25 JAN 2009 _______________________________________ *Report: US Airways Ditching May Escape Litigation Nightmare *Airbus A310 Rejected Takeoff - Thrust Reverser Warning (Russia) *Northwest jet lands safely at PDX after emergency alert *Jet Blue Pilot Aborts Takeoff After Striking Bird *Finnair pilots begin overtime ban *Honeywell device may have aided US Airways flight *Swedish airline Nordic Airways looses license *EASA Intros Operational Suitability Certificate *Rochester Man Sentenced for Impersonating a FAA Inspector **************************************** Report: US Airways Ditching May Escape Litigation Nightmare Second Engine Lifted From Riverbed Friday A seemingly unavoidable incident. A thoroughly successful outcome. One hundred fifty-five lives saved by the combination of skill, professionalism and flat-out luck. The lack of a readily-apparent scapegoat. All those factors combined in the matter of US Airways Flight 1549 may result in one of the least litigious airline accidents in years, legal experts say. Despite early rumblings from one New York-based law firm in the hours following the January 15 ditching of the Airbus A320 in the Hudson River, so far not a single lawsuit has been filed related to the case. That's not to say we won't eventually see any lawsuits stemming from the accident... though it appears increasingly probable that if anyone's sued over the incident, it won't be due to any negligence on the part of US Airways. Justin Green, an attorney with Kreindler & Kreindler, tells The Associated Press that Flight 1549 may be an example of "the rarest case where the accident is just an act of God." The national law firm is a familiar litigant in aviation-relation legal cases. Chicago lawyer David Rapoport wouldn't go so far as Green, however. He notes passengers who experience later emotional ramifications from their ordeal may sue, particularly if investigators find evidence of catastrophic engine failure... or, that Captain Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger and co-pilot Jeff Skiles may have been able to avoid the large flock of geese many believe led to the incident. "I fundamentally do not believe in a pure act of God air crash," said Rapoport. "I have never found one yet ... and when all the data is all in here, my suspicion is that this won't be one, either." So far, however, the cards appear stacked against that point of view... as findings to date seemingly support early reports the A320 struck an unusually large flock of birds minutes after takeoff from New York LaGuardia (LGA), knocking out both of the plane's CFM56 turbofans. While such catastrophic bird strike incidents are extremely uncommon, there is precedent. A report last week one of the plane's turbofans suffered an apparent compressor stall days before the Hudson River incident has also piqued the interest of the National Transportation Safety Board. At this stage, however, it seems unlikely that engine -- the first one recovered by investigators, who found organic matter consistent with a deceased bird wedged in the turbine vanes -- suffered any mechanical problem not related to an inadvertent collision with a goose. Investigators hope the plane's second turbofan -- which was successfully recovered Friday off the floor of the Hudson -- will shed additional light on the matter. If a bird strike is determined to be the probable culprit of the downing of Flight 1549, law experts say it's possible the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey could be party to an eventual lawsuit questioning the effectiveness of measures intended to drive away waterfowl from the area. Those efforts are stymied by the proximity of LGA and other New York airports to a nearby bird sanctuary... which raises more eyebrows. FMI: www.ntsb.gov, www.usairways.com aero-news.net *************** Airbus A310 Rejected Takeoff - Thrust Reverser Warning (Russia) Date: 23-JAN-2009 Time: 03:49 Type: Airbus A310 Operator: S7 Airlines Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 210 Airplane damage: None Location: Novosibirsk - OVB - Russia Phase: Take off Nature: International Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Novosibirsk - OVB Destination airport: Saigon - SGN Narrative: Flight S7-847 from Novosibirsk to Saigon, Vietnam had to abort takeoff after the crew received a warning regarding the thrust reversers. A replacement Airbus A310 was called in and departed at 06:33 and was about to cross the border into Mongolia, the auxiliary power unit (APU) started giving problems. The crew decided to return to Novosibirsk where a safe landing was made at 10:42. (aviation-safety.net) ************* Nine injured as Northwest jet hits turbulence HONOLULU (AP) - Eight passengers were hurt and two were taken to local hospitals Thursday morning after a Northwest Airlines jet from Tokyo to Honolulu encountered severe turbulence over Midway Island. One flight attendant also was hurt and was taken to Queen's Medical Center in serious but stable condition with head and neck injuries, The Airbus A330 landed in Honolulu without further trouble shortly after 8 a.m. local time. The two passengers that were most seriously hurt were transported to Straub Clinic & Hospital with hip, neck, and arm injuries. Medical crews at the airport examined other passengers. Flight 22 carried 285 passengers. ***** Date: 22-JAN-2009 Time: Type: Airbus A330-332X Operator: Northwest Airlines Registration: N808NW C/n / msn: 591 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 285 Airplane damage: None Location: Midway Islands - United States of America Phase: En route Nature: International Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: NRT Destination airport: HNL Narrative: The flight NW-22 experienced severe turbulence for about 20 seconds while enroute near the Midway Islands. One flight attendant received serious injuries, three passengers minor injuries. The crew continued to Honolulu and landed safely in Honolulu. The flight attendant suffered serious head and neck injuries and was delivered to a hospital, but is in stable condition according to medical staff. Two passengers with minor injuries, one with hip the other with neck and arm injuries, were delivered to another hospital, a third passenger was treated at the airport. (aviation-safety.net) ************* Northwest jet lands safely at PDX after emergency alert A Northwest Airlines flight from Minneapolis landed safely at Portland International Airport Saturday morning after fire trucks were called out on alert because of the jetliner's low hydraulic pressure. Northwest flight 217, a Boeing 757 with 225 passengers and seven crew aboard, landed on time and taxied normally to the gate shortly after 11 a.m., an airlines spokeswoman said. She said the captain did not call an official emergency, but notified air traffic controllers of the abnormally low hydraulic press reading as a precaution. http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/01/northwest_jet_lands_safely_ at.html *************** Jet Blue Pilot Aborts Takeoff After Striking Bird ORLANDO, Fla. -- The pilot of a Jet Blue flight taking off from Orlando International Airport decided to abort the flight after striking a bird on a runway Saturday. A spokeswoman for Jet Blue said at first it was not known if a bird actually struck one of the plane's engines, but out of an abundance of caution it was decided to bring in another plane to take the 136 passengers on board to their New York destination. According to the spokeswoman, Flight 72 was headed from OIA to JFK Airport around 10:30am when the pilot saw a flock of birds. After aborting the flight he returned the Airbus 320 to the gate without incident. It was a US Air Airbus 320 that was apparently hit by birds on January 15th, forcing the pilot to ditch the plane in the Hudson River in New York. The plane in Saturday's incident will be inspected to see if there was any significant damage. The passengers took off for New York on the backup plane Saturday afternoon. http://www.wftv.com/news/18555865/detail.html *************** Finnair pilots begin overtime ban HELSINKI, Finland (AP) - Hundreds of Finnair pilots began an overtime ban Saturday and warned of possible strikes, seeking to speed negotiations in a labor dispute. The action would not affect flights on Saturday, Finnair spokesman Christer Haglund said. The pilots' union said Finnair pilots will begin staggered strikes on Feb. 11 if no progress is made in the talks that hinge on wages, pensions and the use of non-Finnair pilots by the national carrier. The daily strikes, timed to begin during the traditional skiing holiday week, would mostly hit domestic traffic but could also cause international cancellations. Finnair employs 800 pilots among a total work force of 9,500. Last year, pilots carried out a similar work-to-rule to protest planned wage cuts. The carrier has been struggling against heavy competition, and said last year it planned to reduce costs by euro25 million ($32 million). It proposed personnel should agree to voluntary wage reductions or wage freezes to save 400 jobs. Unions rejected the proposal. Finnair, which flew a record 1.3 million passengers on its Asian routes last year, has seen a huge surge in "gateway" passengers between Europe and the Far East. It has increased destinations in Asia, planning to meet demand with 12 new wide-bodied Airbus aircraft. In the labor talks, the airline said it wants to initiate methods "to increase productivity especially on long-haul flights." Finnair PLC, which is 56 percent government-owned, flies to 50 destinations with a fleet of 60 aircraft. Last year, 8.3 million passengers flew Finnair. On the Net: Finnair: http://www.finnair.com ************** Honeywell device may have aided US Airways flight in Hudson River landing When Capt. Chesley Sullenberger glided US Airways flight 1549 to a landing on the Hudson River in New York, he may have gotten an assist from Honeywell in Phoenix. The Airbus A320 that had two engines fail after birds struck them was able to retain some control thanks to an auxiliary power unit, or APU, that Honeywell International Inc. (NYSE:HON) makes in Phoenix and supplies to the manufacturer. The main job of the APU, which sits at the base of the aircraft's tail, is to power an airplane's systems on the ground while the main engines are turned off, said Greg Albert, a Honeywell vice president who oversees the company's work with Airbus. In rare instances, the APU, which operates as a small jet turbine at about one-10th the power of a jet engine, can function as a backup to supply power if an engine fails. The APU would have allowed Sullenberger to operate the plane in a controlled fashion, with his avionics working and the ability to move the rudders and flaps through the plane's hydraulics. Honeywell has built about 1,400 APUs for various airplane manufacturers and is one of the main suppliers to Airbus. It also provides maintenance for the devices for US Airways. http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2009/01/19/daily73.html ************** Swedish airline Nordic Airways looses license STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) - Nordic Airways, a Stockholm-based airline that launched its first commercial flights between western Europe and Baghdad earlier this month, has had its operating license revoked due to financial troubles, a Swedish Transport Agency official said Saturday. Agency spokesman Anders Lundblad said the license was pulled Friday after the Stockholm County Court rejected the company's request for an extension to restructure itself. Lundblad said passengers could be stranded because the fleet was grounded with immediate effect. "It's very possible, since they can't fly back with them," he said. Nordic Airway officials did not immediately return calls seeking comment. In its decision, the agency cited the airline's ailing finances, saying it could "no longer fulfill its commitments and obligations toward its passengers." Nordic Airways launched its Copenhagen-Baghdad route in the beginning of January with flights planned once a week between the Danish and Iraqi capitals. The company had its permanent license replaced with a time-restricted temporary permit in October after it had applied for reconstruction due to financial difficulties. That license was due to expire on Feb. 15. **************** EASA Intros Operational Suitability Certificate Proposed Amendments To Part-21 Published The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) published on its website Friday proposed amendments to Part-21, introducing the "Operational Suitability Certificate" and "Safety Directives", including the corresponding acceptable means of compliance (AMC) and guidance material (GM). In line with the Agency's principles of broad consultation and transparency, interested persons worldwide now have the possibility to comment on this Notice of Proposed Amendment (NPA 2009-01) by using the Agency's web-based Comment Response Tool (CRT). The comment period ends on 30 April 2009. The Operational Suitability Certificate (OSC) is a transposition of the Joint Operations Evaluation Board (JOEB) established by the Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA). While under the JAA this process was voluntary, type-certificate holders have to obtain in future an OSC for aircraft types in service of Community operators. The approved OSC elements will be the basis for those operators and training organizations to develop their Minimum Equipment List (MEL) as well as their type training courses for pilots, cabin crew and maintenance certifying staff. The NPA also contains proposals for the issuance of Safety Directives reacting to safety problems. The draft rules were developed by a rulemaking drafting group composed of experts from the aircraft manufacturers industry and trade associations, air operators, pilots, maintenance engineers, cabin crew associations, NAAs, and the Agency. Foreign aviation authorities were invited to participate in this group as observers. The Agency is organising an open workshop to provide in-depth information on this NPA beginning of March. The exact dates will be communicated on its website in due course. FMI: www.easa.int aero-news.net ************** Rochester Man Sentenced for Impersonating a FAA Inspector A Rochester man who was convicted of impersonating a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector was sentenced Friday to one year of probation supervision and a $2,500 fine. 37-year-old Jack Brown admitted to the crime of impersonating an FAA Inspector, after initially denying the charges. In this case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles E. Moynihan stated that on June 12, 2007 Jack Brown posed as an FAA Inspector to intercept a package that contained fireworks. The package was sent from New Hampshire to Rochester using the service FedEx. FedEx discovered the fireworks, but there was no declaration from the sender that the package contained hazardous materials. FedEx then contacted the FAA and the intended recipient of the package. That's when Brown went to FedEx and identified himself as an FAA Inspector and took custody of the package. Brown was sentenced in Federal Court as the result of an investigation by the United States Department of Transportation. http://rochesterhomepage.net/content/fulltext/?cid=63431 ************** "Flight Safety Information" is a free service of: Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC