16 JAN 2009 _______________________________________ *US Airways A320 Down In Hudson River *Airplane crash-lands into Hudson River *US Airways A320 crash lands in the Hudson River *NTSB Sets Out To Investigate US Airways Crash Into Hudson *US Airways 1549's Captain -- Who Is That Guy? *Double Engine Bird Strike Is Incredibly Rare *Device helped ensure US Airways plane would float *Albany Int'l Airport briefly closes following emergency landing *Engine trouble forces jet to make unexpected landing in Eugene *FAA Grounds Convair Operator Air Tahoma *Caribbean Sun eyes restart with MD-82 aircraft *Hawaiian Airlines will contest FAA fine **************************************** US Airways A320 Down In Hudson River "Preliminary Report... Everyone Off The Plane And Accounted For" New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg tells reporters he has spoken with the pilot of US Airways Flight 1549, who assured the mayor he walked through the cabin of the ditched airliner to verify everyone was off the aircraft before he, too, abandoned the plane. Officials remain cautious in stating there were no fatalities in the Thursday afternoon accident, though at this time it does appear everyone was able to exit the plane. Firm confirmation remains difficult to come by, as passengers in need of medical care were transported to hospitals in both New York and New Jersey. Meanwhile, a makeshift aircraft salvage operation is underway near Battery Park, as tugboat crews work with Coast Guard officials to move the listing A320 away from the main Hudson River shipping channels. 1715 EST: While official confirmation has not been made, there are more indications everyone onboard US Airways Flight 1549 survived the ditching of the airliner in the Hudson River two hours ago. "Our preliminary report [indicates] everyone is off the plane and accounted for," said Doug Parker, US Airways CEO in a press conference in Tempe. Parker stated there were 150 passengers and five crewmembers onboard the A320, which was bound for Charlotte, NC. Reports indicate the airliner encountered a large flock of geese on climbout from LaGuardia, which shut down both of the plane's engines. CNN reports the plane's pilot reported a double engine flameout as the result of bird strikes shortly before the aircraft hit the water. Area hospitals report several passengers are being treated for comparatively minor injuries, ranging from hypothermia to broken limbs. The National Transportation Safety Board has dispatched a Go Team to investigate the accident. The NTSB identified the accident airframe as N106US, which entered service with US Air in 1999. (The spectacular photos above were taken by Gregory Lam, a photographer close to the scene who captured these amazing pix. Used by ANN under guidelines of Creative Commons Attribution protocols.) 1640 EST: We are hesitant to report this, for fear of being wrong... but CNN and MSNBC, citing FAA officials, state all passengers onboard a US Airways A320 that ditched in the Hudson River in New York City are accounted for, and alive. Video from the scene shows most of the airliner now underwater, with only the upper 2/3 of the tail still visible. Amazingly, the aircraft survived the water landing intact, greatly increasing the chances of survival for those onboard. Officials have cheered the skill of the plane's flight crew, who guided the narrowbody airliner to the very textbook definition of a water landing. The Airbus A320 may carry as many as 175 passengers. At least 135 passengers and crew were onboard the plane; CNN reports 148 passengers and six crewmembers, though those numbers have not been verified by US Airways. The airliner came down near a number of ferries traveling between Manhattan and New Jersey, and within sight of the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space-Museum. In the moments after the crash, passengers initially stood on the plane's wings and horizontal stabilizer, awaiting rescue in the sub-40-degree (F) water. aero-news.net *************** Airplane crash-lands into Hudson River; all aboard reported safe NEW YORK (CNN) -- A US Airways plane with 155 people on board ditched into a chilly Hudson River on Thursday, apparently after striking at least one bird upon takeoff from New York's LaGuardia Airport, according to officials and passengers. Everyone on board was accounted for and alive, officials said. About 15 people were being treated at hospitals and others were being evaluated at triage centers. Flight 1549, headed to Charlotte, North Carolina, was airborne less than three minutes, according to FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown. The pilot radioed to air traffic controllers that he had experienced a bird strike and declared an emergency, a New Jersey State Police source said. "I think a lot of people started praying and just collecting themselves," said passenger Fred Berretta. "It was quite stunning." Watch passenger describe landing > He said he was expecting the plane to flip over and break apart, but it did not. "It was a great landing," Berretta said. Air traffic controllers at LaGuardia saw the plane clear the George Washington Bridge by less than 900 feet before gliding into the water about 3:31 p.m., an aviation source told CNN. iReport.com: Are you there? Send images Witness Ben Vonklemperer said he watched the plane from the 25th floor of an office building. "If someone's going to land a plane in the water, this seemed the best possible way to do it," Vonklemperer said. "The way they hit it was very gradual. A very slow contact with the water." As the situation began to settle Thursday evening, the flight's pilot, Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, emerged as a hero, with praise being heaped on him by passengers, officials and aviation experts. "I don't think there's enough praise to go around for someone who does something like this. This is something you really can't prepare for," said former Delta pilot Denny Walsh. "You really don't practice water landings in commercial airplanes. Just the sheer expertise he demonstrated is amazing." US Airways CEO Doug Parker said it would be premature to speculate about the cause of the accident until the National Transportation Safety Board, which is sending a team to the site, completed an investigation. A source familiar with the situation, however, told CNN the pilot reported a double bird strike, but it was unclear whether that meant birds in both engines or two birds in one engine. The pilot initially said he needed to go back, and air traffic controllers started to give him clearance to do so, but the pilot said he wanted to head to Teterboro, New Jersey, because it was closer. That was the last transmission from the pilot, the source said. Passenger Alberto Panero said that within a few minutes after takeoff, he heard a loud bang and smelled smoke. Watch passenger say he heard a loud bang > "That's when we knew we were going down and into the water. We just hit, and somehow the plane stayed afloat and we were able to get on the raft. It's just incredible right now that everybody's still alive." Passenger Jeff Kolodjay of Norwalk, Connecticut, said he was sitting in seat 22A, near one of the engines. "The captain came on and said, 'Look, we're going down. Brace for impact.' Everyone looked at each other and we said our prayers. I said about five Hail Marys," said Kolodjay, who was headed to Charlotte to play golf. "The plane started filling with water pretty quick," he said. "It was scary. There was a lady with her baby on my left-hand shoulder, and she was crawling over the seats." Watch footage of plane in water > Police, fire and Coast Guard boats, along with commercial ferries, were quickly on the scene as passengers lined up on slightly submerged safety chutes. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said later Thursday that the plane was tied to a pier at Battery Park City in lower Manhattan. As night fell, Coast Guard and FDNY boats remained at the scene. President Bush commended those involved in the rescue. "Laura and I are inspired by the skill and heroism of the flight crew as well as the dedication and selflessness of the emergency responders and volunteers who rescued passengers from the icy waters of the Hudson," he said. Bloomberg also commended the pilot for not leaving the plane until he had checked to make sure everyone had been been evacuated. "It would appear that the pilot did a masterful job of landing the plane in the river and then making sure that everybody got out," Bloomberg said. "I had a long conversation with the pilot," Bloomberg said. "He walked the plane twice after everybody else was off, and tried to verify that there was nobody else on board, and assures us there were not." "There is a heroic pilot," said Gov. David Paterson. "We have had a miracle on 34th Street, I believe we now have a miracle on the Hudson." The temperature in New York was 20 degrees about the time of the crash off Manhattan's west side. See map of crash site > Dr. Gabriel Wilson, associated medical director of the emergency room at Roosevelt Hospital, said 55 survivors were checked out and cleared to leave from the scene. Those being treated at hospitals included a husband and wife with hypothermia at Roosevelt Hospital, as well as a flight attendant with a leg fracture, hospital spokeswoman Michelle Stiles said. Since 1975, five large jetliners have had major accidents in which bird strikes played a role, according to the Web site of Bird Strike Committee USA, a volunteer group dedicated to reducing the frequency and severity of the strikes. More than 56,000 bird strikes were reported to the FAA from 1998 to 2004, according to the group's Web site. People who believe they may have had relatives on the flight may call US Airways at 1-800-679-8215 within the United States, the airline said. http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/01/15/new.york.plane.crash/index.html *************** US Airways A320 crash lands in the Hudson River A US Airways Airbus A320 has crash-landed in the Hudson River west of New York City after a departure from LaGuardia Airport this afternoon. According to flight tracking program, FlightAware, Flight 1549, enroute from LaGuardia to Charlotte, took off at approximately 1526h and climbed as high as 3,200ft before beginning a descent. The final radar data from the tracking program indicates the aircraft travelling at 153kt at 300ft altitude at 1531h. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ***************** NTSB Sets Out To Investigate US Airways Crash Into Hudson A National Transportation Safety Board Go Team is preparing to leave Washington National Airport at 6:30 p.m. for New York City, where a US Airways A320 crashed into the frigid waters of the Hudson River this afternoon. Flight 1549 departed New York LaGuardia's Runway 4 at 3:26 p.m. with 151 people onboard bound for Charlotte, N.C., according to FAA spokesperson Diane Spitaliere. A later update from US Airways said there were 150 passengers onboard plus three crew--two pilots and three flight attendants. The A320-210 (N106US) powered by two CFM56-5B4/P engines then suddenly "made a sharp left turn" and crashed west of Manhattan, in the vicinity of 50th St. New York City emergency rescue crews sped to the scene to help evacuate passengers from the aircraft, which was afloat in the river. New York, like much of the East Coast, today was in the icy clutches of an Arctic air mass that plunged outside air temperatures to below 20F. As is the case in the immediate aftermath of any accident, little or no accurate information is available about the cause of the crash or the number of fatalities or survivors. Local law enforcement told the FAA that everyone onboard was safe and accounted for, but the agency says it is unable to directly confirm the information. One passenger onboard Flight 1549 told local news media that he believed everyone was able to get out safely. Observers in office skyscrapers with the clear view of the crash site said the aircraft narrowly missed hitting buildings. Another eyewitness said it "appeared as though the plane was gliding. It came in nose up and it appeared as if the belly hit first with an enormous splash that covered the whole airplane. When the mist cleared, the plane was simply floating on the water. Within seconds the doors exploded open and a life raft inflated. Passengers walked onto the wings. Within two minutes ferry boats surrounded the plane and assisted the passengers." At about 4:25 p.m. one observer about a mile downriver watched an eerie sight: a partially submerged A320 floating down the river toward the southern tip of Manhattan. The FAA confirmed the aircraft was at that location, in shallow waters, at that time. US Airways has confirmed the details of the crash. According to Aviation Week's World Aerospace Database, the carrier operates 75 A320-230s and -210s out of a total 201 A320-family aircraft. The NTSB, which will lead the investigation, will recover the aircraft from the river for examination. The safety board is planning to provide an update on the investigation late evening Jan. 15 and will continue to release accurate accident details as they become available. http://www.aviationweek.com ***************** US Airways 1549's Captain -- Who Is That Guy? Reports Confirm The Captain Is SRM Founder Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, III Here's a guy who may never have to pick up a bar tab ever again. His nickname is "Sully" and he is reportedly the Captain of the US Airways A320 that went down Thursday in near-freezing waters just off LaGuardia International Airport, shortly after departure. Fate may not have been able to pick a better flyer for this emergency as Captain Sullenberger is a highly regarded aviator with extensive experience, and is also the President & CEO of Safety Reliability Methods, Inc. SRM is "a consulting firm that provides expert solutions to complex problems involving safety, high performance and high reliability." Sullenberger's web site lists him only as a "captain for a major US airline with over 40 years of flying experience." It also mentions that he is a former US Air Force (USAF) fighter pilot, who has served as an instructor and Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) safety chairman, accident investigator and national technical committee member. He has participated in several USAF and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident investigations. His ALPA safety work led to the development of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Advisory Circular. Working with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scientists, he coauthored a paper on error inducing contexts in aviation. He was instrumental in the development and implementation of the Crew Resource Management (CRM) course used at his airline and has taught the course to hundreds of his colleagues. Sully is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy (B.S.), Purdue University (M.S.) and the University of Northern Colorado (M.A.). He was a speaker on two panels at the High Reliability Organizations (HRO) 2007 International Conference in Deauville, France May 29-31, 2007. He was recently named a Visiting Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley. Several passengers say the Captain walked up and down the length of the aisle before abandoning it to rescue personnel... and the freezing Hudson River... to make sure everyone made it out OK. Captain Sullenberger, wherever you are... if all is at it appears, the first round is on us. It looks like you deserve it. FMI: http://safetyreliability.com, www.usairways.com aero-news.net ************** Double Engine Bird Strike Is Incredibly Rare By ANDY PASZTOR Birds getting sucked into an engine is a routine hazard for pilots. But the multiple bird strikes suspected of disabling both engines of the US Airways plane Thursday may be a first for a modern jetliners. According to a Federal Aviation Administration official, the pilot reported flying through a flock of geese, sucking several of the birds into both engines of the Airbus A320 craft and forcing an emergency landing in the Hudson River. Air safety experts put the odds of two engines simultaneously being disabled by birds at less than one in several million. Colleague: US Airways Crash Pilot 'Held his Cool'Ditching Was Right MoveHow to Survive a Plane CrashThe Hazards of Sharing Skies With BirdsHow to Survive a Plane CrashAll Middle Seat posts.Send your photos or video to WSJ.com.Related Crash Videos Rescue Worker, Eyewitness Describe Scene'A Miracle on the Hudson'Why Birds Are Such a Danger to PlanesThe Rarest of the Rare: A Safe Water LandingJetliner Reportedly Hit Flock of Canadian GeeseUS Airways CEO Gives Preliminary ReportBirds Blamed for Plane CrashAirplane engine maker General Electric Co. has no record of such a dual hit causing an accident in at least two decades, according to industry officials. Preliminary indications were that the plane, which departed from New York's LaGuardia Airport, suffered several bird strikes and the speed of the impact -- which can amount to being hit by something weighing a ton or more -- was significant enough that some passengers believed they were going through an area of turbulence. Pilots are trained to routinely inform controllers and fellow pilots if they spot even a single bird or balloon or some other object floating in the path of landing aircraft. The danger is greatest at takeoff and in low altitude, when turbine blades in jet engines are sucking in lots of air. The FAA and airport operators have long conducted research on how to keep birds from flocking around busy airstrips -- but have never completely succeeded. Depending on the circumstances, the techniques include everything from changing the type of vegetation to using noise to scare away birds. Over the years, federal regulators have tightened safety regulations to try to reduce the danger of bird strikes. Before they are approved for commercial use, engines are tested repeatedly to assure that they can withstand the impact of birds that weigh several pounds apiece. Engine makers test their product design by throwing frozen poultry into the spinning fan blades to make sure the engines don't disintegrate. Those standards have gotten tougher in recent years, but experts say it's impossible to build a failsafe engine. The Airbus engines were tested to withstand the impact of a single bird weighing less than five pounds, according to Greg Feith, a former National Transportation Safety Board investigator. But some geese can weigh more than three or four times that. "It's like throwing bowling balls into engines," says Mr. Feith. "You can't build engines to handle that because they would weigh so much that the plane would never get off the ground." When birds get sucked into the engines, they can flame out and stall, leading to accidents. The impact on a plane's windshield or flight-control surfaces also can cause emergencies. In November, a Ryanair Boeing 737 was forced to make an emergency landing in Rome after hitting a flock of birds. Last summer, also in Rome, a Delta Air Lines Boeing 767 sucked birds into both of its engines shortly after talking off. The widebody jet barely managed to climb, keep one engine running and limp back to the airport, without any injuries. Bird Strike Committee USA, a voluntary organization that includes representatives from the FAA, the Defense Department, airports and the airline industry, estimates that bird and other wildlife strikes to aircraft have resulted in 219 deaths world-wide since 1988 and hundreds of million of dollars of damage annually to U.S. commercial and military aviation. The group exchanges information and researches new technology to reduce such hazards. The FAA has a Web site where pilots and others can report bird strikes. The FAA says that overall, bird strikes have been climbing in recent years and the current average of more than 7,000 annual incidents is almost three times what they were at the beginning of the decade. Most experts say growing bird populations and changing migration patterns are largely to blame. In addition to efforts on the ground, many pilots have developed their own, informal ways to keep birds away from planes. Some believe that turning on an aircraft's onboard weather radar emits some signals that tend to scare away birds. Another tactic is to turn on landing lights when going through bird-infested areas. Some large international airports, including New York's Kennedy International, Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport and several fields in India are renowned among pilots for having a persistent problem with flocks of birds. In some cases, pilots have urged changes in arrival or departure routes to minimize such dangers. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123207391538888729.html?mod=googlenews_wsj *************** Device helped ensure US Airways plane would float Planes can float, but the US Airways Airbus A-320 that crashed into the Hudson River Thursday had a better chance than most. That's because it was equipped with a special device unique to Airbus planes that increased the likelihood it would stay on top of the water. The device, called a "ditching switch," effectively seals the plane by closing valves and ventilation ports, a spokesman for the airline said. Industry experts said the ditching switch is rarely invoked, as "it's not as if anyone expects to ditch these planes," said Robert W. Mann, who owns a Port Washington-based aviation consulting company. What others are saying With the valves and ports shut, "a float line" is created, Airbus spokeswoman Mary Anne Greczyn said in an e-mail. "The ditching switch closes all of the open ports in the bottom of the fuselage," said Frank Ayers, chairman of the flight training department at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla. Mann said opening an emergency exit - which happened yesterday when the plane was evacuated - is not a problem as long as the door is above the waterline. Peter R. Leffe, an aviation accident investigator in Malibu, Calif., noted that because airplanes in general are pressurized, they have some ability to float, providing they don't break up when they hit water. "The airplane is a pressure vessel," he said. "It can float as long as water doesn't leak in." But airplanes can't float forever. Water will eventually find a way to seep in, and the airplane's weight will drive it to the bottom. "They're not amphibious," Mann said. "But the general rule of thumb is, when they're full of fuel, which is lighter than water, they will float, as long as their structural integrity is intact." The Airbus A-320, along with the Boeing 737-800, is one of the two most "ubiquitous aircraft" in American air travel, said Mann. It has an aluminum hull and is "as garden variety as airplanes get," he said. There are about 2,000 A-320 Airbuses worldwide, 425 of which are in North America, Greczyn said. The planes, which debuted in 1988, typically seat 150 passengers and are the most popular Airbuses, she said. http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-lifloa1612367657jan16,0,336963. story ***************** Albany Int'l Airport briefly closes following emergency landing Albany International Airport was closed to all traffic for just over one hour Thursday when an aircraft experienced four tire failures. The aircraft was a 19 passenger Beechcraft 1900, operated by Air Georgian as an Air Canada flight, airport spokesman Doug Myers said. The aircraft was on a flight from Toronto to Manchester, N.H. The plane had a possible engine problem and requested to land at the airport. The airport was closed from 10:54 a.m. to 11:58 a.m. Doug Myers, airport spokesman, said five incoming flights were delayed. Three were diverted to Syracuse, one was diverted to Hartford, Conn., and the fifth plane circled the airport. As a precaution, the airport rescue and firefighting department stood by during the landing. Myers said the aircraft landed safely and there were no injuries. The plane had seven passengers and two crew members. Shortly after landing, the aircraft stopped at the intersection of the airport's two runways where it was discovered that the plane's main landing gear tires were damaged. The airport was immediately closed as maintenance workers replaced the plane's tires. Myers said the cause of the tire failure has not been determined. http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2009/01/12/daily62.html ************** Engine trouble forces jet to make unexpected landing in Eugene A 150-seat American Airlines passenger jet headed from Portland to Dallas landed in Eugene this morning after experiencing engine trouble, Eugene Airport spokeswoman Cathryn Stephens said. About 40 people were on board the MD-80 plane, Stephens said. No one was injured. Airport officials learned about 10:30 a.m. that the plane's pilot discovered an engine problem and requested to land in Eugene. Stephens said the plane landed safely about 15 minutes later. Many of the plane's passengers hitched a ride aboard a Horizon Air plane back to Portland less than an hour after the American Airlines flight touched down, Stephens said. American Airlines mechanics are working now to repair the plane, Stephens said. http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/updates/5887376-55/story.csp *************** FAA Grounds Convair Operator Air Tahoma Emergency Order Of Revocation Comes Following September Accident Aero-News has confirmed with an FAA representative that the agency has issued an emergency order of revocation against Air Tahoma, ordering the Columbus, OH-based air cargo transport operator to surrender its operating certificate. Paul Turk, a senior public affairs official with the agency, tells Aero-News the FAA has charged Air Tahoma with 30 safety-related violations... which were "systemic throughout the company" and "not tied to a single pilot, aircraft or incident." The charges were outlined in a 96-page letter delivered to the company Wednesday. Turk states the charges stem from an FAA audit launched in the aftermath of a fatal September 2008 crash of an Air Tahoma aircraft. As ANN reported, the Convair 580 crashed shortly after takeoff on a crew training flight from Rickenbacker Airport (LCK). The aircraft was returning to the airport when it impacted terrain one mile from the runway. All three people onboard were killed in the crash, which occurred during the plane's first flight following a maintenance "C" check. According to the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report on the accident, that check included re-rigging of the aircraft's flight control cables. Turk says the FAA audit "found problems in most areas" of the company's operations, including lack of proper emergency equipment, and failure to properly document maintenance processes and parts swaps between aircraft. The emergency order allows Air Tahoma to file an appeal, though there's no word yet on whether the company will do so. A call to Air Tahoma's headquarters was transferred to company president Noel Rude's voicemail. Air Tahoma began operations in 1996. The carrier, which operates primarily 1950s-era Convair turboprops, flies regional freight for FedEx. FMI: www.faa.gov, www.airtahoma.com (site offline at this writing) aero-news.net **************** Caribbean Sun eyes restart with MD-82 aircraft Caribbean Sun Airlines (CSA) is seeking regulatory approval to resume operations in June using a leased Boeing MD-82 aircraft after receiving two extensions to re-establish its fitness since shuttering operations in 2007. Aircraft will be configured to carry 164 passengers and operated under the World Atlantic Airways name, president and CEO Joseph Fernandez tells ATI. It's a "better commercial name", he says. CSA currently leases one DeHavilland Dash 8 turboprop, but the company tells US DOT that an MD-82 "has been identified and the LOI will be provided when concluded". Miami-based CSA most recently sought a Part 121 Air Carrier Certificate to commence service with Boeing 737-300s as it sought funding and equity from Miami Tech Line Maintenance, which conducts line maintenance for passenger and cargo aircraft as well as engine removal and installations at Miami International airport. The carrier ended turboprop operations from its San Juan, Puerto Rico hub in January 2007. Management kept the carrier's certificate alive until May 2007 by offering one flight a month between Fort Lauderdale and Key West, Florida, but CSA has not conducted any operations since then. In August 2007, ATI exclusively reported that Caribbean Sun intended to offer service by late 2007 using narrowbodies. But in March 2008 the company changed ownership and explained to DOT it had challenges securing financing. The carrier in June asked regulators not to revoke its certificate while it worked toward a November re-launch. Regulators granted an extension until 1 November, but the carrier asked for another extension on 31 October, determining it needed more time to complete DOT's fitness re-determination review, new ownership filings and the FAA's process for re-commencing operations. In addition to Fernandez, key staff include owner and board chairman Tomas Romero and acting director of operations Juan Paz. Fernandez declined to discuss more details regarding future plans by Caribbean Sun. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news *************** Hawaiian Airlines will contest FAA fine The Federal Aviation Administration could penalize Hawaiian Airlines $100,000 for failing to comply with substance-abuse laws. Hawaiian, owned by Hawaiian Holdings (Amex: HA), has asked for a hearing to contest the proposed penalty. Federal regulations require airlines to comply with antidrug and alcohol-misuse programs when employees perform safety-sensitive functions. The FAA's complaint, which Hawaiian received Nov. 21, 2008, involves an employee who refused to submit to a U.S. Department of Transportation-required random alcohol confirmation test in March 2006. The employee, whose job title is not specified in the complaint, later complied with substance-abuse treatment recommendations, submitted to testing, and returned to work under the requirement that he submit to alcohol testing for five years. But the FAA said the airline failed to conduct four required follow-up tests in late 2006 and mid 2007. "After reviewing all of the information contained in our investigative file, we propose to assess a civil penalty in the amount of $100,000 for this violation," the FAA's Office of Chief Counsel said in a written statement. The penalty for each program violation cannot exceed $25,000. A Hawaiian spokesman said the airline could not comment further because "it's a personnel matter." http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2009/01/12/daily53.html ****************