01 JAN 2009 _______________________________________ *Kuwait A300-600 Engine Failure *Crew blamed for crash near Mount Everest in Nepal *Boeing shelves plans for 737 replacement *Plane crash deaths down in 2008 *2008 air safety profile *Damaged DIA jet staying put awhile *NTSB ties Great Lakes in-flight emergency to "unprofessional behaviour" *Nashville reopens main runway *Timco error at root of United Air Lines runway excursion *Investigators postpone initial report on Perpignan A320 crash *************************************** Kuwait A300-600 Engine Failure Date: 30-DEC-2008 Time: abt. 6:00 pm Type: Airbus A300-600 Operator: Kuwait Airways Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 227 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Minor Location: Cairo - Egypt Phase: Initial climb Nature: International Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: CAI Destination airport: KWI Narrative: The flight KU-542 returned to Cairo after the left engine failed shortly after takeoff. The landing about 30 minutes after takeoff was safe, and the passengers disembarked normally. A passenger reported that the right hand engine exploded jolting the airplane about 20 seconds after takeoff. Another explosion followed again jolting the aircraft, then a third final explosion shook the airplane hard. The airplane started losing altitude, fellow passengers in the back of the airplane started screaming, that there was fire out of the engine. The passenger could see smoke and flames coming out of the engine himself, too. The airplane was brought under control and the crew performing a safe landing about 30 minutes after the engine explosion. Sources: http://avherald.com/h?article=412903b5&opt=0 http://www.248am.com/mark/kuwait/kuwait-airways-engine-explodes/ (aviation-safety.net) ************ Crew blamed for crash near Mount Everest in Nepal KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) - Nepalese investigators probing a plane crash near Mount Everest have blamed the pilots for the accident that killed 18 people, a report said Thursday. The report said the two pilots misjudged deteriorating weather conditions and flew inside a patch of fog while trying to land at Lukla airport, which is carved into the side of the Himalayas at an altitude of 9,200 feet (2,800 meters). The DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter plane belonging to Yeti Airlines then hit a rock on the side of the runway and burst into flames on Oct. 8. The investigators interviewed several eyewitnesses and visited the accident site in the foothills of Everest. Of the 19 people on board the flight from Katmandu, only the captain survived the crash. Twelve Germans, two Australians and four Nepalese were killed. The tiny Lukla airport is known for its dramatic scenery and a runway that ends in a steep drop of a few hundred feet (meters). It is an important jumping-off point for trekkers and mountaineers heading to Mount Everest. ************* Boeing shelves plans for 737 replacement THE workhorse of Australia's domestic airline industry, the Boeing 737, is set to dominate skies until well into the next two decades as its US manufacturer puts on the backburner plans to develop a more fuel-efficient replacement for the aircraft. The manufacturer told Bloomberg yesterday that it was studying new "product enhancements" because replacement plans for the 737 aircraft have been delayed toward the end of the next decade. It is the strongest indication yet that Boeing will stick with the 737, the world's most widely flown aircraft, despite having worked on research for a replacement for years. The US manufacturer is also likely to be less inclined to move quickly towards finding a replacement because the 737 remains a top seller. Trumpeted as the "best-selling jet airline of all time", Boeing has delivered almost 6000 737s since they began rolling off production lines in 1967. The manufacturer has also been embarrassed by repeated delays to its Dreamliner 787 program, of which Qantas is the second-largest customer. However, the prospect of the 737 remaining the backbone of airline fleets around the world for years to come will dampen the hopes of the environmental movement that the industry can greatly reduce carbon emissions. It will also be of concern to airlines conscious of the need for more fuel efficient aircraft over the next decade to ensure their profitability. Despite a sudden drop in oil prices over the past five months, higher jet fuel prices are set to dog the industry in the longer term. The magazine Aviation and the Environment has cited sources saying Boeing is considering a "bridge" model for the 737 that would burn 10 per cent less fuel until a replacement aircraft is pressed into service. Boeing has never given a timetable for a replacement or what its specifications would be. The 737 is still Qantas's favoured aircraft, making up almost a third of the group's fleet of about 224 planes across its domestic and international operations. The airline plans to buy up to 188 narrow bodied aircraft for its short-haul fleet over the next decade for routes in Australia and Asia. Qantas has firm orders for 31 737-800s, and an option for 49 more. Boeing's rival Airbus will provide the rest; the airline has firm orders for 68 A320 and A321 aircraft, and an option for 40 more. Virgin Blue's fleet is also highly reliant on the 737s - including 22 737-700s and 38 737-800s - and it is due to take delivery of a further 19 737-800s by 2013. http://business.smh.com.au/business/boeing-shelves-plans-for-737-replacement -20090101-78f5.html ************* Plane crash deaths down in 2008 According to the Aviation Safety Network, in 2008, 577 people were killed in 32 civil aviation accidents. That is less than in 2007, then 750 people were killed in 26 plane crashes. ASN is a Dutch organisation which monitors airline safety statistics. Three of the 32 accidents involved airplanes banned by the European Union. The EU has a black list banning a number of airlines with poor safety records from landing inside the Union. Most of the accidents took place in Africa accounting for 28 percent of the total number of accidents. Only 3 percent of planes actually take off from the African continent. http://www.radionetherlands.nl/news/international/6118001/Plane-crash-deaths -down-in-2008 *************** 2008 air safety profile > Over the year 2008 ASN recorded a total of 32 fatal multi-engine airliner accidents, resulting in 577 fatalities and 39 ground fatalities. > The 1998-2007 ten-year average is a total of 32 fatal multi-engine airliner accidents, resulting in an average of 865 fatalities. > Over the year 2008 ASN recorded a total of 9 fatal multi-engine airliner accidents, resulting in 39 fatalities. > The year 2008 recorded 2 (attempted) hijackings. > The year 2008 recorded 0 criminal occurrences (excl. hijackings). http://aviation-safety.net/database/year.php?year=2008 ************* Damaged DIA jet staying put awhile National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge Bill English said the agency plans to begin moving the wrecked Continental Airlines jet at DIA on Thursday. The delay is due to the need to obtain the proper cranes, according to English. NTSB spokeswoman Bridget Serchak said the plane's captain, who was released from the hospital last week, has been interviewed by investigators, but the agency offered no details. The captain was flying the 737-500 on Dec. 20 when it suddenly veered off runway 34Right and traveled about 2,000 feet off the runway, catching fire as it came to rest near an airport fire station. There were 110 passengers and five crew members on board, and all got off the aircraft, which was badly damaged by fire. Thirty-eight people, including the captain and two flight attendants, were injured. One patient is still at University of Colorado Hospital in fair condition. http://www.denverpost.com/popular/ci_11330465 ************* NTSB ties Great Lakes in-flight emergency to "unprofessional behaviour" The final report on a 26 March in-flight emergency declared by the pilots of a Great Lakes Airlines Beechcraft 1900D with 11 passengers lists the flight crew's "unprofessional behaviour and deviation from standard operating procedures" as the primary cause the incident. Great Lakes flight 5187 was departing Page Municipal Airport in Arizona for Farmington, New Mexico, that afternoon when pilots noticed a warning light indicating the aft cargo door on the left side of the aircraft was open. The captain told investigators that he noticed the error light "5 to 10 seconds after rotation" and determined the cargo door was opened based on the increased noise. He returned to the departure airport and landed uneventfully. No passengers were injured and the plane received only "minor" damage, according to the NTSB. ATI's ACAS database lists Great Lakes as operating 27 Beechcraft 1900Ds, one Beechcraft 99A and six Embraer EMB-120s. Upon verifying the operation of the cargo door light and reviewing the cockpit voice recorder (CVR), investigators apparently had become convinced the door light had been lit before takeoff. "Due to the flight crew's lack of professionalism and deviation from standard operating procedures, they most likely did not see that the light was illuminated prior to departure," the report states. Broken rules include the first officer taxiing the aircraft while also performing the pre-takeoff checklist, a standard operating procedure Great Lakes requires both pilots to take part in. "In summary the (CVR) recording indicated that as the flight crew went through their checklists, they made comments and jokes about a variety of topics," the report states. "The checklist items were interspersed with the personal comments." FAA rules prohibit pilots from activities that can "interfere in any way" with duties required in critical phases of flight such as takeoff and landing. After the incident, Great Lakes issued a bulletin to all flight crew personnel "to stress the importance of sterile cockpits and professionalism," according to the NTSB. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ************** Nashville reopens main runway Nashville, Tennessee has reopened the longest runway at its international airport after closing it in March for rebuilding. Runway 13-31 at the airport is used by larger aircraft and handles night time operations. The reconstruction included rebuilding the 11,000ft runway's eastern portions and its taxiways. The 13-31 project followed the closure of another runway, the 8,000ft 2R-20L, the eastern-most of the four runways at the facility, operated by the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority. While the two runways were closed, aircraft flights over noise-sensitive areas to the north and south of the airport had increased, but Paul Regaldo, president and chief executive of the airport authority, says those overflights will now cease. Formerly an American Airlines hub, Nashville is now dominated by Southwest Airlines, which has nearly half the flights. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ************* Timco error at root of United Air Lines runway excursion Misrouted and reversed antiskid wiring by US-based Timco Aviation Services technicians led to the runway excursion of a United Air Lines A320 after landing at the Chicago O'Hare International Airport the night of 9 October 2007, according to a final report issued by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Timco performs heavy maintenance on United's A320s at its Lake City, Florida facility. The incident, which damaged engine nacelles on the aircraft but did not injure any of the 125 passengers and crew onboard, appears closely related to a 25 February event in which another United A320 departed the right side of the runway after landing at the Jackson Hole Airport in Wyoming. In both cases, wheel speed tachometers for the inboard and outboard wheels on the left main landing gear brake system had been cross-connected, causing both aircraft to exit the right side of the runway on landing. "Such a configuration would be likely to cause the antiskid system to use the inboard wheel speed to control the outboard braking, and vice versa," the NTSB writes in its preliminary report of the Jackson Hole incident, which remains under investigation. "In such a situation, it would be likely that when the inboard tire began to skid, the antiskid system would release the pressure on the outboard brake instead of the inboard brake." The NTSB's final report on the Chicago incident lists as a contributing factor that the Timco technicians did "not understand the entire maintenance procedures in the dual tachometer replacement". Maintenance on the landing gear system was prompted by a May 2007 FAA airworthiness directive (AD) on A320 shock absorbers. Timco, in its own investigation, found that the tachometers had been mislabeled when removed and that technicians thought a certain post-maintenance test would have revealed the cross-wiring when in fact the test was not designed to do so. The report also blames United's "unclear" maintenance practices as a contributing factor. Upon clarifying the maintenance documents following the incident, the carrier sent a letter to the FAA in December 2007 saying that it had performed functional checks on the tachometers of 45 Airbus A320s and had found only two instances of cross-wiring - the incident aircraft and one other. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ************** Investigators postpone initial report on Perpignan A320 crash French investigators are delaying until early next year the issuing of preliminary findings into the Airbus A320 accident near Perpignan last month. The aircraft had been approaching Perpignan on 27 November, ahead of an off-lease delivery flight to Air New Zealand, when it crashed into the Mediterranean Sea. France's Bureau d'Enquetes et d'Analyses states that the investigation at sea has "not been completed" and adds that there is still an "absence to date" of data from the A320's flight recorders. BEA has opted to postpone releasing a first report on the accident until a few weeks into 2009. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news **************