28 FEB 2008 _______________________________________   *Reports: 11 Lost In Chilean C210 Downing *Albuquerque Police Helo Pilots Blinded By Laser *Smoke seen pouring from Qantas jet *Garuda crash pilot quits job: lawyer *Air Transat obtains IOSA registration *FAA probes FedEx near-miss ***************************************   Reports: 11 Lost In Chilean C210 Downing   Five On Ground Killed When Plane Impacts Sports Field The downing of a police training aircraft in Chile Wednesday resulted in the deaths of all six persons onboard the Cessna 210, and another five on the ground, according to news reports.   The country's civil aviation agency stated the aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Tobalaba Airport in the capital of Santiago, according to Agence-France Presse.   Other reports state the aircraft was approaching the small airport to land when the crash occurred.   The C210 impacted a sports field, where an aerobics class was underway. Police say four women and a small child on the ground were killed, and another 25 were injured. A police captain, a lieutenant, and four students aged 17-19 were reportedly onboard the six-place aircraft.   Witness accounts and official reports suggest the aircraft may have suffered engine failure.   "The airplane appeared to lose power, made a sudden U-turn and fell," witness Ernesto Munoz told state television, according to MSNBC. "There was violent fire when it crashed."   "Everything points to a mechanical failure, which made it lose power," added Jorge Rojas, a police captain.   The plane's pilot apparently steered away from a nearby residential area, and may have been attempting an emergency landing on the field.   "In the last stretch, the plane dipped to one side, caught the fence and dropped," said witness Ricardo Valdebenito. "There were women and children doing gymnastics. When it fell I heard an explosion and saw trees go up in flames."   FMI: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ci.html aero-news.net **************   Albuquerque Police Helo Pilots Blinded By Laser   Suspects Thought It Would Be Funny Police in Albuquerque, NM apprehended two men last week on charges of pointing a high-intensity laser at a department helicopter... the latest in a series of similar incidents nationwide, and the second time in three years a police helicopter has been targeted over the Southwestern city.   According to KRQE-13, two men pointed the construction-grade laser pointer at the cockpit of the Albuquerque Police Department's helicopter, Air One, as it was landing to investigate suspicious activity on the night of February 18.   Officer Tim Booth said he and a fellow pilot were surprised to see the blinding flash in the aircraft's cockpit. "We were struck with a high intensity laser," Booth said.   Booth maintains the helicopter could have crashed as a result -- but added both pilots knew how to handle the situation. "Momentarily both pilots are completely blinded," he told the television station. "As a result we aborted the landing, we divert our attention to strictly to the instruments and we climb to a safe altitude."   The helicopter later touched down safely. When officers caught the men, the suspects told police they didn't know the incident could have hurt anyone -- and added they thought it might be funny.   Police weren't as amused.   "It's very serious. Had we had an incident, had we had a mishap here, two individuals could have died," Booth said. "I don't know if the aircraft are just an attractive target but I think that people fail to realize how serious it can be."   In addition to possible local charges, the men also face the possibility of being prosecuted under the Patriot Act for domestic terrorism. As ANN reported, such was the case for a man in Medford, MA last December, after he shone a laser light at a State Police helo.   At least 12 other incidents of lasers being shone into aircraft cockpits have been reported in the past year. This latest example also builds a case for law enforcement pilots earning combat-duty pay when flying over the Duke City.   As ANN reported, a Bernalillo County Sheriff's Helicopter made a hard landing in a yard on the city's west side in August 2005, after coming under small arms fire from the ground. The two pilots onboard, Chris Holland and Deputy Ward Pfefferle, were injured when they were hit by shrapnel as the bullet entered the plexiglass bubble canopy, struck an anti-torque pedal, fragmented and bounced around the cockpit.   Police later arrested Jason Kerns, a 29-year old former USMC marksmanship instructor and self-described "sniper," who had initially told investigators he saw the helicopter go down.   FMI: www.cabq.gov/police aero-news.net ***************   Smoke seen pouring from Qantas jet A QANTAS jet caused alarm at Brisbane's domestic airport today when smoke poured from its landing gear as it touched down on the tarmac.   A spokesman from Qantas said the smoke had been caused by hydraulic fluid leaking onto the tyres of flight 969 from Townsville.   The smoke did not impair the landing and the plane touched down at 8.02am.   The spokesman said passengers were kept informed at all times about the problem.   The flight was supposed to take off for Mt Isa at 8.35am but the plane remained grounded for closer inspection.   A second plane was used for the service to Mt Isa which departed at 9.05am. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23292199-662,00.html ****************   Garuda crash pilot quits job: lawyer   The pilot of a Garuda plane that crashed in Indonesia killing five Australians and 16 others resigned after the company gave him an ultimatum, his lawyer says.   Police have indicated that Captain Marwoto Komar will be charged with negligence over the crash in Yogyakarta on March 7 last year.   A final report by safety regulators said the pilot was so "fixated" with landing that he ignored 15 alarms and the pleas of his copilot warning he was coming in too fast.   Komar's lawyer said his client has resigned from his job with Garuda.   "We regret Garuda so soon giving Marwoto the option of being fired or resigning," Kamal Firdaus told reporters as he and his client left Yogyakarta, where police are continuing investigations.   "Automatically, our client chose to resign."   Komar was arrested over the crash early this month. He was granted bail on February 15.   He is believed to be the first pilot to face criminal charges over a plane crash in Indonesia, which has a bad aviation safety record.   The Boeing 737 overshot the runway after landing too fast in March last year and burst into flames.   Five Australians travelling to Yogyakarta for an official visit by the then Foreign Minister Alexander Downer were among those killed. AAP ****************   Air Transat obtains IOSA registration - First North American holiday travel airline to meet internationally recognized IOSA standards   MONTREAL, Feb. 27, 2008 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX) -- Air Transat, Canada's leading holiday travel airline and a subsidiary of Transat A.T. Inc., was confirmed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) as an IOSA-registered operator at a ceremony held today in Madrid. IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) registration caps 18 months of intense preparation work and process enhancement by the airline, followed by a comprehensive audit performed by IATA-accredited Simat, Helliesen & Eichner, Inc. (SH&E).   IOSA provides a standardized audit program for airlines' operational management and control systems, based on internationally recognized standards and supported by a rigorous quality assurance process, that aims at improving operations and safety in the airline industry. The IOSA program was launched by IATA in 2003. It comprises more than 900 stringent standards that contribute to airline operational safety in the areas of management, flight operations, operational control, aircraft engineering and maintenance, cabin operations, ground handling, cargo operations and operational security. IOSA registration means an airline meets all IOSA standards and confirms its commitment to delivering a safe operation.   "We are extremely proud to become a member of the select group of IOSA-registered airlines," said Allen B. Graham, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Transat. "Safety is our way of life, and this culminates years of successful efforts by the whole Air Transat team to become an international benchmark in safety management. This is testimony to the excellence and solidity of the control systems we have put in place over the years."   In 2008, Air Transat employs approximately 300 pilots, more than 1,200 flight attendants, nearly 300 technicians and specialists, plus 350 office personnel. The airline has operated close to 13,000 flights in 2007, from gateways across Canada. This coming summer, Air Transat will have 63 direct city-pair routes between Canada and 28 European cities, more than any carrier.   About Air Transat   Air Transat is Canada's leading holiday travel airline. It carries close to 3 million passengers annually to nearly 60 destinations in 25 countries. Air Transat has a fleet of 17 Airbus A330s and A310s. The company employs more than 2,000 people. Air Transat is a subsidiary of Transat A.T. Inc., an integrated international tour operator with more than 60 destination countries and that distributes products in over 50 countries. ***************   FAA probes FedEx near-miss   Planes were much too close; may be worst local error in 10 years   Federal investigators are studying a near-miss between two FedEx planes over Memphis last Thursday that likely is the most serious air traffic control error here in 10 years.   Officials say both the pilot and controller believed the other had transposed numerals in the flight number. Because the crew did not read the number back as it was heard -- which is standard procedure -- the tower issued directions meant for another plane, putting flights 527 and 257 within 100 feet of each other vertically and less than a mile apart laterally.   The Federal Aviation Administration requires separation of 1,000 feet and three miles.   "We had a pilot read-back error, which caused us to have an operational error," said Bill Wertz, air traffic manager at the Memphis tower. "We did our investigation and are providing training for the controller. FedEx has assured us that they are also taking appropriate steps."   FedEx would not comment because the issue is still under investigation.   The mistake is a Category A error, the most serious FAA infraction. Investigators from Washington were here Monday and Tuesday reviewing the taped conversations and talking with staff.   The controller, who has at least one other error on his record, has been decertified and placed on a performance review plan.   This is the seventh operational error at the Memphis tower since Oct. 1. Five errors were reported here in 2007. No others were Category A.   Controllers blame increasing errors on staffing constraints and fatigue.   They say their complaints are not being addressed by the FAA, including written reports they file every time a pilot calls in on the wrong frequency, which they say happens 10-15 times a day in Memphis.   "Do you think anyone is going to stand by and not be yelling and screaming when two big, huge planes go down in flames?" asked Pete Sufka, head of the local National Air Traffic Controllers Association. "What are people going to say when someone like me has been saying, 'There's a problem; we ought to try to fix this.'''   Complaints from controllers nationwide increased after the FAA imposed a labor contract -- without collective bargaining -- in the fall of 2006.   "The problem of staffing is management's responsibility, and management needs to face the fact that every time the union says there is a problem, it is not crying wolf," said John Goglia, former member of the National Transportation Safety Board, the federal agency that investigates public transportation accidents.   The latest incident in Memphis happened shortly before 4p.m. Feb. 21 as FedEx flights 527 and 257 were preparing for simultaneous takeoff on parallel runways.   Controllers say the margin for error was increased because the pilot called in on the wrong radio frequency.   "Westbound FedEx 257 crew checked in on the frequency for the east departure controller," Sufka said.   The east departure controller, who had just seen data on eastbound 527 on his screen, thought the pilot had transposed the numbers and told FedEx 527 to turn left and climb.   "FedEx 257 hears this and answers to it," said Sufka, who listened to a replay of the conversation and said the crew read-back on the flight number was unintelligible.   "This is where our controller makes the mistake," Sufka said. "He didn't catch the erroneous read-back."   Wertz said two smaller mistakes were found after investigators listened to tapes involving others who had contact with the crew before takeoff.   "The other two controllers were not involved in the error, but we observed less-than-acceptable width='100%' performance in a totally different cat http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/feb/28/faa-probes-fedex-near-miss/ **************