De : "Curt Lewis" Date : 24/02/2009 13:57 A : "'Curt Lewis'" Fichier(s) joint(s) : C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\BVRP Software\WinPhone eXPert\Fichiers joints\image001(1).png C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\BVRP Software\WinPhone eXPert\Fichiers joints\image003(4).jpg Objet : Flight Safety Information (24FEB09-047) Flight Safety Information (24FEB09-047) _______________________________________ *Was PHI Sikorsky Downed by Birdstrike? *MD-90 Nose Gear Retracted on Landing (Indonesia) *Pacific Northwest town says goodbye to JAL jet training *Pilots landing at Seattle-Tacoma airport report lasers *Indonesia probes plane accident in Batam island *Neb. Man Arrested After Alleged Violence On Airplane *************************************** Was PHI Sikorsky Downed by Birdstrike? Recent Update Of NTSB Investigation Seems To Suggest That Possibilty In its continuing investigation of the January 4, 2009, fatal accident involving a Sikorsky S-76C++ helicopter, operated by PHI, Inc., that crashed in a marsh near Morgan City, Louisiana (NTSB Accident Number CEN09MA117), the National Transportation Safety Board is releasing the following factual information: During the first of two detailed examinations of the wreckage layout last month in Lafayette, Louisiana, a bird specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) examined the helicopter for evidence of a bird strike. A visual examination did not detect any such evidence, but a swab was taken from the pilot-side windscreen. The sample was sent to the Smithsonian Institution Feather Identification Lab for identification. Results from DNA testing on that sample showed that microscopic remains of a hawk variety were present. The swab was taken from an area of the windscreen that exhibited concentric ring fractures. Similar concentric rings were visible in the gel coat of the fuselage area just above the windscreen. A second detailed examination of the wreckage layout was conducted this past week in Lafayette, with additional NTSB and USDA specialists. Additional swabs for bird remains were taken from the fuselage; empennage; various inlets, including the engines; and from the rotor hub and main rotor blades. Additionally, examination revealed the presence of small parts of feathers under a right side windscreen seal and in the folds of the right side engine inlet filter. Portions of the windscreen and composite center post are continuing to be examined in the NTSB laboratory in Washington, DC for further structural analysis and a review of material specificity. The original production laminated glass windscreens from the accident helicopter had been removed and replaced by PHI about two years prior to the accident as part of their normal procedures with the S-76 fleet in order to prepare for operational mission status. This helicopter's windscreens were replaced a second time due to cracking approximately one year prior to the accident. PHI replaces all of the windscreens in their S-76 fleet with a lighter weight, cast acrylic windscreen that was approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) via a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) upon delivery. The ongoing investigation will involve further analysis of the information from the cockpit voice and flight data recorders, detailed examination and analysis of the damage to the cast acrylic and composite center post, investigation into the windscreen STC issuance and specifications, research into the potential scenarios that could cause the loss of engine torque and electrical anomalies noted on the flight recorders, and the flight crew's response to the event. FMI: www.ntsb.gov aero-news.net ************** MD-90 Nose Gear Retracted on Landing (Indonesia) Date: 24-FEB-2009 Time: Type: McDonnell Douglas MD-90 Operator: Lion Air Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 156 Airplane damage: Unknown Location: Batam - Indonesia Phase: Landing Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Medan Destination airport: Batam Narrative: Nose landing gear failed to deploy. The MD-90 landed with the nose gear retracted. (aviation-safety.net) ************** Pacific Northwest town says goodbye to JAL jet training MOSES LAKE, Wash. (AP) - About 150 people waved white handerchiefs at the goodbye ceremony for the last JAL training flight returning to Japan from Moses Lake. The farewell Thursday marks the end of a 40-year relationship with the airline that chose to train its Boeing 747 pilots at the Grant County International Airport in Eastern Washington, 180 miles from Seattle. JAL Capt. Kazua Noda thanked everyone for their friendship and support over the years. Moses Lake Mayor Ron Covey said the city is losing one of the best neighbors it ever had. The Columbia Basin Herald reports the regular Japanese visitors led to educational and cultural exchanges. http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2009-02-23-jal-jet-training-washingto n_N.htm ************** Pilots landing at Seattle-Tacoma airport report lasers (CNN) -- Pilots on 12 jetliners landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Sunday reported that someone was shining a green laser light into their cockpits, bringing renewed attention to a problem that has plagued pilots since the introduction of cheap laser pointers several years ago. All the planes were targeted during a 20-minute period Sunday night, and all landed safely. But the incident led to pilots simultaneously trying to avoid being temporarily blinded by the light while trying to help authorities pinpoint its source, believed to be about a mile north of the airport. Air traffic controllers continuously cautioned pilots about the light during the episode, which lasted from 7:10 to 7:30 p.m. PT. "All right, I'll keep an eye out for that," one pilot responded before correcting himself. "Er, I'll keep an eye away from that," he said in radio traffic captured by LiveATC.net. Another pilot reported the source to be a block and a half west of an interstate. Airport authorities said they conducted two searches of the area but did not find the culprit. Laser attacks on aircraft have increased in recent years, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. There have been 148 incidents this year, FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said. On Friday alone, there were reports of incidents in Salt Lake City and Ogden, Utah; Lake Charles, Louisiana; Orlando, Florida; and Burbank and San Jose, California. Sunday's incident was noteworthy only because of the number -- 12 -- although one federal official said the final report came later Sunday evening. Lasers have not contributed to any accidents, authorities say. But officials note that it is a federal crime to point a laser light at an aircraft, and pilots are required to report encounters with laser lights. Officials fear that the lights could cause an accident by blinding pilots or otherwise affecting their night vision. "There's a great risk that this could lead to an accident, in particular because it happens during the take-off phase or the landing phase, and that is literally the most dangerous part of any flight," said Capt. Bob Hesselbein of the Air Line Pilots Association. Hesselbein and others say they have not seen lasers used as weapons by politically motivated terrorists. But "it's a form of vandalism, whether intentional or unintentional. It's sort of a terrorist moment for the crew members who are trying to safely land an airplane, and suddenly they're dealing with blindness or temporary blindness or an incredible distraction." SeaTac Airport spokesman Perry Cooper said airport police twice searched an area north of the airport. "We didn't find anything or make any arrests. Hopefully that's it, and we won't hear from them again," he said. A 2004 study by the FAA subjected pilots to "eye-safe levels" of laser light in a simulator. At the highest level of exposure tested, more than half of the 34 pilots reported difficulties, including ducking under a glare shield to hide from the light. Of those, four executed a "go around maneuver," and five reported that they would have performed a missed approach if it were a "real world" incident or the duration of the laser exposure had been longer. *************** Indonesia probes plane accident in Batam island JAKARTA, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian authorities begin to investigate a case when a passenger plane landed without lowering its front landing gear Monday evening, the country's transport ministry said here Tuesday. The Lion Air's McDonnell Douglas MD-90 jet on a domestic flight from Medan of North Sumatra could not lower its nose landing gear when it arrived at Batam island's Hang Nadim airport, near Singapore. All 156 passengers on board were safe, but nine people were in shock after the accident. "The plane failed to lower its nose gear as it was landing in Batam airport," the ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan told Xinhua, adding that the Indonesian Transportation Safety Board was probing the accident. "The board is investigating whether it was a human error or out of others causes," he said. Indonesia has struggled to improve air safety, expecting the European Union to lift its travel ban on Indonesia in March or July, said Ervan. European Union has forbidden 51 Indonesian airliners, including the country's leading carrier Garuda, from entering its territory since July 6 2007 following a rampant air accidents that killed more than 250 people. EU extended the ban in November last year in Brussels. With the help of the EU, Indonesia has made improvements on its flight safety standards. The country's parliament on Dec. 17 passed a new regulation on aviation with stricter safety standards. The new rules were hailed by the EU, Indonesian Transport Minister Jusman Syafii Djamal said. Air accidents in Indonesia plunged in recent years when compared with three years ago. Taking airplanes is a favorite transport mean in the sprawling archipelago country with over 230 million population. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-02/24/content_10886581.htm ************** Neb. Man Arrested After Alleged Violence On Airplane OMAHA, Neb. -- A Nebraska man was arrested Friday after police said he became violent on a flight from Omaha to Cincinnati. Russell Krebs was charged with alcohol intoxication, disorderly conduct and prescription pills not in a proper container. Passengers on the flight said Krebs consumed several drinks on the plane and got angry when a flight attendant stopped serving him. Passengers said he threatened an attendant and hit another passenger. An airline employee on the flight put Krebs in flexible handcuffs, police said. Cincinnati airport officials said Krebs had anti-anxiety pills when he was arrested. The pills weren't prescribed to him. http://www.ketv.com/news/18776171/detail.html *************** "Flight Safety Information" is a free service of: Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC (Targeting Safety & Risk Management) curt@curt-lewis.com www.curt-lewis.com www.fsinfo.org PH: 817-303-9096 Cell: 817-845-3983 Fax: 682-292-0835 Curt Lewis & Associates, LLC is a multi-discipline technical and scientific consulting firm specializing in aviation and industrial safety. Our specialties are aviation litigation support, aviation/airport safety programs, accident investigation, safety & quality assessments/audits, system safety, human factors, Safety Management Systems (SMS) assessment/implementation & training, and safety/quality training & risk management. CLA_ltrhd mast_top **********************