18 SEP 2008 _______________________________________ *Eclipse jet had trouble before FAA approval *Man Accused Of Interfering With Navy Pilots' Landing *Southwest Airline pilots test biometric screenings to safeguard cockpits *Senate inquiry calls for CASA overhaul (Australia) *Singapore Airlines receives sixth Airbus A380 *Flight-recorder tapes from Aeroflot-Nord crash readable: inquiry *Russian prosecutor to examine Aeroflot and subsidiaries *************************************** Eclipse jet had trouble before FAA approval WASHINGTON - Eclipse Aviation Corp.'s 500-model jet has had some of the same operating glitches as those flagged by US inspectors before the plane was approved, a government watchdog said. Pilots reported erroneous stall warnings, cockpit-display failures, and difficult flap movements in 2007 and 2008, Calvin Scovel, the Transportation Department's inspector general, said yesterday. It's "troubling" that many of the complaints echo issues predating the plane's certification in 2006, he said. The Federal Aviation Administration was "strikingly accommodative" to Eclipse in an "intensely calendar-driven" approval process, Scovel told a US House panel. His account bolstered FAA employees' allegations the jet's approval was rushed over their safety concerns, the topic of a hearing by the panel. FAA leaders have said they met Eclipse's target dates without cutting corners on safety. The 500 was the subject of an "urgent" US inspection recommendation in June after a pilot reported a thrust surge while landing. Albuquerque-based Eclipse won FAA certification for the design of the six-passenger 500, a so-called very light jet, in September 2006 and production approval in April 2007. "FAA professionals would never and, in this case did not, certify an aircraft that they knew to be unsafe," agency safety chief Nicholas Sabatini told the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's aviation panel. The plane met FAA standards even with the issues Scovel raised, said Sabatini. For instance, while one of three cockpit-display screens sometimes blanked out in tests, the rules require that only one screen work, and it did, he said. "No other aircraft in two decades has entered service with a better safety record," said Peg Billson, president of the manufacturing division at Eclipse. Many of Scovel's assertions "are out of context, hearsay, and factually inaccurate," Billson told the panel. Still, committee chairman James Oberstar, a Minnesota Democrat, said the deference to Eclipse shows "complacency has crept into the highest levels of FAA management." http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008/09/18/eclipse_jet_had_trouble_b efore_faa_approval/ ************** Man Accused Of Interfering With Navy Pilots' Landing JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A Westside man was recently arrested and is facing big trouble for allegedly shining a very bright light in the wrong direction. Federal prosecutors have indicted and arrested Henry Gros, who they said shined a spotlight at Navy pilots landing at an airfield, creating a serious safety hazard. Gros' neighbor, Ester Thomas, said planes fly so low over their White House community that the aircrafts sometimes shake her home. She admitted the interruptions are annoying at times. "They're very low. You can read the writing on the planes. You can wave at the pilots," said Thomas. "We get vibrations from them. It goes on for two and three days at a time, sometimes until 10 and 11 at night." However, she said she was very surprised that Gros was slapped with an indictment and arrested after being accused of using a spotlight to interfere with Navy pilots practicing nighttime carrier landing near Whitehouse Field. "Even I wouldn't dare go that far. I know that's illegal … so that does surprise me in a sense the severity of that," Thomas said. According to federal officials, "Gros is accused of shining a 15-million candle power spotlight at Navy aircraft just as the aircraft approached to land … causing the pilots to become incapable of landing the aircraft and creating a serious safety hazard." "It's very scary. Anything that interferes with that, as low as they occasionally fly over anyway. That's a very scary thought," Thomas said. Federal officials said they believe Gros is against a local ordinance that tells people who in the area near the airfields they cannot make improvements to their homes. Neighbors said Gros often complained about the frequent flyovers. Gros was released from jail on bond, but said couldn't comment on the indictment. "I haven't had a chance to talk to attorneys. I really wish I didn't have to do this seriously I'm asking you," Gros said. If convicted, Gros could be sentenced to as many as five years behind bars and a $250,000 fine. http://www.news4jax.com/news/17500537/detail.html *************** Southwest Airline pilots test biometric screenings to safeguard cockpits Southwest Airlines Co. says 200 pilots will begin testing a biometric screening system on Wednesday that's designed to analyze pilot fingerprints to ensure cockpit safety when boarding flights. The screening project, referred to as SecureScreen, is in the testing phase with a specific group of Southwest pilots. When the pilots signed up for the test, they agreed to give a fingerprint, which was then placed on a secure key file for the pilot. When the pilots walk through the test on Wednesday, they will hand their key file to the Transportation Security Administration, so examiners can compare the pilot's fingerprint to the official fingerprint on the key drive. The comparison must be made and validated before a pilot can board a plane. The SecureScreen project was developed by the Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV), the Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations, the Maryland Aviation Authority, TSA officials and Chicago-based Priva Technologies. The trial run will last for 60 days. SecureScreen was developed in response to congressional directives to the TSA to enhance cockpit and flight deck security by giving crew members a separate screening checkpoint, where biometric comparisons can be made to validate their identity. Southwest operates a hub out of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2008/09/15/daily52.html ************** Senate inquiry calls for CASA overhaul (Australia) A Senate inquiry has called for significant changes to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). The Senate committee has expressed concern about the high level of staff turnover in CASA. It has also noted that there is a significant difference of opinion between some CASA staff and senior management about the appropriate direction of the organisation, and it is says there is potential for this to undermine safety objectives. The committee also says there appears to be a widely held perception that staff in CASA's north Queensland office do not deal with all members of the industry fairly and do not apply regulations consistently. The committee says the Government should bring in a management board to oversee CASA, and should also review the body's funding. It says the National Audit Office should examine the way CASA manages aviation safety. Lockhart River disaster North Queensland Senator Jan McLucas says the inquiry will help avoid a repeat of the 2005 Lockhart River air disaster in Cape York. Senator McLucas pushed for the inquiry amid concerns about how CASA handled an investigation into the airline involved in the crash. The inquiry's report does not directly comment on the Lockhart crash, but Senator McLucas says its recommendations will please the families of the 15 people who died. "I think they provide a very strong direction that the Government is pleased to have a look at in terms of the safety culture that we want in our aviation sector in Australia," she said. Senator McLucas says some of the problems have been long-running. "These are the stories that I have been hearing for some years now, now they're written down on paper," he said. "It is pleasing that there seems to have been some culture change in the north Queensland office, but we can not allow our aviation regulator to get to that sort of circumstance again." Pilots praise report The Australian and International Pilots Association has also welcomed the findings, saying the report supports many of the criticisms pilots have been making for years. The association's Peter Somerville says the findings are a positive step towards ensuring air safety standards are maintained. "For more than three years, pilots have been concerned that CASA is too close to the airlines and the industry it regulates," he said. "On a number of occasions, pilots have brought concerns to CASA about examples of where their own regulations have not been followed and CASA has failed to enforce those regulations." http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/18/2368403.htm?section=business *************** Singapore Airlines receives sixth Airbus A380 SINGAPORE, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Singapore Airlines (SIAL.SI: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), the world's biggest carrier by stock market value, said on Thursday it has received its sixth A380 superjumbo from planemaker Airbus (EAD.PA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz). Singapore Air said it will put the latest A380, the world's largest passenger jet, on a second daily flight between Singapore and London. Airbus had said on Monday it is sticking to its target of delivering 12 of its A380 superjumbo aircraft by the end of the year, after a French newspaper reported the programme was facing further delays. [ID:nLF420944] **************** Flight-recorder tapes from Aeroflot-Nord crash readable: inquiry Russian investigators have succeeded in retrieving information from both flight-recorders on board the Aeroflot-Nord Boeing 737-500 which crashed in Perm four days ago. The Interstate Aviation Committee (MAK) states that it has been able to read the cockpit-voice and flight-data tapes despite their suffering serious damage during the accident. "Records of the emergency flight are available on both recorders," it says. MAK adds that it will begin work on decoding the information. None of the 88 passengers and crew survived when the aircraft, while conducting a service from Moscow Sheremetyevo, crashed during an attempt to land at Perm Bolshoye Savino Airport. Russia's commission for disaster assistance vice-president Alexander Neradko insists the aircraft had sufficient fuel on board. Only 5.5t is required for the Perm flight and the 737 was given 11.5t of fuel at Moscow, he says: "That's enough practically to return again to Sheremetyevo." Weather conditions were within limits, he states, with visibility of 10km and a cloud base of 240m (800ft). Initial information shows the aircraft was attempting an instrument landing system approach on a heading of 212°. The crash site is located about 1.6nm (3km) to the left of the extended approach centreline to runway 21. Specialists from Russia's security service FSB, says Neradko, have also concluded that there is no evidence of traces of explosives in the wreckage of the jet. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ************* Russian prosecutor to examine Aeroflot and subsidiaries Russia's prosecutor general is to conduct an inquiry into the operations of flag-carrier Aeroflot and its subsidiaries following the loss of an Aeroflot-Nord Boeing 737-500 three days ago. The federal prosecutor has instructed an inspection to check compliance with air transport security legislation. Prosecutors in Arkhangelsk are already conducting an audit of Aeroflot-Nord, which is 51%-owned by the flag-carrier. The auditors are to amend their assessment programme for the carrier in light of the 14 September crash in Perm. In addition to their assessment of flight operations and maintenance, the auditors will conduct inquiries on aspects such as crew management and pre-flight checks carried out on the aircraft involved in the accident. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news **************