09 JAN 2008 _______________________________________ *Qantas Boeing 747 lost electrical power over Bangkok *Power-hit Qantas jet 'lucky' *FAA worries on-board Net opens jets to cyber attack *Jet hits coyote at Oregon airport *US backs SA aviation safety watchdog *NASA Study Calls Into Question Airport Safety *FAA moves to extend runway safety requirements to all certified airports *NTSB Says PA-31 Baggage Compartment Door At Fault In Other Accidents *Report: Dozens of passengers aboard TA-Toronto flight quarantined *Indonesia hopes EU flight ban lifted soon *************************************** Qantas Boeing 747 lost electrical power over Bangkok A Qantas Boeing 747-400 lost its main electrical power as it prepared to land in Bangkok. The aircraft, which was en route from London, automatically reverted to standby power. The aircraft landed safely 15 minutes later. Qantas said the incident was triggered by water entering the generator control unit, which caused loss of power. (Bangkok Post, AAP) (aviation-safety.net) *************** Power-hit Qantas jet 'lucky' A Qantas 747 ... its back-up batteries do not last long. Obviously, if they were a long way from an airport then clearly there would have been potential for some sort of accident.Latest related coverage The pilot of a Qantas flight which lost power on approach to Bangkok airport was lucky the outage occurred when the plane was close to landing, an aerospace engineering expert said. QF2 - a Boeing 747 - lost power from all four of its main generators 15 minutes away from Bangkok, and the pilot was forced to switch to battery back-up for the landing, according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. There were 343 passengers on board, all of whom landed safely in Sydney this afternoon, three days after leaving London. The Director of Aerospace at RMIT University in Melbourne, Dr Arvind Sinha, said that while the jumbo's engines and steering would not have been affected, there was only an hour's worth of back-up power for its navigation and communication system, which were essential to landing. http://www.smh.com.au/news/travel/powerhit-qantas-jet-lucky/2008/01/09/11995 54718579.html **************** FAA worries on-board Net opens jets to cyberattack Boeing?s Dreamliner is set to go into service by the year?s end but won?t have passenger Internet access until 2009 or 2010. By Alan Levin, USA TODAY WASHINGTON - The government is enacting rules to stop a new kind of cyberthreat: a computer attack that could compromise the safety of the much-anticipated Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The Dreamliner, scheduled to go into service by the end of the year, is built with unprecedented on-board networks and Internet access that could tempt a hacker to tamper with the jet, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The agency wrote little-noticed rules last week that require a design preventing hacker access. Dreamliner will be pre-wired for passenger Internet connections. Computers will also control the jet's flight controls and monitor the aircraft's health, sending streams of data back to airline ground stations. Such computerization "may result in security vulnerabilities from intentional or unintentional corruption of data and systems critical to the safety and maintenance of the airplane," the FAA wrote. How much control a hacker could gain is unclear. Computers operating a jet's functions, such as steering, are made with layers of redundancy designed to make them impossible to tamper with. FIND MORE STORIES IN: Federal Aviation Administration | Boeing | Dreamliner Boeing has been aware of the need for special protections on the 787 for more than a decade and has already built in extra security, said Chuck Royalty, who heads the firm's computer security for the jet. Royalty said Boeing is installing firewalls and other protections. "It's a very structured approach to ensure that we don't leave any gaps," Royalty said. Avivah Litan, an Internet security analyst with Gartner Inc., said hackers are relentless. Boeing needs "to put up a big firewall or there will be a lot of leakage," Litan said. The first 787 jets will not have Internet access, said Boeing spokeswoman Lori Gunter. The service will begin in 2009 or 2010, she said. http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-01-09-faa-cyberattacks_N.htm *************** Jet hits coyote at Oregon airport; coyote dies MEDFORD, Ore.(AP) - A small jet landing at Medford's airport struck a coyote, killing it. The jet was undamaged. Airport Director Bern Case said passengers on the flight from Las Vegas may not have noticed the impact about 2 a.m. Monday. It was a US Airways flight operated by Mesa Airlines. "We have wildlife issues all the time, but this is the first I've ever heard of a coyote strike," Case said. The Medford airport is fenced against wildlife, Case said, but rabbits are plentiful on the airfield. He said the coyote could have gotten into the airfield by swimming a creek that crosses the fence, and it might have been disoriented by stormy weather. **************** US backs SA aviation safety watchdog BACK IN BUSINESS: A dark shadow was cast over local aviation safety standards when an engine fell off an in-flight Nationwide Boeing737 in November Picture: SYDNEY SESHIBEDI 'We cannot afford to have question marks hanging over our air safety' Local regulator passes audit with flying colours Fears that South African aircraft would no longer be allowed to fly to the US were dispelled this week when the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) finally got the all-clear from the US government's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Though the department of transport's CAA crowed on Monday that it had passed the FAA's audit with flying colours, hints of a behind-the-scenes crisis can be gleaned from the sudden grounding of budget airline Nationwide, followed within days by the departure of CAA boss Zakes Myeza. The local aviation industry is applauding the speed with which the CAA's new head, Colin Jordaan, has managed to satisfy the FAA that the local regulator is doing a competent job of policing airworthiness. Six of Nationwide's 17 aircraft are back in operation. Shortly before Myeza's departure, the CAA grounded the entire airline on the eve of the peak holiday season at the end of last year. The low-fare airline has resumed most of its passenger flights, according to Charmaine Thome, its sales and marketing manager. Though only a third of its fleet is back in the air, Nationwide is able to fly about 70percent of its schedule by not temporarily withdrawing its charter service, Thome said. Jordaan moved from his previous position as South African Airways' general manager of flight operations to take on the combined role of CAA commissioner and chief executive on December 13. He is an airline captain with a degree in aeronautical engineering from Wits University. Comair joint chief executive Gidon Novick said: "There is so much at stake with [the Fifa World Cup in] 2010. We can't afford to have question marks hanging over our air safety. The new guy at the CAA seems to be doing an excellent job." A serious shadow was cast on local safety standards when an engine fell off a Nationwide Boeing 737 in November - shortly after the aviation authority had approved the airline's maintenance standards. Nationwide's chief executive, Vernon Bricknell, initially blamed the incident on a design fault, pointing out that it been the sixth such incident . A visit to the airline's website yesterday revealed that this allegation had been removed from the site. Thome said that an expert was investigating the dropped-engine incident and his findings were likely to be made known soon. http://www.thetimes.co.za/Business/Article.aspx?id=675180 *************** NASA Study Calls Into Question Airport Safety The study asked 30,000 pilots about the safety of our skies. NASA knows the answer, but they're not talking. Air travel might not be as safe as some federal officials want you to believe. In a new NASA study, pilots claim many more close calls than originally reported. The FAA found that over the last fiscal year, North Las Vegas Airport had 11 runway incursions, or close calls, putting them at the top of the national list. McCarran had six. The NASA study reveals those numbers may be only half of what is really happening. McCarran is one of the busiest airports in the country. Planes from all over the world fly here every day. They come and go, but sometimes there's trouble on the tarmac. Sharon Barrett says air congestion has crossed her mind. "I've looked out my window and seen some airplanes and they feel rather close." The Federal Aviation Administration releases information about mishaps for McCarran, North Las Vegas and every other airport in the country. But try to read NASA's new $11 million, 16,000 page study on air safety, and good luck. The study asked 30,000 pilots about the safety of our skies. NASA knows the answer, but they're not talking. "To me, if you are spending taxpayer's dollars, you better come up with a worthy report for that money," said Representative Shelley Berkley. Berkley says NASA needs to take out the cryptic comments and scrambled numbers and come clean about aviation safety. "If you don't want to scare the American people, you need to be honest with them. What does the report say? How can we improve it? How can we do better? What are the pilots saying?" adds Berkley. They're questions only NASA has the answers to. "The air traffic controllers have been warning us -- warning us that our air travel is a disaster waiting to happen. Do we really want to wait for that disaster? Do we want one of those near-misses to turn into an accident?" said Berkley. She doesn't want to be an alarmist -- she just wants passengers to know they are as safe as they can be. "I keep telling myself that. You're safer up there than on the ground," said traveler Patty Dodge. It's said the report contains surveys from pilots who talk about near collisions, bad directions and problems with specific airports. But this is old information taken from 2001 to 2004. The study took three years to compile. If the name McCarran ever appeared in this study, it's been redacted by NASA. http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=7591481&nav=168X **************** FAA moves to extend runway safety requirements to all certified airports US FAA yesterday proposed extending the requirement that the US's 75 largest airports make enhancements to taxiway centerline markings to all 567 certificated airports as part of its ongoing effort to mitigate the risk of runway incursions. The agency also is recommending "regular recurrent driver training for all persons with access to the movement area and ramp areas at certificated airports." Acting Administrator Bobby Sturgell said the nation's largest airports have heeded FAA's runway safety "call to action" (ATWOnline, Oct. 23, 2007) and that yesterday's proposals are intended to extend the safety improvements to smaller facilities. The 75 largest airports are required to upgrade runway centerline markings by June 30. "Most have already completed the work," FAA said. Of the 567 certificated airports, more than 300 "are in some stage of voluntarily adopting the standard." The agency added that 385 airports now "require recurrent training for nonairport employees such as Fixed-Based Operators or airline mechanics" operating vehicles on runways and said such training should be a requirement for all certified airports. Interested parties have until Feb. 26 to comment on yesterday's proposals. While FAA touts success in reducing the risk of incursions, the US Government Accountability Office issued a report last month casting doubt on claims of progress, concluding that "the rate of runway incursions has not decreased over the last five years" (ATWOnline, Dec. 6, 2007). http://atwonline.com/news/story.html?storyID=11333 *************** NTSB Says PA-31 Baggage Compartment Door At Fault In Other Accidents Survivor Of Weekend Crash In Alaska Says Door Opened On Takeoff Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board are taking a close look at a baggage compartment door on the Piper PA-31 Navajo Chieftain that crashed shortly after takeoff in Alaska this weekend, killing six people onboard and injuring four. One of the surviving passengers told officials the plane's nose compartment door opened shortly before the accident. A similar problem contributed to two other Navajo crashed in Alaska, NTSB investigator Clint Johnson told the Anchorage Daily News. "There have been some incidents and accidents that did result from the door coming open," he said. "We don't know yet if there are similarities." Johnson cautioned against jumping to conclusions, saying a number of possible factors are being looked into. As ANN reported, the nine-passenger piston twin (file photo of type, below) went down Saturday afternoon near Kodiak. The Servant Air plane has been chartered by a group heading to Homer, to celebrate the Russian Orthodox Christmas on Monday. The plane's fuselage has been recovered, and was to be inspected Tuesday by personnel with NTSB and an investigator from Piper. According to online NTSB statistics cited by the Daily News, at least two Navajo accidents in Alaska involved nose compartment doors coming open. In an April 1990 incident, the door popped loose on takeoff from Deadhorse... apparently leading to a domino effect, as the door struck an engine cowling and then the horizontal stabilizer. That plane was able to make a safe emergency landing. Investigators determined the latching spring on the door was missing, and the latch been illegally modified to keep the door secured. Another incident in May 1996 also involved the nose door on the Navajo. That aircraft, departing Point Hope, had the compartment door fly open as the nose lifted on takeoff. "Baggage and boxes exited the nose baggage compartment and fell through the left engine's propeller," the NTSB's Probable Cause report states. The pilot, unable to make it back to Point Hope, force-landed on the frozen sea. "Just prior to touching down, the airplane started a slow, uncontrolled roll to the left," the report says. Of the six people onboard that aircraft, two persons were seriously injured, while two suffered minor injuries. Investigators determined the pilot failed to properly insure the door was closed and locked. The rugged Navajo is considered one of the workhorses of the Alaskan general aviation fleet, and is a popular choice for charter operators nationwide. Servant Air spokesman Ted Panamarioff notes his company owned the plane since 2004, and never had a problem with it... adding he feels something else contributed to the accident. "You've got all kinds of Monday morning quarterbacks, but there's nobody that could ever convince me [the nose door coming open] could be true in and of itself," he said. "The potential for a plane to take off with the door open -- it's not going to happen. [The pilot] would have seen it; it was right in front of his face." FMI: www.ntsb.gov aero-news.net ************** Report: Dozens of passengers aboard TA-Toronto flight quarantined More than 75 of 201 passengers aboard Air Canada flight 085 from Tel Aviv to Toronto placed in quarantine at Pearson Airport after a number of travelers fall ill with flu-like symptoms Ynet Published: 01.09.08, 08:04 / Israel News More than 75 of the 201 passengers aboard Air Canada flight 085 from Tel Aviv to Toronto were placed in quarantine immediately upon their arrival at Pearson Airport Tuesday night after a number of travelers fell ill, the Toronto Star reported. "They didn't tell us anything," said passenger of the ordeal. "They totally kept us in the dark." Air Canada representative Angela Mah was quoted by the Star as saying that during the flight, three people traveling with an organized group fell ill with flu-like symptoms. "It is our standard operating procedure to have health officials meet the aircraft on arrival in cases like this," said Mah. However, passenger Matt Coleman Coleman told the newspaper that health officials did not meet the travelers until they reached customs. "They did not separate the sick people from the ones who weren't sick. We were all just put in a room, given 'bunny suits' and told to stay put," he was quoted as saying. Coleman said there were eight people sick on the plane, not three. "They started getting feverish and throwing up in the lavatories," he said. Coleman told the newspaper that nearly two hours passed until he was cleared by health officials, adding that all the other passengers were allowed to leave with the exception of the original eight. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3492090,00.html *************** Indonesia hopes EU flight ban lifted soon JAKARTA, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government hoped the ban imposed by the European Union on Indonesian aircraft from flying to Europe would be lifted soon. "We have agreed to settle this problem soon, particularly by increasing technical cooperation, so that this would no longer affect the development of cooperation between the two sides," Antara news agency on Wednesday quoted Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda as saying. In other words, at technical level the Indonesian government indeed needs to answer the many questions raised by the EU flight safety commission which may lead to lifting the flight ban, although Indonesian aircraft did not fly to European Union destinations, said the minister on Tuesday at his office. Following the decision of the EU flight safety commission issued in July 2007, several countries postponed the signing of the partnership cooperation agreement along with the postponement of a visit by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to a number of EUmember countries last year. "European countries are Indonesia's important trade partners and sources of investment," he said. ****************