29 DEC 2008 _______________________________________ *Lightning hits Hawaiian Air jet in flight *British Liquid Ban Nearing An End? *Southwest 737 Gets Stuck In Snowbank At MDW *Pilots overshot airport due to naps *Teledyne acquires maker of aircraft-data software *FAA sanctions Bethany aircraft company *Continental CEO meets with injured pilot *Planes bump on ground at Sea-Tac *"A Brief Overview of Safety Managment System (SMS)" **************************************** Lightning hits Hawaiian Air jet in flight Hilo - (ap) Lightning struck a Hawaiian Airlines plane flying from Honolulu to Hilo on Friday. Hawaiian spokesman Keoni Wagner said no one was injured, but the lightning caused some superficial damage to the plane. Wagner said about 100 passengers were on board Flight 102 when the bolt hit. The plane landed at 6:28 a.m., about 15 minutes late. Hawaiian flew the plane back to Honolulu without any passengers on board. The airline wanted to give the plane a thorough safety check before customers used it again. Almost 100 people scheduled to fly to Honolulu on the aircraft boarded later flights. Wagner said it's unusual for lightning to strike a plane but that it happens from time to time in bad weather. **************** British Liquid Ban Nearing An End? US And UK Working On Next-Generation Security Scanners Restrictions on the quantity of liquids in carry-on luggage may soon be lifted by UK's Department of Transport with the long-awaited implementation of next-generation security scanners. The Daily Telegraph said the International Air Transport Association, which represents some 230 airlines, is optimistic that the more advanced scanners will soon be in place in airports around the world, easing passengers' current limitation to 100ml containers of toiletries. UK companies such as Smiths Detection have been performing laboratory testing and developing software for the new equipment, perfecting the scanning technology to distinguish between dangerous and benign liquids. Air travelers have been subject to bans and restrictions on liquids carried aboard commercial airliners since a terrorist plot to blow up planes with liquid explosives was uncovered in August 2006. ANN previously reported US Transportation Security Administration Chief Kip Hawley's announcement last October that an eventual reduction of restrictions on liquids carried aboard airliners may become a reality within about a year. "I think realistically in one year we, the TSA and foreign colleagues, will be in a position to relax liquids restrictions. We are within a year of having the ability to differentiate threat liquids through the screening process," Hawley said. New X-ray machines able to detect bomb-making liquids have been undergoing testing by the TSA, readying the technology for use. After meeting with the European Union for several days, Hawley said, "We've seen it work in labs, and we've had very positive communications with international colleagues." FMI: www.dft.gov.uk, www.tsa.gov aero-news.net ************** Southwest 737 Gets Stuck In Snowbank At MDW "Okay, Put Her 'N Reverse And Rock 'Er Out..." In a scene that brought back awkward memories to this writer of getting his Geo Storm stuck windshield-deep in a snowbank on his way to high school 15 years ago, on Friday a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 became stuck in the snow on a taxiway at Chicago's Midway Airport (MDW). WGN-9 reports Flight 688, a holiday reliever flight bound for Los Angeles International Airport, was taxiing out for departure just after 9:00 am Friday when the aircraft's right main gear bogey ran into a ridge of snow plowed against the side of the taxiway. City Department of Aviation spokesman Gregg Cunningham said the stuck airliner briefly blocked access to Runway 13-Center, closing that runway for several hours. Due to delays and cancellations brought about by the snowy mix that's socked in Chicago for the past several days, Cunningham said the closure had minimal impact on what flights were still operating. Passengers deplaned and were taken by bus back to the terminal, while the airline brought in another plane to fly the route. That flight took off just before noon. The incident 737-700 was later towed back to the hangar for a check-out. Cunningham didn't know whether any damage had been done to the plane. FMI: www.southwest.com, www.chicago-mdw.com/ aero-news.net ************** Pilots overshot airport due to naps HONOLULU, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said a go! Airlines captain who fell asleep on a Hawaii flight admitted to taking weekly naps while in the air. The board's report said the 53-year-old captain and his 23-year-old first officer told investigators they had fallen asleep while the autopilot was running Feb. 13 on Flight 1002, which was carrying 40 passengers from Honolulu to Hilo, Hawaii, causing the plane to overshoot its destination, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported Friday. However, the report said the captain initially concealed the sleeping from air traffic controllers, saying: "We must have missed a hand-off or missed a call or something." The captain told investigators that he has never accidentally fallen asleep behind the wheel of a plane before, but he would take 20 minute naps in the cockpit during flights about once a week. The captain and the first officer were both fired after the incident. *************** Teledyne acquires maker of aircraft-data software (AP) Teledyne Technologies Inc. said Friday it acquired the assets of Demo Systems LLC, which makes aircraft-data software. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Robert Mehrabian, Teledyne's chairman, president and chief executive, said in a statement that the Moorpark, Calif., company's data loading and software products complement its aircraft-data transfer and flight-information-management systems. Teledyne, based in Thousand Oaks, Calif., purchased the Demo Systems name, and the acquired business will be combined with Teledyne Controls. Demo reported revenue of $7.3 million for its fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2007, Teledyne said. Teledyne, an engineering and electronics-products maker, has made a string of small acquisitions over the past several months. In October, it bought a marine-sensor manufacturer based in the United Kingdom. Earlier this month, one of its subsidiaries bought Odom Hydrographic Systems Inc., a Baton Rouge, La., maker of hydrographic survey instruments used in port surveys, dredging and offshore energy exploration. http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/12/26/ap5860904.html ************** FAA sanctions Bethany aircraft company BETHANY, Okla. (AP) - The Federal Aviation Administration issued an emergency order to stop a Bethany aircraft company from carrying passengers as a result of an investigation into a deadly plane crash. Interstate Helicopters owner Jim P. Johnson says the FAA's order was the result of a paperwork issue, and he hopes the company can be re-certified in the next two to three weeks. Since the FAA's September order, Johnson says the company has been providing services such as aerial videotaping and pipeline survey work that do not involve carrying passengers for pay. Johnson says he withdrew his appeal of the order and reached a settlement because he thought he could get the company's certification back more quickly that way. Information from: The Oklahoman, http://www.newsok.com http://www.kfsm.com/Global/story.asp?S=9583681 *************** Continental CEO meets with injured pilot The Continental Airlines captain who was injured when his jetliner careened off a Denver runway and burst into flames got a pre-Christmas hospital visit from his company's top boss. The captain, whose name and condition haven't been released, was among 38 people hurt in the accident at Denver International Airport on Saturday. The captain and three others remained hospitalized Wednesday. The National Transportation Safety Board hasn't said what went wrong. Investigators said they had not yet interviewed the captain, but they say they have good information from the plane's voice and data recorders. Continental Chairman and Chief Executive Larry Kellner had a "meaningful" and "worthwhile" chat with the captain in his hospital room on Tuesday, airline spokeswoman Julie King said. She declined to give the specifics of what they talked about. Authorities say the captain was at the controls when the Houston-bound plane left the runway and sped about 2,000 feet across a taxiway, an access road and grassy slopes before sliding to a halt on its belly in a shallow ravine. All 115 passengers and crew got out through emergency exits. The NTSB said no problems were found with the brakes or the two main landing gear, but the nose gear was hidden under the fuselage, which was still lying in the ravine. NTSB spokesman Terry Williams the charred plane won't be moved until after Christmas. He said investigators were still at the scene on Wednesday. Of the four people still hospitalized, two were in good condition at Denver Health Medical Center and two were in fair condition at the University of Colorado Hospital in suburban Aurora, including one who was upgraded from serious. King said Kellner also met with the airliner's employees in Denver and thanked "all of those who have assisted in this accident." http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/12/24/ap5859303.html *************** Planes bump on ground at Sea-Tac Two flights bound for the Midwest from Seattle were canceled this morning when the passenger-filled planes backed up into each other as they were leaving their gates, airport officials said. Two flights bound for the Midwest from Seattle were canceled this morning when the passenger-filled planes backed into each other as they left their gates, airport officials said. No one was injured. A Delta 737-800 plane, Flight 1288 to Cincinnati, was backing away from its gate at the Concourse Terminal at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, shortly before 7 a.m, according to airport spokeswoman Terri-Ann Betancourt. At the same time, Betancourt said, a Northwest 757-300 plane, Flight 620 to Minneapolis, was backing away from its gate at the South Satellite Terminal. The two planes bumped into each other. The flights were canceled and passengers were being transferred to other flights, Betancourt said. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008567319_webplanes28m.html *************** "A Brief Overview of Safety Managment System (SMS)" Flight Safety Information Journal - January 2008 http://fsinfo.org/fsijournal.htm (Attached) ************