The Federal Aviation Administration's decision to change the way planes take off and land at perpendicular runways after two close calls at Kennedy Airport is long overdue and, undertaken earlier, could have prevented them, a local expert and union officials say.
"This was a failure to consider events that were clearly foreseeable," said Robert W. Mann Jr., a former airline executive and president of Port Washington-based R.W. Mann and Co., an airline industry-consulting firm.
"Those possibilities should have been considered on ... runways," he said. "It's pretty clear that missed approaches didn't just happen starting last week."
FAA officials have said aborted landings are not uncommon at airports nationwide.
On Friday, the FAA ordered that aircraft on one runway clear the other plane's path before the second one uses it. Yesterday, the FAA said further changes may be ordered.
Still, the FAA has refused to brand either incident a near-collision, with spokeswoman Laura Brown saying the changes only "add an extra margin of safety."
Both are under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The FAA also announced yesterday a new runway safety system that involves lighting systems to be installed at 19 airports - including Kennedy, Newark and LaGuardia - over the next three years. The lights change color to signal when a runway is safe to enter or cross.
Meanwhile, an internal FAA document shows a Cayman Airways flight involved in the first incident was improperly ordered to fly at 1,000 feet just after it turned out of another plane's path in an area where the minimum altitude is 1,500 feet.
Brown said the air traffic controller who gave the order was not to blame, however, as management at Kennedy should have made the altitude requirement clear to the controller.
Mann said it's difficult to say how dangerous that error could be without having all the details, but "when you avoid metal hitting metal, you've basically done the job." Union officials called the controller's actions heroic, blaming the FAA for taking so long to fix the problem.
"We've been saying for 15 years you should not have departing planes that are on go-round going into the path of departing jets," said Doug Church, spokesman for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.
In the first incident, the arriving Cayman Air flight did a "go-round" - a maneuver in which pilots pull up at the last minute instead of landing - and came within slightly more than half a mile laterally and 200 feet vertically of a departing LAN Chile flight, according to a preliminary NTSB report.
A similar situation occurred Friday when an arriving Delta flight aborted its landing, causing it to intersect with the flight path of a departing Comair flight. The aircraft came within 600 feet of each other vertically and a half-mile horizontally, the FAA said.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/transportation/ny-liair155763991jul15,0,4208261.story
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 15/7/2008.
terça-feira, 15 de julho de 2008
Three Lost In Alaska Floatplane Crash
Cause Of GlaStar Downing Hasn't Been Determined
All three people onboard a Stoddard Hamilton SH-4 GlaStar floatplane were killed when their plane crashed in Alaska on Saturday.
The Anchorage Daily News reports the first report of the accident came in just after 11 am local time Saturday. The aircraft went down near Kustatan, a small community on the west side of Cook Inlet, reportedly catching fire on impact.
Authorities identified the plane's pilot as 60-year-old Thomas Iverson. As of Monday evening, Alaska troopers had not released the names of the two passengers onboard the aircraft (type shown above, right.)
So far, there's no official word on what may have caused the plane to crash... though it's notable registry information lists the accident SH-4, built in 1997, as a two-place aircraft.
"I don't know what the cause is. I've heard a couple different theories but it's still under investigation," said state troopers spokesman Megan Peters.
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 212DR Make/Model: EXP Description: STODDARD HAMILTON SH04
Date: 07/12/2008 Time: 1910
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Destroyed
LOCATION
City: TYONEK State: AK Country: US
DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE THREE PERSONS ON BOARD WERE FATALLY INJURED, NEAR TYONEK, AK
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 3
# Crew: 1 Fat: 1 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 2 Fat: 2 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
WEATHER: METAR PALV 121850Z 00000KT 40SM OVC060 13/11 A3010
OTHER DATA
Activity: Pleasure Phase: Unknown Operation: OTHER
FAA FSDO: ANCHORAGE, AK (AL03) Entry date: 07/14/2008
FMI: www.faa.gov aero-news.net
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 15/7/2008.
All three people onboard a Stoddard Hamilton SH-4 GlaStar floatplane were killed when their plane crashed in Alaska on Saturday.
The Anchorage Daily News reports the first report of the accident came in just after 11 am local time Saturday. The aircraft went down near Kustatan, a small community on the west side of Cook Inlet, reportedly catching fire on impact.
Authorities identified the plane's pilot as 60-year-old Thomas Iverson. As of Monday evening, Alaska troopers had not released the names of the two passengers onboard the aircraft (type shown above, right.)
So far, there's no official word on what may have caused the plane to crash... though it's notable registry information lists the accident SH-4, built in 1997, as a two-place aircraft.
"I don't know what the cause is. I've heard a couple different theories but it's still under investigation," said state troopers spokesman Megan Peters.
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 212DR Make/Model: EXP Description: STODDARD HAMILTON SH04
Date: 07/12/2008 Time: 1910
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Destroyed
LOCATION
City: TYONEK State: AK Country: US
DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE THREE PERSONS ON BOARD WERE FATALLY INJURED, NEAR TYONEK, AK
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 3
# Crew: 1 Fat: 1 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 2 Fat: 2 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
WEATHER: METAR PALV 121850Z 00000KT 40SM OVC060 13/11 A3010
OTHER DATA
Activity: Pleasure Phase: Unknown Operation: OTHER
FAA FSDO: ANCHORAGE, AK (AL03) Entry date: 07/14/2008
FMI: www.faa.gov aero-news.net
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 15/7/2008.
segunda-feira, 14 de julho de 2008
NTSB Unsure of Cause for Obama Plane Problem
Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill) disembarks from his campaign plane after making an unscheduled landing at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport in St. Louis July 7, 2008. (Associated Press)
By Shailagh Murray.
A preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board found no clear reason why an evacuation slide deployed while Sen. Barack Obama was flying Monday from Chicago to Charlotte, N.C., forcing his Midwest Airlines MD-81 aircraft to land in St. Louis.
According to the report, an examination of the slide's hardware revealed no signs of tampering or missing components, or any evidence of punctures in the slide. But investigators did find "marks consistent with rubbing of elevator control cables," the report found. "Additional evidence was found to indicate that a catwalk railing was broken and impinged upon elevator control cables." The slide and hardware will be sent to the manufacturer for detailed examinations supervised by the NTSB.
The report stated that flight crew members did not hear the slide deploy, nor did a mechanic who was seated in the rear of the airplane. But soon after the plane departed from Midway Airport in Chicago, it was clear to the pilots that something was amiss. "The flight crew confirmed that they detected elevator control stiffness during the initial level off after departure," the report stated.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/07/10/ntsb_unsure_of_cause_for_obama.html
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 14/07/2008.
By Shailagh Murray.
A preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board found no clear reason why an evacuation slide deployed while Sen. Barack Obama was flying Monday from Chicago to Charlotte, N.C., forcing his Midwest Airlines MD-81 aircraft to land in St. Louis.
According to the report, an examination of the slide's hardware revealed no signs of tampering or missing components, or any evidence of punctures in the slide. But investigators did find "marks consistent with rubbing of elevator control cables," the report found. "Additional evidence was found to indicate that a catwalk railing was broken and impinged upon elevator control cables." The slide and hardware will be sent to the manufacturer for detailed examinations supervised by the NTSB.
The report stated that flight crew members did not hear the slide deploy, nor did a mechanic who was seated in the rear of the airplane. But soon after the plane departed from Midway Airport in Chicago, it was clear to the pilots that something was amiss. "The flight crew confirmed that they detected elevator control stiffness during the initial level off after departure," the report stated.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/07/10/ntsb_unsure_of_cause_for_obama.html
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 14/07/2008.
NTSB investigating near midair collision In New York
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a near midair collision near New York-JFK in which two airliners came in close proximity to one another.
On July 5, 2008, 20:36, Cayman Airways flight 792, a Boeing 737-300, and LAN Chile flight 533, Boeing 767-300, almost collided according to initial reports.
The Cayman Airways flight, on approach to runway 22L, was executing a missed approach and conflicted with the LAN Chile flight that was departing runway 13R. Tower controllers intervened to attempt to resolve the conflict, assigning both aircraft diverging headings. The closest proximity of the two aircraft has not yet been determined. At the time of the incident, the weather was VFR with 6 miles visibility and haze.
Initial draft transcription of JFK Tower recordings:
T 00:00 = LAN Chile takeoff clearance.
00:00 - ATC:..Runway one three right cleared for takeoff
00:03 - LAN: cleared for takeoff LAN Air five thirty three
00:50 - Unk: Cayman uhh seven....
00:55 - ATC: Uhh Cayman seven ninety two
01:03 - ATC: Cayman seven ninety two I need you to make a right turn, make a right turn heading one ... one ...aahh
01:12 - ATC: Cayman seven ninety two just maintain one thousand please... I need a left turn a quick left turn a left turn heading zero nine zero now [unreadable]
01:21 - CAY:... Zero nine zero
01:27 - ATC: LAN Chile five thirty three traffic on missed approach of 22 left he is turning southbound [...] turn right turn to one seven zero now
01:36 - LAN: turning one seven zero now
(NTSB; JFK Tower recording)
Fonte: Flight Safety Information, (aviation-safety.net).
On July 5, 2008, 20:36, Cayman Airways flight 792, a Boeing 737-300, and LAN Chile flight 533, Boeing 767-300, almost collided according to initial reports.
The Cayman Airways flight, on approach to runway 22L, was executing a missed approach and conflicted with the LAN Chile flight that was departing runway 13R. Tower controllers intervened to attempt to resolve the conflict, assigning both aircraft diverging headings. The closest proximity of the two aircraft has not yet been determined. At the time of the incident, the weather was VFR with 6 miles visibility and haze.
Initial draft transcription of JFK Tower recordings:
T 00:00 = LAN Chile takeoff clearance.
00:00 - ATC:..Runway one three right cleared for takeoff
00:03 - LAN: cleared for takeoff LAN Air five thirty three
00:50 - Unk: Cayman uhh seven....
00:55 - ATC: Uhh Cayman seven ninety two
01:03 - ATC: Cayman seven ninety two I need you to make a right turn, make a right turn heading one ... one ...aahh
01:12 - ATC: Cayman seven ninety two just maintain one thousand please... I need a left turn a quick left turn a left turn heading zero nine zero now [unreadable]
01:21 - CAY:... Zero nine zero
01:27 - ATC: LAN Chile five thirty three traffic on missed approach of 22 left he is turning southbound [...] turn right turn to one seven zero now
01:36 - LAN: turning one seven zero now
(NTSB; JFK Tower recording)
Fonte: Flight Safety Information, (aviation-safety.net).
Delta jet in near-collision at New York's JFK airport
A Delta Air Lines jet came within a half-mile of a Comair regional jet Friday at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, authorities said.
The planes were a half-mile horizontally separated and 600 feet vertically separated, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said the planes were under air traffic control the entire time, and said it was not an operational error or runway incursion.
Atlanta-based Delta is the parent company of subsidiary Comair, which is also one of its regional carriers.
Delta Flight 123, a Boeing 757, was coming into New York from Shannon, Ireland, and landing at JFK when the incident occurred at approximately 1:30 p.m., officials said. The Delta jet executed a "go-around," aborting its landing for another approach.
Delta spokeswoman Gina Laughlin said the pilot followed all procedures to execute the missed approach, "and in doing so, came into the flight path of a Comair flight that was taking off."
The Delta flight came back around and landed without incident, Laughlin said.
Barrett Byrnes, a facility representative for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association New York-JFK Tower, said the FAA will change procedures for planes operating on those perpendicular runways to prevent such incidents from happening again.
The change is "going to enhance safety, there's no doubt about it," Byrnes said.
Laughlin said Delta "will work with the FAA as it warrants."
Friday's events followed a similar incident at JFK on July 5, when a Cayman Airways plane and a Linea Aerea Nacional de Chile aircraft came in close proximity to each other, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
The Cayman Airways flight was executing a missed approach at about 8:36 p.m. when it conflicted with the other flight. Tower controllers intervened and assigned the aircraft divergent headings, according to the NTSB.
No injuries or damage to the aircraft was reported. The NTSB said it would investigate that incident.
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/business/delta/stories/2008/07/11/delta_near_collision.html
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 14/07/2008.
The planes were a half-mile horizontally separated and 600 feet vertically separated, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said the planes were under air traffic control the entire time, and said it was not an operational error or runway incursion.
Atlanta-based Delta is the parent company of subsidiary Comair, which is also one of its regional carriers.
Delta Flight 123, a Boeing 757, was coming into New York from Shannon, Ireland, and landing at JFK when the incident occurred at approximately 1:30 p.m., officials said. The Delta jet executed a "go-around," aborting its landing for another approach.
Delta spokeswoman Gina Laughlin said the pilot followed all procedures to execute the missed approach, "and in doing so, came into the flight path of a Comair flight that was taking off."
The Delta flight came back around and landed without incident, Laughlin said.
Barrett Byrnes, a facility representative for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association New York-JFK Tower, said the FAA will change procedures for planes operating on those perpendicular runways to prevent such incidents from happening again.
The change is "going to enhance safety, there's no doubt about it," Byrnes said.
Laughlin said Delta "will work with the FAA as it warrants."
Friday's events followed a similar incident at JFK on July 5, when a Cayman Airways plane and a Linea Aerea Nacional de Chile aircraft came in close proximity to each other, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
The Cayman Airways flight was executing a missed approach at about 8:36 p.m. when it conflicted with the other flight. Tower controllers intervened and assigned the aircraft divergent headings, according to the NTSB.
No injuries or damage to the aircraft was reported. The NTSB said it would investigate that incident.
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/business/delta/stories/2008/07/11/delta_near_collision.html
Fonte: Flight Safety Information 14/07/2008.
FAA Expands Runway Status Lights Nationwide
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Acting Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Robert Sturgell today announced new initiatives designed to improve runway safety at busy U.S. airports, including the installation of Runway Status Lights at major airports across the country.
The agency expects to award a contract this fall to install the system at 20 additional airports over the next three years.
“Severe runway incursions are down,” said Sturgell. “And, we’re putting technology and procedures in place to keep it that way. We’re making changes on the runway and in the cockpit that are going to make a significant difference.”
The lights warn pilots when it is unsafe to cross or enter a runway, and are currently being tested at Dallas Ft. Worth and San Diego International Airports.
Runway status lights will be deployed at: Atlanta, Baltimore Washington International, Boston, Charlotte, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Denver, Detroit, Dulles, Ft. Lauderdale, Houston Intercontinental, John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Newark, O’Hare, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, and Seattle airports.
Sturgell also announced that the FAA will provide up to $5 million to test in-cockpit displays that increase runway safety. The funding will cover technology that includes either an aural runway alerting system that lets pilots know where they are on the runways they are entering, crossing, or departing; or an electronic flight bag, which is an electronic display system that gives pilots information about a variety of aviation data.
Most electronic flight bags incorporate a feature called airport-moving map that shows aircraft positions on the airfield.
In return for the funding, aircraft owners are expected to equip their aircraft to participate in a test bed program that will evaluate operational and safety data. The in-cockpit displays have the potential to help reduce pilot errors, which are now the cause of most runway incursions.
The FAA is also soliciting industry proposals to acquire and install low-cost ground surveillance systems at airports that are not scheduled to receive Airport Surface Detection Equipment (either ASDE-3 or ASDE-X) under current FAA programs.
The goal is to increase surface situational awareness and safety margins at selected airports by making basic ground surveillance technology available.
The FAA has evaluated two such systems at an airport in Spokane, Washington.
This new procurement will support a pilot project deployment to six additional airports during 2009. More airports will be added after a final investment decision is approved.
The FAA expects to make initial awards for the pilot project by the end of August 2008.
Sturgell said that improving runway safety and reducing the risk of runway incursions are two of the FAA’s top priorities.
The number of serious runway incursions has dropped by more than 55 percent from FY 2001 through FY 2007.
The FAA is working closely with industry to continue to improve safety on this nation’s airports.
Fonte: FAA Press Release 14/07/2008.
The agency expects to award a contract this fall to install the system at 20 additional airports over the next three years.
“Severe runway incursions are down,” said Sturgell. “And, we’re putting technology and procedures in place to keep it that way. We’re making changes on the runway and in the cockpit that are going to make a significant difference.”
The lights warn pilots when it is unsafe to cross or enter a runway, and are currently being tested at Dallas Ft. Worth and San Diego International Airports.
Runway status lights will be deployed at: Atlanta, Baltimore Washington International, Boston, Charlotte, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Denver, Detroit, Dulles, Ft. Lauderdale, Houston Intercontinental, John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Newark, O’Hare, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, and Seattle airports.
Sturgell also announced that the FAA will provide up to $5 million to test in-cockpit displays that increase runway safety. The funding will cover technology that includes either an aural runway alerting system that lets pilots know where they are on the runways they are entering, crossing, or departing; or an electronic flight bag, which is an electronic display system that gives pilots information about a variety of aviation data.
Most electronic flight bags incorporate a feature called airport-moving map that shows aircraft positions on the airfield.
In return for the funding, aircraft owners are expected to equip their aircraft to participate in a test bed program that will evaluate operational and safety data. The in-cockpit displays have the potential to help reduce pilot errors, which are now the cause of most runway incursions.
The FAA is also soliciting industry proposals to acquire and install low-cost ground surveillance systems at airports that are not scheduled to receive Airport Surface Detection Equipment (either ASDE-3 or ASDE-X) under current FAA programs.
The goal is to increase surface situational awareness and safety margins at selected airports by making basic ground surveillance technology available.
The FAA has evaluated two such systems at an airport in Spokane, Washington.
This new procurement will support a pilot project deployment to six additional airports during 2009. More airports will be added after a final investment decision is approved.
The FAA expects to make initial awards for the pilot project by the end of August 2008.
Sturgell said that improving runway safety and reducing the risk of runway incursions are two of the FAA’s top priorities.
The number of serious runway incursions has dropped by more than 55 percent from FY 2001 through FY 2007.
The FAA is working closely with industry to continue to improve safety on this nation’s airports.
Fonte: FAA Press Release 14/07/2008.
quinta-feira, 10 de julho de 2008
Update on NTSB investigation involving Midwest airlines airplane carrying senator Obama
National Transportation Safety Board Washington, DC 20594
July 10, 2008
The following is an update on the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation of the incident involving the Midwest Airlines MD-81 airplane carrying Senator Barack Obama on July 7, 2008, in which the tail cone evacuation slide deployed in-flight.
Preliminary findings reveal that the slide was partially inflated and the inflation bottle was empty. Examination of the hardware did not reveal any evidence of missing components, or any evidence of tampering.
The slide and hardware were removed from the aircraft for examination. There was no evidence of any punctures in the slide; however, there were marks consistent with rubbing of elevator control cables. Additional evidence was found to indicate that a catwalk railing was broken and impinged upon elevator control cables. The slide and hardware will be sent to the manufacturer for detailed examinations supervised by the NTSB.
The flight recorders have been removed and are en route to NTSB headquarters for download and analysis. Flight crew statements indicate that the crew did not hear the slide deploy in flight nor did a mechanic who was seated in the rear of the airplane. The flight crew confirmed that they detected elevator control stiffness during the initial level off after departure from Chicago Midway Airport. Maintenance records have been secured for further examination.
Research has been initiated into the certification of the slide, its service history, and its design interface with the airplane.
The NTSB completed the on scene phase of the investigation yesterday.
Fonte: NTSB Advisory 10/07/2008.
July 10, 2008
The following is an update on the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation of the incident involving the Midwest Airlines MD-81 airplane carrying Senator Barack Obama on July 7, 2008, in which the tail cone evacuation slide deployed in-flight.
Preliminary findings reveal that the slide was partially inflated and the inflation bottle was empty. Examination of the hardware did not reveal any evidence of missing components, or any evidence of tampering.
The slide and hardware were removed from the aircraft for examination. There was no evidence of any punctures in the slide; however, there were marks consistent with rubbing of elevator control cables. Additional evidence was found to indicate that a catwalk railing was broken and impinged upon elevator control cables. The slide and hardware will be sent to the manufacturer for detailed examinations supervised by the NTSB.
The flight recorders have been removed and are en route to NTSB headquarters for download and analysis. Flight crew statements indicate that the crew did not hear the slide deploy in flight nor did a mechanic who was seated in the rear of the airplane. The flight crew confirmed that they detected elevator control stiffness during the initial level off after departure from Chicago Midway Airport. Maintenance records have been secured for further examination.
Research has been initiated into the certification of the slide, its service history, and its design interface with the airplane.
The NTSB completed the on scene phase of the investigation yesterday.
Fonte: NTSB Advisory 10/07/2008.
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