27 FEB 2009 _______________________________________ *Reports: Pilots Among Victims Of Turkish Airlines Accident *Engine trouble may have caused plane crash in Netherlands *Jet had repairs days before crash *Investigators: Engine problems just one scenario in 737 crash *Turkish Airlines clarifies maintenance record of crashed 737 *Could Higher Safety Standards Prevented Flight 3407 Crash? *Europe's air safety agency considers downgrading Israel's rating *Airbus Denies Expecting No Chinese Airplane Orders This Year *Cops: Man late for flight claims to be air marshal *DOT to examine FAA use of third parties in RNP development *Obama budget increases NextGen and rural air service funding *Former NTSB Vice Chairman considered for NTSB Chairman by new administration *American Airlines Set To Debut 767 Winglet Mod *NTSB Reveal Details of Colgan Air Crash **************************************** Reports: Pilots Among Victims Of Turkish Airlines Accident Plane Impacted At Extreme Nose-Up Attitude, Little Forward Motion Turkish news reports state five airline employees, including three pilots, were among the nine fatalities from Wednesday's downing of a Turkish Airlines 737-800 while on approach to the runway at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. Citing local media reports, the Times of London said Thursday pilots Captain Hasan Tahsin Arisan, Murat Sezer and Olgay Ozgur were killed when the Boeing narrowbody impacted a muddy field two miles from the runway at 10:30 am local time Wednesday. Witnesses say the aircraft came down at an extreme nose-up attitude and with little apparent forward momentum, with the empennage striking the ground first. The tail assembly separated on impact from the fuselage, ahead of the vertical stabilizer. The forward section appears to have came down hard, with a second fuselage break forward of the wing box. Photos from the scene show the plane's forward section largely separated, and canted about 20 degrees to the right relative to the center section. There was no post-impact fire, a circumstance officials say allowed 125 of the 134 passengers and crew reported onboard the flight from Istanbul to evacuate the plane. At least 84 of those survivors were injured, with six still listed in critical condition. Investigators retrieved the aircraft's flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder late Wednesday. Both "black boxes" have been sent to Paris for analysis, said Dutch Safety Board spokesman Fred Sanders. The spokesman theorized the relatively low casualty count "may have something to do with the fact that it came down in a muddy field rather than on a concrete road or on a landing strip, where sparks would have increased the chances of a fire." Sanders also said the aircraft appears to have "lost its forward momentum, that there was no motor function." Turkish media strongly criticized the country's government and the airline for their handling of the accident. Both entities initially said all 134 persons onboard the plane had survived. The Hava-Is union, which represents workers at Turkish Airlines, said Wednesday "the respectability of the airline and the whole aviation sector was damaged" by those first reports. "In our sad condition our only consolation is that the total loss of life and the number of injuries are fewer than expected in such an accident," said Turkish Airlines president and CEO Temel Kotil on Thursday. "We offer our condolences to the families and friends of the passengers and crew members who lost their lives and a speedy recovery to those passengers who are being treated for injuries. We pray for the souls of the deceased to rest in peace." FMI: www.safetyboard.nl, www.ntsb.gov, www.thy.com aero-news.net ************** Engine trouble may have caused plane crash in Netherlands AMSTERDAM (AP) - Engine trouble may have caused the Turkish Airlines crash that killed nine people in the Netherlands, the head of the agency investigating the accident said yesterday. Separately, officials said those killed were five Turks and four Americans. The State Department confirmed last night that two of the Americans killed were Boeing employees and that a third employee was injured. Flight TK1951 from Istanbul crashed about one mile short of the runway at Schiphol Airport on Wednesday morning, smashing into three pieces and spraying luggage and debris across a field. It was carrying 135 passengers and crew. Chief investigator Pieter van Vollenhoven said, in remarks quoted by Dutch state television NOS, that the Boeing 737-800 had fallen almost directly from the sky, which pointed toward the plane's engines having stopped. He said a reason for that had not yet been established. Spokeswoman Sandra Groen-endal of the Dutch Safety Authority confirmed his remarks, but added that engine failure was still only "one of the possible scenarios" for the crash. Van Vollenhoven said an analysis of the plane's flight data recorders in Paris could be completed as early as today, but his agency would probably not make a preliminary finding until next week. Survivors said engine noise seemed to stop, the plane shuddered, then simply fell out of the sky tail-first. Witnesses on the ground said the plane appeared to drop from about 300 feet. Haarlemmermeer mayor Theo Weterings said investigators now say 135 passengers and crew were on the flight, not 134 as previously believed, which was one reason it had taken so long to account for the dead. In Seattle, Boeing said four employees on the flight, Ronald A. Richey, John Salman, Ricky E. Wilson and Michael T. Hemmer were traveling on company business. It was unclear who were among the dead. http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/world/ny-woplan276051231feb27,0,740 6829.story ************** Jet had repairs days before crash The plane crashed short of the runway where it had been due to land The Turkish Airlines plane which crashed into a field near Amsterdam's Schiphol airport had had repairs for a system malfunction two days earlier. The Boeing 737-800 was briefly taken out of operation on Monday after the pilot reported a problem with the Master Caution Light, the airline said. But Turkish Airlines said the problems should not be seen as a potential cause of the crash, which killed nine people. On Thursday, investigators said engine failure might have been a factor. Pieter van Vollenhoven, chairman of the Dutch Safety Board, told Dutch state television that the way the aircraft lost speed and "dropped almost vertically" from the sky suggested that its engines might have stalled. Turkish Airlines has undertaken all required maintenance work on the plane in line with the directives of the manufacturer as well as national and international authorities Witnesses described seeing the plane appear to glide through the air, having lost all propulsion, before hitting the ground tail-first and breaking into three pieces. Fred Sanders, a spokesman for the Dutch Safety Board, said there were a number of things that could have led to engine failure, including a mechanical fault, a lack of fuel or a bird strike. "But there is no indication as yet that these are a possibility," he said. An exchange between air traffic controllers and the crew recorded minutes before the crash gave no indication of any technical trouble. On Thursday, Turkish Airlines insisted the problems on Monday with the Master Caution Light programme, which checks the aircraft is functioning correctly, should not be seen as a potential cause. The plane was cleared to fly later in the day after technicians replaced the malfunctioning part, it said. How the Schiphol crash happened "Since then the aircraft undertook eight flights and encountered no problems," it added. The airline said the plane also had its bonding jumper in its left Krueger flap - control surfaces on the leading edge of an aircraft wing - changed on 28 October and had continued flying without any difficulties. It also underwent routine general maintenance on 19 February, it added. "Turkish Airlines has undertaken all required maintenance work on the plane in line with the directives of the manufacturer as well as national and international authorities," the statement said. Dutch officials have taken the flight data and voice recorders to Paris, where French specialists are analysing them. Mr Van Vollenhoven said analysis of the recorders might be completed as early as Friday, but that the Dutch Safety Board would probably not announce any preliminary findings until next week. "We hope to have a firmer grip as soon as possible," he told NOS television, adding that the information retrieved from the recorders was of high quality and would aid reconstruction of the accident. 'Miracle' The aircraft had been carrying 127 passengers and seven crew when it came down several hundred yards short of Schiphol airport's runway on Wednesday, about three hours after it left Istanbul's Ataturk airport. SCHIPHOL ACCIDENTS 27 October 2005: A fire at the airport's detention centre killed 11 people and injured 15 4 April 1994: Three people were killed and 13 seriously injured when a KLM flight carrying 24 people crashed on landing 4 October 1992: An El Al Boeing 747 cargo plane crashed into an apartment block after takeoff, killing 43 people In pictures: Schiphol plane crash Turkish plane crash: witnesses Four Americans and five Turks died, including the captain and two other members of the crew, who had wrestled with the plane's controls before becoming trapped in the wreckage. The Turkish transport ministry said a total of 78 Turkish nationals and 56 people of other nationalities had been on board the plane. Theo Weterings, the mayor of the Haarlemmermeer district which includes Schiphol, said on Thursday afternoon that 63 injured passengers were still in hospital receiving treatment, six in a critical condition. "Four of them are in such a severe condition that we have not been able to communicate with them," he told a news conference. He said the priority was to identity the victims and inform relatives. Turkish Transport Minister Binali Yildirim has described the low death toll as a "miracle". "The fact that the plane landed on a soft surface and that there was no fire helped keep the number of fatalities low," he said. Mr Yildirim also paid tribute to the efforts of Capt Hasan Tahsin Arisan, a highly experienced former Turkish air force officer. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7914471.stm *************** Investigators: Engine problems just one scenario in 737 crash Dutch investigators insist that engine problems are just one of a number of possibilities under consideration in their probe into yesterday's Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800 accident at Amsterdam. While Dutch Safety Board chairman Pieter van Vollenhoven has been cited as suggesting that some kind of failure occurred in the CFM International CFM56 powerplants, a spokeswoman for the board says the remarks have been taken out of context. Initial evidence from the scene of the accident indicates that the aircraft had low forward speed at the point of impact, and the spokeswoman says this naturally raises queries about whether the engines were functioning properly. "But this is just one of the possibilities we are considering," she states, adding that the flight recorders are still being examined and investigators expect to know more after the weekend. Flight TK1951 came down on approach to Amsterdam Schiphol's runway 18R, killing nine of the 134 passengers and crew, including both pilots. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ************** Turkish Airlines clarifies maintenance record of crashed 737 Turkish Airlines states that the Boeing 737-800 which crashed at Amsterdam Schiphol yesterday underwent an A-check on 19 February and a C-check last October. The airline has clarified the maintenance record after reports emerged centred on routine work undertaken on the aircraft. This work included a recent part replacement following a malfunction of the master caution indicator in Madrid. Turkish Airlines points out that the aircraft subsequently performed eight flights. It also says that work on the aircraft's leading-edge Krueger flap - replacement of an electrical-conductivity component known as a bonding jumper - was not performed recently, but on 28 October last year. The carrier states that the seven-year old twin-jet completed a C-check on 22 October last year and that its last A-check took place on 19 February. "All the maintenance work of the aircraft has been executed according to its scheduled programme," says the airline, adding that it has become "an absolute necessity" to clarify the work record. This work was all performed in line with "appropriate procedures", it adds, stating that the jet operated for 52hr following its last check. Nine of the 134 occupants of the aircraft, including the three personnel in the cockpit, were killed in the accident. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news **************** Could Higher Safety Standards Prevented Flight 3407 Crash? A group of families who lost loved ones in numerous plane crashes over the years are now backing a lawsuit against the federal government. They say the Federal Aviation Administration dropped the ball and failed to take action on safety recommendations. Members of the National Air Disaster Alliance (NADA) fear the flight 3407 crash is a "deja vu" disaster -- something they've seen before and something that might have been prevented if the FAA had acted on safety recommendations made 15 years ago. When NADA members traveled to Buffalo on Wednesday they did not fly on a turbo prop. "In fact that was one of the issues why we got the private plane. Most of us would not get on a Q400 and we did make arrangements to get on a private jet," Mary Schiavo, a former Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Transportation who's traveling with NADA. Flight 3407 was a Q400 and although what caused it to crash won't likely be known for a year, some can't help but think it might have been prevented if the FAA had adopted new de-icing measures -- a recommendation on the National Transportation Safety Board's "most wanted" list. "It could be exactly what they've been talking about, the things the FAA suggested the pilots do instead of instructing them to do. One of those things may have made a difference," says Bob Monetti, a NADA member who's daughter died in the crash of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988. "It's not like the National Air Disaster Alliance is asking for the world. All they're asking them to do is their job. Act on these recommendations," says Schiavo, "They (the recommendations) are 10 years old, 16 years old. Just act." Schiavo is also the author of the book Flying Blind, Flying Safe in which she calls the FAA the "Tombstone Agency" for waiting until people die before adopting safety measures. "It's just heartbreaking when we have a deja vu disaster that there's pending recommendations that would've addressed," says Schiavo. A lawsuit filed Tuesday against the U.S. Department of Transportation is an attempt to force the FAA to take action on safety recommendations rather than sit on them for years on end. The D.O.T. won't comment specifically on the lawsuit but they sent a statement about de-icing issues saying in part: "The FAA's issued more than 100 safety directives mandating specific actions, training or procedures to help prevent accidents for more than 50 types of existing aircraft since a 1994 accident in Roselawn, Indiana." The statement also says the D.O.T. "has made steady and measurable increases in air safety that have made flying safer than ever before." NADA members were also in Buffalo to share their stories of how they dealt with the loss of loved ones in plane crashes. "When my sister was killed in flight 800 it didn't matter who called to talk to me unless I realized they were able to relate to someone who experienced the same scenario," says NADA member Matt Ziemkiewicz. "It's easy to go crazy and get mad at everyone or try to spend so much time trying to find out what happened that you forget to eat and breathe," says Monetti. Ziemkiewicz has a message for families of flight 3407 victims. "We're here to help," says Ziemkiewicz, "There's a whole group of us who are ready willing to help in any way we can. When the time is right give us a call, send us an email, but most importantly take care of yourselves, take care of your families, take care of the people who mean the most to you." For more information on NADA: www.PlaneSafe.org http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29396009/ ************** Europe's air safety agency considers downgrading Israel's rating The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is considering downgrading Israel's safety rating. According to reports, the EASA sent the Israel Civil Aviation Authority an email warning that if Israeli flight safety does not improve, the European agency will blacklist Israel. European and Israeli representatives will be meeting in four weeks on the issue. If its safety rating is indeed lowered, Israeli airlines could be prohibited from landing in European airports, or even flying over Europe. This could deal a mortal blow to the profits of Israeli airlines. The European move would follow the US Federal Aviation Administration's downgrading of Israel's air-safety system to "category 2" last December. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1235410729225&pagename=JPost%2FJP Article%2FShowFull **************** Airbus Denies Expecting No Chinese Airplane Orders This Year Feb. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Airbus SAS, the world's largest commercial-plane maker, denied expecting no plane orders from China this year. The report "is not true," the aircraft-maker said in an e- mailed statement late yesterday. The market is "challenging." Still, "we are in steady talks with our Chinese customers." Chinese carriers have damped expansion plans as they contend with the nation's waning economic growth and overcapacity in the airline fleet. China Eastern Airlines Corp., the country's third- largest carrier, said yesterday that it will cancel some Airbus and Boeing Co. plane orders. Two Airbus executives, who declined to be identified, told Bloomberg News earlier this week that the planemaker didn't expect to win any orders from China this year. ************** Cops: Man late for flight claims to be air marshal MIAMI (AP) - Authorities say a man running late for a flight flashed a fake police badge to airline workers and claimed to be an air marshal so they would let him through the gate. Miami-Dade police said a 49-year-old man was booked on a flight to Los Angeles Wednesday night, but the gate had already closed and the plane was departing. After he showed the fake badge and claimed to be an air marshal, employees stopped the plane and let him board. But real air marshals already on the plane recognized his fake badge and kicked him off. Not content with avoiding arrest, police said the man went to an airport bar and began loudly complaining about missing his flight. That's when airport police arrested him. The man was charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer. ***************** DOT to examine FAA use of third parties in RNP development Responding to a request by US legislators, the Transportation Department inspector general is reviewing use by FAA of third party contractors to design and execute new flight procedures serving as key elements of the next generation air traffic control system. Specifically DOT is reviewing procedures for Required Navigation Performance (RNP), which allows aircraft to fly along a precise, pre-defined 3d path tailored to reduce delays and cut fuel burn and emissions. "Since 2005, FAA has published over 150 RNP procedures and plans to publish 300 more by 2013," says the inspector general. To design, test and validate those procedures FAA has contracted with private sector companies. "Congress and other stakeholders have expressed concerns about FAA's ability to supervise third-party procedural design initiatives," DOT states. House aviation subcommittee chairman Representative Jerry Costello has tasked DOT to assess the extent of FAA's reliance on third parties to develop RNP, and determine if the agency has established a sufficient framework and staffing to provide safety oversight to those third parties. The audit began today. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news *************** Obama budget increases NextGen and rural air service funding US President Obama's budget for the next federal fiscal year, 2010, commits significant resources to the modernization of the FAA air-traffic control system. Although the documents released Thursday are a preliminary framework, the administration says it intends to provide about $800 million for the Next-Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) for the transition to a more accurate satellite-based navigation system as well as to development of more efficient routes through the nation's airspace and improvements in weather information. The Bush administration budget request for fiscal 2009 had proposed $600 million for the NextGen programmes, although the Bush White House in November ordered an acceleration of NextGen planning. The Obama administration's proposed budget would also increase funding for Essential Air Service (EAS), the subsidy that keeps rural flights operating. A $55 million increase over the 2009 level is intended to meet increasing demand. Last year the Bush administration trimmed EAS to $50 million, although appropriators rejected the administration position and added about $75 million. The new administration also plans changes to the programme that delivers the EAS subsidy, which, it says is not efficiently designed. "Through the budget process, the administration intends to work with the Congress to develop a more sustainable programme model that will fulfil its commitments while enhancing convenience for travellers and improving cost effectiveness," says the US Department of Transportation (DOT). Both proposals are part of a $72.5 billion budget proposal for DOT. The administration says it will detail its spending plans in April. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood calls the budget "a start toward setting the nation's transportation system on a sustainable path". For Homeland Security, the administration intends to increase the Aviation Passenger Security Fee in fiscal 2012, but did not specify the amount of the increase. However, budget documents indicate that the present fee captures only 36% of the cost of aviation security. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news **************** Former NTSB Vice Chairman considered for NTSB Chairman by new administration Former NTSB Vice Chairman Robert Francis, who is being considered as chairman of the NTSB by the new administration, in the NTSB TWA 800 accident report voted in favor of a recommendation to develop safety systems, such as fuel inerting. He was opposed, however, to a provision in the final FAA rule forcing operators to retrofit aircraft with such systems (DAILY, Feb. 26). Francis has previously noted that while NTSB is singularly focused on safety, agencies that receive safety board recommendations must take cost/benefit considerations into account when developing a rule. http://www.aviationweek.com **************** American Airlines Set To Debut 767 Winglet Mod Final certification clears American to plan service launch of winglet-equipped 767 Airworthiness authorities will sign off on final software changes late this week allowing operators to begin flying Aviation Partners Boeing (APB) blended winglets in commercial service on the Boeing 767-300ER. American Airlines is expected to be the first carrier to put the retrofitted 767 into revenue service in early March, followed shortly by LAN of Chile and Delta Air Lines. Other 767 operators either starting or planning installation include Austrian, Privat Air, Condor, TuiFly-ThomsonFly, DHL, Air New Zealand and Hawaiian Airlines. In all, APB so far has 159 firm orders plus 73 options for the 767-300ER winglet systems from 10 customers. The drag-reducing modification will save up to 6% in fuel over long-range missions of 6,000 naut. mi. for a General Electric CF6-80C2-powered version, and around 5.5% over the same distance for a Pratt & Whitney PW4060-powered aircraft. Despite adding 3,242 lb.-the actual winglet weighs 783 lb. and ballast and structural reinforcement make up the balance-the winglets have been audited in flight tests to save up to 4.8% on shorter routes of 3,000 naut. mi. The 11-ft.-tall APB winglets, made by GKN Aerospace, were originally flight-tested on an American Airlines aircraft last summer.Credit: AVIATION PARTNERS BOEING American plans to install winglets on its entire fleet of 58 by mid-2010, with each aircraft expected to save at least 290,000 gal. of fuel each year. Total fleet savings are expected to be 17-21 million gal. per year, says the airline, which is using its own maintenance and engineering organization to complete the retrofits. Although the FAA and European Aviation Safety Assn. previously issued supplemental type certificates (STCs)allowing the installations of provisions for the winglets, the path to service entry depended on approval for a required software change in the flight control computers (FCC). APB received a subsequent FAA STC on Jan. 22 allowing installation with the flight level change function of the autopilot disabled. However, the final STC for full autopilot enabled operations was tied to Boeing's Italian tanker certification program and the company now expects to have this flight control computer software change certified by the end of the month, says APB sales and marketing vice president, Patrick LaMoria. "The EASA final STC is expected a week later," says LaMoria who adds that with American, Delta, Austrian and LAN all having started or completing system installation without the winglets it has been encouraged "to see better-than-expected aircraft modification times early in this program. Haeco recently completed its second installation on a Delta 767-300ER in 20 days." LaMoria says Haeco expects the conversion from fully provisioned wings to complete installation of the blended winglet system will take about two days. News of the 767 winglet STC comes as AeroTEC, a Seattle-based aerospace testing, engineering and certification company, closes in on completion of flight tests of the first 757-300 with APB winglets for Continental Airlines. The aircraft was sent to Continental's Los Angeles maintenance facility on Feb. 3 before starting test flights under AeroTEC at Tucson, Ariz. (AW&ST Feb. 9, p. 20). These will include full handling and flying qualities testing, as well as some nautical air miles (NAMs) flying to audit the fuel savings. Since baseline data is already available from the wing-let-equipped 757-200, AeroTEC says there will be less NAMs flying than on a normal first-of-model test. http://www.aviationweek.com **************** NTSB Reveal Details of Colgan Air Crash Autopilot, stickshaker use eyed as factors in accident Operations in icing conditions and pilot training are two factors under scrutiny by the NTSB as its investigation of Colgan Air Flight 3407 gets underway. Following any accident, speculation abounds. Key questions related to what caused Colgan's Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 to crash while on approach to Buffalo-Niagara International Airport on Feb. 12 include: Did the crew's use of autopilot in icing conditions doom the airliner? Did the pilots' mishandling of the stickshaker system lead to a violent pitch-up and fatal stall? The NTSB says it will be examining these and many other possibilities in the course of its probe, which it expects to complete in about a year. During Feb. 13-16, the safety board revealed major details learned during its on-site investigation. The Q400, powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada P&W150A turboprop engines, departed Newark (N.J.) Liberty International Airport at about 9:20 p.m. EST. Five crewmembers (two pilots, two flight attendants and an off-duty pilot) and 44 passengers were on board. Regional carrier Colgan Air, a wholly owned subsidiary of Pinnacle, operated the flight as Continental Connection. The flight release indicated the crew could expect to encounter moderate icing conditions from 4,000-25,000 ft. MSL. In addition, there was an 80% chance of encountering light-to-moderate icing conditions from the surface to 8,000 ft. Flight 3407 would be operating in light snow and mist with about 3-mi. visibility in light-to-moderate icing conditions-"Not a bad weather day," noted NTSB Member Steven Chealander, who led the briefings. "And so they chose to launch." On Feb. 12, Flight 3407 crashed into a residential neighborhood while on approach to Buffalo-Niagara International Airport. All 49 on board and one person on the ground were killed.Credit: AP/WIDE WORLD Preliminary flight data recorder (FDR) data indicate the pilots activated the deicing system about 11 min. after departure from Newark. Observing haze at 16,000 ft., the pilots asked controllers for clearance to fly at a lower altitudes, first to 12,000 ft. then to 11,000 ft. Air traffic control complied in both cases. A short time later, the crew reported "significant" ice buildup on the windshield and leading edge of the wings. Events unfolded quickly after the crew's report of ice accumulation. The landing gear was down about 1 min. prior to the end of the recording, and the upset started about 26 sec. before FDRs ended. The pilots, in preparation for landing, commanded flaps to 5 deg., then 15 deg. Then the stickshaker simultaneously activated, automatically disengaging the autopilot. Data indicate engine power was advanced and the crew tried to retract flaps and landing gear, likely an attempt to regain flying airspeed. During the upset, the Q400 was subjected to a series of severe pitch and roll excursions, reaching a maximum of 31-deg. nose-up and 45-deg. nose-low pitch attitude. While nose-low, the aircraft rolled to the left 46 deg. and back to the right, 105 deg., and was subjected to 0.75g-2g forces. The safety board says it will also be looking at pilot training at the airline, and the possibility that the pilots might have inadvertently pulled back on the stickshaker and caused the pitch-up. The aircraft crashed into a residential neighborhood about 5 mi. from the airport, killing all on board and one person on the ground. Investigators found all four corners (the cockpit, tail section and both wings) of the Q400, which was oriented in a flat position at a 070 deg. heading. The condition of the engines was consistent with high-powered flight, according to the NTSB. The aircraft deicing system was activated, according to the FDR data, although late last week the safety board was not yet able to verify if it was working properly. The investigative team located the propeller blades from each engine as well as the deicing valves. In addition, the aircraft's tail had been deiced and the boot system on both horizontal and vertical tail was turned on. FDR data indicate that the autopilot was engaged during the approach to Buffalo. But to say that the crew should not have been flying on autopilot in icing conditions is incorrect, notes Chealander. The NTSB Safety Alert, issued Dec. 18, 2008, advises pilots that it is best to disengage the autopilot so as to have "a manual feel" for the aircraft in terms of what is changing in the flight regime. However, Chealander notes that it is normal practice among airlines to use autopilot in certain weather conditions to help reduce crew workload during critical phases of flight, such as landing. The Q400 Airplane Flight Manual restricts autopilot use in "severe" icing conditions. The NTSB emphasizes, however, that investigators have not yet determined if severe icing conditions existed-and that "significant" is the term the crew used to describe the accumulation. Standard FAA weather terminology describes icing conditions as either "light, moderate or severe." The weather forecast called for light-to-moderate icing conditions. And ATC had received one Pirep (pilot report) indicating severe icing conditions near Dunkirk, N.Y., about 50 mi. southwest of Buffalo. Another Colgan Dash 8-Q400 departed Newark for Buffalo about 25 min. after Flight 3407, and landed safety at its destination. http://www.aviationweek.com *************** Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC