19 FEB 2008 _______________________________________ *AAIB Updates Investigation Into Heathrow 777 Accident *Fuel blockage possible cause of crash-landing in London *Two Men Charged With Trying To Bring Gun On Plane *ATSB Preliminary factual report on Boeing 747 electrical system event *Korea, US Sign Aviation Safety Contract *************************************** AAIB Updates Investigation Into Heathrow 777 Accident Ruled Out Ice, Water, And Contamination Of Fuel Tanks The BBC reports investigators have ruled out ice, water or contamination of fuel tanks on a Boeing 777 that was forced to land short of a runway at London Heathrow Airport on January 17. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is quoted as saying the plane's data recorder showed nothing wrong with major aircraft systems. There was some damage to the fuel pumps, and what were termed small items of debris found in the fuel tanks. Investigators have also ruled out bird ingestion by the engines as the cause of a failure by the engines to produce enough power to reach the runway on landing. There were 136 passengers and 16 crew members on the plane. All survived, although a few were injured, and some have claimed trauma of various types on the British Airways flight from Beijing. The board did note the aircraft climbed into areas with lower than average temperatures over the Urals and Eastern Scandinavia, with outside ambient temperatures reaching as low -76ºC. However, the Board noted that resulted in a total air temperature (TAT) of "only" -45 degrees C, and the minimum recorded fuel temperature was -34 degrees C... quite chilly, but still comfortably above the -57ºC freezing point of the fuel onboard. While the investigation continues, BBC reports investigators have issued one recommendation -- that Boeing should notify all Boeing 777 operators to operate the fuel control switch to cut-off prior to operation of the fire handle, to reduce the risk of fuel leaks as seen in the aftermath of the Heathrow accident. Fortunately, while fuel leaked from the 777 as its undercarriage was damaged, the fuel did not ignite. The AAIB also believes an evacuation checklist created by British Airways to save time over the procedures recommended by Boeing left passengers exposed to risks from fire. "This was not causal to the accident but could have had serious consequences in the event of a fire during the evacuation," said the AAIB report. Boeing reportedly did not find fault with the BA version of the checklist, but the board suggests Boeing make clear its own checklist should be followed in future evacuations. FMI: Download The AAIB Update (.pdf): http://www.aaib.dft.gov.uk/cms_resources/S1-2008%20G-YMMM.pdf aero-news.net *************** Fuel blockage possible cause of crash-landing in London By Alan Levin, USA TODAY A British Airways Boeing 777 that crashed just short of the runway in London last month after losing power in both engines may have suffered a fuel blockage, investigators said Monday. The flight from Beijing to London on Jan. 17 was carrying 152 people when it crash-landed in a field 1,000 feet short of a runway, just missing nearby industrial buildings and homes. No one was killed. One person suffered a serious injury, and 12 others had minor injuries, said the British Air Accidents Investigation Branch. About 2 miles from the runway, as the jet descended to 720 feet, thrust on the right engine fell off. The left engine followed a few seconds later, the report said. The Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engines kept running, but without enough thrust to keep the 300,000-pound jet aloft. The accident is unusual because investigators have a wealth of information and a nearly intact aircraft, but they still have not determined what triggered the nearly unheard of failure of two engines at the same time. "You've got to go back a long ways before you see an accident that had this sort of bewilderment," said Bill Voss, president of the non-profit Flight Safety Foundation. As the jet lost thrust, the autopilot and the pilots themselves repeatedly commanded the engines to speed up, the report said. One of the few signs that anything was amiss was in fuel pumps located on each of the engines. Both pumps showed evidence of "abnormal" wear, which could indicate that fuel from the tanks was not reaching the pumps, said the update from investigators. If fuel was somehow blocked to the engines, that could explain why they were not speeding up, said Kevin Darcy, a former accident investigator at Boeing who now works as a safety consultant. "It doesn't appear to be a smoking gun, but it might be a clue in the case," Darcy said. http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/travel/2008-02-18-heathrow-crash-ca use_N.htm ************** Two Men Charged With Trying To Bring Gun On Plane Stopped At LAX While Transporting Prisoner To Hawaii There are no doubt qualifications you must meet to do private security and prisoner transport work... but an ability to think ahead is evidently not one of them. The Mercury News reports a Riverside, CA security company called Court Services, Incorporated got a contract from Hawaii's Department of Public Safety to transport prisoners. While bringing an unidentified, handcuffed inmate through Los Angeles International Airport last March, company president Eric Kindley allegedly gave his employee, Gary Garratt, a handgun which was not registered to either man, and ordered him to take it with him as he escorted the prisoner onto an ATA flight. As most of our readers know, airport security and the Department of Homeland Security frown on such practices. Garratt was arrested... and was reportedly found to lack the required training to be allowed to carry the gun onboard, and did not possess a concealed carry permit. He also was not sworn in as a law officer. Prosecutors say Garratt and Kindley were indicted last week on charges of conspiracy and attempting to carry a firearm on an aircraft. The two could face 20 years in jail. The handcuffed inmate apparently made it back to his scheduled court appearance in Hawaii, accompanied by another Court Services employee who was not carrying a gun. FMI: www.lawa.org aero-news.net *************** ATSB Preliminary factual report on Boeing 747 electrical system event An ATSB preliminary factual report into an electrical system failure involving a Boeing 747-400 near Bangkok on 7 January 2008 indicates that the event was less serious than first reported. The aircraft, with 346 passengers and 19 crew on board, was being operated on a scheduled service between London and Bangkok. When the aircraft was at about 21,000 feet on descent to Bangkok Airport, the customer service manager notified the flight crew that a substantial water leak had occurred in the forward galley. Over the following 12 to 13 minutes, cockpit indications showed a number of electrical bus and system failures that indicated alternating current (AC) buses, 1, 2 and 3 were not powered. The status of AC bus 4 appeared normal and some systems were powered by batteries. The captains primary flight display, navigation display, and some other instruments were available in a degraded mode and the crew conducted an uneventful approach and landing in day visual meteorological conditions. Post-flight inspections identified a minor water leak in the forward galley sink drain and that an ice drawer drain was blocked. That inspection also found cracks in a fibreglass drip shield located above an electrical component rack in the aircrafts main equipment centre, as well as evidence of dark liquid stains on the shield. Further inspection found that a ribbon heater on a drain line leading to the forward grey water drain mast was inoperative, and that a length of hose on the drain line at that location was split. (ATSB) ATSB AO-2008-003 (aviation-safety.net) **************** Korea, US Sign Aviation Safety Contract Korea will be able to export aviation-related goods to the United States in line with a new aviation safety agreement (BASA) between the two nations. Officials from Korea's Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) signed a contract concerning comprehensive cooperation in aviation safety, in Singapore Tuesday. The agreement includes government certificates for aviation goods' airworthiness, aircraft maintenance, operation and training institutes. Companies wanting to export aviation goods are required to provide certificates concerning airworthiness from the importing countries' governments. The U.S. refuses to give out certificates to companies from countries with no BASA contract, so Korean firms had not been able to directly export their goods to the U.S. Following the agreement, Korean companies will be able to get FAA certification and export about 150 kinds of goods, including tires and black boxes, as their own brands. The export is likely to expand to other countries, as most other nations require FAA certificates for imports. ``The agreement showed Korea's aviation-related regulations and systems are at an equal level to those of the U.S., recognizing Korea's capacity in aviation safety,'' an official of the authority said. http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/02/113_19218.html ****************