20 MAY 2009 _______________________________________ *Babbitt focuses on safety as he moves closer to top FAA post *98 killed in Indonesian military plane crash *NTSB Asks FAA For Action On MD-80 Concerns *Audit: FAA not realizing the full benefits of the Aviation Safety Action Program *Pick for FAA seeks tighter oversight of pilot training *Navy helicopter with 5 aboard crashes off SD coast *FAA To Hold First-Ever International Runway Safety Summit *Calls For Regional Safety Improvements Up *************************************** Babbitt focuses on safety as he moves closer to top FAA post Aviation safety will be the top priority for Randy Babbitt if the US Senate confirms him as FAA administrator. Issues such as pilot training and fatigue highlighted during the National Transportation Safety Board's hearing on the fatal Colgan Air Bombardier Q400 crash appear to colour Babbitt's plans for the agency. Colgan pilots did not receive stick pusher simulator training for Q400 aircraft prior to the 12 February crash. "We need to look at the training," President Barack Obama's nominee told members of the US Senate committee on commerce, science and transportation today. "We have today the ability to simulate in high-definition and high-fidelity simulators anything that can happen in an airplane. And why we're not doing that, we need to all look at." Babbitt also acknowledged the need to ensure that FAA is accountable and credible in delivering safety standards. Credibility with airlines will also be key for the agency to modernize the country's air traffic control system, Babbitt says. Some carriers are sceptical about investing in NextGen equipage without assurance from regulators that their investment will result in time and money savings, he adds. With regard to NextGen deployment, Babbitt says his strategy is to work with stakeholders to devise a plan. "We need to go to the places where the delays are the worst and sort of work backwards," he says. "Now, I'm not suggesting that we take the most delayed region in the nation and start there. I'd suggest we probably should open off Broadway, if you would, where we understand the technology [and] deploy it. Once we're convinced it's up and running, it comes naturally people will want to provide the equipage on the aircraft. And we'll be able to provide the metering, the spacing and the reduced separation and higher levels of safety that brings the benefit we hope to get from NextGen." A former Eastern Airlines pilot and head of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), Babbitt served on an independent review panel established by DOT last year to review FAA's safety oversight after a highly-publicised lapse of airworthiness directive compliance at Southwest Airlines. The Senate committee will hold an executive session to further discuss the nominees on 20 May. If the committee votes in favour of Babbitt, his nomination will be put up for a floor vote with the full Senate. Senate majority leader Harry Reid will determine the timing of the floor vote. Meanwhile, the subcommittee is readying to hold a hearing on regional airline safety. The first meeting will likely be on 10 June, but that date has not been finalized. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ************** 98 killed in Indonesian military plane crash MAGETAN, Indonesia (AP) - An Indonesian military plane carrying troops and their families crashed into a row of houses and burst into flames Wednesday, killing at least 98 people, the latest in a string of accidents plaguing the beleaguered air force. Black smoke billowed in the air as soldiers carried the injured past the burning wreckage of the C-130 Hercules - its tail resting upside down in a rice paddy and the rest of the charred fuselage scattered over several hundred yards (meters). Military spokesman Sagom Tamboen said the transport plane, built in 1980, plunged to the ground near an air force base in East Java province, slamming into a residential neighborhood and then skidding into a field. It was not clear what caused the crash, but several witnesses described seeing its right wing fall off while it was still in the air. "I heard at least two big explosions and saw flashes of fire inside the plane," said Lamidi, a 41-year-old peasant who was working in a nearby rice field and ran for cover. "The wing snapped off and fell to the ground." The plane was carrying at least 109 passengers and crew, including troops and their families, when it went down in Geplak, a village 325 miles (520 kilometers) east of the capital, Jakarta. At least 10 children were among them. At least 98 people were killed, including two on the ground, and 15 others were injured, said Bambang Samudro, chief of the military air base in Magetan. Many of the injured suffered severe burns. "Before the plane crashed, I heard several blasts and then it started wobbling from left to right," 2nd Pvt. Saputra said from his bed at the air force hospital. "It crashed to the ground and I was pinned under several people. I heard screaming before losing consciousness." The country's air force, long underfunded and handicapped by a recently lifted U.S. ban on weapons sales, has suffered a series of accidents, including a Fokker 27 plane that crashed into an airport hangar last month, killing all 24 onboard. The air force has operated C-130s - the backbone of its transport wing - since the early 1960s, when it received a batch of 10 from the United States in exchange for the release of a CIA bomber pilot shot down in 1958 while supporting an anti-government mutiny. About 40 more were delivered over the next 20 years, many secondhand and provided by Washington before the Clinton administration imposed sanctions on military deliveries because of violence that broke out during East Timor's 1999 break for independence. The air force complained that many of the planes quickly became unserviceable because of the lack of spare parts. Though the embargo was lifted several years ago, the air worthiness of many is still in question. Tamboen promised a full investigation of all military aircraft. There also have been a series of commercial airline crashes in recent years which killed more than 120 people. The EU responded by banning all Indonesian carriers from flying to Europe. ***** Status: Preliminary Date: 20 MAY 2009 Type: Lockheed C-130H Hercules Operator: Tentara Nasional Indonesia-AU (Air Force) Registration: A-1325 C/n / msn: 4917 First flight: 1982 Engines: 4 Allison T56A-15 Crew: Fatalities: / Occupants: 14 Passengers: Fatalities: / Occupants: 98 Total: Fatalities: 78 / Occupants: 112 Ground casualties: Fatalities: 2 Airplane damage: Written off Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: near Madiun-Iswahyudi Airport (Indonesia) Phase: Approach (APR) Nature: Military Departure airport: Jakarta-Halim Perdana Kusuma Airport (HLP/WIHH), Indonesia Destination airport: Madiun-Iswahyudi Airport (WARI), Indonesia Narrative: The Indonesian AF Hercules was on approach to MadiunMadiun-Iswahyudi Airport when it hit four houses before skidding into a rice field. It burst into flames on impact. The exact number of casualties is uncertain; two or three occupants of a house are also reported to have died. (aviation-safety.net) ************** NTSB Asks FAA For Action On MD-80 Concerns NTSB Safety Recommendations A-09-21 through A-09-28 The National Transportation Safety Board makes the following recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration: Evaluate the history of uncommanded air turbine starter valve (ATSV)-Open events in the MD-80 fleet and the effectiveness of coupling the ATSV-Open light to the Master Caution system to determine whether all MD-80 airplanes need to be modified to couple the ATSV-Open light to the Master Caution system. Once the evaluation is completed, require any necessary modifications. (A-09-21) Require principal operations inspectors to review their Operators' pilot guidance and training on task allocation and workload management during emergency situations to verify that they state that, to the extent practicable, the pilot running the checklists should not engage in additional nonessential operational tasks, such as radio communications. (A-09-22) Require MD-80 series airplane operators to incorporate information about the relationship between the pneumatic crossfeed valve and the engine fire handle into their training programs and written guidance. (A-09-23) Establish best practices for conducting both single and multiple emergency and abnormal situations training. (A-09-24) Once the best practices for both single and multiple emergency and abnormal situations training asked for in Safety Recommendation A-09-24 have been established, require that these best practices be incorporated into all operators' approved training programs. (A-09-25) Require that operators provide pilots with guidance requiring that pilots and flight attendants actively monitor exit availability and configure the airplane and cabin for an evacuation when the airplane is stopped away from the gate after a significant event to help expedite an emergency evacuation if one becomes necessary. (A-09-26) Revise Advisory Circular 120-48, "Communication and Coordination Between Flight Crewmembers and Flight Attendants," to update guidance and training provided to flight and cabin crews regarding communications during emergency and unusual situations to reflect current industry knowledge based on research and lessons learned from relevant accidents and incidents over the last 20 years. (A-09-27) Require Boeing to establish an appropriate replacement interval for air turbine starter valve air filters installed on all MD-80 series aircraft. (A-09-28) FMI: www.ntsb.gov/recs/letters/2009/A09_21_28.pdf aero-news.net ************** Audit: FAA not realizing the full benefits of the Aviation Safety Action Program The U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of Inspector General (DoT, OIG) carried out an audit to assess FAA's implementation of the Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) and identify any improvements that will help FAA to maximize the program's safety benefits. While ASAP is a potentially valuable safety tool, OIG found that FAA's ineffective implementation and inadequate guidance have allowed inconsistent use and potential abuse of the program. Further, FAA has not devised a method to fully compile data reported through ASAP for analysis on a national level. Therefore, little is understood about nationwide trends in the types of violations reported under ASAP, and ASAP reports do not help FAA determine whether systemic, nationwide causes of those violations are identified and addressed. As a result of these issues, ASAP, as currently implemented, is a missed opportunity for FAA to enhance the national margin of safety. To realize the full benefits of ASAP, FAA must improve the program in the following areas: (1) revising ASAP guidance to clarify which incidents should be excluded from the program, (2) emphasizing to employees that ASAP is not an amnesty program, (3) clarifying the Event Review Committee (ERC)'s authority and role in ASAP and ensuring ERC members are unbiased, (4) requiring inspectors to examine repetitive reports of ASAP-related safety concerns and enhancements to ensure effective corrective actions, and (5) developing a central database of all air carriers' ASAP reports that FAA can use for trend analysis at a national level. (DoT, OIG) (aviation-safety.net) ************** Pick for FAA seeks tighter oversight of pilot training WASHINGTON - The federal government may tighten its oversight of pilot training at regional airlines in the wake of the crash of Flight 3407, President Obama's choice to head the Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday as key senators pressed for improvements. "I think we need to look at the training" for pilots on regional carriers, said J. Randolph Babbitt, who is expected to win confirmation as FAA administrator in the coming weeks. At his confirmation hearing, Babbitt faced several questions about the Feb. 12 crash of the Continental Connection flight in Clarence Center, which claimed 50 lives. Outside the hearing, other senators pressed for an inspector general's investigation and stronger FAA oversight of regional airlines. Speaking in a packed committee room that included people who lost loved ones in the Flight 3407 tragedy, Babbitt said regional airlines had grown significantly in recent years. Col- gan Air, one of those regional carriers, operated Flight 3407 for Continental. As a result of that growth, new, less experienced pilots are flying smaller planes into unfamiliar airports, Babbitt said. "All of this adds together to make an environment that exposes them to a lot higher risk levels," he said, "and I think we are probably going to have to go back and look at some of this." As head of the Air Line Pilots Association in the early 1990s, Babbitt led a project called "One Level of Safety" that led to uniformity of pilot standards for major airlines and commuter carriers. Now, Babbitt said, it's time to ensure that this uniformity of standards is enforced. Questioned about Rebecca L. Shaw, the Flight 3407 co-pilot who was heard on the cockpit voice recorder to complain that she had never flown in icing conditions, Babbitt said better training could have made up for that. "We have ability to simulate . . . anything that can happen in an airplane" during training, he said. "And why were we not doing that? I think we have to look at that." In addition, Babbitt said he would re-examine the National Transportation Safety Board's "most wanted" safety regulations, which include tougher rules for flying in icing conditions and for preventing pilot fatigue. "I think we have an obligation to either adopt, modify and adopt or explain why we didn't adopt any particular recommendation," Babbitt said. Similarly, Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N. Y.,said Babbitt told him in a private meeting that he would implement safety board recommendations stemming from the Flight 3407 crash. Babbitt also told Schumer that if he decided against implementing any suggested changes, the senator and the Flight 3407 families would get a chance to change his mind. Those came as welcome comments to Schumer. "This guy is a breath of fresh air," said Schumer, who is not on the Commerce Committee. "He is not like the old FAA, which was of, by and for the airlines and of, by and for [the White House's Office of Management and Budget]. He knows to put safety first and the passenger first." Senate Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Byron L. Dorgan, D-N. D., said during the hearing that he was "staggered" to hear that Shaw had commuted from Seattle for her flight from Newark, N. J., to Buffalo and that Flight 3407's pilot, Capt. Marvin D. Renslow, had failed five flight tests, three before being hired by Colgan and two afterward. "There's something wrong here," Dorgan said. "Is it just this airplane? Just this crew? Or is it a system that's developed and evolved over a lengthy period of time in which we have dramatically different standards in various cockpits on commercial planes?" Dorgan and three colleagues - Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W. Va.,and Republican Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas and Jim DeMint of South Carolina - have written to Transportation Department Inspector General Calvin L. Scovel III to request a probe into safety enforcement at regional airlines. In addition, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, have written to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to say the FAA's lack of oversight was a factor in the Flight 3407 crash. "Providing stricter oversight of commuter, or regional, aircraft must be front and center for the FAA," they wrote. Friends and relatives of the Flight 3407 victims met with Babbitt last week to discuss such issues. After witnessing Tuesday's hearing, Kenneth Mellett - the father of jazz musician Coleman T. Mellett, who died in the crash - said that Babbitt brings "an opportunity for improvement" but that "it will depend with how well he deals with the bureaucracy." The hearing did give some indication that Babbitt knows how to deal with the senators. When Hutchison asked him whether "NextGen," the FAA's effort to modernize the national airspace system, was his top priority, Babbitt replied: "Safety will be my No. 1 priority." http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/676924.html *************** Navy helicopter with 5 aboard crashes off SD coast SAN DIEGO (AP) - The Coast Guard says a Navy helicopter with five people aboard has crashed into the ocean 13 miles south of San Diego near the Coronado Islands. Coast Guard Petty Officer Henry Dunphy says the Navy reported the crash of the HH60 Seahawk helicopter shortly before midnight Tuesday. Dunphy says Coast Guard helicopters and boats along with San Diego Harbor police and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents are searching the area for survivors. There's no word on whether any wreckage or survivors have been discovered. Dunphy didn't know from where the helicopter had taken off and Navy officials didn't immediately respond to phone messages left early Wednesday. *************** FAA To Hold First-Ever International Runway Safety Summit Aviation safety professionals including pilots, air traffic controllers, researchers, aviation executives, government leaders and labor officials from around the world will convene in Washington, D.C., Dec. 1-3, 2009, for the premier International FAA Runway Safety Summit hosted by FAA and co-sponsored by AAAE and MITRE Corp. The three-day event will take place at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street NW, Washington, DC 20008. The International Runway Safety Summit is aimed at bringing together important operational elements of the world's aviation community to discuss, review and assess hundreds of runway safety initiatives -- past, present and future. Representatives from airlines and other pilot groups, airports, governments, regulatory agencies, labor organizations, air traffic management organizations, engineering and manufacturing companies, and other key industry participants will come together for the event. "By bringing these individuals together, we will not only be able to evaluate our progress to improve runway safety to date, but also will set a course for the future of runway safety worldwide," said Wes Timmons, FAA's director of the Office of Runway Safety, which is hosting the summit. "Runway safety is a key focus of airport operators everywhere," said AAAE Senior Executive Vice President Spencer Dickerson. "The airport community welcomes the opportunity to contribute to this important gathering of aviation safety experts and industry stakeholders." More than 500 attendees are expected to attend this first-ever, FAA-led international gathering of the runway safety community, which will engage in and contribute to one of aviation's most challenging objectives--the substantial reduction and eventual elimination of runway incursions and excursions worldwide. Panelists will discuss runway safety initiatives around the world from the perspectives of all industry stakeholders. An exhibit hall showcasing the latest services and technologies being used to enhance runway safety will augment the educational sessions. For more information on attending the meeting or exhibiting, contact Jacky Sher Raker at (703) 824 0504 or send an email to faaintlrunwaysafetysummit@aaae.org. Members of the media interested in covering the event can contact FAA's Joe Ponte at (202) 385-4789 or joe.ponte@faa.gov, or AAAE's Sean Broderick at (703) 824 0504 or sean.broderick@aaae.org. ************** Calls For Regional Safety Improvements Up Urgent calls for safety improvements in regional carrier operations are rising rapidly in the wake of the Feb. 12 crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 near Buffalo, N.Y. On June 10, Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D), chairman of the Senate aviation subcommittee, plans to schedule the first in a series of hearings that will examine airline safety and the "urgent need" to set a single standard for regionals and major airlines. In a May 13 letter to Colgan Air President George Casey, Rep. John Boccieri (D-Ohio) emphasized that the carrier deserves "a significant amount of scrutiny regarding its policies and practices." Boccieri asked for a rundown of company policies as well as an extensive report of the minimum flight time requirements. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) Airline Division and the Business Travel Coalition (BTC) have joined forces in petitioning Congress to adopt a "coherent" national air transportation policy and set a single regulatory standard for all carriers. The current regional airline model comes under fire in the IBT/BTC's joint analysis of the Colgan Air accident in which 50 people died. The analysis notes that regionals operate more than half of all commercial aviation departures, which are expected to increase to 268 million in 2025 from 154 million this year. And while the carriers seek to operate efficiently, the study notes "the model itself - which appears to be compelling participants to compete themselves inexorably towards the lowest possible cost - appears incompatible with optimum safety, security and customer service." Many in industry and government were unaware of how regionals functioned-- or of the safety pitfalls its unique operating environment created - until the NTSB's May 12-14 fact-finding hearing on Colgan Air Flight 3407. According to Sen. Dorgan, the hearing "disclosed some very serious problems that need to be corrected immediately." In testimony, a general portrait of regionals emerged: A world in which low-time, low-paid, inadequately trained, fatigued pilots are flying several legs per duty day, which can last up to 16 hours, several days a week. Colgan Air testified it requires a minimum of 1,000 hours of total flight time plus a minimum of 100 hours of multi-engine time. Its first officers earn an average of $23 per flight hour. Captains earn $50,000-$60,000 per year. The NTSB determined that the captain lacked training in handling the stall warning/recovery system. The Dash 8-Q400, accumulating ice, entered an unrecoverable stall and crashed into a residential neighborhood. And the first officer can be heard on the cockpit voice recorder conversing with the captain about her lack of experience in icing conditions. As for fatigue, investigators determined that both pilots of Flight 3407 likely had insufficient rest prior to the flight. The first officer flew on a red-eye from Washington to Newark, N.J., from which Flight 3407 departed. The environment appears in sharp contrast with that of the majors, where pilots are required to meet more rigid hiring requirements, fly less frequent flights, and receive more stringent training and higher pay. The IBT/BTC analysis says passengers, whether flying a major or regional, have a right to expect the flights "will be operated by reasonably paid, carefully trained, fully experienced and career-oriented pilots." "It is important to raise awareness of safety issues, especially as industry prepares for what it sees as a coming attrition of feeder lines," notes Louis Smith president of FltOps.com, an Internet-based professional pilot career advisory service. "The industry spends millions of dollars in the analysis, development and selection of the next generation of aircraft-but how much does it spend for the next generation of professional aviators?" Smith notes that in 2007, smaller feeders were reducing minimum qualifications for new hires in anticipation of a pilot shortage. At the time, it was forecast that regionals would soon fall back to FAA minimum requirements, which, in turn, would result in increased training failures. In an effort to raise safety awareness of new hires, FltOps.com in the fall plans to add a safety education feature to its career conferences. This October's job fair will offer safety panels, including human factors issues, training technology and reviews of recent accidents. http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=comm&id=new s/SAFE051909.xml&headline=Calls%20For%20Regional%20Safety%20Improvements%20U p **************** Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC