16 JUN 2009 _______________________________________ *FAA wants improved pilot training, safety *FAA to target pilot records and fatigue rules *FAA to propose new rules on airline pilot hours *Small Lines Are Target of New Rules for Pilots *Gulfstream Responds To FAA Findings *Southwest jet makes emergency landing *Crashes raise questions about composite parts in planes *More Dreamliner Milestones: Second 787 Set For Fuel Testing *Dornier 328-110 Runway Excursion (Indonesia) *EU Officials to Review Flight Ban *Airport-area residents sue Sea-Tac over third runway *Air Transport Association Says FAA Summit Reaffirms Industry Safety Commitment *Tuberculosis Patient Accidentally Allowed on Commercial Flight *************************************** FAA wants improved pilot training, safety By Alan Levin, USA TODAY WASHINGTON - The nation's top aviation regulators demanded Monday that regional airlines take immediate steps to improve pilot training and safety in the wake of the accident in February that killed 50 people. Spurred by revelations of pilot fatigue, low pay and catastrophic mistakes, the government called airline, union and aviation industry leaders to a one-day summit. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Federal Aviation Administration chief Randy Babbitt said they expected action by the end of the day. "Every one of us here has the responsibility to prevent accidents like this from happening again," LaHood told the group as the session opened. A hearing last month into the Colgan Air crash near Buffalo on Feb. 12 exposed pilots who had been chatting about work conditions during a critical phase of flight - a violation of federal rules - and who had not gotten a full night's rest before reporting to work. The National Transportation Safety Board has not released final findings on the crash, but data released during the hearing indicate that the captain on the flight pulled the plane into a steep climb that prompted it to go out of control - the opposite action suggested by cockpit warning devices going off at the time. Babbitt said the accident and others revealed "cracks in the system" that are "not acceptable in this day and age." The FAA will update its guidance to airlines strongly urging them to get complete records of the results of every flight-skills test that pilots have taken before hiring them, Babbitt said. Currently, airlines must check a pilot applicant's records for five years and only those tests taken at another carrier. USA TODAY reported last week at least one pilot involved in eight of nine regional airline accidents during the past decade had failed multiple tests of flying skill before the crashes. Pilots must pass a series of "check rides" before applying for airline jobs and then typically take several each year they are employed. Babbitt said one of the lessons recent accidents have taught regulators is that "we need to know more about pilot performance during check rides over a pilot's entire career." Babbitt, in one of his first actions since taking office June 1, said regional airlines need to adopt the industry's best methods for pilot training and operation. "Good ideas can't stay on the shelf. They need to get from concept to cockpit as quickly as we can get them there," he said. Airlines have so far embraced the government's call for action. The Regional Airline Association issued a statement Monday saying that it supports several steps to improve safety. The group endorsed several steps to make it easier to check a pilot's records before being hired by an airline, said a press release. It also wants to study ways to minimize the effects of fatigue and the lengthy commutes that pilots frequently make before reporting to work. "We are confident that progress can and will be made," the statement read. **************** FAA to target pilot records and fatigue rules The FAA will ask all airlines to begin reviewing pilot records held by the agency as it revises a November 2007 advisory circular in the aftermath of the fatal Colgan Air Bombardier Q400 crash. The current advisory circular suggests that carriers ask a job applicant to sign a consent form to grant airlines access to the prospective hire's entire airman certification file, including notices of disapproval for flight checks for certificates and ratings. But FAA administrator Randy Babbitt says the agency wants to ensure that carriers attempt to review all records of a job candidate and the administration "may well ask Congress to make that part of" the Pilot Records Improvement Act (PRIA) of 1996. PRIA currently does not mandate airlines to review FAA records of job applicants. It only requires any company hiring a pilot for air transportation to request and receive records from employers from the past five years. Asking for records access is among the voluntary measures Babbitt is pushing airlines to take as soon as possible while the NTSB completes its final report on the Colgan Q400 crash, which prompted Babbitt and US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to host a meeting with airlines, industry groups and labour today in Washington. Waiting for the NTSB to issue its report will delay changes too long, Babbitt told reporters this afternoon after the meeting concluded. But he acknowledges that there will be privacy and discrimination issues to address if PRIA were to be changed to include access to FAA records. Babbitt also revealed the FAA will ask all airlines to participate in voluntary safety reporting schemes such as the Flight Operations Quality Assurance Programmes (FOQA) and the Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP). The ASAP is an agreement between FAA, a specific employee group and airline management that allows for the voluntary reporting of safety issues or concerns in exchange for the risk of penalties related to those incidents generally being eliminated. "I don't think October is too unreasonable to make public who chooses not to do those things," Babbitt says. Babbitt's remarks about ASAP and FOQA come as the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) has pressed Congress for legislation to provide protection against the misuse of information collected under those schemes. However, the union does have the goal of having 100% of its member carriers operating with ASAP. The FAA will also look into new pilot fatigue rules in "coming months" based on scientific research unavailable when arbitrary rules were previously created, Babbitt says. Fatigue rules should consider factors such as circadian rhythms and that there are different types of workdays for pilots, including days filled with a singular long-haul flight versus multiple short-haul operations, he adds. In the meantime, the FAA will send four teams to ideally visit every regional and major airline that was unable to attend today's meeting on training, cockpit discipline and other fight safety issues raised during the NTSB hearing on the Colgan crash last month. The meetings will be designed for information gathering and to explain FAA action, Babbitt says. As pilot training was among the targets of US Congressional hearings on regional airline safety last week as well as one subject of the NTSB investigation into the crash, Babbitt also encourages major airlines to adopt some type of pilot mentoring program for their regional partners and to consider ways to give regional partners access to their training programs as newer regional carriers are less likely to afford multiple, costly simulators. He also encouraged regional airlines to review starting pilot salaries because $24,000 a year is not going to attract the "best and brightest". On 12 February a Colgan turboprop stalled and went out of control on approach to Buffalo, New York. The aircraft crashed into a house about 9km (5nm) from the airport, killing all 49 on board and one person on the ground. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news *************** FAA to propose new rules on airline pilot hours FAA plans to make changes to limits on how many hours airline pilots can fly. WASHINGTON (AP) - Obama administration officials said Monday they will propose new limits on how many hours airline pilots can fly in an effort to curb pilot fatigue, an issue safety officials have been urging action on for two decades. Randy Babbitt, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration, said he will propose the new rule in the next several months. A former airline pilot who has been at FAA only a few weeks, Babbitt said the issues is complicated because a pilot flying fewer hours with more takeoffs and landings will likely experience more fatigue than a pilot on a longer flight with only one takeoff and one landing. "The bottom line is I'm going to want a new rule," said Babbitt, who was accompanied by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood at a media briefing. The National Transportation Safety Board has been urging the FAA for 19 years to strengthen regulations on pilot hours. FAA proposed a new rule in 1995, but action stalled after pilot unions and industry disagreed on the proposal. The unions wanted to reduce the number of hours pilots can be on duty and increase time off between flights, while airlines opposed the changes. "It's money," said Dave Ross, a trustee for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents pilot unions at six regional airlines. "If you can't fly a pilot as long as you do today, then that increases your cost." David Castelveter, a spokesman for the Air Transportation Association, a trade association for the airline industry, declined to comment, saying it would be premature since no rule has yet been proposed. FAA regulations generally limit pilots to no more than 16 hours on duty and eight hours of scheduled flight time. Pilots must also have eight hours off between shifts. Babbitt and LaHood spoke to reporters after a day-long, closed-door meeting with airline executives and union officials to discuss ways to improve safety at regional airlines. The meeting was prompted by the crash of Continental Express Flight 3407, on Feb. 12 near Buffalo, which killed 50 people. An NTSB hearing last month exposed a series of critical errors by Flight 3407's captain, Marvin Renslow, and co-pilot Rebecca Shaw that preceded the crash. Their Bombardier Dash 8-Q400, a twin-engine turboprop, experienced an aerodynamic stall before plunging into a house. Shaw, who was paid $23,900 a year, commuted overnight from near Seattle, where she lived with her parents, to report to work at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on the day of the flight. It is not clear how much sleep she and Renslow - who lived near Tampa, and earned about $65,000 a year - had the night before, but they may have tried to nap in an airport crew lounge. The hearing turned a spotlight on safety at regional airlines, including pilot hiring and training. Renslow failed two important tests of his flying skills before he was hired by Colgan Air of Manassas, Va., which operated the flight for Continental. He didn't tell Colgan about the failed tests and the regional carrier didn't seek complete records from the FAA. Babbitt said that he has directed FAA to advise airlines that the agency expects them to seek privacy waivers from the pilots they want to hire so that FAA can send complete training records. Airlines were also told FAA expects them to participate in two safety programs that are currently voluntary. One of the programs allows airlines with the aid of pilot unions to download information contained in cockpit flight data recorders so that they can spot mistakes pilots may be making and use the information to improve training. Some regional airlines haven't been participating in the program because of the expense involved, Ross said. Major carriers were also encouraged at the meeting to opening their training programs to the regional airlines they partner with. **************** Small Lines Are Target of New Rules for Pilots By MATTHEW L. WALD WASHINGTON - Confronting a string of six fatal commuter plane crashes, top federal officials promised on Monday to set new rules to limit fatigue, make the carriers more thoroughly investigate the histories of pilots they want to hire, and push small airlines into adopting the safety programs that are common among big carriers, by threatening to expose the laggards. The new chief of the Federal Aviation Administration, J. Randolph Babbitt, said the major carriers - the ones whose colors the small airlines use - should involve themselves more thoroughly in pilot training at the regional carriers, with senior pilots "mentoring" the entry-level pilots at the regional lines. Mr. Babbitt and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, along with dozens of airline executives, union officials, F.A.A. inspectors and other safety experts, gathered at a closed-door meeting on regional carrier safety, prompted by the crash on Feb. 12 of a twin-engine turboprop on a flight from Newark to Buffalo. The plane was operated by Colgan Air, doing business as Continental Connection under a contract with Continental Airlines. Including that crash, which killed 50, there have been six fatal passenger airline crashes, all involving regional carriers, since the last fatal crash of a major United States carrier's plane, an American Airlines flight in New York in November 2001. After the meeting, Mr. LaHood said it was important to ensure that the small airlines' safety was as good as the big ones'. "For common ordinary citizens, when they get on a United Express flight, they think they're on United Airlines," he said. The first officer in the Colgan Air turboprop, earning about $24,000 a year and living with her parents on the West Coast, had stayed up all night to fly in to begin her work shift at Newark the day of the fatal flight, and the captain had also showed signs of fatigue, based on data from the cockpit voice recorder. Mr. Babbitt said union officials at the meeting had shown a willingness to foster "professionalism in the cockpit" regarding fitness for duty. Mr. Babbitt said the pilots' starting salary at the regional airlines was a problem. "If you expect to get the best and the brightest, I don't think you're going to get that for very long at $24,000," he said, although he added that when he began his career as an airline pilot in 1966, he earned about that much, after adjusting for inflation. But Mr. Babbitt also said F.A.A. rules on the maximum number of hours a pilot could fly or be on duty and the minimum number of hours' rest required between shifts did not take into account the strain of flying six or eight 50-minute flights a day, with multiple takeoffs and landings, versus a single long-distance flight. For years, the aviation agency has tried to modernize the rules on flight and duty hours, but has been unable to win consensus in the industry; airlines do not want to add costs by hiring more pilots, and many pilots like to get in a month's worth of flying in as few days as possible. But Mr. Babbitt promised, "We are going to get a new rule." The federal agency writes rules mostly by winning agreement among industry participants, but Mr. Babbitt said that "at the end of the day, if there's two or three open issues, they will be decided and there will be a rule." Big airlines commonly have safety programs that allow anonymous reporting of problems, to remove the fear of repercussion for pilots. The big carriers also analyze information pulled from on-board equipment that resembles the flight data recorder, to look for safety gaps. Mr. LaHood said the F.A.A. would encourage small airlines, which generally do not have such programs, to adopt them, and publicize the names of those that do not. Both men also called for changes in the law that gives airlines the right to get pilots' detailed work histories from previous employers. That law was passed after a 1995 crash of an American Eagle flight; the pilot had joined the airline four days after being forced to quit by another airline for incompetence. Experts now say that the new rule, which requires previous employers to give up information on a job candidate's tenure, does not go far enough. The captain in the crash outside Buffalo had failed three in-cockpit exams, called "check rides," before he came to Colgan, but Colgan knew about only one. Mr. Babbitt said the F.A.A. would now make it clear that airlines are expected to require job applicants to waive their right to privacy, and then ask the F.A.A. for such data. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/16/nyregion/16colgan.html?ref=nyregion *************** Gulfstream Responds To FAA Findings Airline Says It Is In Compliance With All Regulations Gulfstream International Airlines, Inc. has filed 'a detailed response' to the FAA's findings from a 2008 inspection and proposed civil penalty. The company provided documentation that it believes shows that it was in compliance with the relevant regulations in substantially all of the findings by the FAA and, thus, asserts there were no violations in those cases. The company recognizes, however, that information presented to the FAA during the 2008 inspection could have been confusing, resulting in differences in interpretation. To reduce the risk of future misunderstandings, Gulfstream changed recordkeeping processes last year even in cases where it disagrees with the FAA findings. None of the findings, even those with which Gulfstream concurred, involved safety-of-flight issues. "We do an outstanding job of running a safe airline for our customers and employees. The FAA identified several instances where mistakes had been made, principally in record-keeping, and we have strengthened our efforts to ensure that our records are not only accurate, but clear," said Dave Hackett, Gulfstream President and CEO. Gulfstream's maintenance program has been recognized for 12 consecutive years with the FAA's Diamond Certificate of Excellence, Hackett noted, and it has an excellent safety record - accident-free for its almost 20 years of operations. "While we may respectfully disagree with the FAA's findings of violations in many cases, we do agree that any error is one too many. Beginning last summer, we immediately instituted daily flight record audits for 100 percent of our flights to prevent any future record-keeping errors," Hackett said. Of the issues cited by the FAA, Gulfstream: Agrees there was one inadvertent scheduling error violation for one pilot being scheduled for eight consecutive days, one more day than the allowed seven days, even though he only flew on six of those days. Agrees there were errors involving 10 pilots for discrepancies between pilot logs and the automated system, none resulting in pilots flying or being on duty more than allowed. Asserts that all other questions about pilot time were the result of payroll-related record keeping for non-flight, ground repositioning of aircraft and accordingly, there were no violations. Asserts that no dispatchers were scheduled for more than 10 hours on duty, although some did work longer as allowed by FAA rules because of operational circumstances beyond Gulfstream's control. Believes the two maintenance practices cited by the FAA were handled properly and were not violations. While the company disagrees with the majority of the FAA findings, there can be no assurance of the outcome of the process with the FAA or the amount of any penalty ultimately imposed by the FAA. FMI: www.gulfstreamair.com/responsetofaa. aero-news.net *************** Southwest jet makes emergency landing COLUMBUS, Ga., June 15 (UPI) -- Officials were investigating what caused a cabin pressure indicator to trip, forcing a Southwest Airlines plane to make an emergency landing in Georgia. Airline spokesman Brad Hawkins said Southwest Flight 1050, traveling from Chicago to Fort Myers, Fla., was forced to land in Columbus, Ga., Sunday after a cabin pressure indicator went off, CNN reported Monday. The incident did not prompt the release of the plane's passenger oxygen masks, but the plane was diverted to Columbus as a precaution, he said. No injuries were reported in the incident being investigated by both the airline and the Federal Aviation Administration. The Boeing 737 jet's 122 passengers boarded another in Columbus to fly to Fort Myers, CNN said. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/06/15/Southwest-jet-makes-emergency-landing /UPI-21381245070491/ **************** Crashes raise questions about composite parts in planes WASHINGTON - On a bright-blue morning just two months after the worst terrorist attack in American history, a silver jumbo jet with red, white, and blue trim took off from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. Moments later, it plummeted into the Queens neighborhood of Belle Harbor, killing 260 people on the plane and five more on the ground. The timing of the crash, the New York location, and the fact that it was an American Airlines jet - one of two carriers involved in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks - raised immediate concerns about terrorism. Those fears were put to rest when investigators attributed the crash to pilot error. Now, in the midst of a mystery over the disappearance of an Air France jet over the Atlantic Ocean on May 31, a less-scrutinized aspect of the New York crash is on the minds of some aviation experts. The American Airlines plane - an Airbus A300, one of the larger models made by the European aircraft consortium - left the runway less than two minutes after an even larger Japan Airlines Boeing 747 took off, its four engines at maximum thrust creating a powerful wake. As the A300 was buffeted by the wake, its first officer tried to compensate by aggressively shifting the tail rudder - too aggressively, it turned out. The force of the rudder movements put pressure on the tail, and it essentially fell apart. The National Transportation Safety Board claimed the first officer's actions were improper, and attributed the crash to pilot error. Most of America breathed a sigh of relief that the crash was, at least, not a terrorist attack. But there was another factor in the crash of American Airlines Flight 587 that was less noted in the weeks and months afterward, but that some aviation specialists are mentioning in the aftermath of the Air France disaster, which claimed 228 lives. Investigators examining the broken tail fin from the New York crash discovered that six lugs made of composite materials - a lighter alternative to metal - had snapped under the pressure; six similar aluminum lugs did not. Though the finding raised questions about the strength of the composite materials, the NTSB did not blame the use of composites for the crash. It stated that the rudder movements initiated by the co-pilot stressed the tail beyond the design capacity, and that, if not for the human error, the plane was safe. But now the Air France plane - another Airbus model that also makes extensive use of composite materials - seems also to have broken apart in flight, perhaps while under unusual pressures. Investigators emphasize that any speculation is premature. The most significant evidence so far has come from last-second signals sent by the plane's computers to Air France's maintenance headquarters. They indicate a rudder problem, among others, but no one can tell if it caused the crash or was merely a symptom, the computer having recorded the unusual rudder movements while the plane plunged for some other reason. Some analysts have speculated that the plane's external airspeed indicator may have frozen as powerful thunderstorms rocked the plane. That could have caused either the pilot or the plane's computers to make adjustments that overstressed the rudder or some other part of the plane, perhaps causing it to break apart in a manner similar to the crash in Queens. Airbus pioneered the use of composite materials as a fuel-efficient alternative to aluminum, which is heavier and limits the planes' flying range. But Boeing, too, has a lot invested in composites. Its new 787 Dreamliner uses more composites than any current commercial jet, and even advertises its improved cabin atmosphere, with more humidity to combat jet lag - possible only because composites don't rust like aluminum. Generally, both Boeing and Airbus have had admirable safety records. Because of mechanical improvements, computerized safeguards, and backup systems, flying has never been safer, and pilots train on realistic simulators that mimic potentially catastrophic conditions. But the Air France mystery raises at least a kernel of concern about cutting-edge materials used in aircraft construction, and is prompting fresh scrutiny of the NTSB's findings in the New York crash. Both of the world's leading plane makers - and all of its air travelers - can only wait for answers. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/06/16/crashes_pro mpt_2d_look_at_planes_use_of_composite_materials/ *************** More Dreamliner Milestones: Second 787 Set For Fuel Testing Tests Will Focus On Systems Performance The second Boeing 787 Dreamliner has moved to the flight line to begin fuel testing. This is the second of six 787s being used in the all-new airplane's flight-test program. "Momentum continues to build with each milestone achieved," said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 Dreamliner program. Each of the six flight-test airplanes will be used for a specific set of tests during the flight-test program. This airplane, designated ZA002, will focus on systems performance. Like its predecessor, ZA001, this airplane has successfully completed a rigorous series of tests while still in the factory. Fuel testing began immediately upon the airplane entering the fuel dock. ZA002 features the livery of the Dreamliner's launch customer, ANA (All Nippon Airways) of Japan. "ANA will be the first to fly the 787 Dreamliner in commercial service," Fancher noted. "We are honored to fly in ANA livery throughout the flight-test program as a tribute to our partnership in bringing this all-new airplane to market." The 787 Dreamliner currently has 865 orders from 56 airlines. FMI: www.boeing.com aero-news.net **************** Dornier 328-110 Runway Excursion (Indonesia) Status: Preliminary Date: 14 JUN 2009 Time: ca 09:20 Type: Dornier 328-110 Operator: Express Air Registration: PK-TXN C/n / msn: 3030 First flight: 1995 Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PW119B Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 29 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 33 Airplane damage: Substantial Location: Tanahmerah Airport (TMH) (Indonesia) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Jayapura-Sentani Airport (DJJ/WAJJ), Indonesia Destination airport: Tanahmerah Airport (TMH/WAKT), Indonesia Flightnumber: 9000 Narrative: An Express Air Dorinier Do 328 passenger plane was substantially damaged when it ran off the side of the runway after landing at Tanahmerah Airport (TMH). The airplane landed following a domestic flight from Jayapura-Sentani Airport (DJJ). After landing the airplane departed the right side of the runway. The nr.2 prop contacted the ground and separated from the engine. All on board evacuated safely; there was no fire. Tanahmerah Airport (TMH) has a single gravel runway 07/25, 3111 feet (950 m) in length. (aviation-safety.net) **************** EU Officials to Review Flight Ban Indonesian air carriers may get a step closer to being allowed back into European skies. A team of aviation experts from the European Union arrived in Jakarta on Monday to discuss the country's latest improvements in aviation safety. Herry Bhakti Singayuda, director general of civil aviation at the Ministry of Transportation, said that four EU officials had arrived to discuss the flight ban imposed on Indonesia by the bloc two years ago. "So far, the meeting has gone well," Herry said. He said the team would be in Jakarta until Thursday, but added there was still no certainly on whether the ban would be lifted. In July 2007, the EU, citing recommendations from the International Civil Aviation Organization, imposed a restriction that barred all civil Indonesian airlines from flying into EU member states, citing safety concerns as its main reason. After a three-year audit from 2004, the ICAO issued 69 recommendations on safety regulations that have to be met by the government and the aviation industry. Transportation Minister Jusman Syafii Djamal said in May that 66 of those recommendations had been fulfilled after the House of Representatives passed a bill on aviation this year, and that the three remaining recommendations would be addressed before the arrival of the EU team. Those three items, he said, covered the monitoring of air carriers' operations and flight safety equipment. Herry said the government was now optimistic that the EU would lift the ban after their meeting, because there was no reason for them to extend it. "They have seen the progress we have made over the last two years," he said. Julian Wilson, EU ambassador to Indonesia, said there had been good communication between the EU and the Indonesian government regarding the ban, and that the EU had seen positive improvement in the country's aviation safety. Indonesia's aviation industry has grown rapidly since the ushering in of the reform era in 1998, but accidents are common due to a lack of safety standards and maintenance. In the latest incident to hit the industry, a Dornier 328 plane, operated by charter airline Express Air, skidded off the runway in Papua's Boven Digoel district on Sunday. http://thejakartaglobe.com/home/eu-officials-to-review-flight-ban/312399 ************** Airport-area residents sue Sea-Tac over third runway Opponents of the third runway at Sea-Tac Airport have filed a class-action lawsuit against the Port of Seattle. In the suit, residents living near the airport allege that noise and vibration caused by planes using the new runway have far exceeded what Port of Seattle officials promised before the runway's opening late last year. That noise amounts to a taking of property under the law, attorneys for the residents said in a statement, and requires compensation. "The law is clear," said Darrell Cochhran, an attorney with the Seattle firm Pfau, Cochran, Vertetis and Kosnoff. "If a business operation -- like the Port of Seattle clearly is -- interferes with somebody's property, they have an obligation to do the right thing." In addition to compensation, the plaintiffs have asked that the court to prohibit planes from flying over plaintiffs' homes at altitudes less than 1,500 feet, and from using the third runway between 10 p.m. and 9 a.m. The suit was filed Monday in King County Superior Court. The Port of Seattle has not yet filed a response with the court. http://www.seattlepi.com/local/407233_runway15.html *************** Air Transport Association Says FAA Summit Reaffirms Industry Safety Commitment WASHINGTON, June 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Air Transport Association of America (ATA), the trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, today issued the following statement regarding the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) "call to action" summit to address airline safety and pilot training: "ATA is pleased with today's meeting of industry stakeholders, which reaffirmed our collective commitment to safety. That commitment includes maintaining high standards of professionalism. We look forward to working with the government in its review of pilot training programs to ensure there are no safety gaps. This summit is important in helping to maintain the U.S. aviation industry's already exceptional safety record," said ATA President and CEO James C. May. ATA airline members and their affiliates transport more than 90 percent of all U.S. airline passenger and cargo traffic. For additional industry information, visit www.airlines.org. SOURCE Air Transport Association **************** Tuberculosis Patient Accidentally Allowed on Commercial Flight Australian health authorities are closely monitoring passengers who flew on a commercial flight in which a passenger with tuberculosis was accidentally allowed onboard. An investigation is underway and authorities have already admitted the man should never have been allowed on the June 11 Qantas flight from Cairns, Australia, to the Torres Strait, the Australian Associated Press reported. "This has been a major breakdown in our normal processes and procedures for the transport of patients between facilities," Cairns and Hinterland Health Service district chief executive Julie Hartley-Jones told the AAP. Doctors said the risk to passengers and crew was minimal. "Short-term, one-off exposure, such as a two-hour flight, is not generally sufficient to result in any infection," Cairns Base Hospital director of thoracic medicine Dr. Graham Simpson said. "Most people who become infected have experienced exposure to TB over a prolonged period of time." http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,526362,00.html **************** Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC