05 MAR 2008 _______________________________________ *Citation 500 Down After Takeoff From PWA *Pilots landing in GTA report blinding lasers *Comair safety reports sought in suit *Safety of new Philadelphia flight paths defended *EU sends expert to help speed up lifting air ban *Two more Alaska flights have wing-flap problems *Passenger detained after disturbance on Ireland-bound flight *Some suffer nose bleeds during flight to Houston *GWBAA Safety Standdown **************************************** Citation 500 Down After Takeoff From PWA Witness Says Plane Flew Through Bird Flock ANN REALTIME UPDATE 03.04.08 2200 EST: Authorities now report as many as five persons may have died in the Tuesday afternoon crash of a Cessna Citation 500 shortly after takeoff from Wiley Post Airport in Oklahoma City, OK... but they won't know for sure until daybreak. "We can't begin the body recovery until tomorrow due to darkness and the condition of the scene," said Kevin Rowland, chief investigator for the state medical examiner's office, Tuesday night. Officials haven't identified any of the victims believed onboard the aircraft. However, Valrie Pool -- wife of Frank Pool Jr, executive vice president of United Engines in Oklahoma City -- said her husband and two other executives, including company president Garth Bates, were onboard the flight. "They were great business partners and great friends," she said. "They were really well-liked by the people at United Engines." The aircraft was operated by a two-man flight crew, according to David C. Johnston Jr., attorney for aircraft management company Interstate Helicopters. "Interstate was merely a facilitator to provide an airplane and a crew to the customer, and I'm not at liberty to release the customer's name at this point," Johnston added. Original Report 1809 EST: Police and fire officials are on scene following the crash of a Cessna Citation 500 in Oklahoma City, OK, near Wiley Post Airport (PWA). The aircraft went down shortly after takeoff from PWA, FAA spokesman Roland Herwig told NewsOK.com, and crashed about five miles southwest of the field. "We are told, and this is preliminary, that there is at least one fatality," Herwig said. "We don't know how many were on board at this point." Herwig added the aircraft -- tail number N113SH -- is registered to Southwest Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Clinic P.C. of Oklahoma City, and was on an IFR flight plan to Mankato, MN. The plane's owner, Dr. Anthony Cruse, was not onboard, according to a clinic official. Witness Greg Horton told KWTV-9 that from his vantage point, fishing on a lake near the airport, it looked like the plane (file photo of type, right) may have flown through a flock of birds. "A bird, after it sucked through, we heard it, a dead bird was floating and it landed right in the lake," he said. "He was trying to recover, and just took a nosedive right over here. I saw the fireball and everything." Another witness, Lindsey Allison told police the aircraft flew directly overhead as she drove west on NW 10 to Bethany. She thought it was "a stunt plane" due to its maneuvering. "It was flipping and spinning and going almost upside down. It was all happening right in front of me. Then it seemed to lose all control; it went straight down and crashed," said Allison. "I couldn't believe that it was going to crash." ANN will provide more details about this accident as they become available. FMI: www.faa.gov aero-news.net *************** Pilots landing in GTA report blinding lasers At least five pilots attempting to land at airports in the GTA have complained to Transport Canada about someone on the ground shining a laser at their planes, penetrating the cockpit window and flashing the pilots in the eye. Transport Canada's civil aviation reports indicate the incidents are occurring with an increasingly alarming frequency in the GTA and Ontario. Deborah Baxter, a spokesperson with Transport Canada, says there have been 11 incidents reported in Ontario since last March but expects many more have gone unreported. The safety risk is obvious. A laser flashing a pilot's eye can distract - or even worse - temporarily blind a pilot, or cause long-term damage to their retinas. In the GTA incidents, the laser pointers seem to be shining from around the city - most recently on Feb. 21, when a cargo plane and a charter plane both reported a laser had been shone into their cockpits by someone standing near a highway in Vaughan. A similar incident occurred Jan. 7, when an Air Canada Jazz pilot was beamed from more than 5 kilometres away from Pearson International Airport. On May 11, another passenger jet reported a green light was being shone into the cockpit from the vicinity of Leslie St. and Lawrence Ave. E. in Toronto. In an October 2007 incident, a police helicopter flying over York Region was targeted while on a routine flight. In each incident, police were informed and investigations ensued. But as yet, Transport Canada indicates there have been no arrests of individuals in the GTA, although a 16-year-old was caught but not charged. However, Const. Wayne Patterson of Peel Regional Police, the force responsible for security around Pearson airport, said police could lay a charge of mischief - a criminal offence - against the perpetrators. Baxter says the risk involved is enough to warrant police involvement. "Transport Canada is very concerned about the increasing frequency of laser-related incidents, whether they are directed at aircraft, cars, trucks, boats or trains," Baxter said. Capt. Stephen Guetta, a pilot with Air Canada for 20 years, says he can't imagine what kind of person would knowingly try to blind a pilot on a landing approach over a bustling city like Toronto. He says pilots generally rely on their instruments to navigate a plane toward a runway until they are within sight of the landing strip. "The threat (from a laser pointer) is probably greatest when that airplane is a quarter to a half-mile from the threshold of the runway - when you're in the final 10 to 12 seconds prior to touchdown," Guetta said. "That's the highest risk, when you're moving from your instruments to looking outside. Trying to get your depth of perception. So you can imagine the danger of blinding a pilot at that point ... The pilot has very little time to react." The long-term damage to a pilot is also troubling. In cases reported in B.C. and the U.S., pilots have been grounded permanently and had their wings taken away from them after lasers caused irreparable damage to their retinas. Steve Lott, a spokesperson for the International Air Transport Association, a Montreal-based group representing 240 airlines, suggests the lasers being shone at airplanes involve more powerful lasers than the average laser pointer used in boardroom presentations. High-powered telescopic lasers, the type used by astronomers to map out stars and by snipers to pinpoint distant targets, are much more powerful than the average handheld laser and would have a greater reach into the cockpit of a far-off plane. "The most crucial parts of any flight are the takeoff and landing," Lott said. "This is certainly not a game, whether it's kids playing a game or anything else." http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/309525 *************** Comair safety reports sought in suit Information is usually kept secret Lawyers for the families of victims of Comair Flight 5191 have asked a federal judge to sanction the airline for failing to comply with an order to surrender confidential safety reports that describe safety violations and at least four runway errors by its pilots. Such reports are normally kept secret to encourage pilots and mechanics to report safety problems voluntarily. But U.S. District Judge Karl S. Forester ordered Comair's reports to be disclosed on Feb. 19. The plaintiffs' lawyers say that Comair has intentionally failed to produce the records for more than three months, and yesterday they asked Forester to punish the airline by deeming it an "established" fact that Comair had notice of "serious safety problems" and failed to take "reasonable and appropriate measures" to address them. The proposed sanction also would include an acknowledgement that Comair's failure constituted "a gross and wanton disregard for safety" and was a substantial factor leading to the crash of Flight 5191 at Lexington's Blue Grass Airport on Aug. 27, 2006. The commuter jet crashed on takeoff from the wrong runway, which was too short for the aircraft. Of the 50 people aboard, only the co-pilot survived. The National Transportation Safety Board ruled that pilot error was the principal cause of the crash. The trial of the lawsuits against the airline is set for Aug. 4, and lawyers say reports from the Aviation Safety Action Program could be important in proving punitive damages. Forester gave Comair until noon Friday to respond to the request for sanctions. Kate Marx, a Comair spokeswoman, said the airline is considering its legal options for appealing Forester's earlier order. She reiterated the airline's belief that confidentiality is essential to preserving the effectiveness of the 12-year-old self-reporting program. It allows crew members to submit safety errors -- such as falling asleep during a flight -- to the Federal Aviation Administration without fear that the government or their airline will act against them. The Air Line Pilots Association, the Regional Airline Association and the Air Transportation Association, which represents major carriers, all have filed briefs saying that using the reports in litigation would inhibit self-reporting. But the plaintiffs' lawyers said it would harm air safety and the public if airlines could refuse to take corrective action after receiving warnings of a safety issue, "then hide that information from victims." Forester noted that Congress, while exempting the reports from disclosure to the public under the Freedom of Information Act, allows them to be produced in lawsuits if ordered by a court. He also noted they would be given to the plaintiffs under a protective order keeping them from being disclosed to the media or public. The plaintiffs asked for safety reports regarding runway incursions, planes that lined up on the wrong runway and other wrong-runway events at Blue Grass Airport. They said in court papers that if Comair's reports "relate to these issues or the flying practices of Captain Jeffrey Clay and/or First Officer James Polehinke, and it is shown that Comair did not appropriately address these safety-related concerns, Comair must be held accountable for its failure to do so. This is unquestionably relevant and important information in this litigation and for purposes of preventing yet another crash." In depositions, Comair employees were unable to recall specific runway errors until an executive on Jan. 23 recalled four such events: a flight that took off from the wrong runway in 2003 in Corpus Christi, Texas; an incursion at Blue Grass; a flight that lined up to land on the wrong runway at the Dallas-Forth Worth airport; and a flight in 2004 that began its initial descent into the wrong airport in Knoxville, Tenn. http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080304/NEWS01/80 3040374 ************** Safety of new Philadelphia flight paths defended Responding to harsh criticism from air-traffic controllers and members of Congress, federal officials say new takeoff procedures from Philadelphia International Airport not only are safe, but also are helping to reduce flight delays. And at least two independent air-traffic experts, in interviews, supported the Federal Aviation Administration's assertion that its new flight plan is at least as safe as the previous system. In recent weeks, three members of Congress from the region and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association union have said that the FAA's new procedures may diminish safety margins because they could require pilots and controllers to change their planned flight path just before takeoff. They backed up the criticism with a statement of concern from the pilots' union's safety representative at US Airways Group Inc. The safety concerns arose amid an intense dispute over aircraft noise. Residents of some communities in Delaware County and South Jersey have complained of higher levels of noise since the FAA began using the new paths in mid-December. Speaking about safety, Steve Kelley, the FAA's manager of the program, which is designed to ease chronic air-traffic congestion in the Philadelphia and New York areas, said in an interview last week that there was no reason to believe the procedures were unsafe. "Safety is an absolute in this design process," Kelley said. "I believe everything we're doing is working toward improving safety." The polar-opposite assertions by FAA managers and the controllers' group are impossible to separate from a bitter and protracted contract dispute between the union and the agency. When the two could not agree on a new contract last year, the Bush administration imposed a new agreement on the union that its leaders say has reduced controller staffing to dangerously low levels. The union says the agency is run by "my way or the highway" managers who intimidate union members and stifle whistle-blowers - allegations that FAA officials adamantly deny. The new takeoff procedures involve changes to an automated system used for more than 20 years to give pilots a standard takeoff path before pushing back from a Philadelphia International gate. The standard path, based on a compass heading of 255 degrees, requires pilots to follow the Delaware River to an altitude of about 3,000 feet before making a turn. This departure path, still in use for most flights, has been used when planes take off to the west, which they do about 70 percent of the time at Philadelphia International. Now, from 10 a.m. to noon and 2 to 7 p.m., pilots may be given new paths on the runway as they receive clearance for departure - after they push back from the terminal but before takeoff. They may be told to make slight turns to the right or left just after takeoff. That takes them over areas of central Delaware County or Gloucester County that have not heard much aircraft noise in the past. A US Airways pilot and a former controller, who now teaches air-traffic management, concurred with the FAA's view about safety. They said it did not appear that what pilots and controllers had to do was unusual or confusing. "It does not erode any margin of safety," said Jack Hildebrand, a US Airways captain on Airbus A320 jets, based in Philadelphia, who has flown for the airline for 23 years. "It's not an abnormal procedure at all." Sid McGuirk, an associate professor and head of the air-traffic management program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., said he believed "pilots are pretty bright people" and should not be confused. "New headings are assigned by air-traffic controllers all the time," said McGuirk, who was a controller for 35 years. But other pilots and the controllers' union say the FAA should have done more when it started using the new procedures to let pilots know they could receive a "non-standard" departure heading. Dan Sicchio, the safety chairman for the US Airways chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association union, said in a statement issued by the controllers' union that assigning a different heading as part of the takeoff clearance "can easily result in confusion. It also occurs during a very busy time in the cockpit, and possibly while only one pilot is on the radio," he said. The statement by the controllers' union drew support from Reps. Joe Sestak (D., Pa.) and Rob Andrews (D., N.J.), who have been critical of virtually every aspect of the airspace-redesign plan. Sen. Robert Menendez (D., N.J.) separately has criticized the FAA for the way it has implemented similar takeoff procedures at Newark Liberty International Airport. Don Chapman, the spokesman for the Philadelphia chapter of the controllers' union, said he and others had documented "numerous incidents" in which pilots did not understand last-minute instructions. That has led to flights heading slightly off course, potentially causing them to come too close to other aircraft, he said. "We have evidence that's proof positive we have a problem we didn't have before," Chapman said. However, FAA spokesman Jim Peters said last week that the manager of the Philadelphia control tower had not received any reports from controllers of instances when pilots had been confused. Kelley, who is a pilot, acknowledged there always was a chance of miscommunication when controllers and pilots were following new procedures. But, he said, "this is not anything, in my opinion, that jeopardizes safety." On delays, Kelley said more information was needed from the airlines before the FAA could say definitively that Philadelphia departure delays were down 15 percent primarily because of the new procedures. But the indications were strong. The U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported yesterday that Philadelphia International and the three New York-area airports in January were not - for the first time in years - in their traditional place at the bottom of the list of the most delay-prone airports. "We have noticed a reduction in delays," Kelley said of Philadelphia. "The assessment is pretty positive." http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20080305_Safety_of_new_Philadelphia_fl ight_paths_defended.html ***************** EU sends expert to help speed up lifting air ban JAKARTA, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) has sent an aviation expert to Indonesia to assist the country in the lifting of EU ban on 51 Indonesian airliners, Indonesian Transport Minister Jusman Syafii Djamal said here Wednesday. Aviation Expert Jean Pierre Ambrosini would stay for several months in Indonesia to observe the implementation of the country's roadmap on aviation safety before he reports it to the next EU meeting in July, said the minister. In January, EU reaffirmed that Indonesia still needed to do a lot to meet EU air safety standard. EU imposed the ban on July 6 last year following rampant air accidents of the Indonesian airliners and extended it on Nov. 28. EU lifted its ban on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and on Blue Wing Airlines of Surinam. Ambrosini, accompanied by EU ambassador to Indonesia Pierre Philippe, met with the minister at his office Wednesday. "The presence of Ambrosini was to help Indonesia's efforts to speed up the lifting of EU ban on 51 airliners," Djamal told a press conference after the meeting. The minister said that one of Ambrosini's focus was on the Indonesia's fast-track program to prioritize on lifting the ban on four out of the 51 airliners. Indonesia has proposed to EU to allow four airliners, including the leading carrier of Garuda, Mandala and two non-carriers the Premiair and the Airfast, to enter the EU territory, according to the minister. "I expect the presence of Ambrosini is like a light in a dark channel that will bring us exit from the EU ban," said Djamal. Ambrosini said that EU would help advise Indonesian aviation authorities to meet the roadmap on aviation safety and to ensure all would be well implemented. "Now (I am) in the work in helping the authorities to put in place the plan," he told reporters after the meeting. At the New Year's Eve in 2006, a plane of the local carrier of Adam Air with more than 100 people on board lost contact and disappeared in the waters of central Indonesia. In March 2007, a Garuda Indonesia plane with 140 people on board overshot the runway in Yogyakarta province and burst into flames, killing 21 people. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-03/05/content_7724405.htm *************** Two more Alaska flights have wing-flap problems Two Alaska Airlines planes experienced wing-flap issues Monday while landing at Sea-Tac Airport, bringing to six the number of incidents involving flaps on the Seattle-based carrier's flights this year. Flaps provide lift, which lets planes land more slowly, decreasing the odds they will run out of runway. But Alaska Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration say malfunctioning flaps aren't an emergency. An Alaska Airlines 737-700, Flight 597 from Los Angeles to Seattle, told the Sea-Tac air traffic control tower at about 10:15 p.m. Monday it was having "an unknown flap problem" and would break off its initial approach to make a second attempt, FAA spokesman Mike Fergus said. The plane landed safely without declaring a precautionary emergency landing, and no damage or injury was reported, Fergus said. Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Amanda Bielawski said Tuesday in an e-mail that Flight 597 reported a "possible flap issue" but that it landed with its flaps "extended within the normal range." Less than an hour after that incident, at 11:06 p.m., Alaska Airlines Flight 19 from Orlando, Fla., to Seattle made a precautionary emergency landing, Port of Seattle spokesman Perry Cooper said. The pilot of the 737-800 reported a "trailing edge flap problem," Cooper said. No damage or injury was reported. Bielawski said in Tuesday's e-mail that "there was a sensor issue with the trailing edge wing flaps" and that the 737-800 landed without those flaps extended. She said the plane was taken out of service for repairs. Four flap malfunctions, each leading to a precautionary emergency landing, occurred on Alaska Airlines 737-400s during landings in Alaska on Jan. 10, 11, 20 and 26. No property damage or injuries resulted from those instances, either. Late last month, the FAA absolved Alaska Airlines of any blame in maintenance or operation in the four 737-400 incidents. The airline said it is continuing to work with The Boeing Co. to understand what caused them. It also said no similar 737-400 incidents have occurred since them. The FAA and Alaska Airlines do not regard the failure of flaps to operate properly as a safety hazard. At the same time, "when the flaps don't deploy and are expected, this is not handled as routine," FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer said in an earlier interview. Typically, when flaps fail to extend, the pilot requests a precautionary emergency landing, giving the flight priority over all others in the area and scrambling firefighting equipment. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/353734_alaskalanding05.html **************** Passenger detained after disturbance on Ireland-bound flight BANGOR, Maine (AP) - A passenger accused of threatening to blow up a jetliner bound for Dublin, will remain in jail until a detention hearing Wednesday. Aiden Simon Mackle, 44, of Portadown, Northern Ireland, was accused of telling a Delta Air Lines employee that he was a terrorist after drinking and becoming unruly on Flight 146 from Atlanta. The flight was diverted to Bangor International Airport early Saturday. Mackle, who made his first court appearance Monday in U.S. District Court, faces federal charges of assault and interfering with a flight crew. He was being held Tuesday in the Piscataquis County Jail in Dover-Foxcroft, where he declined an interview request. The problems began Saturday night after Mackle, who'd been drinking, went into the restroom and smoked a cigarette, a violation of federal rules, according to an FBI affidavit filed in court. When he was confronted, Mackle became verbally abusive to a flight attendant and told her he was associated with Osama bin Laden and was going to hijack the plane, according to the affidavit. FIND MORE STORIES IN: Atlanta | Osama bin Laden | Boeing | Delta Air Lines | Dublin | Northern Ireland | AirTran Airways | Bangor International Airport | Portadown Later, Mackle responded to an off-duty AirTran Airways pilot who told him that the flight may have to make an emergency landing, "OK, I'm a terrorist. Go ahead and land the plane," and then proceeded to punch an off-duty Delta flight attendant who warned him that he may have to be restrained, the affidavit said. The Boeing 767 made an emergency landing early Saturday, the first at Bangor International Airport because of an unruly passenger since August 2006, said Rebecca Hupp, airport manager. The remaining 184 passengers left Bangor after being on the ground for about two hours, she said. http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2008-03-04-passenger-detained_N.htm **************** Some suffer nose bleeds during flight to Houston About six passengers on an incoming airline flight were checked out by paramedics today shortly after the plane landed at Bush Intercontinental Airport, authorities said. The passengers complained of headaches after Northwest Airlines Flight 1184 experienced mechanical problems, an airline spokesman said. "It was having pressurization problems in route," said Dean Breest, with Northwest Airlines. "There was no emergency declared." According to initial reports, some passengers on the flight that originated in Detroit had nose bleeds, Houston Fire Department officials said. "It was nothing serious," said HFD Assistant Chief Jack Williams. The airplane landed about 11:30 a.m. without any problems and caused no disruption to operations, a spokesman for the city's airport system said. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5591012.html ***************** GWBAA Safety Standdown Information about GWBAA's annual safety standdown: 2008 SAFETY STANDDOWN . WHEN: Tuesday, April 8, 2008, 9am-4pm . WHERE: NTSB Training Center in Ashburn, Virginia (near Washington Dulles Airport) - see http://www.ntsb.gov/tc/trainingcenter.htm. . AGENDA: NBAA President Ed Bolen is confirmed to give the opening remarks. Other speakers include: o Greg Feith, former NTSB Senior Air Safety Investigator o Bob Agostino, Director of Flight Operations-Bombardier and father of the national Safety Standdown o Paul Schuda, Associate Managing Director-NTSB who will give his presentation on the crash of TWA flight 800, the Boeing 747 that exploded on July 17, 1996 in the Atlantic Ocean after departure from JFK. Paul's presentation will give attendees a rare opportunity to see the reconstructed portion of the TWA 800 fuselage housed at the NTSB Training Center. This is NOT open to the public. Pre-registration is required. The $50 registration fee includes continental breakfast, lunch, a safety manual, and a prize drawing. To register for the April 8th safety standdown go to: http://www.gwbaa.com/standdown.html ***************