14 APR 2009 _______________________________________ *Passenger lands plane in Fla. after pilot dies *ATC Helps Passenger Land King Air After Pilot Incapacitated *Nigeria: Nama Calibrates Navaids for Air Safety *Cause behind Medical Flight's crash *Air tour accidents in Hawaii decrease *American Begins Process Of Replacing MD-80s *Icing blamed for dual engine problem on departing DC-8F *NASA mulls 2010 shuttle retirement plans **************************************** Passenger lands plane in Fla. after pilot dies FORT MYERS, Fla. - A passenger landed a twin-engine plane in Florida after the pilot died in flight with a total of six people on board. Federal Aviation Administration officials say the pilot died after takeoff from an airport in Naples on Sunday. It was on autopilot and climbing toward 10,000 feet when the pilot died. The passenger who took over is licensed for single-engine planes but isn't certified to fly the larger King Air craft. An air traffic controller helped the passenger down by calling a friend in Connecticut who knows the King Air plane and relaying instructions. The plane landed safely at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers. The plane had been headed to Jackson, Miss. The names of the pilot and passengers have not been released. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/passenger_lands_plane *************** ATC Helps Passenger Land King Air After Pilot Incapacitated Turboprop Lands Safely At RSW Sunday Afternoon Three air traffic controllers working Miami Center on Sunday were heralded for their quick-thinking in helping a passenger land a Beech King Air 200, after the plane's pilot died shortly after takeoff. According to the Naples Daily News, the aircraft with six persons onboard had just taken off from Marco Island Executive Airport (MKY), bound for Jackson, MS. After checking in with Miami Center and as the plane climbed through 10,000 feet, the unidentified pilot was stricken... leaving the plane flying on autopilot. "Our controller who was working the afternoon rush tried to acknowledge him and give him climbing instructions and he never responded to us," recounted Steven Wallace, a representative for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association in Miami. Eventually, a new voice contacted ATC. One of the passengers -- rated to fly single-engine planes, but not complex twins -- had taken the controls, but he needed assistance in how to handle the much larger plane. Over the next 20 minutes or so, the controllers at ZMA worked to guide the King Air back safely to the ground... while also handling other aircraft through the busy airspace. "It's kind of like being the traffic policeman standing in the highway in the middle of rush hour," said Wallace. "The traffic on the highway doesn't stop. (The controller was) trying to work all of these other airplanes while this emergency was going on." A bit of serendipity came when one of the controllers, realizing the passenger could use some help from someone with experience in King Airs, called a pilot friend in Connecticut. The controller relayed instructions from that friend to the passenger onboard, telling him how to disconnect the plane' autopilot and providing a basic course in the plane's systems. With that assistance -- and with a big thanks to controllers around Fort Myers -- the passenger was able to safely land the King Air at Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW). "Controllers are a unique bunch of folks," said Wallace. "Not all of them know how to fly but when it comes to crunch time, you pull all of your resources together." Wallace also took advantage of the public relations opportunity to once again espouse NATCA's discontent with the state of labor relations with the FAA, after the agency forced a new contract on controllers three years ago. "The three here and at Fort Myers approach were all in a very unique situation where the FAA has cut their pay 30 percent and said, 'They're not worth what we pay them,'" Wallace said, clearly implying the events of Sunday proved otherwise. Per FAA procedures, the identities of the controllers who assisted the passenger have not been released. Authorities also did not disclose the identities of the people onboard the aircraft... including the pilot, who was later pronounced dead by personnel on the ground. FMI: www.faa.gov, www.natca.gov aero-news.net ************** Nigeria: Nama Calibrates Navaids for Air Safety Lagos - The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) will on Tuesday commence the second phase of flight calibration of navigational equipment at some airports across the country to further boost safety. Top on the list of the one-week exercise, is the flight-check on the newly installed Primary and Secondary Surveillance Radar at the Lagos airport while the Very High Frequency (VHF) radio and the Glide path on the international runway at the same airport would also be calibrated. According the General Manager (Public Affairs), Prince Supo Atobatele, other airports to be covered by the Dakar based firm- ASECNA, during the seven-day exercise, include Maiduguri, Gombe, Jos, Enugu, Port Harcourt and Calabar. Atobatele listed Navigational aids to be calibrated at these airports to include Instrument Landing System (ILS), Very High Omni-directional Radio Range (VOR), Distance Measuring Equipment (DME), Glide path, Precision Approach Instrument (PAPI) while the Instrument Approach Procedure (IAP) for Gombe airport would be carried out during the fight- check exercise. "Calibration of Navaids is a regular quality maintenance feature of NAMA and all equipment must pass the calibration test before being put to use," he said. The Federal Government recently entered into an agreement with neighboring countries as part of ongoing efforts to improve air safety in the country. The countries Chad, Niger Republic, Ghana, and Cameroon agreed on how to share radar data for aircraft that fly in their airspace for wider coverage and efficiency. The immediate past Managing Director of NAMA, Captain Ado Sanusi, explained that the agreement came as a fall out of the meeting between Nigeria's Minister of Aviation, Babatunde Omotoba and officials of the French Company, ATM Thales, the company that is handling the contract for the Total Radar Coverage (TRACON). Sanusi explained then that though the details of the agreement have not been spelt out, the sharing of radar data among the countries will improve air safety in the West African sub region. The former NAMA boss also spoke of plans to improve radio coverage of the Nigerian airspace even as he said efforts were in place to acquire state- of -the- art air navigation equipment this year, as well as raise the bar in service delivery for all user of the airspace. Sanusi explained then that the Lagos and Abuja segment of the TRACON will be completed in 90 days, affirming that NAMA has also signed a five maintenance contract with ATM Thales for the maintenance of the sophisticated equipment that will boost air safety. Sanusi further explained that the maintenance contract will be extended to 10 years, such that competent personnel from NAMA will understudy how to fix the equipment in a few years. He said that this year, NAMA will expedite action on the automation of all its systems for efficiency and improved service delivery, which will bring about robust and efficient infrastructure. "This year, NAMA will tackle all problems associated with communication. We shall also pursue performance based communication, through the exchange programmes we are running with IATA and the FAA," he said. Sanusi explained that the major obstacles the agency grappled with last year was its inability to access its funds allocated in the budget, in addition to the ripple effect brought about by the global financial melt down, which brought about a sliding value for the naira in acquiring spares for equipment as well as decline in revenue to the agency. http://allafrica.com/stories/200904140200.html ************** Cause behind Medical Flight's crash Insignia of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). One of the six NTSB teams has claimed that an error whereby the co-pilot activated the autopilot instead of the yaw damper may have led to the Medical Flight's Crash Michigan, April 13: According to a federal safety agency's report, an inadvertent activation of the autopilot by a co-pilot may well be the reason behind the June 4, 2007 Medical Flight's Crash. The possible cause of the crash has been arrived at from the simulation report of the flight's final minutes. The said report has been made by one of the six National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) teams looking into the crash. The report is from the Recorded Radar and Airplane Performance Study Group of the NTSB. The University of Michigan Survival Flight that took off from the General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee was carrying donated organs. Under a light rain, it banged into Lake Michigan, proving fatal for both its pilots and the four-member medical team on board. The report noted that the results of the simulation "are consistent with the co-pilot inadvertently hitting the autopilot button". The report claims that the co-pilot intended to activate the yaw damper in order to trim down the side-to-side oscillations of the aircraft. However, by mistake, he pressed the autopilot button. This meant that the plane resisted any human adjustments that were different from the autopilot's settings. The cockpit voice recorder had the sounds of the turned over switches and the words, "lights off yaw damper on" exchanged between the two-man crew. Capt. Steve Jones, head of operations at the College of Aviation at Western Michigan University, noted that both the buttons; the yaw damper and the autopilot, were next to each other, therefore the probability of the error is pretty high. In fact, aircraft makers have now redesigned the consoles to steer clear of such confusions. Other NTSB teams are investigating into the operations of the plane's owner, the weather, the plane's air worthiness, its maintenance records and cockpit voice recordings. The findings are to be submitted to five-member board later this year which will then pinpoint a probable cause. "There's rarely one factor that causes an accident. There may be a primary reason, but there are usually multiple secondary reasons," said Phil Frame, a former spokesman for the NTSB. http://www.themoneytimes.com/featured/20090413/cause-behind-medical-flight-s -crash-id-1063538.html *************** Air tour accidents in Hawaii decrease Technology, stricter rules, better communication credited for improvement HONOLULU - The number of accidents involving air tour companies in Hawaii has decreased this decade compared to the previous 10 years. An annual average of 2.5 accidents of tour aircraft occurred over the last 10 years, down from 3.6 per year during the 1990s. Nationally, there was an annual average of 13 air tour over the last decade, down from more than 18 per year over the previous decade, according to FAA statistics. The improvement is being credited to advancements in aircraft technology, stricter Federal Aviation Administration rules and better dialogue between tour firms and regulators. There were two air tour accidents in Hawaii last year. In mid-June, a plane crashed on the slopes of Mauna Loa that killed three. The National Transportation Safety Board has not released a report on the cause of the crash. The second accident involved a forced landing by a helicopter in February near Hilo that resulted in minor injuries to five passengers. Overall, there were 11 aviation accidents in the state last year, including six involving general or noncommercial aircraft. The FAA implemented a special air tour rule in Hawaii in 1996 that established a range of safety requirements and procedures. They included requiring tour flights that travel over the ocean to be equipped with floats or to provide passengers with flotation gear. The rules also set a minimum altitude of 1,500 feet and mandate that pilots file a helicopter performance plan before each flight and that passengers be given a briefing on water-ditching procedures. Officials found the rule changes to be successful, so it was extended to air tour operators across the country two years ago. But two fatal accidents in March 2007 involving Kauai tour helicopters spurred more action. The incidents served "as a wake-up call for the air tour industry itself," said Ian Gregor of the Federal Aviation Administration's Western-Pacific Region. The FAA assigned a third of its inspection staff at its Honolulu office, or about seven inspectors, to monitor helicopter and fixed-wing air tour operations. They check for compliance with FAA regulations and at times conduct covert surveillance of air tour operations, Gregor said. More inspectors are scheduled to be added in the next few months, he added. About three or four years ago, Hawaii air tour operators started their own safety working group, and industry associations have developed programs to help air tour companies improve their safety practices, said Dave Chevalier, owner of Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. "There's been a very concerted effort on safety, more than ever before in the air tour industry, and maybe that's bearing fruit," said Chevalier, whose firm operates on four islands. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30190966/ *************** American Begins Process Of Replacing MD-80s Takes Delivery Of Two New B737-800s American Airlines took an important step Monday toward modernizing its domestic fleet, by receiving two Boeing 737-800 aircraft on the eve of their maiden passenger flights. Employees, customers and public officials commemorated the arrival of American's first new 737-800s since December 2001 with ceremonies at company facilities in Chicago and Tulsa. The new airplanes, which go into service April 14, are the first of 76 737-800s scheduled to arrive through the first quarter of 2011. The 737s are American's first tentative steps to replacing many of the 250+ MD-80s that comprise the bulk of American's short-haul fleet. Those erstwhile twinjets, though well-established, are also comparatively inefficient and maintenance-prone. "Even as we battle many significant challenges, we must remain focused on our long-term future, which is what these new 737s represent," said Gerard Arpey, Chairman and CEO of AMR Corp., the parent company of American Airlines and American Eagle. "While our MD-80s remain an important part of our fleet and continue to serve our company and customers well, our new 737s are a vital investment that will benefit our customers, employees, shareholders and the communities we serve. They will help keep our product competitive while offering cost, environmental and operational benefits. "With today's economic realities causing many companies, including American, to cut back, we must continue to find ways to control costs and boost revenues. While it is a big decision to spend money on new airplanes, especially in tough times, not doing so could be more expensive in the long run." In spite of an increasingly challenging credit market, Arpey noted that American has been fortunate to be able to secure financing commitments to cover the majority of its expected 737 deliveries. "With the financing commitments we have in place, we now have the ability to finance our expected 737 deliveries well into the fourth quarter of 2010, and we continue to pursue a number of additional financing opportunities," Arpey said. New First Class and coach seats will provide improved living space and comfort. In addition, new "big bins" for overhead storage will significantly increase passenger cabin luggage storage capacity by allowing roll-aboards to be loaded wheels first, increasing standard roll-aboards storage capacity by almost double. Inflight entertainment will include 20 drop-down LCD monitors mounted in passenger service units under overhead storage bins. The new planes have 110V AC power available to all passengers -- a first in American Airlines fleet history and a customer convenience that ends the need for power adapters. There is one power port per seat in First Class and two ports per three seats in coach class. Over time, American also plans to equip these aircraft with AirCell's Gogo Inflight Internet service, which will allow passengers to surf the Web, check e-mail, and send instant messages conveniently from the air. American believes the 737-800s will burn 35 percent less fuel than an MD-80 on a seat-mile basis. They will also be outfitted with Blended Winglets, similar to those installed on American's current fleet. These wing tip extensions provide significant operating, fuel efficiency and environmental benefits, such as reduced noise on takeoff and approach and lower emissions through lower cruise thrust. The new deliveries will be added to American's current fleet of 77 737-800s and are intended to eventually replace American's fleet of approximately 270 MD-80s. FMI: www.aa.com aero-news.net *************** Icing blamed for dual engine problem on departing DC-8F Irish investigators believe engine icing on a departing McDonnell Douglas DC-8-63 freighter caused compressor stalls in both left-hand engines, prompting the crew to shut one powerplant down and return for an emergency landing. The aircraft, operated by US carrier Murray Air on the Shannon-Doha route, had been climbing through 900ft in conditions "probably conducive" to engine ice formation, says the Irish Air Accident Investigation Unit. Its engine anti-ice systems were not active during the climb and the outboard left-hand Pratt & Whitney JT3D engine experienced a compressor stall. The crew shut the engine down as a precaution, and called for an emergency return to Shannon, only for the inboard left-hand engine then to suffer a similar problem. The crew started running through the four-engine failure checklist and, because the minimum-control airspeed for simultaneous loss of same-side engines was 208kt, began descending rapidly - at 2,600ft/min, down to 1,100ft - to maintain airspeed. As part of the four-engine failure procedure the crew turned on the engine anti-ice. The engines subsequently stabilised, and the crew managed to restart the stopped powerplant before conducting an uneventful, albeit overweight, landing at Shannon. Investigators concluded that rapid icing of the engine nacelles led to the problem. In the wake of the 28 March incident last year, the carrier - now known as National Airlines - changed its procedures to urge crews to use engine anti-ice during departure in certain cold-weather conditions. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ************** NASA mulls 2010 shuttle retirement plans NASA managers are meeting this week to discuss the impact of ending projects that have been keeping open the possibility of an extension of the shuttle program, which is currently planned to end in 2010. NASA faces several challenges, including a tight budget, a 2010 deadline to end space shuttle operations, and a lack of concrete political support to fund additional flights or extend the current manifest. In a note to shuttle managers and engineers that was obtained by CBS News, shuttle program manager John Shannon outlined the issues in stark terms: You have heard me say that 'hope is not an effective management tool' on many occasions. It is my position that we cannot continue to spend money to retain the capability to fly additional space shuttle missions, hoping that someone will recognize the national assets we are giving up. We have to take our destiny in our own hands and manage within the limited budget we have been given and ensure that we will fly the full manifest and leave the International Space Station in the best configuration possible. NASA's most recent authorization act said the space agency should take no action that "would preclude the continued safe and effective flight of the space shuttle after fiscal year 2010" if the next president--Barack Obama, as it turned out--decided to delay the orbiter's planned retirement. Depending on how one does the accounting, that directive had the potential to cost the agency nearly $90 million. The Obama administration has expressed support for the addition of one shuttle flight to carry the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, an already-built, high-priority physics experiment, to the International Space Station. But the Office of Management and Budget said the administration is sticking with the 2010 shuttle retirement date. The Bush administration's deadline was the end of fiscal 2010, or September 30, 2010. The Obama administration has since told the space agency the deadline is the end of calendar 2010. Between now and then, NASA has nine shuttle flights planned, including the AMS mission. But only eight missions are currently funded. Money for the AMS flight has not yet been appropriated. "If we're going to make this thing work, we've got to focus 100 percent on those nine flights and make sure we get them done," said a senior NASA manager who spoke on background and asked not to be identified. "We can no longer continue to split our attention both ways. We're going to have to have a hard discussion with our folks...we're going to have to make those nine flights real. And that's what we're going to go do." The Obama administration has offered little visible guidance beyond support for the AMS flight and the shuttle deadline clarification. The president has yet to name a replacement for former NASA Administrator Mike Griffin, the Bush-administration appointee whose tenure ended with Obama's inauguration. Griffin inherited the job of overseeing the post-Columbia decision to complete the space station and retire the shuttle by the end of 2010 and to develop a new spacecraft to replace the shuttle. That vehicle, the Apollo-like Orion capsule and its Ares 1 rocket, is intended to ferry astronauts to and from the space station and, eventually, on to the moon. But the Orion/Ares system will not be ready for use until 2015. During the five-year gap between the shuttle's retirement and the debut of the new rocket, NASA and its international partners will have to hitch rides to the space station aboard Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Concern about reliance on the Russians has prompted several key lawmakers to lobby for additional funding to extend shuttle operations, stretching out the current manifest to close or narrow the gap. Rep. Bill Posey (R-Fla.), whose district includes the Kennedy Space Center, and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) introduced legislation earlier this month to extend shuttle operations beyond 2010 and to accelerate development of the Ares/Orion spacecraft. But so far, no such funding--or even money to cover the costs of simply keeping the extension option open--has been approved. Complicating the picture for NASA planners, there is a very real possibility that one or two of the final shuttle missions currently envisioned will slip into the October-December 2010 time frame, i.e., the first quarter of fiscal 2011. There is no money in NASA's projected 2011 budget for any shuttle operations beyond $300 million or so intended for retirement activities. As a result, NASA now plans to terminate work that kept open the option of a shuttle extension when the current legislation expires at the end of the month. "We don't have enough money to keep carrying various options to extend and add additional flights," said the NASA manager who spoke on condition of anonymity. Shuttle program managers were scheduled to meet Tuesday and Wednesday at the Kennedy Space Center for a quarterly budget review. The final missions on NASA's shuttle manifest are critical flights to deliver spare parts and supplies to the International Space Station, and NASA managers say they do not want to risk losing one because money that could have helped cope with technical problems or launch delays had been diverted to building hardware for flights that are not expected to be approved. http://news.cnet.com/8301-19514_3-10218473-239.html **************** Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC