24 MAR 2009 _______________________________________ *Ice on wings becomes main focus in Montana crash *NTSB checks on plane overloading in Montana crash *NTSB: Witness Saw PC-12 Plunge Nose-Down In BTM Accident *Wind Shear Alert Preceded FedEx Narita Crash *Japan's Narita airport reopens main runway *Some past accidents involving MD-11 jets *Search called off after C-17 plane crash deemed false *Indonesian passenger jet makes emergency landing *In-flight entertainment systems raise safety issues *Northwest flight diverted after hole is found in engine *Nigeria: Air Safety Threatened As Engineers Vow to Go On Strike *************************************** Ice on wings becomes main focus in Montana crash WASHINGTON (AP) — Speculation over the crash of a single-engine turboprop plane into a cemetery shifted to ice on the wings Monday after it became less likely that overloading was to blame, given that half of the 14 people on board were small children. While descending Sunday in preparation for landing at the Bert Mooney Airport in Butte, Mont., the plane passed through a layer of air at about 1,500 feet that was conducive to icing because the temperatures were below freezing and the air "had 100 percent relative humidity or was saturated," according to AccuWeather.com, a forecasting service in State College, Pa. Safety experts said similar icing condition existed when a Continental Airlines twin-engine turboprop crashed into a home near Buffalo Niagara International Airport last month, killing 50. A possible aerodynamic stall in which ice causes the plane to lose lift, and the pilot's reaction to it, has been the focus of the Buffalo investigation. "It's Buffalo all over again, or it could be," said John Goglia, a former member of the National Transportation Safety Board. "Icing, given those conditions, is certainly going to be high on the list of things to look at for the investigators." Mark Rosenker, acting NTSB chairman, told reporters in Montana that investigators would look at icing on the wings as a factor. "We will be looking at everything as it relates to the weather," he said. The plane, designed to carry 10 people, crashed 500 feet short of the Montana airport runway Sunday, nose-diving into a cemetery and killing seven adults and seven children aboard. Relatives said the victims were headed to an exclusive resort on a ski vacation, and gave the children's ages as 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9, plus two 4-year-olds. Safety experts said finding the cause of the crash is likely to be significantly complicated by the absence of either a cockpit voice recorder or a flight data recorder, which isn't required for smaller aircraft that don't fly commercial passengers like airlines and charter services. Former NTSB chairman Jim Hall pointed to similarities between the Montana crash and a March 26, 2005 crash near Bellefonte, Pa., in which a pilot and five passengers were killed. The plane in both cases was the Pilatus PC 12/45 and was on approach to an airport. In both cases there were reports of conditions conducive to icing at lower elevations and witness reports that the plane appeared to dive into the ground. "I'm certain they are also going to look at the weather conditions at the time and the pilot's training," Hall said. He pointed to a recommendation on NTSB's "most wanted list" of safety improvements that FAA test the ability of turboprop planes to withstand a particular type of icing condition called "super cooled liquid drops" before certifying the aircraft design for flight. FAA officials have said they're working on that recommendation. "If you had some precipitation and the temperature was in the right range, that again is an area that investigators would look at," Hall said. Hours after the crash, federal investigators had focused on overloading as a possible cause. "It will take us a while to understand," Rosenker said. "We have to get the weights of all the passengers, we have to get the weight of the fuel, all of the luggage." Goglia said the Pilatus has a powerful engine for its size and is unlikely to be affected by the additional weight of a few children "unless they had an awful lot of baggage." Standard flight procedures are for the pilot to file a report on the plane's weight, including the weight of the passengers and the baggage and how that weight would be distributed around the plane, before taking off, safety experts said. Federal Aviation Administration certification records for the Pilataus PC-12-47, the type of plane that crashed, give the aircraft's maximum landing weight as 9,921 pounds, including a maximum baggage weight of 400 pounds stored in the baggage compartment at the rear of the cabin. The document doesn't specify a separate weight for passengers. Peter Felsch, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, said conditions measured on the ground not long after the 2:30 p.m. MDT crash were fair — winds of about 9 mph, 10 miles visibility, a temperature of 44 degrees Fahrenheit and a "broken cloud deck at 6,500 feet." The Pilatus PC 12/45 is certified for flight into known icing conditions, according to the manufacturers' Web site and pilots who have flown the plane. However, like all turboprop planes, it relies on deicing boots — strips of rubber-like material on the leading edge of the wings and the horizontal part of the tail — that inflate and contract to break up ice. That technology, which goes back decades, isn't as effective at eliminating ice as the heat that jetliners divert from their engines to their wings. One key in the Butte crash will be whether the pilot had changed the position of the aircraft's wing flaps for landing because changing the configuration of the wings by moving the flaps is where icing problems often show up, said Peter Goelz, a former NTSB managing director. There won't be any radar data of the plane's final moments for investigators to examine — like thousands of small airports, the Butte airport doesn't have a radar facility. The radar at the FAA's en route center in Salt Lake City, which handled the flight's last leg, doesn't extend as far as the Butte airport because of the mountains between. The last radio communication from the turboprop's pilot was with the Salt Lake City center when the plane was about 12 miles from Butte, said Doug Church, a spokesman for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. The pilot told controllers he intended to land at Butte using visual landing procedures rather than relying on instruments, which is not unusual, Church said. Rosenker confirmed that the pilot said nothing to controllers to indicate he was having trouble, including during radio conversations earlier in the flight when the pilot notified controllers he intended to divert from the flight's original destination of Bozeman, Mont., to Butte. "We don't know the reason for the requested change to the flight plan," Church said. "We don't know whether weather was a factor in Bozeman. There was no apparent reason given for the change in flight plan from Bozeman to Butte." John Cox, an aviation safety consultant and former crash investigator for the Air Line Pilots Association, said the lack of data means investigators will have to go "back to the old, traditional way of investigating aircraft accidents, looking at impact angles, looking at damage done to the aircraft, whether the engine was producing power or not." "Then they'll have to look for anything unusual — bird feathers, a piece missing off the engine — it will be a series of exclusions," Cox said. "It will be sketchy, and it will not be nearly as definitive as it would be if they had had one of the recorders." The particular plane that crashed Sunday was registered to Eagle Cap Leasing Inc. in Enterprise, Ore. It wasn't listed on any air carrier's operating specifications and therefore couldn't carry passengers for hire, but that wouldn't preclude leasing, FAA spokesman Les Dorr said. **************** NTSB checks on plane overloading in Montana crash AP – NTSB investigators, local police and members of the sheriff department investigate the scene of fatal … The plane was likely designed to carry a total of 11 people, including two pilots, Mark Rosenker, acting chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said at a news conference. Officials said seven adults and seven children were killed in the crash. "It will take us a while to understand," Rosenker said. "We have to get the weights of all the passengers, we have to get the weight of the fuel, all of the luggage." Rosenker said he did not know the ages of the children, and it was possible that a very small child would be on the lap of an adult, he said. "We are going to have to try to understand how and why there were an additional three people (over the assumed configuration) on the aircraft," Rosenker said. Some luggage was retrievable for weight and measurement analysis, he said. Also, federal aviation officials said the plane didn't have a cockpit voice recorder or flight data recorder that investigators use to help determine the cause of an accident and the craft wasn't certified to carry commercial passengers. The turboprop plane left Oroville, Calif., headed for Bozeman, Mont., but changed course to Butte, where it crashed on final approach Sunday. The pilot gave no indication to air traffic controllers that the aircraft was experiencing difficulty when the pilot asked to divert to an airport in Butte, Rosenker said in an e-mail earlier in the day. Rosenker said there was "no indication of any trouble when the diversion was requested to ATC (air traffic control)." The plane crashed Sunday afternoon just short of the Bert Mooney Airport in Butte. Like thousands of small airports across the country, the Butte airport doesn't have radar control. It was the worst plane crash in America since a commuter plane last month fell on a house in a suburb of Buffalo, N.Y., killing all 49 passengers and a man in the home. Before the Buffalo crash there hadn't been an accident involving a commercial airliner in the U.S. in which there were fatalities in more than two years. Rosenker confirmed that people aboard the plane were planning to meet others in Bozeman to ski. A witness said the plane jerked to the left before nose-diving into a cemetery. Kenny Gulick, 14, told CBS' "The Early Show" on Monday that he thought he was watching a stunt plane because the pilot was making so many turns. "He jerked the plane to the left too quickly and lost control of it, but that's just my guess," said Gulick. "And all of a sudden it went into a nosedive. I noticed the pilot trying to pull up but he was extremely low to the ground and he didn't pull up in time." On Monday, snow fell gently as investigators gathered before dawn at the scene of the crash in Holy Cross Cemetery, 500 feet short of Bert Mooney Airport. A California newspaper, the Napa Valley Register, reported on its Web site late Sunday that a family of five from St. Helena, Calif., including three preschoolers, was among the victims. With no radar at the Butte airport, a pilot approaching would normally switch to a radio frequency used by aircraft coming in and out of Butte to find out if there were any other aircraft in the area. Then the pilot would use visual flight rules and follow the procedures for landing at that airport. The plane was registered to Eagle Cap Leasing Inc. in Enterprise, Ore., said FAA spokesman Mike Fergus. He didn't know who was operating the plane. Eagle Cap's president is Irving M. Feldkamp of Redlands, Calif., corporate records show. FAA records show that he has been a pilot since 1994 and is certified for instrument flight. Feldkamp also is listed as president of Glen Helen Raceway in Southern California. There was no response Monday to phone messages left at the raceway seeking comment. A number in Redlands in Feldkamp's name was disconnected. The plane was a Pilatus PC-12. In Switzerland, Markus Kaelin, executive assistant to the chairman of Pilatus Aircraft, said the company had no comment. Steve Guidoni, of Butte, was driving by with his wife when he saw the crash. "It just went straight into the ground. I went over there to try to help. I thought maybe I would pull someone out of the fire." Guidoni said he saw luggage and seat cushions lying around, but no bodies. He said the biggest piece of the plane was the size of a kitchen table. "You wouldn't even know a plane was there," he said. Nick Dipasquale, 19, was working at a gas station across the street. "I heard a loud bang," he said. "It sounded like someone ran into the building." The plane took off from Brown Field Municipal airport in San Diego on Saturday evening and flew to Redlands, Calif., about 100 miles north, said Rachel Laing, a spokeswoman for the city of San Diego. It then left Sunday morning for Vacaville, Calif., according to Flight Aware, a Web-based service that tracks air traffic. From there it flew to Oroville, Calif., and on to Butte. ************** NTSB: Witness Saw PC-12 Plunge Nose-Down In BTM Accident Fourteen Reported Killed, At Least Half Were Children At a Monday morning press conference, Acting NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker told reporters the pilot of a Pilatus PC-12 that crashed Sunday adjacent to Bert Mooney Airport (BTM) gave "no indication of any trouble" prior to the crash. Air traffic controllers say the single-engine turboprop aircraft was on a routine IFR flight, with no immediate reports of deviations or other signs of difficulties. The aircraft had been handed off to the local traffic frequency at BTM prior to the crash. The last communication from the plane was a callout on the BTM common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF), advising the PC-12 was on final approach to runway 33, Rosenker added. Witness accounts suggest the pilot may have been attempting to go around when the crash occurred; Rosenker noted one who stated the plane was about 300 feet in the air, displaced to the side of the runway, when it suddenly nosed over "between 90 and 95 degrees" and impacted the ground. The aircraft crashed in a cemetery about 500 feet west of the runway, shy of midfield. The wreckage is consistent with a high-speed impact, with little to no large segments of the airframe remaining and the debris field confined to within 100 feet of the impact zone. Weather does not appear to have been a factor, with moderate winds, 10 miles visibility, a wide temperature/dewpoint spread and no precipitation at BTM at the time of the accident. Similar conditions were noted at Bozeman, the plane's intended destination; as ANN reported Sunday, the pilot diverted en route to Butte for as-yet unknown reasons. The FAA and NTSB have also revised the casualty count from the accident, stating one pilot and 13 passengers were onboard. Of those passengers, at least half were said to the children, though their ages are unspecified at this time. The accident flight originated in Redlands, CA, with stops in Vacaville and Oroville. The aircraft refueled in Oroville at around 11 am, Police Chief Kirk Trostle told The Associated Press. The aircraft was inflight for approximately 2.5 hours before the crash. A PC-12 typically accommodates between 7-10 adult passengers, including pilot(s), depending on interior configuration. Reports the plane was chartered for a youth skiing trip remain unconfirmed at this time. FMI: www.ntsb.gov, www.faa.gov aero-news.net ***** Date: 22-MAR-2009 Time: 2:30 pm Type: Pilatus PC-12/45 Operator: Eagle Cap Leasing Inc Registration: N128CM C/n / msn: 403 Fatalities: Fatalities: 14 / Occupants: 14 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Butte, Montana - United States of America Phase: Approach Nature: Passenger Departure airport: KOVE Destination airport: KBTM Narrative: A plane thought to be carrying children on a school ski trip last night nose-dived into a cemetery in Butte, Montana. The plane nosedived into a cemetery and burst into flames. The aircraft was believed to have been suffering technical difficulties and had diverted from its original flight path to Butte, Montana (BTM) USA, but crashed prior to arrival. There are no survivors. (aviation-safety.net) ************** Wind Shear Alert Preceded FedEx Narita Crash Japanese meteorologists warned of a risk of wind shear at Tokyo's Narita Airport the night before a FedEx MD-11 crashed on landing this morning, killing the two crew members aboard. Winds were reaching 72 km/h. (39 kt.) at the time of the accident, about 6:49 a.m. local time (21:49 GMT). The aircraft crashed on the longer of Narita's two runways. A video shown on television shows that the aircraft's main gears touched down first but the nose then dropped heavily. The aircraft bounced and flipped over as flames exploded from the wing. The local weather observatory issued a warning of wind shear after the weather became rough on Sunday evening, Kyodo News reports. The aircraft was operating FedEx Flight 80 from Guangzhou in southern China. The crew members have been identified as captain Kevin Kylemosley, 54, and copilot Anthony Stephen-Pino, 49. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) dispatched a team of experts from Washington to help Japan with the investigation of the crash. Japanese authorities will lead the investigation. The NTSB designated Senior Air Safety Investigator John Lovell as U.S. accredited representative. He is joined by two additional NTSB investigators, along with representatives from the FAA, Boeing and ALPA. According to the NTSB, the aircraft burned after it came to rest. AviationWeek will provide updates as details unfold. http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/FEDCRASH032309.xml& headline=Wind%20Shear%20Alert%20Preceded%20FedEx%20Narita%20Crash&channel=co mm ***** Status: Preliminary Date: 23 MAR 2009 Time: 06:48 Type: McDonnell Douglas MD-11F Operator: FedEx Registration: N526FE C/n / msn: 48600/560 First flight: 1993 Engines: 3 Pratt & Whitney PW4460 Crew: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Airplane damage: Written off Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Tokyo-Narita Airport (NRT) (Japan) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: Cargo Departure airport: Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN/ZGGG), China Destination airport: Tokyo-Narita Airport (NRT/RJAA), Japan Flightnumber: 80 Narrative: FedEx flight 80 departed Guangzhou (CAN), China on a cargo flight to Tokyo-Narita (NRT). The MD-11 landed in high winds on runway 16R/34L. The airplane is understood to have bounced on first touchdown, then dropped from 50-100 ft onto the nosewheel at which point, the plane rapidly banked to the left. The port wing impacted the ground and a fire erupted. The MD-11 rolled further onto its back and slid off the runway. Weather reported around the accident time (21:48 UTC): 2009/03/22 21:00 RJAA 222100Z 30013G28KT 260V330 9999 FEW020 13/M01 Q0998 NOSIG RMK 1CU020 A2948 2009/03/22 21:00 RJAA 222100Z 30013G28KT 260V330 9999 FEW020 13/M01 Q0998 NOSIG 2009/03/22 21:08 RJAA 222108Z 31025G35KT 9999 FEW020 12/M01 Q0998 RMK 1CU020 A2949 2009/03/22 21:30 RJAA 222130Z 32026G40KT 9999 FEW020 12/M02 Q0999 WS R34L NOSIG 2009/03/22 21:30 RJAA 222130Z 32026G40KT 9999 FEW020 12/M02 Q0999 WS R34L NOSIG RMK 1CU020 A2952 P/RR 2009/03/22 21:30 RJAA 222130Z 32026G40KT 9999 FEW020 12/M02 Q0999 WS R34L NOSIG (aviation-safety.net) ************** Japan's Narita airport reopens main runway TOKYO, March 24 (Reuters) - Japan's Narita airport reopened its main runway on Tuesday, after a fatal cargo plane crash that disrupted the plans of thousands of passengers. A FedEx Corp (FDX.N) cargo plane crashed as it landed in strong winds on Monday, killing the two American crew in the first fatal crash at Tokyo's main international airport since it opened three decades ago. [ID:nT164462] The crash meant the airport could only operate on a second, much shorter, runway for the rest of the day. Japan Airlines Corp (9205.T), the country's main international airline, cancelled 22 flights while All Nippon Airways (9202.T) cancelled 17 flights. Japan's meteorological agency had issued an advisory of gales for the area around the airport, and a local observatory said it had notified airlines of possible wind shear -- a condition in which wind speed and direction can suddenly change. The MD-11 plane, flying from Guangzhou, was a freighter made by McDonnell Douglas, a unit of Boeing Co (BA.N). http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUST23184 920090324 *************** Some past accidents involving MD-11 jets TOKYO (AP) — An MD-11 aircraft operated by FedEx crashed Monday at Tokyo's main international airport, killing its two-member crew. Though largely retired from passenger use for economic reasons, the MD-11 aircraft is still employed for cargo transport. It was involved in three fatal crashes and 54 other safety-related incidents from 1992-2006, according to the U.S. National Transport Safety Board database. No fatal accidents have occurred since 1999: _ August 1999: A China Airlines MD-11 passenger jet flipped over and burst into flames, killing three people and injuring more than 200 after landing in a storm in Hong Kong. _ April 1999: A Korean Air cargo MD-11 jet crashed in Shanghai, China, slamming into a construction site and makeshift housing for migrant workers, killing nine people, including five on the ground. _September 1998: A Swissair airliner flying from New York to Geneva crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Canada, killing all 229 people aboard. The pilot reported smoke in the cockpit and attempted an emergency landing at Halifax International Airport. _ July 1997: A FedEx cargo plane landed hard, flipping over on its back and snapping off a wing as it skidded down the runway in a fireball at Newark, N.J. All five people aboard crawled to safety out a cockpit window. _June 1997: A Japan Air Lines MD-11 had severe pitching during its final approach to Nagoya, central Japan, injuring 12 people, four of them seriously. _April 1993: A China Eastern Airlines jet heading from Shanghai to Los Angeles pitched violently after wing slats were improperly extended. Two passengers died and about 150 others were injured over the Aleutian Islands. **************** Search called off after C-17 plane crash deemed false Emergency crews call off search for C-17 transport plane Initial Air Force reports of a crash were incorrect, Air Force spokesman says Police reported that callers said a plane was flying low to ground, then crashed (CNN) -- Emergency crews called off a search in Texas for the wreckage of a C-17 transport plane after reports Monday of a possible crash proved unfounded. Callers to the Olney Police Department said they saw a low-lying plane, and a spokesman for Sheppard AFB initially reported a crash, but then retracted the report. Air Force officials said an Air Force C-17 had been flying at low altitude near Olney, but the plane returned safely to Altus Air Force Base in southwest Oklahoma. **************** Indonesian passenger jet makes emergency landing JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — An Indonesian passenger jetliner made an emergency landing Monday after encountering engine failure while flying at 2,000 feet (600 meters), airline official said. The plane with 122 passengers and crew onboard managed to land safely at Batam island in western Indonesia, and no one was injured, said Sriwijaya Air spokeswoman Ruth Simatupang. The Boeing 737-200 operated by the small commercial airline ran into difficulties shortly after taking off on an 80-minute flight from Tanjungpinang airport on Bintan island to the capital, Jakarta. The plane was still ascending when crew requested permission to make an unscheduled landing at the nearest airstrip, Batam, said airport official Indah Irwansyah. Batam lies just south of Singapore. Airline accidents have killed more than 120 people in Indonesian in recent years, prompting the European Union to ban all Indonesian carriers from landing there in 2007. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration downgraded the country's rating to its lower category around the same time. Sriwijaya Air is one of dozens of privately held carriers to emerge since Indonesia started deregulating the industry in the late 1990s, bringing cheap air travel to the sprawling island nation. Aviation authorities have warned that rapid growth, weak industry regulation and poor maintenance could lead to fatal accidents. **************** Northwest flight diverted after hole is found in engine A hole in one of two engines on a Northwest Airlines jet flying from the Twin Cities to Phoenix diverted the flight to Denver on Monday. The Boeing 757-200, which left the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport shortly after 9 a.m. with 165 passengers, landed at Denver International Airport without incident, said airline spokeswoman Leslie Parker. "At no time were the passengers in danger," Parker said, "and the engine remained fully functional for the entire flight." Passengers were notified by the crew about two hours into the flight about a "hole in one of the engines," said passenger Lisa Pulkrabek of Hudson, Wis. Pulkrabek, a business traveler, said she felt a "weird vibration" shortly before the twin-engine jet landed. "There were lots of fire engines greeting us at the terminal," she said. The crew "did a wonderful job," Pulkrabek said. "The pilot was very calm." Parker described the problem as "a hole in the left engine inlet" and added that it's too early to determine a cause. http://www.startribune.com/local/41699047.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:D W3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUsA **************** In-flight entertainment systems raise safety issues Some safety advocates are questioning airlines' increasing use of the use of more sophisticated in-flight entertainment systems. MOST REPORTS SINCE 1998 Delta and JetBlue have filed with the Federal Aviation Administration the most reports about in-flight entertainment system difficulties since Sept. 2, 1998. A Swissair jet crashed that day, and its entertainment system was subsequently banned by the FAA and other nations' aviation authorities. Number of reports: Airline 9/3/98 to 2/9/09 '08 '07 '06 '05 '04 '03 Delta 92 4 7 8 8 11 11 JetBlue 85 7 13 14 17 27 5 United 35 11 1 1 0 1 3 American 19 0 3 1 1 0 3 Continental 14 2 2 0 6 2 0 US Airways 13 2 1 2 2 3 2 Source: USA TODAY analysis of FAA data USA TODAY - Frequent flier Ron Goltsch loves Continental Airlines' (CAL) entertainment system, which lets him choose from thousands of movies, TV shows, songs and games on long flights between Newark, N.J., and Frankfurt. Goltsch, an electrical engineer in Parsippany, N.J., is concerned, though, that the system under each seat's arm rest generates too much heat — 105 to 115 degrees — when not in use. "That's not a good thing," Goltsch says. "Heat and electronics don't mix well." In-flight entertainment systems, which are becoming more sophisticated and more common at every seat, are raising concerns among others, too. Airline maintenance workers filed nearly 400 reports of difficulty with the systems to the Federal Aviation Administration during the past 10 years, according to a USA TODAY analysis of FAA data. In the most serious cases, smoke from the systems forced pilots to shut them down and make emergency landings. The reports have alarmed safety advocates, many of whom are mindful of the Canadian government's claim that not enough safety improvements have been made since investigators cited an electrical wiring problem as the likely cause of a Swissair jet crash 11 years ago. That crash off the coast of Nova Scotia led the FAA and other countries' aviation authorities to ban the type of in-flight entertainment systems that were installed in first and business class on some big Swissair jets. "We could be setting ourselves up for a dιjΰ vu disaster," says Mary Schiavo, a former inspector general for the U.S. Department of Transportation. Continental, the FAA and other airlines say Goltsch and other travelers have little to worry about. In-flight entertainment systems are safe, they say, and not all reported incidents stemmed from the systems or posed a safety hazard. But Schiavo and other aviation safety advocates question whether airlines are raising the risk of serious trouble in the air by installing more electronic equipment — such as seatback TV screens and personal video systems at each arm rest — for the pleasure of passengers. "Any time more wiring is added to an aircraft, there is more chance for something to go wrong," Schiavo says. Most reports filed with the FAA tell of burning odors or smoke in the passenger cabin or cockpit: •A JetBlue (JBLU) Airways Airbus A320 jet was flying on Oct. 8 when two loud "pops" were heard coming from the entertainment system in row 20. A "strong electrical smell" subsided after power to the in-seat TVs was shut off. •A Continental Airlines Boeing (BA) 757 jet, flying over the Atlantic Ocean on June 24, made an emergency landing on Terceira Island in the Azores, more than 970 miles west of Lisbon, Portugal, after a video monitor in the first row overheated. An electrical smell filled a galley and the cockpit. •A US Airways (LCC) Airbus A320 jet en route from Philadelphia to San Juan, Puerto Rico, made an emergency landing in Bermuda on April 26 after smoke and a burning odor emanated from a passenger entertainment system box for two coach seats. •The entertainment system was turned off to clear smoke on a United Airlines Boeing 767 jet on Jan. 29, 2008. A short circuit was suspected, and "evidence of burning" was found inside a video distribution box under row 17. Maintenance workers aren't the only ones reporting problems. Pilots and flight attendants have lodged them with NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System, a small office that aims to improve air safety by collecting voluntary reports of aviation incidents and identifying deficiencies. Many airline personnel aren't aware of the agency's reporting system. A NASA data search at USA TODAY's request found 44 such reports — all except one from pilots and flight attendants — about incidents that occurred from 1999 through 2008. The exception was a report from an airline technician. The reports don't identify airlines by name, to protect the identity of the person reporting the incident: •On a Boeing 767 flight last August, a flight attendant noticed "a smell that could be described as burning wires." The video system stopped working, smoke entered the cockpit, and the plane returned to the airport, where it landed safely. •On a Boeing 757 flight last May, pilots put on oxygen masks and smoke goggles, and declared an emergency landing after a controller for a video system became very hot, and an "acrid smell," and "wisps of smoke" were detected in the cockpit. After the plane landed safely, firefighters found melted rubber on a wire bundle related to the controller. Using the oxygen mask and goggles while landing the plane "was dangerous — extremely cumbersome and confusing," the captain reported. Reports 'taken seriously' The FAA, aircraft manufacturers and airlines say the number of incidents — which represent a tiny fraction of the 10 million or so flights made by U.S. airlines annually — shouldn't alarm travelers. They say they closely monitor or investigate all reports of trouble and take action when needed to ensure safety. "The FAA takes all reports of smoke and fires very seriously," spokesman Les Dorr says. "We ensure all necessary actions are taken to determine the event's root cause and to identify any needed safety actions." Passenger jet makers, such as Airbus and Boeing, install entertainment systems on new planes. On older planes, entertainment-system manufacturers often use contractors to install them. Airbus says it's impossible to address all incidents reported to the FAA with a single statement, because each one needs to be examined in detail. However, the European aircraft maker says, the reports are a valuable tool in pointing up potential problems. "Although manufacturers try to design and produce systems that will not fail, real life shows that it may not always be the case," Airbus says in a written statement. "What is important, therefore, is the ability of the system to detect an anomaly and to prevent it from getting worse." Boeing, the U.S. jet manufacturer, says in a written statement that it "investigates and analyzes each event reported to us for safety implications." It works with airlines, it says, "to make sure appropriate measures are taken to eliminate future events." David Castelveter, vice president of the Air Transport Association of America, which represents 17 U.S. airlines, says the FAA reports "can help flag for further research potential issues that may be common or recurring." He says, however, that some problems reported on entertainment systems later were traced to other sources, such as a coffee maker, de-icing fluid or air-conditioning equipment. Airlines say that they adhere to FAA requirements for the systems and that their priority is passenger safety. The FAA doesn't track how many planes have in-seat entertainment systems. But Delta Air Lines (DAL) has filed the most incident reports (92) since August 1998, according to available FAA data through mid-February. More than 230 of Delta's approximately 1,000 planes have in-seat entertainment systems, says Betsy Talton, the airline's spokeswoman. "The safety and security of our passengers and crew is Delta's No. 1 priority, and we are compliant with FAA regulations," she says. JetBlue Airways, which began flying in 2000 and has attracted passengers with an in-seat entertainment system on its 170 planes, has filed 85 reports. JetBlue encourages its crews to report all "potential in-flight odor, smoke or fire events," says spokeswoman Jenny Dervin. The airline "believes the cornerstone to in-flight safety starts with early detection, communication and analysis of all events," she says. The airline, which says its planes with entertainment systems at every seat require 2 more miles of wiring than those without them, will continue to offer passengers more electronic capability on flights. In December, the airline flew its first flight with e-mail and instant messaging, and plans to similarly equip all its planes. "The goal is not to decrease the amount of wiring by eliminating in-flight entertainment systems but to ensure that the wiring installed provides the highest level of safety," Dervin says. Worst-case scenario For safety advocates, Swissair Flight 111 is a symbol of the potential dangers that wiring problems can pose. On Sept. 2, 1998, two pilots on the flight detected an "unusual" odor and donned oxygen masks after smoke entered the cockpit of a McDonnell-Douglas MD-11 jet flying from New York to Geneva. A fire had started behind the cockpit. The jet, retrofitted with an in-seat entertainment system manufactured by a now-defunct U.S. company, Interactive Flight Technologies, crashed into the ocean about 73 minutes after it took off from New York's JFK airport. Canadian accident investigators cited the FAA for poor oversight of the installation and certification of the entertainment system. Investigators said an electrical wiring problem was the most likely cause of the fire but weren't sure which of the jet's wires was responsible. Wiring expert Ed Block, a member of an FAA wiring advisory committee from 2001 to 2004, says the FAA and the airline industry haven't learned the lessons of Flight 111. Adding more miles of wire to planes "is beyond foolhardy," he says, adding that the FAA should establish wire performance tests and mandate what type of wiring is safest. Steps taken, doubts remain Since the Swissair crash, the FAA has taken some steps to improve wiring safety. In a written statement, the agency says it has "enhanced" requirements for the design and maintenance of wiring systems, and required passenger jet makers to install more flame-resistant insulation materials in new planes. Insulation material caught fire on the Swissair flight. The new requirements "will minimize the occurrences of smoke and fire," as in-flight entertainment systems "become more complex," the FAA says. But more than a decade after the accident, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, which investigated the crash, says "work still remains to be done" on 18 of 23 recommendations it made to prevent another tragedy. Among other concerns, the board says action hasn't been taken to ensure all insulation materials are fireproof and establish a test to evaluate wiring failures under "realistic operating conditions." Gail Dunham, executive director of the National Air Disaster Alliance & Foundation, questions whether safety is being compromised so that passengers can be entertained. The foundation, which is composed of many relatives of air crash victims, is part of an FAA safety advisory committee. She says she's concerned that airlines are installing equipment before determining "accurately and scientifically if the wiring in those systems is absolutely safe." Frequent flier Goltsch has similar concerns, but he likes "the bells and whistles" airlines are adding to planes. The entertainment makes the time go quicker, he says, especially on long overseas flights. "However, if the new systems cause problems, leave them off the plane," he says. "A good book is also a fine way to pass the time onboard." http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2009-03-22-electronics-fires-airlines _N.htm?loc=interstitialskip **************** Nigeria: Air Safety Threatened As Engineers Vow to Go On Strike Lagos — There could be flight hiccups from midnight tonight as the National Association of Air Traffic Engineers (NAAE) plans a strike over the inability of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to meet its demands. The NAAE had threatened to down tools last month because of disparity in the allowances of its members and those of Air Traffic Controllers (ATC), only to suspended the action as retrenchment swept away NAMA Managing Director, Ado Sanusi, and other management staff. The NAAE said it is now poised to go on strike since it still cannot reach an agreement with the new NAMA Managing Director, Ibrahim Auyo, and his management team. A letter written to Auyo by the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations Civil Services Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) lamented that their demands have not been met. The letter was signed by AUPCTRE General Secretary, S. O. Ejifoh, who, referring to a previous letter, noted that "in paragraph six, we conveyed to your (NAMA) management that if our demands are not resolved within seven days from the date of the letter; that is, February 19, 2009; your management will be deemed to have provoked an avoidable industrial action in the agency. "About one month after our letter referred to above, our demands have not been met. "The situation has seriously incensed our members, that is, Air Traffic Safety Electronics Engineers, who now believe that your management considers them as second class employees, whose genuine and moderate demands should be treated with levity and indifference. "In the circumstance, while we opted not to be unduly provoked, if by Monday, March 23, 2009; that is, seven days from today, your management fails to formally approve our demands, it will be deemed to have provoked an avoidable industrial action by all staff of the Directorate of Safety Electronics and Engineering Services." The AUPCTRE requested the NAMA to ensure industrial relations that will inspire confidence between the management and the union and foster a sense of fairness and equity for all categories of workers. Ejiofoh warned that only the approval of the NAAE's demands will head off the strike. Last month, the NAAE threatened to withdraw its services from all airports, and warned local and foreign airlines to keep off Nigerian airspace which will not be manned technically. Glide scope, a component of Instrument Landing System (ILS), failed last week and all Abuja bound flights in the early hours of the day had to return to base in Lagos. Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Director General, Harold Demuren, was said to be on board an aircraft involved. http://allafrica.com/stories/200903231628.html *************** Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC