03 DEC 2007 _______________________________________ *Man kicks cockpit door, forcing jet back to gate *U.S. experts join crash inquiry *Indonesia takes air safety standards back five years *Indonesia's Garuda to tap KLM for EU standard help *FAA Investigates Flight Bound For Philadelphia *Runway Overruns Can Be Stopped, FAA Says *Woman’s leg broken on SAA flight *South Africa suspends approval of Nationwide Aircraft Maintenance Organization *Cessna 208 forced landing on highway: no injuries *Delta To Close Ticket Offices Worldwide *Thai Helo Pilot Grounded Over Unauthorized Recovery Operation *************************************** Man kicks cockpit door, forcing jet back to gate A Southwest Airlines jet was forced to return to the gate Friday when a man attempted to kick in the door to the cockpit. The passenger apparently was suffering from flight anxiety, according to a Phoenix police spokeswoman. Flight 1028 from Phoenix to Oakland, Calif., was taxiing on the runway at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport just before noon when the pilot announced the jet was next for takeoff. That's when the man left his seat and attempted to enter the cockpit. Chris Mainz, a Southwest Airlines spokesman, said the man returned to his seat when asked by the flight crew. Police and airport security were waiting for the passenger at the gate and escorted him off the plane. Although Phoenix police did not arrest the man, Mainz said it is an offense to interfere with flight crew instructions at any point during the flight. "He did cause a disturbance but ultimately did not hurt anyone," Phoenix police Detective Stacie Derge said Saturday. The remaining 109 passengers had the option to change flights, but all decided to stay on the plane and continue toward their destination, Mainz said. http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/70407.php *************** U.S. experts join crash inquiry U.S. experts join the investigation into what caused plane crash that killed 57 Atlasjet MD-83 flying from Istanbul to Isparta in Turkey's southwest Cause remains unclear Sunday but Turkish authorities rule out sabotage ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- U.S. experts on Sunday joined the investigation into what caused a plane crash that killed 57 people in southwest Turkey.People carry the casket of a victim as they attend funeral in Isparta on Saturday. 1 of 5 The Atlasjet MD-83 was flying from Istanbul to Isparta in Turkey's southwest when it crashed into a mountain early Friday, killing the crew of seven and all 50 passengers, including a group of physicists working on a national nuclear project.The cause remained unclear Sunday but Turkish authorities have ruled out sabotage.A team from Boeing -- which acquired the aircraft manufacturer McDonnell Douglas -- and from jet engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney visited the crash site Sunday and met with a Turkish prosecutor leading the investigation, the Dogan news agency reported.A Transport Ministry official confirmed that U.S. experts were in Turkey. He asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media.An initial study of the crash site indicated that the pilot may have veered several miles off course while making the nighttime landing, news reports said Sunday.The Transport Ministry official refused to confirm the reports, saying the exact cause would be clearer when the flight data and cockpit voice recorders are examined.Weather conditions and visibility were good when the plane disappeared from the radar a few minutes before the scheduled landing. A transcript of the conversation between the Atlasjet pilot and the Isparta control tower, released by Dogan, did not indicate any problem.Funerals were held over the weekend in Isparta, the Aegean port city of Izmir and in Istanbul.Atlasjet, a private airline established in 2001, operates regular flights inside Turkey and chartered flights to Europe and other foreign destinations.http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/12/02/turkey.jet.ap/ ************** Indonesia takes air safety standards back five years AIR safety has taken a significant backwards step, with crashes in Indonesia helping push this year's global aviation accident rate back to 2002 levels.The disappointing slip came after a decade-long campaign by international airlines to halve the accident rate produced the safest 12 months on record last year. A reminder of Indonesia's troubled air system came at the weekend when one of the country's busiest airports, at Medan, was closed indefinitely after a fire razed the domestic passenger terminal. Preliminary results for this calendar year from the International Air Transport Association show an accident rate of 0.9 aircraft losses for every million flights, up from 0.65 for 2006. Crashes in Indonesia, including the fatal accident at Yogyakarta that killed five Australians in March, pushed the Asia-Pacific rate up to a sobering 3.27 losses for every million flights. The increase in the accident rate comes at a time the aviation industry is growing at 5-6 per cent a year and means the absolute number of crashes will rise accordingly. It also undermines a push by the International Air Transport Association to cut the accident rate by a further 25 per cent by the end of next year. IATA director-general Giovanni Bisignani described the result as "a big step backwards". He said some areas were doing well and there had been no accidents in the Middle East or North Africa. IATA's work with Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States had also helped to turn the worst safety record of last year into a clean slate so far. Europe and North America also reported improvements, while North Asia suffered one total aircraft loss but still had an accident rate below the global average. The international airline group blamed three areas for the increase: the Asia-Pacific, Brazil and Africa. Mr Bisignani said tragic accidents pushed up the Latin American total aircraft loss rate to 2.52, while the Indonesian crashes increased the Asia-Pacific rate to 3.27. In Africa, a more dispersed and unrelated set of accidents increased the rate from an already bad rate of 4.31 to 6.04. "We are a global industry and flying must be safe everywhere," Mr Bisginani said. IATA had established partnerships with Indonesia and Brazil to improve the situation with practical measures and was working in Africa. The IATA prediction comes after the European Union recently voted to maintain its ban on Indonesian airlines because Australia's northern neighbour had failed to make enough progress in improving its troubled aviation system. All Indonesian carriers, including flag carrier Garuda, were banned earlier this year from landing at EU airports. The director of aviation safety and environment for the EU, Roberto Salvarani, said during a recent visit to Australia Indonesia had made some progress but this was marginal compared with the restructuring needed.http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22859004-23349,00.html *************** Indonesia's Garuda to tap KLM for EU standard help JAKARTA, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia may seek help from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines to comply with European Union (EU) air safety standards, Indonesia's Vice President said on Friday, which could open the door to European routes.The European Commission updated on Wednesday its list of airlines banned from flying to Europe.It lifted a ban on Pakistan International Airlines, but kept 51 Indonesian airlines, including Garuda, on the blacklist."Garuda has talked to KLM for consultancy to help comply with the European (airline) standard," Kalla told reporters."We should not misunderstand this. Don't get angry with them. This is a good opportunity to push ourselves to resolve this problem. It's true that the key for airline business is safety."Indonesia has suffered from a string of airline accidents in recent years, raising questions about safety standards and leading to the commission's ban in June.A Garuda plane crashed while landing at Yogyakarta in March, killing 21 people. In January, 102 people aboard an Adam Air jet were killed when it plunged into the sea off Sulawesi.An EU team visited Indonesia earlier this month as part of a review for deciding whether to lift the ban.Transport Minister Jusman Syafi'i Djamal said France, Germany and the Netherlands had expressed interest in helping with expertise, but he did not elaborate.The minister said an EU team would visit Indonesia again in three months' time to conduct another review."They want proof that the improvement already achieved by Indonesian airlines and the Indonesian regulator is sustained, not temporary," he told Reuters in an interview.But Djamal criticised the European Union's blanket ban on Indonesian airlines, describing it as a policy of isolation and punishment."To improve the safety level we need time, we need experts and we need cooperation between nations. We don't believe that isolation and punishment is a good policy," Djamal said.Although no Indonesian airline now flies to EU member states, the ban means tourist agencies are obliged to warn customers Indonesian airlines are unsafe, if they sell package tours that use such domestic carriers.Garuda is also keen to resume flights to the Netherlands so that it can benefit from a rise in tourism. The Dutch were Indonesia's colonial rulers for more than 300 years and for many years chaired the country's foreign aid donors group.KLM is the Dutch arm of Air France KLM.As part of its safety improvements, Indonesia has signed an agreement with the International Civil Aviation Organisation, established an independent regulator, and streamlined air traffic control.The country has also been working to improve the skills and pay for airline industry workers, as well as to set up an independent and capable accident investigating agency.Air travel in Indonesia has blossomed since the sector was deregulated in 1999, as several new airlines sprung up. http://www.guardian.co.uk/feedarticle?id=7116481 **************** FAA Investigates Flight Bound For Philadelphia PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ? The FAA told CBS 3 Sunday that they are investigating an incident involving a Southwest Airlines flight bound for Philadelphia, from Fort Myers, Florida earlier in the day.The FAA reported the pilot took evasive action upon departure, after being instructed by an on-board warning system of an aircraft in its vicinity.The FAA said the pilot reported seeing another plane in its airspace. Southwest Airlines confirmed an investigation is underway and told CBS 3 the pilot reported making a slight turn-around at 17,000 feet to avoid another plane.Officials indicated the aircraft the pilot saw was most likely a private plane and not another commercial airliner.http://cbs3.com/topstories/FAA.Southwest.Airlines.2.600742.html ***************** Runway Overruns Can Be Stopped, FAA Says The FAA issued Advisory Circular 91-79 for pilots and operators of turbine-powered airplanes to identify, understand and mitigate risks associated with runway overruns during landing. According to FAA and NTSB data, runway overruns during landing account for about 10 incidents or accidents every year, with many accidents resulting in fatalities. “A review of runway overrun events indicates that most occur due to either a lack of or nonadherence to standard operating procedures,” the FAA said. “These events continue to occur despite efforts by the FAA and industry.” Hazards that increase the risk of a runway overrun include a nonstabilized approach; excess airspeed; landing beyond the intended touchdown point; and failure to assess required landing distance to account for contaminated runway conditions or any other changed conditions existing at the time of landing. http://www.ainonline.com/news/single-news-page/article/runway-overruns-can-be-stopped-faa-says/?no_cache=1&cHash=0f44c8878a ************** Woman’s leg broken on SAA flight ‘My foot got caught in the armrest and broke in two places, above my right ankle’ South African Airways has apologised to a passenger after she broke a leg when her flight from Washington hit turbulence.Ronel Stevens was on flight SA 208 from Washington on November 24, when the aircraft encountered turbulence.“I was asleep, stretched out over two seats when the aircraft hit an air pocket. My foot got caught in the armrest and broke in two places, above my right ankle.”Stevens who lives in Colorado in the US, was returning home to visit her family.“My ankle was also severely dislocated. This was three hours before the plane could land at the OR Tambo International Airport. I didn’t immediately feel the pain mostly because I was in shock,” Stevens recalled.She said passengers panicked as the plane started to descend and they were thrown about. “Some passengers hit their heads, while others had cuts and bruises. A crew member also suffered a broken hand,” Stevens said.She thought the cabin crew could have been of more assistance.“They could have tried to be more helpful,” said Stevens, adding that the crew did little to make her more comfortable during the three hours before the aeroplane landed.A wheelchair was provided for her when the plane landed in Johannesburg.Stevens underwent surgery that night.The airline is now investigating the incident and has apologised to Stevens.SAA spokesperson Robyn Chalmers said: “We are aware that the flight from Washington to Johannesburg experienced turbulence. Some passengers were injured and we are investigating the incident to obtain the necessary reports. SAA would like to apologise to Ms Stevens. “Our customer services division has contacted her to see how we can assist.”http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=647922 **************** South Africa suspends approval of Nationwide Aircraft Maintenance Organization The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) announced that with effect from midnight, 29 November 2007, the approval for the Nationwide Aircraft Maintenance Organization (AMO) has been suspended in terms of Part 145 of the Civil Aviation Regulations. This action has been necessitated by the inability of the AMO to demonstrate full compliance with the applicable Civil Aviation Regulations of 1997 as amended and thereby is unable to guarantee continued safety to an acceptable or required level.Furthermore, the SACAA also confirms the suspension of the Certificates of Airworthiness of aircraft maintained by the AMO in terms of Part 21, effective midnight 29 November 2007. As a result of this action the aircraft that constitute the Nationwide air fleet will not be permitted to undertake any further flights until their airworthiness status has been verified.The SACAA would like to assure the public that the above decision was reached after theSACAA conducted a rigorous audit of the AMO in an effort to confirm its compliance withapplicable regulations. The AMO was unable to satisfy the Authority of its capability to continuemaintaining the aircraft to a standard commensurate with the requirement of the Civil AviationRegulations (CARs). (CAA S.A.) (aviation-safety.net) *************** Cessna 208 forced landing on highway: no injuries A Cessna 208B Grand Caravan (OB-1740) of the Peruvian airline Aerocondor made a forced landing on the Panamericana Sur highway. The pilot was forced to return to the airport because of technical problems, but was forced to carry out a forced landing. The aircraft was not damaged and the pilot and twelve tourists were not injured. (El Comercio) (aviation-safety.net) *************** Delta To Close Ticket Offices Worldwide Online-Only Tickets To Save $3 Million Annually If you want to buy a paper ticket from Delta Air Lines, in person you may have to fly to New York -- on another airline -- to do it.Delta plans to close its 16 free-standing ticketing outlets worldwide, with the exception of the Manhattan office on East 45th Street, according to the Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionThe Atlanta-based airline's decision includes offices in Atlanta, one in Cincinnati and 10 in Europe and Latin America. The ticket offices will close their doors on December 15, according to company officials.Booking online tickets -- a move most airlines have promoted to cut agent fees -- is the reason, according to Delta officials.As more customers booked online, Delta began closing ticket offices to cut costs, spokeswoman Chris Kelly said. "It's just not the way people buy their tickets anymore," Kelly said.The move should save Delta about $3 million annually, according to Kelly. The closures affect about 60 employees who generally will be offered other positions, she said.The airline is keeping the Manhattan office to maintain "brand presence" in that city, Kelly said.But, a retired personal shopper who has used Atlanta's Perimeter Mall Delta ticket office three or four times a year, isn't happy about the change."I'm mad ... about it," Kay Holt, 62, said. "I prefer to go in and hand my credit card to a person. I don't think that's unreasonable."FMI: www.delta.comaero-news.net *************** Thai Helo Pilot Grounded Over Unauthorized Recovery Operation Wanted Mushrooms For His MotherWe're familiar with the call of duty... but the call of mushrooms?A Thai air force pilot has been grounded after he apparently landed his search-and-rescue helicopter last week, against orders, to collect wild mushrooms for his mother.Spokesman Capt. Monthon Satchukorn told ABC the air force has ordered an investigation, after villagers in Kanchanaburi reported the November 28 incident to police.Investigators found the helicopter in a rice paddy, but the pilot was absent. When he returned, he told the officers he had gone scouting for mushrooms."The pilot will face punishment for abandoning his helicopter without anyone to look after it and also for violating other rules," Monthon said. "It's obviously wrong to leave the plane unattended for one hour -- it could risk terrorist sabotage."For the moment, the pilot is on a provisional suspension.FMI: www.rtaf.mi.th/eng/aero-news.net