06 OCT 2008 _______________________________________ *BA flight forced to make emergency landing due to 'burning smell' *FAA Reopens ADS-B Comment Period *Low fuel forced Italian MD-82 to land on closed runway *FAA faulted for laxness on maintenance outsourcing *USAF Grounds A-10 Warthogs Over Wing Fatigue Concerns *Global Business-Jet Deliveries May Hit Record 1,400, Then Drop *Report: Leaking Hydraulic Line Sparked Osprey Fire *Mesa names new COO *************************************** BA flight forced to make emergency landing due to 'burning smell' A British Airways flight from the UK to the US was forced to make an emergency landing after staff detected a burning smell. The BA flight was diverted to Houston after a crew member detected a "burning smell" on board the plane Photo: PA Flight BA195 from London's Heathrow to Houston diverted to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. A spokeswoman for British Airways said the flight was diverted as a precaution after "what was thought to be a burning smell" was detected on board. She said the smell was due to a fault with one of the television screens used for in-flight entertainment which had since been repaired. BA said that none of the nearly 90 passengers and 15 crew members was in danger and that passengers were taken into the terminal building at Chicago and transferred on to domestic flights to enable them to continue their journey to Houston. The spokeswoman said: "We apologise for the inconvenience to passengers but the crew did exactly the right thing in diverting as a precaution." The plane landed at 1.20pm local time on Sunday (7.20pm BST). Chicago Aviation Department spokesman Gregg Cunningham said that nobody was injured. Chicago Fire Department spokesman Will Knight said the plane was secured without incident around an hour after it landed. Only last month it was reported that a British Airways pilot had made an emergency landing at Heathrow after the crew smelled smoke in the cockpit. The Airbus A319, carrying 121 passengers, was only 10 minutes into its flight to Zurich when the pilot announced that fumes had been detected coming from an air conditioning unit. The captain of the flight decided to return to Heathrow as a precautionary measure. Passengers were transferred to a replacement flight for their journey, and engineers were brought in to examine the plane. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/3143483/BA-flight-forced-to-mak e-emergency-landing-due-to-burning-smell.html ************** FAA Reopens ADS-B Comment Period In an unusual déjà vu-triggering step, the FAA has reopened for 30 days the comment period on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B). The original comment period closed on March 3 this year. The FAA received 1,423 comments submitted by 165 entities. Since then the ADS-B Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC), which the FAA established in July 2007, has reviewed these comments and made 36 summary recommendations to the FAA. It is the ADS-B ARC’s recommendations that the FAA wants the aviation community to review and comment upon. The deadline is November 3. Separately, the Aircraft Electronics Association is encouraging its members to submit comments to the FAA and send a copy to AEA’s government and industry affairs office. A copy of the ARC’s report to the FAA is available on www.aea.net.™ http://www.ainonline.com/news/single-news-page/article/faa-reopens-ads-b-com ment-period/ *************** Low fuel forced Italian MD-82 to land on closed runway Italian investigators have disclosed that an aircraft on a domestic service between Milan Linate and Cagliari was forced to land on a closed runway because it burned diversion reserves during a prolonged hold. While the Agenzia Nazionale per la Sicurezza del Volo (ANSV) does not specifically identify the incident, which has led investigators to issue a set of recommendations, the circumstances match those experienced by a Meridiana Boeing MD-82 which declared a fuel emergency on 5 May while holding to land at Cagliari. ANSV says the aircraft, with 36 passengers on board, had been cleared for approach but the crew was subsequently instructed to execute a go-around because of the presence of birds on the runway. The aircraft made a second attempt to approach the runway, 14L, but was again told to abort. It was then placed in a holding stack over Cagliari. Twenty-three minutes after the first landing attempt, the crew declared a fuel emergency to air traffic controllers and requested clearance to land, despite the runway's being unavailable. ANSV says that the aircraft had around 2,900kg of fuel on board at this point, less than the minimum level of fuel - some 3,100kg - required for diversion. The aircraft landed 10min after the emergency declaration. Controllers opened the runway shortly afterwards. While the aircraft's flight-data and cockpit-voice recorders had been overwritten by the time the incident was reported, four days later, ANSV says fuel levels on board the aircraft had been checked prior to departure from Milan, and the pilots had decided they "did not wish to upload extra fuel" for the flight. It adds that a NOTAM was in place for Cagliari, valid from 1 May to 25 July, warning crews of possible delays because of birds in the vicinity of runway 14L/32R. The aircraft's fuel levels reached their minimum for diversion about 19-20min after the first aborted approach and 3-4min after the second. The investigators point out that the captain is responsible for verifying carriage of adequate fuel, including reserves for diversion and a final reserve. ANSV says the jet should have been able to divert to an alternative airport, Olbia, without having to declare an emergency and land on a closed runway. It has issued four recommendations to the Italian civil aviation administration, urging better fuel-planning awareness for crews. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ************** FAA faulted for laxness on maintenance outsourcing WASHINGTON - Nine U.S. airlines outsourced more than 70 percent of their major aircraft maintenance last year, and federal aviation officials' oversight of repair facilities is lagging, according to a government report. One-fourth of the outsourced maintenance is being handled by contractors overseas. The Transportation Department's inspector general said the outsourcing, which has more than doubled in four years, was of concern because the Federal Aviation Administration has failed to closely track how much maintenance is farmed out and where it is performed. Although the FAA has taken steps to improve, "the agency still faces challenges in determining where the most critical maintenance occurs and ensuring sufficient oversight," investigators said in the report issued this week. In their effort to lower costs, the report said, airlines continue to shift their heavy airframe maintenance from their own in-house mechanics and engineers to hundreds of repair companies in the United States, Canada, Mexico and countries in Central America and Asia. Nine major airlines examined by the inspector general outsourced 71 percent of their heavy air frame maintenance — repairs and servicing to an aircraft's body, wings and tail — in 2007, up from 34 percent in 2003. More than a quarter of that maintenance — 27 percent — was performed at foreign repair facilities. The airlines examined in the report were AirTran Airways, Alaska Airlines, America West Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Northwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines. American Airlines, the nation's largest domestic carrier, was not included, the inspector general said, because it handles most maintenance in-house. The FAA relies heavily on the airlines — and the repair facilities themselves — to make sure outsourced repairs meet the air safety standards and requirements of the individual airlines. FAA requires each repair station to undergo a government inspection at least once a year, FAA spokesman Les Dorr said. The report says those inspections often are not being conducted by agency inspectors most familiar with standards and requirements of the airline whose planes are being repaired. As much as five years lapsed between visits to some major maintenance facilities by inspectors assigned to individual airlines. Inspectors not assigned to a specific airline may not be familiar with the special maintenance requirements of that airline's planes, which are often customized. The report cited a foreign facility, which repairs engines for an unidentified airline, that had not been inspected by an FAA inspector assigned to that airline in five years, a period in which the facility had repaired 39 of the air carrier's engines. The report recommends FAA require airlines to provide more complete information on the extent and location of outsourced repairs, ensure air carriers and repair stations are better able to spot and correct problems, and improve the documentation of inspection results. The FAA agreed it needs to do more. "We actually concur with all the inspector general's recommendations," Dorr said. "We have procedures in place that already address some of the recommendations, and we have some projects in progress that address others." One safety expert, however, said the report underscores that FAA still has a long way to go toward resolving the outsourcing issue, which has been source of controversy for the agency for several years. "What this report tells me is there is still a big problem with oversight — the FAA is not verifying that the oversight being provided by the air carriers is doing the job it's supposed to," said John Goglia, a former member of the National Transportation Safety Board. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081004/ap_on_go_ot/airlines_maintenance *************** USAF Grounds A-10 Warthogs Over Wing Fatigue Concerns Inspections Called For After Cracks Found In Older Models Another storied aircraft in the US Air Force fleet has been grounded over concerns about age-related fatigue. The USAF announced Friday immediate inspections for 127 A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-support aircraft, after fatigue cracking was discovered on the wings of some aircraft. "The inspections are a necessary step in addressing the risk associated with A-10 wing cracking, specifically with thin-skin wings. This risk is of great concern to the Air Force and is representative of a systemic problem for our aging Air Force fleet," the Air Force said. CNN reports the cracks were discovered among -A and -C models at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, during routine maintenance. Newer A-10 models have reinforced wing bracing, and thicker metal to ward off small arms fire. Originally manufactured by the now-defunct Fairchild Industries, the oldest A-10s first entered service in 1975. Today's fleet of over 400 A-10s has an average age of 28 years. The Air Force stressed that no accidents have occurred attributed to the fatigue cracks, and Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Mike Paoli said the groundings "will be invisible to the warfighter." Nevertheless, first priority for the inspections will be given to A-10s in theater in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the tank-busting aircraft -- dubbed "Warthogs" due to their ungainly appearance, and prominent nose-mounted 30-caliber Gatling gun -- provide ground support for troops in close combat. The announcement marks the second time in as many years the Air Force has grounded a prominent aircraft in its fleet. As ANN reported, the USAF grounded its fleet of older F-15C and -D models following a November 2007 in-flight breakup of a Missouri ANG Eagle. Subsequent inspections revealed cracking, improper brace thickness, and materials contamination in longerons that run the length of the F-15 fuselage, and hold the aircraft together during high-stress manuevering. FMI: www.af.mil, Read The USAF Factsheet On The A-10 Thunderbolt/"Warthog" aero-news.net *************** Global Business-Jet Deliveries May Hit Record 1,400, Then Drop Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Worldwide deliveries of business jets may rise as much as 7.7 percent to a record 1,400 aircraft next year, before slower global growth cuts demand, Honeywell International Inc. said today in its annual industry forecast. Executive-jet traffic is falling in the U.S. and growing slower in Europe, foreshadowing reduced demand, said TK Kallenbach, Honeywell's vice president of marketing and program management. Output may decline in 2010 and 2011 before new planes and overseas demand rekindle orders in 2012, he said. Rising corporate profits in recent years and emerging market growth in China and Russia bolstered orders for Textron Inc.'s Cessna and General Dynamics Corp.'s Gulfstream planes, stretching backlogs to more than three years and insulating deliveries due in 2009. Aircraft production lags behind economic trends by about two years, and shipments will slow in 2010 and 2011 as the current financial crisis filters through the system. ``We do see a peak in 2009 in new aircraft deliveries and a downturn in 2010,'' Kallenbach said in an interview. ``As the global economic health gets better, that's when we get the pickup.'' The U.S. is in its deepest financial crisis since the Great Depression, and fuel costs are up 29 percent over last year. Kallenbach said the ``fuel prices were already on people's minds'' in the latest survey, conducted between May and August. Honeywell Forecast Morris Township, New Jersey-based Honeywell released the forecast two days ahead of the National Business Aviation Association trade show that starts Oct. 6 in Orlando, Florida. It is the world's largest maker of aircraft controls and supplies engines, navigation and communications systems for planemakers including Gulfstream and Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica SA. The forecast, Honeywell's 17th annual, is based on a survey of 1,900 corporate flight departments and tracks order expectations for business jets with a gross take-off weight of less than 50 tons. The decline in traffic as seen in the U.S. is starting to spread to Europe and may affect Russia as well, said Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with aviation consultancy Teal Group. ``Europe and Russia are in generally the same bad shape as America,'' Aboulafia said in an interview before the forecast was released. ``Not in the Middle East, which helps, but it's just not enough to keep the numbers high.'' 17,000 in Decade Honeywell expects 17,000 new corporate aircraft, valued at $300 billion, to be delivered in the next decade, up from last year's projection for 14,000. The industry is forecast to deliver 1,300 planes this year. The first-half total was 543 business jets valued at $9.8 billion. About 75 percent of the 1,200 new orders placed in the first half of the year came from outside the U.S., with long-range planes such as Bombardier Inc.'s Challenger outpacing smaller light and very light jets. Deliveries in the Asia Pacific region are expected to climb as much as 12 percent in the next year, leading the growth. Europe, including Russia, will rise 10 percent, Latin America will gain 6 percent, and the U.S. will grow 4 percent, Kallenbach said. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aftXJQYoh144&refer=world wide *************** Report: Leaking Hydraulic Line Sparked Osprey Fire Crew Was Able to Land Tilt-Rotor Safely; Problem Has Appeared Before Investigators have determined an in-flight fire that broke out onboard a Bell-Boeing Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey during a training flight last year was caused by hydraulic fluid leaking onto an exhaust cooling component in the aircraft's left engine nacelle. According to the Judge Advocate General Manual Investigation report -- obtained by Military.com through a Freedom of Information Act request -- a leaking hydraulic line spilled fluid onto the engine's infrared suppressor section, sparking a blaze that nearly consumed the aircraft in the November 6, 2007 incident. The fire occurred about halfway through a scheduled five-hour training mission at Camp Lejeune, NC. Fortunately, the Osprey's crew was able to land the stricken aircraft, and escape before flames spread. In a revelation that will do nothing to downplay intense criticism of the tilt-rotor aircraft, the JAG report also notes a similar fire broke out in the same section on another Osprey earlier that year. In that case, a fire broke out just before takeoff. The Marines described that incident as a "minor nacelle fire," and noted modifications were underway to alleviate the problem, which stems from spikes in hydraulic pressure that may fracture the lines. "Engineering investigations have shown that EAPS blower failures can cause pressure spikes of 7,000 [to] 8,000 psi ... into the EAPS hydraulic system," the report said. "Combining these pressure oscillations with any existing preload in the hydraulic tube routing can cause a catastrophic failure of the pressure tube." Those modifications -- essentially, thicker lines in the problem areas -- have since been retrofitted to all new "Block B" Ospreys, including aircraft sent to Iraq. The Corps is also looking at a more effective fluid dumping system, to drain more fluid quickly in the event of another rupture. "All Ospreys in flight operation have the modifications, including those that are deployed," wrote Marine Corps spokesman Maj. Eric Dent. "The modifications have also been fully incorporated into the V-22 production line so that new aircraft will not require further modification after leaving the factory... Since this incident, 100 percent of the V-22 fleet has had the mods installed and there have been no additional occurrences of incidents of this type." In its report on the November 2007 fire, the JAG found fault with the Training Squadron's maintenance division, saying technicians should not have allowed the MV-22 to fly such a long training mission before undergoing a 4.5-hour inspection of the hydraulic lines in the engine air particle separator, where both failures occurred. The report cited errors in tracking flight hours on the accident aircraft. The Osprey features a unique, lightweight hydraulic system... designed to power the aircraft's landing gear, rear cargo door and air inlet control. Military.com notes that system also contributed to a fatal 2000 training crash, in which a wire bundle chafed against the thin-walled titanium lines. Four Marines died in the New River, NC crash. Lastly, the JAG report also notes the Osprey's fire suppression system failed to deploy in the November 2007 accident, despite having been triggered by the MV-22's pilot as he bailed out of the aircraft. Officials say they're looking into that problem, as well. FMI: www.marines.mil aero-news.net ************** Mesa names new COO Mesa Air Group named Paul Foley COO. Former COO Michael Lotz remains president and CFO. Previously, Lotz was interim CFO Foley was president and CEO of MAIR Holdings, a position he held from September 1999 until the company liquidated in July 2008. He was also a member on the company's executive and safety committees. He had also been president and CEO of MAIR subsidiary Mesaba Aviation, which was sold to Northwest Airlines in 2007. MAIR subsidiary Big Sky Airlines ceased operations in March 2008 after launching unsuccessful flying for Delta Air Lines on the US east coast. Previously, Foley was VP operations for cargo operator Atlas Air. Prior to that, he was senior VP operations at LSG/Sky Chefs. He also served as president of Continental Airlines' Chelsea Catering Corporation. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ***************