19 SEP 2008 _______________________________________ *Report: Danish plane lands safely after emergency *Air Canada planes collide on runway *Smoky JetBlue plane lands safely at PBIA *Plane lands safely at PBIA after passengers, pilots smell smoke *FAA Vows To Improve Certification Process *Engine failure ruled out in Russian airline crash *Mo. skydiving deaths cited as proof of 'inadequate oversight' *United sells three 737s *First retired AMR MD-80s to be used for spares *Air Atlanta 747 fire probe suspects badly-coupled fuel line **************************************** Report: Danish plane lands safely after emergency COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) - Police say a charter plane with 145 people on board has landed safely in Denmark after reporting a landing gear malfunction. Danish TV footage on Friday showed the Boeing 737 belonging to charter airline Jettime touching down on the runway at Copenhagen airport and taxiing to a gate. More than a dozen rescue vehicles followed the plane. Police say the plane took off from western Denmark and was headed to the Canary Islands when the pilot reported a landing gear malfunction. Copenhagen Police spokesman Flemming Steen Munch says two Danish Air Force F-16 jets were sent up to check the plane and confirmed there was a problem with the landing gear. ************** Air Canada planes collide on runway RICHMOND - Two Air Canada planes collided on the south runway at Vancouver International Airport Thursday afternoon, causing minor damage to both, said Bill Yearwood of the Transportation Safety Board. He said there were no injuries to the passengers or crew on either plane. The wingtip of a Hong Kong-bound Air Canada Airbus 340 hit the tail of an Air Canada Jazz Dash-8 as it was taxiing to the runway for takeoff. He said it's not the first time a collision has occurred at that location at the airport and all parties will examine how to prevent similar incidents in the future. Neither plane made its scheduled flight, due to necessary repairs. Passengers were booked on other flights. http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=1f2c2996 -82fd-42e0-90b5-ce9f9c4d3e3f **************** Smoky JetBlue plane lands safely at PBIA WEST PALM BEACH, FL, -- A Jet Blue flight from Palm Beach International Airport to JFK in New York made an emergency landing at Palm Beach International Airport. The pilot of the New York-bound plane noticed smoke in the cockpit after taking off from West Palm Beach. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue was placed on alert shortly before 9 a.m. The Jet Blue flight carrying 120 passengers landed safely. Fire rescue crews checked out the plane and determined that there was no fire. There were also no reports of injuries. http://www.wptv.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=503ec523-80fa-4de3-80f3 -6004d462b349 ************** Plane lands safely at PBIA after passengers, pilots smell smoke WEST PALM BEACH - A JetBlue commercial flight headed to New York from Palm Beach International Airport with 120 passengers aboard made a prompt, emergency return when there was a report of a "plastic burning smell" reported in the cockpit, county fire rescue and airport officials said. "You do not take any chances in a case like this," said Robert McNamara, director of operations for the airport. "It is much better to inconvenience people a little and bring it back." Passengers in the first 20 rows as well as the pilots in the cockpit smelled smoke, like that from an electrical fire, McNamara said, but no one actually saw smoke. Still, the pilot made a decision to return to the airport. JetBlue's flight 140 landed shortly after 9 a.m. The passengers evacuated the Airbus 320 in an orderly fashion and there was no panic, McNamara said. Airport officials are helping them rebook flights now, he said. An alert went out to several fire rescue crews at 8:50 a.m., Palm Beach County Fire Rescue spokesman Don Delucia said. Palm Beach International Airport spokeswoman Cassandra Davis said the flight was headed for New York's JFK Airport. http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2008/09/18/ 0918pbia.html?imw=Y ************** FAA Vows To Improve Certification Process The FAA is shouldering responsibility for missteps made in the certification of the Eclipse 500 very light jet and is looking to modify regulatory processes to better accommodate advanced technology aircraft entering the market. On Sept. 17, Associate Administrator-Aviation Safety Nicholas A. Sabatini and Director of Aircraft Certification John Hickey made those pledges in a six-hour grilling by the House Aviation Subcommittee looking into alleged FAA regulatory lapses in oversight in the certification and manufacture of the Eclipse 500. The subcommittee requested the Transportation Dept. Inspector General to investigate the alleged lapses after FAA inspectors, engineers and test pilots claimed senior management had ignored serious concerns they raised about aircraft's design and manufacture. The managers, they say, accelerated type and production certification to meet Eclipse's Sept. 30, 2006, certification target. The FAA signed off on certification on that day. Maryetta Broyles's job as aviation safety inspector at the Forth Worth Manufacturing Inspection Office was to evaluate new and existing manufacturing companies. Broyles, who has worked for the FAA for 20 years, has performed more than 485 evaluations. She testified that from July 10, 2006 to Feb. 15, 2007, a total of 77 noncompliances were documented in three audits of Eclipse's quality control system. In addition, she was surprised to learn that the Standard Airworthiness Certification had been issued to aircraft serial no. 00001 on Dec. 31, 2006, because numerous functional tests had failed inspection and had been incomplete only 11 days earlier. In visits to the Albuquerque-N.M.-based manufacturer, she felt that Eclipse was "controlling our schedules and managing FAA resources." Whistleblowers from the FAA's Fort Worth Aircraft Certification Office, with oversight of type certification (TC), and the San Antonio Manufacturing Inspection District Office, with oversight of production certification (PC), said the PC was issued before Eclipse could demonstrate the ability to replicate the type design. As former manager of the FAA Rotorcraft Directorate, David Downey was responsible for engineering compliance oversight of the very light jet. He testified that he had raised concerns about the high turnover rate of test pilots. The FAA dealt with at least four different "chiefs" of flight test and noted that one company pilot told him his "integrity test flight had been pushed way too many times." The IG audit is focused on processes in an effort to determine if FAA followed its own regulations when certifying the aircraft and if safety was ever compromised, according to Aviation subcommittee Chairman Jerry F. Costello (D-Ill.). Overall, legislators are trying to determine if the FAA has migrated from its mandate--safety--to an overly collaborative or "cozy" relationship with industry partners. Inspector General Calvin L. Scovel presented the preliminary findings and testified about the concerns of the review, which is not expected to be completed for several months. Concerns included: *The FAA allowed Eclipse Aviation to use alternate means of compliance (AMOC) to meet design certification requirements, specifically, avionics software and the pitot-static system. Eclipse 500 users said that problems identified in design certification--including erroneous stall warnings and flap movement problems--continued after the design was approved. *The FAA had approved the production certificate despite the existence of 13 known and unresolved deficiencies in the company's supplier and quality control system. *Scovel said the FAA granted Eclipse Organizational Designated Airworthiness Representative (ODAR) authority in 2002, four years before the manufacturer obtained a design certificate--although the Eclipse had no history of manufacturing or taking a design through certification, which are requirements for ODAR. Eclipse stated it received ODAR on four items in 2002 and only received full authority seven months after receiving the production certification. *The FAA certified the aircraft for single-pilot operations, despite strong recommendations from FAA test pilots to restrict flying to a two-pilot crew. *The FAA certified the aircraft following general aviation criteria, but its advanced technology might have warranted Part 121 criteria. Four incidents this year alone served to exacerbate rising safety concerns. The most serious occurred June 5, 2008, when a flight crew of an Eclipse 500--which had accumulated only 238 hours and 192 cycles--experienced a dual loss of thrust control on approach to Chicago Midway. This event led to an FAA airworthiness directive that grounded all 200+ Eclipse 500s in service for inspections. Those events in part led the FAA to launch a 30-day Special Certification Review (SCR) on Aug. 11. A team of technical experts headed by Jerry Mack, a former Boeing safety expert, focused on type certification processes and examined Service Difficulty Reports in four main areas of compliance concern: cockpit displays/screen blanking, stall speeds, trim, and flaps. The panel determined the aircraft was certified in full compliance with Part 23 and was safe to fly. This review also yielded recommendations to the FAA on how to improve its regulatory and policy guidance and coordination between FAA offices, with which the agency concurred. Echoing those findings, Scovel testified that evidence gathered so far indicated the aircraft was safe for flight. The IG also issued interim recommendations, calling for the FAA to take immediate actions. They include expediting proposed rulemaking to clarify certification requirements for the expanding VLJ industry segment. Sabatini and Hickey testified at the Sept. 17 hearing that the FAA acted in compliance with regulations during the entire Eclipse 500 certification process. Both assumed full responsibility for any mistakes made during certification of the Eclipse 500 and are to launch a review of certification processes. In addition, Sabatini told the subcommittee--concerned that the FAA was too "cozy" with manufacturers and airlines--it would amend its Customer Service Initiative document to reflect that its only customer is the airline passenger, not industry partners. The issue arose at the committee's April hearing on FAA lapses in oversight of airline safety. At the time, the FAA was referring to airlines as "customers," and legislators charged that air travelers were the agency's sole customers. In closing, Costello praised the courage of the informants and ordered those who testified to inform him personally of any FAA retributions for coming forward. http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/hear09188.xml&headl ine=FAA%20Vows%20To%20Improve%20Certification%20Process&channel=busav **************** Engine failure ruled out in Russian airline crash MOSCOW (AP) - Investigators on Thursday ruled out engine failure as causing the weekend plane crash in Russia that killed all 88 people on board. The Interstate Aviation Committee said both engines on the Boeing 737-500 were working when it crashed Sunday while preparing to land in the Ural Mountains city of Perm. The plane belonged to the Russian carrier Aeroflot-Nord. Russian transport officials initially blamed the crash on a faulty engine that caught fire, but the investigating committee said it found no sign of engine fire. "There is no indication of an engine fire or the aircraft breaking up in the air," said the committee, which investigates air crashes in Russia and other ex-Soviet nations. "Both engines were working until the plane hit the ground," it said. Investigators have yet to determine what caused the crash - Russia's worst air disaster in two years. Flight controller Irek Bikbov said in remarks broadcast by state-run Channel One television over the weekend that the jet's pilot was behaving strangely, disobeying orders to descend on the final approach and instead taking the jet to a higher altitude. Bikbov said he then ordered the pilot to make a second run, but instead of making the right turn he turned left. When the controller asked the pilot if things were normal on board, the pilot answered positively. ************** Mo. skydiving deaths cited as proof of 'inadequate oversight' WASHINGTON -- Ruling on recent tragedies in Missouri and around the country, the National Transportation Safety Board said this morning that the parachuting industry suffers from inadequate oversight and safety problems such as improper maintenance of planes. The board has been examining parachuting in the aftermath of six fatal accidents, including a crash in Sullivan, Mo. two years ago that claimed six lives. The Missouri case represented several of the problems the board found overall in the industry. For instance, one of the engines of the plane was long overdue for overhaul, the board found. Board members said that even though parachutists take risks jumping out of airplanes, they should not be subject to additional risks on the way to their jumps. Board member Steven Chealander said that inadequate pilot training and lack of oversight "goes to the public trust." The board said that since 1980, there have been 32 accidents involving parachuting aircraft that killed 172 people -- beyond 30 fatalities in jumps. On July 29, 2006, a plane carrying sky divers from the Quantum Leap Skydiving School near the Sullivan Regional Airport crashed shortly after takeoff, killing six people. Killed were the pilot, Scott Cowan, 42, of Sullivan; Robert B. Cook, 22, a skydiving instructor from Rolla, Mo.; Melissa Berridge, 38, of Maryland Heights; Victoria Delacroix, 22, who lived in England, and David Paternoster, 35, a skydiving instructor from Claycomo, Mo. http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/washington/story/CEFDB0171 A44559E862574C6005124CA?OpenDocument **************** United sells three 737s United Airlines parent UAL has sold three of its older generation Boeing 737s as part of its plan to shed 94 -300s/400s/500s by the end of 2009. Roughly 80 737s are scheduled for departure this year. United earlier this week announced a deal with AAR for the remarketing of the aircraft overseas. New CFO Kathryn Mikells during a presentation at the Caylon Securities Airline conference said three narrowbodies have already been sold and United "expects to announce additional sales soon". United has also hired Focus to assist the remarketing of six widebody Boeing 747s. Mikells estimates the older Boeing aircraft are 16% less fuel efficient than United's Airbus A320s and reasons the retirement of the 737s should generate an overall improvement in fuel efficiency of 2.5%. United is also working with FAA on a green flight trial on a Los Angeles-Sydney flight focusing on improved climb and descent. Joining other US airlines this week United has released its third quarter financial projections. When asked to explain United's "light" unit revenue projections of 4.5% to 5.5% year-over-year compared with projections of 9%-10% at American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, Mikells notes that a large portion of the carrier's international capacity is in the pacific, which is under some pressure. United's peers have less exposure to that region, she notes. During a presentation at the same conference Delta Air Lines president and CFO Ed Bastian noted the carrier was the leading US airline serving Africa and the Middle East. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ************** First retired AMR MD-80s to be used for spares American Airlines plans to use the first MD-80s exiting its fleet for spare parts as the carrier is just starting to examine the options for those aircraft. Up to 30 aircraft are earmarked for departure this year as the carrier takes delivery of 76 more fuel efficient Boeing 737-800s during the next two years. During the Caylon Securities Airline conference today vice president of corporate development and treasurer of parent company AMR Beverley Goulet said American has not "gotten far" in the process of determining the long-term plans for the MD-80s but in the near term using the aircraft for spare parts and engines is the best use for the aircraft. She notes AMR needs to determine how many of the owned aircraft to retain for spares support. Goulet says the mix of leased and owned MD-80s leaving service is roughly half-and-half. Deliveries of 36 -800s to American are scheduled for 2009 followed by 40 in 2010, and Goulet says the carrier is continuing its evaluation of taking those aircraft at a faster pace. AMR has backstop financing in place that could finance all the 2009 deliveries "if we choose to do so", says Goulet. As its 34 Airbus A300s cycle out of the fleet by yearend 2009, Goulet explains American plans to backfill that capacity potentially with Boeing 767s. She also notes the carrier is reconfiguring its 757s for transatlantic service. The carrier also today released third quarter projections and estimates mainline unit revenues will grow 9.5% to 10.5% year over year. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news **************** Air Atlanta 747 fire probe suspects badly-coupled fuel line Icelandic investigators have discovered an incorrectly-fitted fuel-line coupling on an Air Atlanta Icelandic Boeing 747-300 severely damaged by an engine fire shortly after landing at Dhaka in Bangladesh. The aircraft had been operating for Saudi Arabian Airlines and, on 25 March this year, had landed on Dhaka Zia International Airport's runway 14 following a flight from Medina. While exiting the runway the crew received a fire indication for the inboard starboard Pratt & Whitney JT9D engine. Attempts to extinguish the fire were unsuccessful and the crew shut down the engines and ordered an evacuation. Only minor injuries were sustained among the 309 passengers and 19 crew members but the Icelandic Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) says the jet was "damaged beyond economic repair" by the blaze. Inspection of the affected area revealed that a main fuel-line coupling, at the entry point to the front spar of the engine, was missing a retaining ring and that an accompanying O-ring was not in the correct place on the fuel line. "It is considered that the O-ring was not working to seal as it should," says the AAIB, adding that inspectors saw fuel leaking from the coupling. Maintenance logs show that the coupling was opened, and the O-rings replaced, during a C-check on 27 August last year. Malaysia Airlines' maintenance centre is assisting the inquiry, states the AAIB: "Investigation is focusing on maintenance issues and procedures for the replacement of O-rings on the aircraft fuel system." The aircraft involved, registered TF-ARS with serial number 22996, was a 25-year old example. Saudi Arabian Airlines is a strong Air Atlanta 747 customer. In June it agreed a long-term wet-lease agreement for a 747-300 and has also taken leases on two 747-200 freighters, bringing its Air Atlanta-operated 747 fleet to six aircraft. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ***************