is determined to do more. We will take this stand to Europe’s main airports.
The Crisis
Even in this crisis, environment is a top priority. Today oil is below US$90, down from the summer peak of US$140. The average for the year is likely to be US$113, much higher than the US$73 of last year. Airlines face a fuel bill of US$186 billion, US$50 billion more than last year. The bigger worry is the global financial crisis. Even a 1% drop in revenues is US$5 billion. Saving fuel today not only reduces CO2 emissions, but it is a matter of survival.
Results
IATA’s environment leadership is delivering results that are helping our members to survive. Working with airlines, airports and air navigation service providers, between 2004 and 2007, we saved 44.5 million tonnes of CO2, equal to US$7.7 billion in fuel costs. Already this year we identified and saved a further 13.5 million tonnes of CO2, equal to US$4.6 billion. Now others - particularly governments - must help us to deliver even bigger results.
Alternative fuels
Bio-fuels are a good example. Trials proved that they are viable. Air France-KLM is part of a group of airlines committed to exploring them. There are many exciting sustainable possibilities that do not compete with food crops for land. The EU has set a target of 20% biofuels by 2020. Now Governments must work with the industry to certify biofuels and then ramp up production.
Greater Efficiency in Air Navigation
In addition to a Single European Sky, we must also look at how aircraft land and take-off. Every Continuous Descent Approach (CDA) saves between 150 to 600kg of CO2. Each Clean Airspeed Departure (CAD) saves between 600 to 5000 kg of CO2. But we can take advantage of these efficiencies at fewer than 50 of Europe’s airports. Much faster action is needed. Last month in Montreal I signed a joint work programme with CANSO and EUROCONTROL. The goal is to save EUR390 million and 1.5 million tonnes of CO2. And there is much more that can be done…
Single European Sky
And there is much more that can be done including a Single European Sky. Clearing up the mess of 35 different air traffic control providers could save US$5 billion and 16 million tonnes of CO2. For decades, instead of progress all we have had is hot air. This summer Vice President Tajani achieved Commission approval for the second package. The technical solutions are well known and many are in place. But it will take political will to turn Europe’s biggest environmental embarrassment into a success story.
Governments and Taxation
But governments think green and see cash. And they only move fast when implementing taxes. Look how quickly the Netherlands Government implemented the departure tax, originally conceived in the name of the environment. My colleagues on the panel will expand on how this is distorting the market and hurting the environment. Last Monday the Prime Minister promised to look at this by 2012 when aviation becomes part of the European emissions trading scheme (ETS). Double-taxing the industry makes no sense. I will be knocking at the Prime Minister’s door in a few years time to remind him of his promise
ETS
Worse is Europe’s unilateral approach to emissions trading. Instead of working on a global solution that could be positive for the environment, we have a unilateral approach fixated on one aspect of the four pillars that leaves the rest of the world behind. Kyoto asked the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to deal with aviation’s climate change emissions. In June, the G8 declaration supported ICAO’s role even as the EU pushed forward unilaterally. This approach could not be more wrong:
First, it’s meant to be a EUR 3.5 billion incentive to improve performance. Airlines are already doing everything that they can to save every drop of fuel possible. So it’s cost that airlines could better spend investing in new technology.
Second, regional schemes are not effective. EU ETS will introduce commercial distortions that hurt Europe’s carriers. So it will be less costly to fly from here to Singapore via a Middle East hub than flying direct.
Third, the ETS concept went morally bankrupt when the European Parliament only suggested that profits from this tax scheme “should” be spent on environmental projects. That’s almost a guarantee that none of the money will be used on environmental projects.
Finally, it is illegal. This unilateral approach contravenes the Chicago Convention. Already over 130 countries have stated their opposition to Europe’s action. Instead of cleaning up the environment, Europe is creating an international legal mess with a responsible airline industry caught in the middle. If Europe genuinely wants to take leadership on environment it must support the Group on International Aviation and Climate Change (GIACC) at ICAO, the only hope for a global solution. Europe is represented by France, Germany and Switzerland. They must be strong voices for effective global solutions
Time to Focus
To recap, this stand is a strong reminder that airlines take their environmental responsibility seriously, are delivering results and that even better results could be achieved if governments focused on operations and efficiency rather than taxation. And that this is a global industry in need of effective global solutions. Thank you very much.
Fonte: Flight Safety Informations 14/10/2008.
US Airport Slot Auctions Illegal And Unjustified
Washington - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) condemned the final rule issued today by the Bush Administration, which allows the government to confiscate and auction airport take-off and landing slots at New York’s airports as an ineffective and illegal way to alleviate flight delays.
“Today’s decision is incredibly disappointing. Rather than addressing the root-causes of congestion at New York’s airports, the Bush Administration is spending its last days in office single-mindedly pursuing an alleged free-market experiment at some of the globe’s most important aviation gateways,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO.
“The Department of Transportation (DOT) is out of touch with reality. Substantially raising airline costs with an illegal scheme in the middle of a perfect storm of high oil prices and falling demand makes no sense. Consumers, airlines, airports and local communities all stand to lose from today’s decision,” said Bisignani. Slot confiscation is almost universally opposed. “DOT has made it abundantly clear that it will ignore the nearly universal opposition to this slot confiscation plan by the international airline and airport community as well as the U.S. Congress.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office has already concluded it is an illegal scheme. The industry is now forced to use the U.S. judicial system to get the Government to accept its own advice,” said Bisignani.Proven methods to manage congestion exist. “DOT ignored 60 years of internationally accepted and proven slot management procedures contained in the IATA Worldwide Scheduling Guidelines (WSG). Over 140 airports around the world use these guidelines to effectively manage congestion while maintaining a level playing field for airlines to compete,” said Bisignani.
Fonte: Flight Safety Informations 14/10/2008.
“Today’s decision is incredibly disappointing. Rather than addressing the root-causes of congestion at New York’s airports, the Bush Administration is spending its last days in office single-mindedly pursuing an alleged free-market experiment at some of the globe’s most important aviation gateways,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO.
“The Department of Transportation (DOT) is out of touch with reality. Substantially raising airline costs with an illegal scheme in the middle of a perfect storm of high oil prices and falling demand makes no sense. Consumers, airlines, airports and local communities all stand to lose from today’s decision,” said Bisignani. Slot confiscation is almost universally opposed. “DOT has made it abundantly clear that it will ignore the nearly universal opposition to this slot confiscation plan by the international airline and airport community as well as the U.S. Congress.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office has already concluded it is an illegal scheme. The industry is now forced to use the U.S. judicial system to get the Government to accept its own advice,” said Bisignani.Proven methods to manage congestion exist. “DOT ignored 60 years of internationally accepted and proven slot management procedures contained in the IATA Worldwide Scheduling Guidelines (WSG). Over 140 airports around the world use these guidelines to effectively manage congestion while maintaining a level playing field for airlines to compete,” said Bisignani.
Fonte: Flight Safety Informations 14/10/2008.
Pilot, Photographer Lost In News Helo Accident
Witness Says Helo Pitched Sharply Right Before Crash
Officials have identified the victims of the Monday morning downing of a news helicopter northwest of Houston, TX.
Pilot John Downhower and photographer Dave Garrett were killed when their Bell 206L-4 Long-Ranger helicopter crashed as it flew to the scene of a police-involved shootout near Magnolia. Both were employed by Houston ABC affiliate KTRK-13; the accident aircraft was the station's helicopter, known as "SkyEye HD."
The station confirmed no distress signal was issued before the helicopter fell from the sky. KTRK said last video image received from the helicopter showed one of the landing skids, with the aircraft apparently in a sharp right bank.
Riley Swanson, who saw the accident unfold from the ground, gave a similar account. "He just cleared the back side of our subdivision when I noticed his chopper made a sharp right-hand -- down, straight down into the ground -- turn," Swanson said, adding the helicopter (type shown below) was flying extremely low when the accident occurred.
Investigators with the FAA and NTSB were on scene Monday night.
According to the station, Garrett had worked with the station "for years," and often reported on breaking news from the air. " We didn't often see him on air, but he talked us through some of the biggest stories this city has seen," KTRK said.
Downhower, 43, was rated to fly both fixed-wing and rotary-winged aircraft. He worked for Helicopters, Inc, the company that operated the 206L4 for the station. Prior to his work for the station, he flew helicopters in the Gulf of Mexico, and before that as a news pilot in California.
KTRK spokesperson Tom Ash released the following statement Monday: "All of us at KTRK-TV are deeply saddened by the tragic accident involving SkyEye13 and our hearts go out to the families of the pilot and the photographer."
Original Report
1330 EDT: Two persons onboard a news helicopter, type unconfirmed, were killed Monday morning when the helicopter crashed in a wooded area near the Houston suburb of Magnolia, TX.
Local media reports state the crew onboard the helicopter was covering a police-involved shooting for KTRK-13 when the aircraft crashed just after 1100 CDT.
The Channel 13 helicopter -- believed to be "SkyEyeHD 13" -- crashed about five miles from the site of a shooting following a police chase. Investigators have not disclosed any possible causes for the downing.
SkyEyeHD-13 is a 1993 Bell Model 206L4 Long Ranger, reports Fox-26.
Representatives with KTRK have not released the names of the victims, saying only the ABC-affiliate did not directly employ the two. The station lost uplink contact with the helo about 1115.
FMI: www.faa.gov
aero-news.net
Fonte: Flight Safety Informations 14/10/2008.
Officials have identified the victims of the Monday morning downing of a news helicopter northwest of Houston, TX.
Pilot John Downhower and photographer Dave Garrett were killed when their Bell 206L-4 Long-Ranger helicopter crashed as it flew to the scene of a police-involved shootout near Magnolia. Both were employed by Houston ABC affiliate KTRK-13; the accident aircraft was the station's helicopter, known as "SkyEye HD."
The station confirmed no distress signal was issued before the helicopter fell from the sky. KTRK said last video image received from the helicopter showed one of the landing skids, with the aircraft apparently in a sharp right bank.
Riley Swanson, who saw the accident unfold from the ground, gave a similar account. "He just cleared the back side of our subdivision when I noticed his chopper made a sharp right-hand -- down, straight down into the ground -- turn," Swanson said, adding the helicopter (type shown below) was flying extremely low when the accident occurred.
Investigators with the FAA and NTSB were on scene Monday night.
According to the station, Garrett had worked with the station "for years," and often reported on breaking news from the air. " We didn't often see him on air, but he talked us through some of the biggest stories this city has seen," KTRK said.
Downhower, 43, was rated to fly both fixed-wing and rotary-winged aircraft. He worked for Helicopters, Inc, the company that operated the 206L4 for the station. Prior to his work for the station, he flew helicopters in the Gulf of Mexico, and before that as a news pilot in California.
KTRK spokesperson Tom Ash released the following statement Monday: "All of us at KTRK-TV are deeply saddened by the tragic accident involving SkyEye13 and our hearts go out to the families of the pilot and the photographer."
Original Report
1330 EDT: Two persons onboard a news helicopter, type unconfirmed, were killed Monday morning when the helicopter crashed in a wooded area near the Houston suburb of Magnolia, TX.
Local media reports state the crew onboard the helicopter was covering a police-involved shooting for KTRK-13 when the aircraft crashed just after 1100 CDT.
The Channel 13 helicopter -- believed to be "SkyEyeHD 13" -- crashed about five miles from the site of a shooting following a police chase. Investigators have not disclosed any possible causes for the downing.
SkyEyeHD-13 is a 1993 Bell Model 206L4 Long Ranger, reports Fox-26.
Representatives with KTRK have not released the names of the victims, saying only the ABC-affiliate did not directly employ the two. The station lost uplink contact with the helo about 1115.
FMI: www.faa.gov
aero-news.net
Fonte: Flight Safety Informations 14/10/2008.
Air Fiji aircraft hits airport terminal building
Fiji's Civil Aviation Authority has launched an investigation into an incident that occurred the day before yesterday in which an Air Fiji aircraft rolled into an airport terminal building.
The CAA of Fiji has launched an investigation and Air Fiji too is "currently doing an investigation into the incident," says Malakai Nawai, former chief pilot of Air Fiji and CEO of Air Fiji's sister company Airlines Tonga.
"Supposedly it was a hydraulic problem but there are also other factors that need to be considered," he says.
Malakai says the incident, involving a 15-seat Harbin Y12 with nine passengers and two pilots on board, occurred at around 14:00 on 12 October.
The Y12 had just completed a flight - from Nadi to the other Fijian island of Taveuni further north - and was taxiing to the terminal.
"The pilot was not able to stop and the aircraft rolled into the terminal building," he says.
Despite hitting the building there was no further damage to the aircraft, he adds.
Malakai was unable to give the registration of the aircraft but pictures published in local newspapers show the registration is DQ-FHC. According to Air Fiji's website it has five Harbin Y12s.
He says the aircraft involved in the incident was used by both Air Fiji and Airlines Tonga.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
Fonte: Flight Safety Informations 14/10/2008.
The CAA of Fiji has launched an investigation and Air Fiji too is "currently doing an investigation into the incident," says Malakai Nawai, former chief pilot of Air Fiji and CEO of Air Fiji's sister company Airlines Tonga.
"Supposedly it was a hydraulic problem but there are also other factors that need to be considered," he says.
Malakai says the incident, involving a 15-seat Harbin Y12 with nine passengers and two pilots on board, occurred at around 14:00 on 12 October.
The Y12 had just completed a flight - from Nadi to the other Fijian island of Taveuni further north - and was taxiing to the terminal.
"The pilot was not able to stop and the aircraft rolled into the terminal building," he says.
Despite hitting the building there was no further damage to the aircraft, he adds.
Malakai was unable to give the registration of the aircraft but pictures published in local newspapers show the registration is DQ-FHC. According to Air Fiji's website it has five Harbin Y12s.
He says the aircraft involved in the incident was used by both Air Fiji and Airlines Tonga.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
Fonte: Flight Safety Informations 14/10/2008.
Incorrect flight data led Qantas A330 to descend sharply: ATSB
A Qantas Airways Airbus A330 that descended suddenly appears to have received faulty data from one of its units and this then played havoc with the aircraft's flight control system.
"At this stage of the investigation, the analysis of the available data indicates that the air data inertial reference unit (ADIRU) 1 abnormal behavior is the likely origin of the event," the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) says in a statement today, referring to an incident that occurred on 7 October while the Qantas A330 was enroute from Singapore to Perth.
"The faulty ADIRU unit continued to feed erroneous and spike values, for various aircraft parameters, to the aircraft's flight control primary computers."
This "led to several consequences including: false stall and over-speed warnings, loss of altitude information on the captain's primary flight display and several centralized aircraft monitoring system warnings."
Because the ADIRU 1 generated very high, random and incorrect angles of attack it meant that "the flight control computers commanded a nose-down aircraft movement, which resulted in the aircraft pitching down to a maximum of 8.5 degrees."
It also "triggered a flight control primary computer pitch fault".
The ATSB says the crew responded in a timely fashion and helped prevent the aircraft's rapid descent from being even greater.
In its preliminary review released on 9 October the ATSB says the A330 descended about 650ft in about 20s, before returning to the cruising level of 37,000ft.
Then about 70s later the A330 descended about 400ft in about 16s before returning to the cruising level. In both instances the aircraft was pitched nose-down.
Of the 303 passengers and 10 crew on board 14 people were seriously injured, an additional group of up to 30 had serious enough injuries to receive medical treatment in hospital and up to a further 30 required first aid treatment, says the ATSB.
The Qantas pilots responded by making an emergency landing at Learmonth, a remote airport in northwest Western Australia and from there the passengers were put on other aircraft and flown to Perth.
In today's statement the ATSB says Airbus a few moments ago issued an operators information telex providing information about the incident along with recommendations to A330 and Airbus A340 operators that have aircraft fitted with the same type of ADIRU as on the Qantas aircraft.
The recommendations include "guidance and checklists for crew response in the event of an inertial reference system failure".
ATSB says it will issue a preliminary factual report within 30 days of the incident.
ADIRUs provide data with regards to the aircraft's air speed, altitude, position and altitude.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
Fonte: Flight Safety Informations 14/10/2008.
"At this stage of the investigation, the analysis of the available data indicates that the air data inertial reference unit (ADIRU) 1 abnormal behavior is the likely origin of the event," the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) says in a statement today, referring to an incident that occurred on 7 October while the Qantas A330 was enroute from Singapore to Perth.
"The faulty ADIRU unit continued to feed erroneous and spike values, for various aircraft parameters, to the aircraft's flight control primary computers."
This "led to several consequences including: false stall and over-speed warnings, loss of altitude information on the captain's primary flight display and several centralized aircraft monitoring system warnings."
Because the ADIRU 1 generated very high, random and incorrect angles of attack it meant that "the flight control computers commanded a nose-down aircraft movement, which resulted in the aircraft pitching down to a maximum of 8.5 degrees."
It also "triggered a flight control primary computer pitch fault".
The ATSB says the crew responded in a timely fashion and helped prevent the aircraft's rapid descent from being even greater.
In its preliminary review released on 9 October the ATSB says the A330 descended about 650ft in about 20s, before returning to the cruising level of 37,000ft.
Then about 70s later the A330 descended about 400ft in about 16s before returning to the cruising level. In both instances the aircraft was pitched nose-down.
Of the 303 passengers and 10 crew on board 14 people were seriously injured, an additional group of up to 30 had serious enough injuries to receive medical treatment in hospital and up to a further 30 required first aid treatment, says the ATSB.
The Qantas pilots responded by making an emergency landing at Learmonth, a remote airport in northwest Western Australia and from there the passengers were put on other aircraft and flown to Perth.
In today's statement the ATSB says Airbus a few moments ago issued an operators information telex providing information about the incident along with recommendations to A330 and Airbus A340 operators that have aircraft fitted with the same type of ADIRU as on the Qantas aircraft.
The recommendations include "guidance and checklists for crew response in the event of an inertial reference system failure".
ATSB says it will issue a preliminary factual report within 30 days of the incident.
ADIRUs provide data with regards to the aircraft's air speed, altitude, position and altitude.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
Fonte: Flight Safety Informations 14/10/2008.
Experts divided over safety risks of gadgets
WHETHER electronic devices on airplanes can cause problems is the subject of hot debate.
Opinions range from those who are convinced that they pose no danger to those who are equally sure that they are deadly. There are yet others who are ambivalent and unsure about their effects.
A local expert said while the dangers posed during flight take-offs and landings were confirmed, there had been no proven connection between electronic gadgets and safety issues in mid air.
Several airlines have begun equipping airplanes with picocells to allow passengers to use mobile phones on board.
This has been met with great enthusiasm from mobile telecommunications associations.
Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association chief executive Chris Althaus welcomed Qantas and V Australia's recent announcements that they were introducing mobile phone services to their passengers on selected flights.
He said the association supported the introduction of the services, which had been fully tested to ensure that they met all safety standards and complied with aviation authority requirements.
He added that the system was safe and had been fully tested by aviation and communications regulatory agencies.
However, Australian electromagnetic interference (EMI) specialist Chris Zombolas said large-scale usage of such devices in flight increased the risk of EMI.
He said the case of Qantas QF72 could have been caused by exactly such a situation.
Zombolas, in an article for an Australian publication, slammed the relaxation of rules regarding in-flight mobile phone usage as sending the wrong message to passengers. He said the installation of picocells on planes did not take into account human factors such as passengers defying the rules and the ever-changing wireless technologies in consumer devices.
"Laptop computers and personal digital assistants can have six or more different transmitters and the number is growing.
"The laptop/PDA transmitters are mostly set to automatically transmit when they are powered up.
"In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Federal Communications Commission are the regulators responsible for aircraft safety and communications respectively.
"The FAA has documented cases of electromagnetic interference to aircraft systems.
"It is yet to be convinced that safety and effective communications will not be compromised, and is awaiting the results of further research before considering lifting restrictions on using these devices in-flight."
Furthermore, said Zombolas, a Carnegie Mellon University study in 2006, which monitored mobile phone and portable electronic device usage on 37 US commercial flights, indicated that the risk of interference to a plane's navigation system was indeed real.
"Alarmingly, one of the researchers, Bill Strauss -- an expert in aircraft EMI in the US Naval Air Warfare Centre -- concluded that the risk posed by these portable devices is higher than previously believed.
"These devices can disrupt normal operation of key cockpit instruments, especially Global Positioning System receivers, which are increasingly vital for safe landings."
The study also found that one to four mobile phone calls were made during each flight, despite rules prohibiting them.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has not discounted the possibility that electronic items could have caused the QF72 incident.
However, several press reports in Australia indicated that the fault lay not with electronic devices operated by passengers, but with the airplane's control software itself.
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/National/2373683/Article/index_html
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 14/10/2008.
Opinions range from those who are convinced that they pose no danger to those who are equally sure that they are deadly. There are yet others who are ambivalent and unsure about their effects.
A local expert said while the dangers posed during flight take-offs and landings were confirmed, there had been no proven connection between electronic gadgets and safety issues in mid air.
Several airlines have begun equipping airplanes with picocells to allow passengers to use mobile phones on board.
This has been met with great enthusiasm from mobile telecommunications associations.
Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association chief executive Chris Althaus welcomed Qantas and V Australia's recent announcements that they were introducing mobile phone services to their passengers on selected flights.
He said the association supported the introduction of the services, which had been fully tested to ensure that they met all safety standards and complied with aviation authority requirements.
He added that the system was safe and had been fully tested by aviation and communications regulatory agencies.
However, Australian electromagnetic interference (EMI) specialist Chris Zombolas said large-scale usage of such devices in flight increased the risk of EMI.
He said the case of Qantas QF72 could have been caused by exactly such a situation.
Zombolas, in an article for an Australian publication, slammed the relaxation of rules regarding in-flight mobile phone usage as sending the wrong message to passengers. He said the installation of picocells on planes did not take into account human factors such as passengers defying the rules and the ever-changing wireless technologies in consumer devices.
"Laptop computers and personal digital assistants can have six or more different transmitters and the number is growing.
"The laptop/PDA transmitters are mostly set to automatically transmit when they are powered up.
"In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Federal Communications Commission are the regulators responsible for aircraft safety and communications respectively.
"The FAA has documented cases of electromagnetic interference to aircraft systems.
"It is yet to be convinced that safety and effective communications will not be compromised, and is awaiting the results of further research before considering lifting restrictions on using these devices in-flight."
Furthermore, said Zombolas, a Carnegie Mellon University study in 2006, which monitored mobile phone and portable electronic device usage on 37 US commercial flights, indicated that the risk of interference to a plane's navigation system was indeed real.
"Alarmingly, one of the researchers, Bill Strauss -- an expert in aircraft EMI in the US Naval Air Warfare Centre -- concluded that the risk posed by these portable devices is higher than previously believed.
"These devices can disrupt normal operation of key cockpit instruments, especially Global Positioning System receivers, which are increasingly vital for safe landings."
The study also found that one to four mobile phone calls were made during each flight, despite rules prohibiting them.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has not discounted the possibility that electronic items could have caused the QF72 incident.
However, several press reports in Australia indicated that the fault lay not with electronic devices operated by passengers, but with the airplane's control software itself.
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/National/2373683/Article/index_html
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 14/10/2008.
Flaps Still Suspect In Spanair Crash
Spanish investigators have yet to discover why the Spanair Boeing MD-82 that crashed in Madrid on Aug. 20, killing 154 people, was not correctly configured, or explain why no warning sounded during takeoff.
The first official release of information by Spain’s Civil Aviation Accident Investigation Commission (CIAIAC) says the flight data recorder shows the trailing-edge flaps were at zero degrees, while examination of actuators recovered from the wreckage indicates the leading-edge slats were retracted.
The CIAIAC preliminary report says the crew completed the normal checklists before takeoff, but investigators have yet to discover why the flaps and slats were not deployed and why the MD-82’s takeoff warning system did not provide aural warnings that the aircraft was not configured correctly for takeoff.
Taking off from Madrid-Barajas Airport’s runway 36L en route to Las Palmas with 172 passengers and crew, the MD-82 rotated at 154 knots, became airborne after a 1,950-meter ground run and climbed to 40 feet, pitching 18 degrees nose-up and stalling. The aircraft hit the ground tail and right wing-tip first and caught fire.
Anomalies noted by the report include an integrity problem with parameters transmitted to the digital flight data recorder from the number 2 digital flight guidance computer, which was active at the time of the crash. Affected parameters include slat position. This is still under investigation, says CIAIAC.
http://www.aviationweek.com
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 14/10/2008.
The first official release of information by Spain’s Civil Aviation Accident Investigation Commission (CIAIAC) says the flight data recorder shows the trailing-edge flaps were at zero degrees, while examination of actuators recovered from the wreckage indicates the leading-edge slats were retracted.
The CIAIAC preliminary report says the crew completed the normal checklists before takeoff, but investigators have yet to discover why the flaps and slats were not deployed and why the MD-82’s takeoff warning system did not provide aural warnings that the aircraft was not configured correctly for takeoff.
Taking off from Madrid-Barajas Airport’s runway 36L en route to Las Palmas with 172 passengers and crew, the MD-82 rotated at 154 knots, became airborne after a 1,950-meter ground run and climbed to 40 feet, pitching 18 degrees nose-up and stalling. The aircraft hit the ground tail and right wing-tip first and caught fire.
Anomalies noted by the report include an integrity problem with parameters transmitted to the digital flight data recorder from the number 2 digital flight guidance computer, which was active at the time of the crash. Affected parameters include slat position. This is still under investigation, says CIAIAC.
http://www.aviationweek.com
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 14/10/2008.
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