03 MAR 2008 _______________________________________ *Lufthansa jet 'split second from crashing *UN helicopter crashes in east Nepal *FAA Criticized In Report on Airplane Parts *FAA Issues Final Rule On Plastic Pilot Certificates *************************************** Lufthansa jet 'split second from crashing' after wingtip hits runway in freak winds German aviation authorities have praised the pilot of a jet that came within a split second of crashing during a violent storm. Experts said the powerful storm system "Emma" almost caused all 137 people aboard an Airbus A320 plane to lose their lives in the near-disaster they described as "unprecedented" in the country's aviation history. Powerful 155 mph winds battered the Lufthansa jet from Munich on its approach on Saturday into Hamburg airport. The first attempt to land was aborted as a wing tip brushed the ground and the pilot fought to keep control of his aircraft. He was forced to climb, circle and come in again with passengers told to brace themselves for a bumpy landing. "Those few seconds were indescribable," one passenger told German television station N-TV after arriving safely on the ground. A spokesman for Lufthansa said some of the passengers were badly shaken. "Many did not handle it well," said Wolfgang Weber. "Some were near tears." A spokesman for the organization German Flight Safety, Axel Raab, said that the attempted landing was more dramatic than any incident he could recall in German domestic aviation history. "It's extreme - I haven't yet seen anything like that at a German airport," said Raab. "The pilot was a real hero." http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_articl e_id=524615&in_page_id=1811 ************** UN helicopter crashes in east Nepal, seven feared dead Kathmandu - A United Nations helicopter crashed in eastern Nepal Monday and it was feared that at least seven people on board were killed, officials and media reports said. The helicopter crashed at Bethana in the Ramechaap district, about 100 kilometres east of the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, late Monday afternoon. 'We are awaiting further information,' the chief of Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport, Mohan Adhikari, said. The helicopter, a Russian-built Mi-17, was on its way to the neighbouring district of Sindhuli when it lost contact with the air traffic controller in Kathmandu. It was not immediately clear how many people were on board the helicopter but independent Kantipur Television reported that at least seven people on board were killed in the accident. Officials said rescue teams were on their way to the crash site but bad weather and fading light were hampering their advance. Weather conditions and visibility around the Ramechaap and Sindhuli districts were described as bad by officials. Both districts were lashed by thunderstorms and rain accompanied by high winds. UNMIN operates several helicopters in Nepal as part of its mission to monitor ceasefire violations and implementation of the peace agreement between the government and Maoist rebels. The air crash is the worst in Nepal for two years when more than a dozen people were killed in eastern Nepal in a helicopter crash. http://news.monstersandcritics.com/southasia/news/article_1393716.php/UN_hel icopter_crashes_in_east_Nepal_seven_feared_dead *************** FAA Criticized In Report on Airplane Parts Passengers have flown on jetliners built with "substandard" parts, some of which may have been made in foreign countries, because the Federal Aviation Administration lacks an adequate system for checking the quality of airplane components, according to a federal oversight report. The parts for commercial airliners such as the Boeing 727 and 737 were once manufactured almost exclusively in the United States. But the parts on today's big jets, such as Boeing's 777 and its planned 787, are made in such countries as China, Japan, Brazil, Italy, France and Australia, in addition to the United States. Boeing, Pratt & Whitney, GE and other plane manufacturers buy parts made overseas largely because they are cheaper. But the bargain-hunting has come at a price, according to a new report by the Transportation Department's inspector general. "Neither manufacturers nor FAA inspectors have provided effective oversight of suppliers; this has allowed substandard parts to enter the aviation supply chain," reads the report, dated Feb. 26. The agency released the report yesterday after it was made public by the Project on Government Oversight, a nonprofit organization that focuses on government accountability. The report cited four engine failures in 2003 -- three on the ground, one in flight -- that were traced to "unapproved design changes made by a . . . supplier" of speed sensors on engine fuel pumps. It did not cite any more recent incidents, nor did it specify the degree to which continuing problems with parts threaten to cause similar failures. During a visit to one parts supplier, the inspector general's office observed an employee who "used a piece of paper, scotch-taped to the work surface, as a measuring device for a length of wire on an oil and fuel pressure transmitter." Among its recommendations, the report said that the FAA needs to require manufacturers to make more on-site visits. The FAA also needs to improve its own inspections, the report said. "The nature and number of discrepancies found at suppliers we visited would not have been identified through records reviews only," the report says. "For example, a supplier of fuel system parts for a major manufacturer had no record of the manufacturer ever completing an on-site audit of their facility. We found numerous deficiencies at this facility, including problems with the calibration program, employee training and product inspection." So far, no airline accidents have been attributed to faulty overseas parts, the FAA said. "There are absolutely no imminent safety issues raised by the report," FAA spokeswoman Alison Duquette said. The FAA largely concurred with the report and said it would implement most of the recommendations. It said some improvements urged by the report were already underway. The report identifies 17 major components of commercial airliners made by Boeing, including the wings, rudder, nose and engine nacelles. When the Boeing 727 was introduced in 1964, all 17 of the components were made in the United States. By contrast, of the 17 major components of the Boeing 787, which is scheduled to make its first test flight this year, 13 were made exclusively or partially overseas. "FAA's process for supplier audits should be designed to address newer manufacturing business models, which have expanded the number of foreign suppliers, locations where parts are assembled, and the degree of independent manufacturing responsibility suppliers now have," the report reads. Boeing said yesterday that it was taking the report seriously. "Oversight is really important in maintaining a high-quality supply system," spokeswoman Liz Verdier said. "We're reviewing the report, and then certainly if it's necessary to make changes to our process, we'll make changes." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/29/AR2008022903 544.html *************** FAA Issues Final Rule On Plastic Pilot Certificates Requires Changeover By March 2010 When it comes to the question of "paper or plastic?" the FAA has given its final answer. This week, the FAA released its final rule on the matter, announcing the required switch to plastic pilot certificates by March 31, 2010. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association states its members "overwhelmingly" supported the move, when the FAA first proposed the matter in 2005. In addition to being far more durable than traditional paper certificates, the plastic cards also offer greater resistance to counterfeiting. Temporary, student, and flight instructor certificates are not impacted by the change. Those with nonpilot certificates -- such as ground instructors, flight engineers, and mechanics -- will have three additional years to change over to the plastic certificate. Those pilots will a particular attachment to their paper certificates, or the original issuance date (the plastic certificate will have a new one,) will still be able to keep their paper certificates -- they just won't be able to use them to fly. Pilots may request the plastic certificate through the FAA's website, at a cost of $2. That fee will be waived, however, if you change your pilot certificate number from your Social Security number, according to the pilot advocacy group. AOPA notes pilots might want to wait a few weeks before requesting their new certificates, as the FAA is currently processing replacement certificate for pilots who fly internationally to meet the "English proficient" endorsement required by the International Civil Aviation Organization. If pilots should miss the 2010 deadline, they won't have to take a checkride or any exams to get back in the air as pilot in command; they'll simply need to request the plastic certificate... but until they receive their new certificates, those pilots won't be able to fly as PIC. aero-news.net ****************