11 NOV 2008 _______________________________________ *NTSB To Hold Public Hearing On EMS Operations *Large flock of starlings hit Ryanair 737: investigators *FAA finalizes aircraft insulation replacement directive *FAA acts to ensure 737 pilots respond to pressurisation alerts *Europe Wants Joint Military Aviation Safety Agency *Senior U.S Aviation Official Megan Rae Rosia Joins Crowell & Moring's Aviation Group *Reid Aide Emerges as a Candidate for FAA *************************************** Three-Day Meeting Coming In February 2009 The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a public hearing on the safety of Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) operations. The three-day hearing will begin on February 3, 2009, at the NTSB's Board Room and Conference Center in Washington, DC. The NTSB stresses that helicopter EMS operations provide an important service to the public by transporting seriously ill patients or donor organs to emergency care facilities. However, the pressure to safely and quickly conduct these operations in various environmental conditions (for example, inclement weather, at night, and unfamiliar landing sites for helicopter operations) has the potential to make HEMS operations more at risk than normal passenger carrying operations. "We have seen an alarming rise in the numbers of EMS accidents and the Safety Board believes some of these accidents could have been prevented if our recommendations were implemented," said Member Robert Sumwalt, Chairman of the Hearing. "This hearing will be extremely important because it can provide an opportunity to learn more about the industry so that possibly we can make further recommendations that can prevent these accidents and save lives." The NTSB last issued a Special Investigation Report on EMS Operations in January 2006. The report involved the analysis of all EMS-related aviation accidents that occurred from January 2002 through January 2005. There were a total of 55 accidents that occurred during this 3-year window; 41 helicopters and 14 airplanes. These accidents killed 54 people, and seriously injured 19. Analysis of the accidents indicated that 29 of 55 accidents could have been prevented with corrective actions identified in the report. However, over the past 11 months the Safety Board has investigated nine fatal EMS Accidents with a total of 35 fatalities. In 2008 alone there have been 7 fatal accidents with 28 fatalities. This is a drastic increase in accidents since the Special Investigation Report and therefore has prompted the Safety Board to examine this issue in greater detail by holding this hearing. There will be witnesses from all EMS communities including pilots, medical personnel, managers, and FAA. FMI: www.ntsb.gov aero-news.net ************** Large flock of starlings hit Ryanair 737: investigators Preliminary evidence from the scene of today's Ryanair Boeing 737-800 landing accident at Rome Ciampino supports the initial claim that the jet sustained a serious bird-strike. Italian investigation bureau Agenzia Nazionale per la Sicurezza del Volo (ANSV) says the wing surfaces and engines were struck by a "large flock" of starlings. ANSV has retrieved the flight recorders from the aircraft - which suffered damage to its left wing, undercarriage and fuselage - and is to interview the crew. The aircraft, which had been approaching Ciampino's runway 15, came to rest on the threshold at the far end of the 2,200m (7,220ft) strip. Ryanair says there were only a few minor injuries among the 172 occupants. Italian civil aviation administration ENAC expects the jet to be removed from the runway at 02:00 tomorrow. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ***** Status: Preliminary Date: 10 NOV 2008 Type: Boeing 737-8AS Operator: Ryanair Registration: EI-DYG C/n / msn: 33639/2557 First flight: 2008-03-17 Engines: 2 CFMI CFM56-7B27 Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 6 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 166 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 172 Airplane damage: Substantial Location: Roma-Ciampino Airport (CIA) (Italy) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: International Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Frankfurt-Hahn Airport (HHN/EDFH), Germany Destination airport: Roma-Ciampino Airport (CIA/LIRA), Italy Flightnumber: 4102 Narrative: Ryanair flight FR4102 departed Hahn (HHN) at 06:30 for a flight to Rome (CIA). On approach the Boeing 737 suffered multiple bird strikes on the nose, wings and engines. On landing the left hand main gear collapsed and the airplane came to a stop on the runway threshold. (aviation-safety.net) ************** FAA finalizes aircraft insulation replacement directive The US FAA has finalized an airworthiness directive (AD) first proposed in April 2005, calling for operators of more than 600 Boeing airliners to eventually replace insulation blankets the agency says could ignite and spread fire ignited by electrical arching or sparking. FAA estimates cost of the required work is $177.7 million fleet wide. The AD requires removing insulation blankets coated with polyethyleneteraphthalate or Orcofilm AN-26 located in the aircraft's pressurized areas and installing new blankets. It was originally proposed after reports of in-flight and ground fires occurring on aircraft with coated insulation, says the FAA. Affected are 628 US-registered aircraft, including aircraft in the Boeing 757, 767 and 747 families. Locations where the suspect insulation is installed include the space behind flight deck panels and circuit breaker panels, areas behind sidewalls, lavatories, closets and galleys and the cargo compartment FAA in its final rule extends the compliance time from 72 months to 96 months beyond the 15 December effective date. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ************** FAA acts to ensure 737 pilots respond to pressurisation alerts The US FAA has published an urgent airworthiness directive (AD) requiring a crew pre-flight briefing about the functioning of the cabin altitude warning system for all models of the Boeing 737. Despite an FAA AD published two years ago, following the fatal crash near Athens on 14 August of a Helios Airways 737-400 caused by crew hypoxia when the cabin failed to pressurise, the directive acknowledges that there have been further incidents of pilot failure to recognise the activation of the cabin altitude warning system. The latest AD becomes effective as a final rule on 25 November without a consultation period, but comment is invited, and a 120 day implementation period for operators is being allowed. Each crew, says the AD, must carry out a briefing before the first flight of the day on what to expect from the cabin altitude warning system so they do not ignore its alert. The FAA says: "Because of the dual purpose of the intermittent cabin altitude/takeoff configuration warning horn, this briefing serves to remind flightcrews that the sounding of the cabin altitude warning horn in flight requires immediate action, beginning with the immediate donning of oxygen masks." Crew operations manuals must require the briefing to be used by crews "on aeroplanes in which the CABIN ALTITUDE and TAKEOFF CONFIG lights are not installed, or are installed but not activated." This, says the AD, "will be included as an additional item on the takeoff briefing before engine start for the first flight of the day, or following any change of either flightcrew member". The FAA requires that the pre-flight briefing must include the following verbal reminders: "Whenever the intermittent warning horn sounds in flight: 1) Immediately, don oxygen masks and set regulators to 100% 2) Establish crew communications 3) Perform the CABIN ALTITUDE WARNING OR RAPID DEPRESSURIZATION checklist It also requires that both pilots should verify, on the overhead cabin altitude panel, that the cabin altitude is stabilised at or below 10,000ft (3,000m) before removing oxygen masks. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ************** Europe Wants Joint Military Aviation Safety Agency Brussels, Belgium - European Union defense ministers have asked the European Defense Agency (EDA) to improve the military aviation safety certification system and eliminate overlap that is driving up program costs and slowing fielding of new hardware. Europe has been struggling with type acceptance of several cooperative ventures, with the most notable example of late being the NH90. Even after NH90s were ready for delivery, several countries were slow to grant type acceptance because of their unique needs. Now, EDA is supposed to address that. Agency chief executive Alexander Weis suggests it could lead to a 20 percent reduction in program costs. The initial focus, however, will be on harmonizing standards. A common regulatory framework is to be established first, with common certification and design codes to follow. Around 2013, the agency hopes to get members to mutually recognize each others military certification. Weis says a common regulatory body would come sometime after, with no timeline set. Defense ministers have decided they want their own organization, rather than working through the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), because of the unique demands of the military. However, Weis says there will be close cooperation with EASA. http://www.aviationweek.com *************** Senior U.S Aviation Official Megan Rae Rosia Joins Crowell & Moring's Aviation Group WASHINGTON, Nov 10, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Megan Rae Rosia, former Assistant Administrator for Government and Industry Affairs for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has joined Crowell & Moring LLP's nationally recognized Aviation Group as partner. Based in Washington, D.C., Rosia will focus her practice on aviation regulatory, transactional, and public policy matters. During her time at the FAA, Rosia provided legislative guidance to the FAA Administrator and Department of Transportation Secretary and served as a senior member of the FAA's management team. "Megan is a highly talented lawyer with extensive experience involving every facet of domestic and international aviation law and public policy. Her knowledge and the experience she has gained working with the FAA and in the aviation industry over many years with great distinction will be valuable assets for our clients. We are extremely pleased to have Megan rejoin our firm, where she began her legal career," said R. Bruce Keiner Jr., chair of Crowell & Moring's Aviation Group. Prior to her tenure with the FAA, Rosia worked for 12 years as the chief regulatory and international affairs attorney for Northwest Airlines, serving as Associate General Counsel, Director and then Managing Director of Government and International Affairs. She advocated legal and public policy positions before the U.S. Departments of Transportation, Homeland Security, State and Justice, Congress and foreign governments. She provided counsel on a vast array of legal issues including regulatory, domestic and international alliances, antitrust and competition, consumer protection, distribution and e-commerce, labor, licensing and certification, safety, and security. According to current FAA Acting Administrator Robert Sturgell, "During her tenure, Megan worked tirelessly with Congress, industry and other governmental agencies on major aviation legislative initiatives, especially FAA reauthorization and appropriations bills. Her experience and bi-partisan approach to solving complex problems have earned her the highest respect across all of government and industry. Megan's contributions have helped to ensure that our nation's aviation system will remain the safest, most efficient transportation system in the world and a positive influence on our national economy." The U.S. Transportation Secretary recently awarded Rosia the "Outstanding Achievement Gold Medal" in recognition of exceptionally outstanding leadership and service. From 1990-1994, Rosia was an associate with Crowell & Moring, where she represented corporate clients in civil antitrust litigation, grand jury investigations and proceedings before the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission. She represented two major U.S. airlines in government investigations and civil actions relating to industry pricing practices, computer reservations systems, and travel agent commissions. "I'm deeply honored to rejoin Crowell & Moring. With its practice area depth and international reach, Crowell & Moring is uniquely positioned to provide legal services and public policy advice to clients throughout the transportation sector. I look forward to becoming a part of an exceptional aviation regulatory legal team and expanding further the firm's public policy practice," said Rosia. Rosia received her J.D. from the College of William & Mary Marshall-Wythe School of Law and her bachelor's degree in Economics, summa cum laude, from Elon University. Rosia is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Virginia and serves on the Board of Governors for the International Aviation Club. Crowell & Moring's Aviation Group has recently been ranked as among the top in the nation by clients and peers in Chambers USA. The firm represents a broad array of clients in aviation-related matters, including leading aerospace manufacturers, airlines, and the flight departments of Fortune 500 companies. Airline clients include Aer Lingus, Continental, and all of the TUI Travel Airlines that serve the United States. The firm also represents aviation industry organizations, including the Regional Airline Association and the Helicopter Association International. Crowell & Moring LLP is an international law firm with more than 450 lawyers practicing in litigation, antitrust, government contracts, health care, corporate, intellectual property and a variety of other practice areas. More than two-thirds of the firm's attorneys regularly litigate disputes on behalf of domestic and international corporations, start-up businesses, and individuals. Crowell & Moring's extensive client work ranges from advising on one of the world's largest telecommunications mergers to representing governments and corporations on international arbitration matters. Based in Washington, D.C., the firm also has offices in New York, London, Brussels, Los Angeles, and Irvine, CA. Visit Crowell & Moring online at http://www.crowell.com. ************** Reid Aide Emerges as a Candidate for FAA Robert Herbert, an aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, has emerged as a candidate to be President-elect Barack Obama's pick to run the Federal Aviation Administration, according to people familiar with the matter. In Washington, Herbert is director of appropriations and senior policy adviser on transportation, military and veterans affairs to Reid, and before that had run Reid's Las Vegas office. In Nevada, Herbert serves as deputy commander of the Nevada Army National Guard, reporting to commander Frank Gonzales, a brigadier general. Herbert, 51 years old, was previously director of aviation at the Nevada Army National Guard, where he oversaw a staff of roughly 250 and a budget of about $750 million, according to Gonzales. The Nevada Army National Guard is involved in overseas deployments as well as domestic missions such as firefighting and search-and-rescue operations. "The positive part about Bob has always been he's able to work with people to get things done," said Gonzales, Herbert's commander in Nevada. "More importantly, he's been really great at delivering results, and that's what we need." It is early in transition, and it remains unclear who Obama will ultimately choose to head the agency. Clearly, the selection of Herbert would be a friendly gesture toward Reid, who will play a key role in pushing Obama's agenda through Capitol Hill. Reid's office confirmed that Herbert is being considered for the FAA post, now held by Robert Sturgell, a Republican. Obama's transition office did not respond to a request for comment. It's been a stormy year for the FAA, which was rocked in the spring by disclosures that a Texas office let Southwest Airlines Co. operate jets without performing mandatory safety inspections. The agency is also locked in a long-running feud with the union representing its air traffic controllers; the union is counting on a Democratic FAA head to agree to more favorable work and pay rules. Perhaps the biggest question confronting the next FAA chief is how to rollout a new satellite-based air traffic control system, which may be the best bet for reducing delays and reducing airlines' fuel bills. The new system won't be fully in service until 2020. Obama may look to speed up the schedule. http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/11/10/reid-aide-emerges-as-a-candidate-fo r-faa/ ***************