01 JUN 2009 _______________________________________ * Missing jet reported short-circuit after turbulence * AI, Jet planes in near-collision at Mumbai airport (India) * Some fear trash center near airport would attract birds * Small airlines to face scrutiny by Congress * Flight curfew urged at Westchester airport * Latest: Phuket Airport Flight Crash Report Released * Bomb discovery forces return of Iranian plane * NTSB Expands Release of Accident Investigation Public Dockets Available on Website Beginning June 1 *********************************** Missing jet reported short-circuit after turbulence Mon Jun 1, 2009 7:48am EDT PARIS, June 1 (Reuters) - Air France said on Monday a plane that went missing on the way from Brazil to Paris had sent a message at 0214 GMT reporting an electrical short-circuit, after it had flown through a stormy area with strong turbulence. Flight AF 447 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris went missing with 228 people on board. It left Rio de Janeiro on Sunday at 7 p.m. (2200 GMT) and had been expected to land at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport on Monday at 11:15 a.m. (0915 GMT). (Reporting by Estelle Shirbon; editing by Crispian Balmer) http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSPAB00482020090601 *********************************** AI, Jet planes in near-collision at Mumbai airport 1 Jun 2009, 0027 hrs IST, Manju V & Chinmayi Shalya, TNN MUMBAI: Two aircraft carrying nearly 250 passengers between them were speeding down separate runways of the Mumbai airport on Sunday morning before aborting their take-offs, seconds before reaching the intersection point of the runways. The planes were seconds away from a collision, had they met at the intersection. At 7.57am, Air India's flight AI 348 to Delhi, with 119 passengers on board, was moving at 70 to 80 knots down the main Runway 27, when it was asked to abort take-off by Air Traffic Control (ATC). Jet Airways' flight 9W 651 to Kolkata, with 120 passengers on board, was simultaneously moving at 90 to 100 knots down Runway 14 when it aborted a take-off on its own after overhearing communication between the AI pilot and ATC. The AI flight was using an Airbus 310, which cannot reject a take-off once it reaches a `decision speed' of 122 knots. The Jet Airways Boeing 737 has a decision speed of 128 to 129 knots. After the incident, charges began to fly, with ATC saying that it had not cleared the Air India plane for take-off, but an Air-India spokesperson maintained that the clearance had been given. M G Junghare, general manager, Mumbai airport, who heads the ATC unit, said the AI pilots were not given take-off clearance. ``Take-off clearance was given only to the Jet Airways flight. However, soon after, a controller saw the AI flight rolling for take-off as well. Seeing this, he immediately advised the commander of the AI flight to abort take-off,'' said Jhungare. An AI spokesperson said their aircraft was cleared for take-off. ``The AI flight was cleared for take-off and after that the pilots were asked to hold,'' the airline spokesperson said. According to an AI source, a very clear instruction was given by the controller: ``AI 348 cleared for take-off, Runway 27''. The source added that, as per the norm, the pilot read the instruction back verbatim to the controller. ``After the Tenerife crash, a word like `take-off' is not used loosely. It is only used after an aircraft has lined up on the runway and is waiting for the permission to start rolling,'' said a senior commander. In the 1977 Tenerife crash on a Spanish island, miscommunication between pilots and controllers caused two Boeing 747s to collide on the runway, killing 583 passengers. ``The word `departure' is used when instructions to taxi or line up on the runway are given. Also, the pilot reads back the exact same statement and in this case he read back the take-off clearance to the controller,'' said a senior commander. A Jet Airways spokesperson said, ``Though our pilots were not given instructions to reject a take-off by ATC, they did it as a precautionary measure.'' The near-miss gains in significance when one considers that from today, the Mumbai airport has permission to operate its cross-runways simultaneously 24 hours a day. Till now the secondary runway, 14-32, was operated for only eight hours a day. The main runway, 09-27, runs east-west, while Runway 14-32 runs northwest-southeast. An airport source said, ``Both aircraft started rolling around the same time, which means they could have crashed into each other at the runway intersection.'' A few seconds after the AI aircraft began rolling towards take-off, an air traffic controller gave an urgent instruction to reject the take-off. ``For an A310, it was a low speed at which to reject a take-off,'' said a senior commander. However, the B737 had a high-speed rejection, said a B737 commander. ``It was pretty close,'' he added, pointing out that Runway 14 is shorter, so needs extra precautions. The cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders of the aircraft are now the focus of a probe. Director general of civil aviation, Nasim Zaidi, said that an investigation into the incident has begun. The cockpit voice recorders from both the aircraft have been downloaded. ``Pilots of both the airlines have been called for interrogation on Monday. We should be able to arrive at a conclusion in a couple of days,'' Zaidi said. The fortunate passengers left Mumbai later. The Jet Airways passengers finally left on a separate plane at 11.19am and the AI passengers left on the same plane at 1.48pm. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Air-mishap-averted-at-Mumbai-airpo rt/articleshow/4599936.cms *********************************** Some fear trash center near airport would attract birds USA TODAY Pilots and some elected officials are crying foul over plans to build a garbage transfer station that would be about 700 yards from the end of a runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport. The concerns center over whether the facility would draw birds to the area, possibly increasing the risk for a bird strike. New York City officials insist the trash would not pose a hazard, as it would either be kept inside containers or inside the building. The plan has drawn fire from several sources, including the co-pilot of US Airways Flight 1549. That flight splashed down in the Hudson River in January after losing power in both engines, the result of a bird strike shortly after taking off from LaGuardia Airport. "That's just insane," Jeff Skiles, co-pilot of Flight 1549, told the Associated Press regarding the garbage facility. "We have a lot of difficulty keeping birds away from airports as it is." http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/travel/2009-05-31-airport-checkin-l aguardia-cleveland-philadelphia_N.htm *********************************** Small airlines to face scrutiny by Congress By David Dykes . STAFF WRITER . June 1, 2009 Congress will begin moving next week to examine the safety of regional airlines that provide the overwhelming majority of flights out of airports the size of Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport. The hearings that will be launched by a Senate subcommittee will investigate the safety issues brought to light by the public release of transcripts of cockpit conversations between the pilots of Continental Connection Flight 3407 that crashed near Buffalo earlier this year, killing 50 people. Those issues stirred local and national debate over whether the pilots and planes at the small regional carriers are up to the standards - and held to them by the government - that the larger airlines flying the bigger jets have to meet. It's a poignant crossroads for Scott Mauer of Moore, whose daughter, Lorin, perished on Flight 3407. "I know in my heart of hearts she wants those people responsible for this tragedy to be held accountable," he said. "And then put into play the corrective actions to prevent it from happening again." The U.S. House of Representatives has called for a comprehensive review of all commercial airline pilot training and certification programs after National Transportation Safety Board hearings revealed what lawmakers said were a number of troubling findings surrounding the crash. Lawmakers said they were concerned about the crew's apparent lack of hands-on training and experience in the plane's safety systems, the pilot's failure to execute a proper stall recovery and nonessential cockpit conversation below 10,000 feet in violation of federal rules. House members approved an amendment introduced by Reps. Brian Higgins, Chris Lee and Louise Slaughter of New York that initiates a review by the Government Accountability Office of commercial airline pilot training and certification. The amendment was included in the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2009. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, said last week that the Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety and Security will review the FAA's role in the oversight of air carriers at a hearing on June 10 in Washington. http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20090601/NEWS/906010305/1069/YOURUPS TATE01 *********************************** Flight curfew urged at Westchester airport By Ken Valenti . klvalent@lohud.com . June 1, 2009 Local members of Congress want the federal government to consider blocking airplanes from taking off or landing at Westchester County Airport overnight. The House of Representatives has voted to ask the Federal Aviation Administration to consider a curfew. The airport now asks airlines and others to voluntarily refrain from flying between midnight and 6:30 a.m., but 10 or 11 airplanes still take off or land in that time period, judging from April numbers, county Transportation Commissioner Larry Salley said. Years ago, the airport held a mandatory curfew, but it was struck down in federal court in the early 1980s, Salley said. He added that County Executive Andrew Spano would like to see it put back in place. "We definitely support the legislation," Salley said. "The county executive has been pushing this for a very long time." The legislation was passed in the House last month as an amendment to the FAA Authorization Act of 2009. If passed by the Senate, it would require the FAA to consider establishing a curfew. Westchester County representatives would be allowed to make their case for one, said Matthew Dennis, spokesman for Rep. Nita Lowey, D-Harrison, who sponsored the amendment. Its passage was announced by Lowey and Reps. Eliot Engel of the Bronx and John Hall of Dover Plains, both Democrats. "It is critical for those who are most affected by air noise and the airport's environmental impact to have the opportunity to demonstrate why an overnight flight curfew is important," Lowey said in a statement. In April, airplanes made 12,138 landings and takeoffs at the airport, Salley said. Of those, 309 occurred between midnight and 6:30 a.m. The Senate will consider the authorization act - including an amendment setting a curfew - this summer, said Max Young, a spokesman for Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. Schumer favors the curfew, he said. http://www.lohud.com/article/2009906010322 *********************************** Latest: Phuket Airport Flight Crash Report Released By Phuketwan Reporters Monday, June 1, 2009 THE results of the investigation into the One-Two-Go crash of Flight OG269 at Phuket Airport in 2007 were released today, listing six causes for the tragedy. The report also made three sets of recommendations, one for the airline, one for Airports of Thailand, and one for the Department of Transport. The One-Two-Go MD 82 aircraft on a scheduled flight from Bangkok crashed on landing on Phuket early on the evening of September 16, 2007, with the deaths of 90 passengers and crew. Another 40 survived, many with severe injuries or burns. As has been suggested, the results of the investigation appear to confirm that the pilot froze at the controls at a time when he needed to react to bad weather conditions. The pilot did not following standard operation procedure for going around; he failed to hit the go-around button; he failed to respond to control alerts; co-ordination between the pilot and the co-pilot broke down; both pilots failed to react to the emergency. The summary of the results also make the point that the pilots were suffering from an accumulation of stress and fatigue. The airline, One-Two-Go, was advised to more closely review training procedures (cockpit resource management) and flight operations. Limitations should be placed on the flight hours of the pilots and the aircraft; a safety management system (SMS) needs to be created. Executives at all levels needed to set values in a corporate culture for following rules and regulations and report unusual developments. Airports of Thailand was advised to provide a safety management system; Runways needed to be wider and safer; specific recommendations were made to improve the ability of rescue vehicles to move around Phuket International Airport. The Department of Transportation was advised to make more thorough checks on One-Two-Go and its parent Orient Thai Airlines; coordination with the Bureau of Meteorology needed to be improved. Release of the report came online at www.aviation.go.th with the Thai version released first. An English version is expected to be released shortly. This article has been compiled from a translation of the Thai version which we will update as soon as more information becomes available. http://phuketwan.com/tourism/phuket-airport-flight-crash-report-released-111 75/ *********************************** Bomb discovery forces return of Iranian plane TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - An Iranian airliner was forced to return to a southern airport minutes after takeoff when a homemade bomb was found aboard, said state television, in an incident a security official called a "sabotage operation." The report said the bomb was found in a toilet, but gave no other details on the device. The incident took place late Saturday night. As Iran prepares for its June 12 presidential election, there have been a number of violent incidents. A bombing Thursday at a mosque in another southern city of Zahedan killed 25 people and wounded 80. A day later, a shooting at President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's campaign office in the same city injured three people. Air guards chief Mohammad Hasan Kazemi, speaking to the official IRNA news agency, left open the possibility of a link between those two incidents and the package on the airliner. He said "enemies" were trying to create a sense of hopelessness among Iranians before the election. The plane, carrying 140 passengers, returned to an airport in the southwestern city of Ahvaz 15 minutes after takeoff Saturday after a passenger reported a suspicious package. The plane belongs to one of Iran's commercial airlines, Kish Air. The flight was from Ahvaz to the capital, Tehran, about 500 miles (800 kilometers) to the northeast. A news web site, YaariNews, which is close to former President Mohammad Khatami, said Khatami was planning to come back to Tehran from Ahvaz about the same time, but he changed his schedule and departed earlier. It was unclear whether Khatami ever intended to travel on the Kish Air flight. Khatami is campaigning for Mir Hossein Mousavi, the leading pro-reform challenger to Ahmadinejad. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i7qca3d8PElLgPytZU1tjeppF_ SwD98HBPQG0 ********************************** NTSB Expands Release of Accident Investigation Public Dockets Available on Website Beginning June 1 The National Transportation Safety Board today announced that it will begin to release all accident investigation public dockets to the NTSB public website.beginning June 1, 2009, in accordance with the NTSB Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Improvement Plan. This effort serves to further bring the Safety Board into compliance with a number of legislative and executive mandates aimed at improving the U.S. government's use of electronic media to foster a more open and transparent government. In order to access the NTSB's public dockets, interested website visitors may visit the FOIA Electronic Reading Room on the NTSB website and select the list of dockets that are organized by transportation mode. The link to the list of public dockets may be found here: http://www.ntsb.gov/Info/foia_fri-dockets.htm ********************************** Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC