27 AUG 2009 _______________________________________ *Airline must replace some jet parts *Jet passenger held in Puerto Rico mercury spill *China to unveil first jumbo jet engine in 2016 *Cessna 208B Accident - Venezuela *Seven die in Congo Republic air crash *Learjet 45 Landing Gear Incident - Seattle *Brazilians want investigation of Air France crash *FAA Approves OCAS Audio Visual Warning System *Pilots N Paws' lofty goal: Save 5,000 unwanted pets *NASA awards aircraft maintenance contract *Air traffic recovery has begun: IATA *American Airlines retires Airbus A300 jets after 21 years *FAA releases proposed very light jet certification rules *China Eastern pilot cadets to train in Australia *EgyptAir confident of avoiding EU blacklist *RAA encourages discussion to use CVRs in accident prevention *************************************** Airline must replace some jet parts (AP) Southwest Airlines briefly grounded 46 planes last weekend after the FAA discovered unapproved parts had been installed. The parts must be replaced, but they are not considered an immediate safety threat. Regulators will let Southwest fly the planes for 10 days while it decides how to correct the problem. The Federal Aviation Administration raised questions about the parts during an inspection Friday of a facility that maintains planes for Southwest. The parts, called exhaust gate assembly hinge fittings, are used to deflect engine exhaust away from wing flaps. The unidentified maintenance company used hinge assemblies made by an uncertified subcontractor, the FAA said. That led to discussions Friday between Southwest, Boeing Co., and the FAA about what to do, but the airline had no choice. Federal regulations prohibit knowingly operating a plane with unapproved parts, so Southwest grounded 46 planes. By late Saturday, engineers determined the parts did not pose an immediate danger, so the FAA let Southwest use the planes for now. “The parts have to come off the planes, it’s just a matter of how quickly that has to be done,’’ said an FAA spokesman, Lynn Lunsford. http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2009/08/27/airline_must_replace_some _jet_parts/ **************** Jet passenger held in Puerto Rico mercury spill SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — An airline passenger faces U.S. federal charges after illegally carrying mercury that leaked inside his suitcase, forcing Puerto Rico's main international airport to shut down several terminals and delay numerous flights, authorities said Wednesday. Pedro Rafael de Pena de La Cruz, 52, of the Dominican Republic, was charged with transportation of hazardous materials, FBI spokesman Harry Rodriguez said. If convicted, he faces fines and a possible prison sentence of up to five years. De Pena's attorney, Giovanni Canino, said the incident was blown out of proportion by sensitivities surrounding airport security. "If this person were to get jail time for this type of crime, it would bring this post-9/11 hysteria to the point of absurdity," said Canino, a federal public defender. He said de Pena has worked at the same restaurant in Puerto Rico for nearly 17 years and was traveling to visit family in the Dominican Republic. A judge read the charges against de Pena at his first court appearance Wednesday, and a bail hearing was scheduled later in the day. The spill Tuesday morning delayed more than a dozen flights as the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport closed three terminals out of concern for dangerous vapors. De Pena told Puerto Rican authorities he was bringing the mercury to a dentist in the Dominican Republic. He was carrying about 20 pounds (9 kilograms) of the toxic metal and only a small amount spilled inside the suitcase, police said. While too much mercury can damage the brain and nervous system, it is widely used as an ingredient in dental fillings. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says silver fillings contain too little of the substance to harm people. **************** China to unveil first jumbo jet engine in 2016 (AFP) – SHANGHAI — China plans to unveil its first home-made jumbo jet engine in 2016, state media reported Thursday, a major step that would improve its chances of competing with global players Airbus and Boeing. The target announced by AVIC Commercial Aircraft Engine Co Ltd, reported by the Oriental Morning Post, is the latest step in China's efforts to build large aircraft, including passenger jets with more than 150 seats, by 2020. "China is expected to complete the research on its first jumbo jet engine in 2016 and begin to apply for aviation certificate from the state aviation authority," the official Xinhua news agency cited the engine maker as saying. "We hope the home-made engine will fly together with the home-made large aircraft," Zhang Jian, general manager of the Shanghai-based AVIC Commercial Aircraft Engine Co Ltd, was quoted as saying. The first large passenger jet, or C919, is to be manufactured by Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, or COMAC, an arm of the government-owned aviation giant China Aviation Industry Corp, AVIC. Developing aircraft engines will help China, which now only makes military aircraft engines, break the monopoly of foreign suppliers such as GE, Rolls-Royce and the Pratt and Whitney Group, the reports said. Although the first batch of home-made jumbo jets are likely to be powered by foreign-made engines, Chinese engines will be used in later models, Wang Zhilin, deputy general manager of the engine company, which is 40 percent held by AVIC, was quoted as telling Xinhua. China will exhibit a model of the C919 next month at the Asian Aerospace International Expo and Congress in Hong Kong, the state-run China Daily reported Thursday. **************** Cessna 208B Accident - Venezuela Status: Preliminary Date: 26 AUG 2009 Time: 08:10 Type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan Operator: Línea Turística Aereotuy - LTA Registration: YV1183 C/n / msn: 208B-0690 First flight: 1998 Engines: 1 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 12 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 13 Airplane damage: Substantial Location: off La Tortuga (Venezuela) Phase: En route (ENR) Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Los Roques Airport (LRV/SVRS), Venezuela Destination airport: Porlamar Airport (PMV/SVMG), Venezuela Flightnumber: 202 Narrative: A Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, operated by Línea Turística Aereotuy - LTA, was damaged when the pilot was forced to ditch the single engine airplane at sea. Flight TUY 202 had left Los Roques Airport (LRV) on the Islas Los Roques on an overwater flight to Porlamar Airport (PMV) on the Isla de Margarita. All occupants were rescued by fishermen and a sports boat. (aviation-safety.net) ************** Seven die in Congo Republic air crash BRAZZAVILLE, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Five Russian crew members and two Congolese passengers died on Wednesday when an Antonov 12 cargo plane crashed near the capital Brazzaville, Congo Republic's ministry of transport said. The plane had taken off from Pointe Noire, the country's economic capital, at 0500 GMT and crashed an hour later about 20 km (12.5 miles) south of its destination, Brazzaville, Transport Minister Emile Ouosso told journalists on Wednesday. "We have been to the site and we found that the 5 Russian crew members died, as well as two Congolese who were not on the manifest," Ouosso said. The minister could not give any further details on the reason for the crash but investigators had been sent to the scene. Officials were also trying to confirm if there were any other passengers onboard. Many in Central Africa rely on Antonov aircraft to travel around the region due to the lack of roads but crashes are frequent due ageing planes and the lack of maintenance. In 2007, Congo's government banned passengers from travelling on Antonovs but the Antonov 12 cargo aircraft are still allowed to ferry goods the 500 km between Brazzaville and Pointe Noire. ***** Status: Preliminary Date: 26 AUG 2009 Time: ca 05:00 Type: Antonov 12 Operator: Aero Fret Business Registration: TN-AIA ? C/n / msn: First flight: Crew: Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5 Passengers: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 Total: Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6 Airplane damage: Written off Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: 11 km (6.9 mls) SE of Brazzaville-Maya Maya Airport (BZV) (Congo) Phase: Approach (APR) Nature: Cargo Departure airport: Pointe Noire Airport (PNR/FCPP), Congo Destination airport: Brazzaville-Maya Maya Airport (BZV/FCBB), Congo Narrative: An Aero Fret Business Antonov 12 cargo plane was destroyed when it crashed at Nganga Lingolo, Congo, killing all six on board. The cargo flight departed Pointe Noire Airport (PNR) about 04:00 local time, bound for Brazzaville-Maya Maya Airport (BZV). The airplane was approaching Brazzaville runway 05 when it crashed in a cemetery, some 11 km (6 nm) short of the runway threshold. The airplane came down near the Final Approach Point (FAP) for a VOR-DME / ILS runway 05 instrument approach. The airplane should have started its final approach at that point, from an altitude of 1970 feet above ground level. Weather at the reported time of the accident (06:00 UTC) was: FCBB 260600Z 27006KT 7000 SCT016 OVC130 21/20 Q1015 NOSIG= [Wind 270 degrees at 6 knots; overcast at 13.000 feet, scattered clouds at 1600 feet; temperature 21 deg C; dew point 20 deg C; 1015 mb]. In the next hour the overcast would drop to 2600 feet. Unconfirmed rumors on web forums indicate the registration of the airplane may have been TN-AIA. (aviation-safety.net) ************* Learjet 45 Landing Gear Incident - Seattle Date: 26-AUG-2009 Time: 0840 Type: Learjet 45 Operator: Wal-Mart Stores Inc Registration: N313BH C/n / msn: 45-108 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 8 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Minor Location: Boeing Field King County - United States of America Phase: Landing Nature: Executive Departure airport: KBFI Destination airport: PANC Narrative: A Wal-Mart Lear 45 had just departed BFI when the gear would not retract. The aircrafts nose gear was turned at a 90 degree angle. Aircraft returned to the field, nose gear caught fire during landing, the gear remained extended, burned the rubber away - but fire crews used foam to extinguish fire. Damage appears to be minor. No injuries reported. (aviation-safety.net) ************** Brazilians want investigation of Air France crash (AP) – SAO PAULO — Relatives of Brazilian passengers who perished on an Air France jetliner that crashed over the Atlantic Ocean are demanding a criminal investigation. Government news service Agencia Brasil says the association representing the victims' relatives filed a petition with the federal attorney general's office requesting "an investigation against the possible culprits of the accident." Air France Flight 447 crashed June 1 en route to Paris from Rio de Janeiro, killing all 228 people on board. Calls to Air France's press office remained unanswered. Agencia Brasil reported the demands on Wednesday. **************** FAA Approves OCAS Audio Visual Warning System First Such System Installed, Tested And Approved For Use In National Airspace The FAA recently published a memo announcing the approved use of Audio Visual Warning Systems (AVWS) in the National Airspace System (NAS) and the administration’s intentions to update Advisory Circular 70/7460-1K, Obstruction Marking and Lighting, the recommended marking standards for obstacles that penetrate the NAS. An AVWS is described by the FAA as "a system that activates obstruction lighting and audio signals to alert the pilot of potential collisions with obstacles." The FAA memo goes on to state "OCAS is the first AVWS to be installed, tested, and approved in the National Airspace System (NAS)." An AVWS is designed to significantly reduce the potential for a wire strike or obstacle collision for low flying aircraft. There are over 5000 such incidents/accidents in the National Transportation Safety Board database. The Obstacle Collision Avoidance System (OCAS) uses a small radar to detect and track an aircraft’s proximity to an obstacle. Two warning zones are defined. The first warning is the activation of medium intensity strobe lights to allow the pilots to visually identify the obstacle. If the pilot does not take avoidance action and the aircraft enters the second warning zone, a VHF broadcast is transmitted to the pilot’s radio. The message includes warning tones and a description such as “POWER LINES…POWER LINES.” The OCAS system has the ability to simultaneously broadcast on several frequencies within the VHF range of 118-136 MHz. The FAA/FCC will determine acceptable broadcast plans based on the geographical location of the system. No additional onboard equipment is required, which makes it available to almost all aircraft. OCAS says the audio warning is the most powerful aspect of the system as it provides a warning in any type of visibility or weather conditions. OCAS is currently operational in the US, Canada, and Europe. FMI: www.ocasinc.com aero-news.net ************** Pilots N Paws' lofty goal: Save 5,000 unwanted pets The skies next month will be filled with thousands of dogs, cats and other creatures escaping death row through the kindness of strangers. From Sept. 12 to Sept. 20, small-plane pilots — who for 18 months have been volunteering their planes, fuel and time to fly pets from high-kill shelters to areas where there's space and demand for them — are aiming to fly 5,000 animals. "It's an ambitious goal," says Debi Boies, co-founder of Pilots N Paws (PNP), a non-profit message board that allows animal shelters and pet rescue groups to post their transport needs so general-aviation pilots willing to fly an animal can provide the means. "But we're hopeful of achieving it as long as we don't run into weather problems." In the 18 months since PNP was born, 604 pilots have signed up, and more than 1,000 animals have been flown. Retired businessman and PNP co-founder Jon Wehrenberg rallied pilot interest after learning that nearly 6 million animals are euthanized in shelters every year, most of them because they are in an area of rampant pet overpopulation. He has flown 254 dogs so far, and he's transporting nine today, from Georgia and South Carolina to Illinois. Another pilot has flown more than 100 dogs, including 13 beagles this month, Boies says. A menagerie of dogs, cats, snakes, pig Border collies, Dobermans, greyhounds, Shih Tzus and scores of other breeds and mixed breeds; seniors and puppies; plus a few cats, rabbits, a pot-bellied pig and even some reptiles — all have been transported without incident, Boies says. There have been some weather delays, pilots have sometimes had to spend a night with an animal or two before continuing, and in some bad-weather instances a pilot has landed the plane and finished the trip on the ground. But by all reports, the animals are generally calm and the transfers are made with military precision. This month, Florida pilot Jim Matthews was flying four dogs, including a pregnant schnauzer that went into labor. The dog "looked up at me … knowing this was her very last chance. I cried for the first time in years," he later told Boies in an e-mail she posted on the PNP website. He radioed ahead that he had an emergency, the dog was then raced to a veterinarian, and she gave birth to 10 puppies. Pilot and pups are all doing well. For the September Pilots N Paws 5000 event, some pilots will link up with others to create a relay route; others will do long trips on their own with multiple refueling stops. Nick O'Connell, a contractor in Williamsburg, Va., has blocked off the time to fly homeless-animal missions of mercy. "I've told my clients and my wife I just won't be around that week," he says. He has flown about 25 dogs since December, and he hopes to fly at least that many during PNP 5000. Transferring animals from overpopulated areas — mostly in the South — to mostly Northern states, where pet sterilization has long been practiced, is not new. Volunteer rescuers ply highways every weekend, saving animals two or three or nine at a time. But the journey is long, it takes scores of people to drive part of the way and link up with others in parking lots, and it's stressful for the animals as well as expensive for the rescuers. The flights take a fraction of the time, and the only money spent comes out of the pilots' pockets. "People still find it amazing that these pilots do this for no charge," Boies says. 'Working every avenue' of rescue PNP hopes the September event will increase awareness and prompt even more rescuers and pilots to sign on. "We're working every avenue we can think of to make sure that, in addition to the usual number of animals saved through our flights every week, we get thousands more to new homes in September," O'Connell says. Every pilot finds these flights "gratifying," he says. They share stories online about dogs with trusting eyes, climbing into the crates and quickly settling down, as if they know this is their shot at a new beginning. And yet every pilot also knows "you're just a drop" in a situation that requires an ocean of help. Pilots photograph the animals they fly, remember them by name and take comfort that five or 15 were saved this week. "We're so happy to help," O'Connell says. But in the end, "my dream is that this could be the last 5,000 we ever have to do." http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/pets/2009-08-25-pilots-pets_N.htm ************** Air traffic recovery has begun: IATA GENEVA (Reuters) - Airlines carried 11.3 percent less cargo and 2.9 percent fewer people in July than in the same month a year ago, a global industry body said on Thursday. But the year-on-year declines were less than in June, and compared with the previous month both measures increased by more than 3 percent, the International Air Transport Association said in its latest monthly reading of cross-border traffic, a leading indicator for the health of world trade. "The data can be rather volatile but this does confirm earlier signs that a recovery in demand for air transport has begun, though there are good reasons for expecting the path of further recovery to be volatile and weaker than recoveries from previous recessions," it said. ************** NASA awards aircraft maintenance contract WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- NASA says it has awarded a contract to the Computer Sciences Corp. of Fort Worth, Texas, to maintain aircraft used for astronaut training and flight research. The $163 million contract continues services provided by the company under a previous contract that expires Monday, the space agency said. The work includes flight line, intermediate and depot level maintenance, repairs, modifications and engineering support. The aircraft are used at NASA's Johnson Space Center facilities in Houston and El Paso, Texas; Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.; the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, Calif.; and NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. Officials said the new contract begins Sept. 1 and continues through Feb. 28, 2010, with two one-year extension options available. *************** American Airlines retires Airbus A300 jets after 21 years American Airlines Inc. has flown its last flights with the Airbus A300, more than 21 years after it began flying the wide-body jet. The last American flight flown by an Airbus landed shortly after midnight Monday at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, ending the airplane's history with the Fort Worth-based carrier. American spokesman Tim Smith said a combination of factors led to the decision to take the Airbuses out of American's fleet. "One, we are in the process of cutting capacity. Two, these airplanes are a likely candidate for retirement, in that they are older than most of the airplanes in our fleet," Smith said Tuesday. In addition, the A300 requires different training and maintenance from the other airplanes in American's fleet, he said. All told, "it's a good time to take them out of the fleet," Smith said. American ordered an initial 25 Airbus A300s in March 1987, to be leased from Airbus, and accepted delivery in 1988 and 1989. It later bought another 10 that were delivered between 1991 and 1993. One of the leased airplanes crashed shortly after takeoff from Kennedy in November 2001, leaving American with 34 before it made the decision to ground the Airbus fleet. American placed an order for 15 Boeing 767-300ERs at the same time it acquired the 25 Airbus jets, and Smith noted that the two aircraft types were very similar, with two engines, two aisles and international range. Even though American had no Airbus airplanes before the order, "we were in a growth mode," Smith said. "We needed wide-body aircraft for a broad number of missions, and we could not get 767-300ERs as quickly as we liked. All that came together to have us look at the A300." While the Boeing model for years was the heavy hitter for American's international routes, Smith said, the Airbus "was in one particular way a better aircraft than the Boeing 776-300ER, and that's in its cargo capability." Its huge cargo hold, combined with a lot of seating, made the A300 the perfect airplane for American's growing Caribbean network. The airplane primarily flew out of Miami and New York Kennedy, plus American's hub in San Juan, Puerto Rico. American officials announced in July 2008 that they would park the entire Airbus fleet by the end of 2009 as part of its plans to reduce capacity. Eventually, American plans to replace the Airbus with the Boeing 787, a new aircraft that has faced substantial delays. American expects to take its first 787 in the second half of 2013. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/082609dnbusairbus.39 afbce.html ***************** FAA releases proposed very light jet certification rules The FAA has released a notice of proposed rulemaking to amend the certification standards for Part 23 jet airplanes in an effort to streamline the certification process for very light jets. Proposed rule changes would include clarifying areas of frequent nonstandardization and misrepresentation and codifying existing certification requirements in special conditions for new jets that incorporate new technologies. Aviation International News (08/2009) ***************** China Eastern pilot cadets to train in Australia Brisbane-based Flight Training Australia (FLA) has signed a deal with China Eastern Airlines and the Civil Aviation University of China in Tianjin to train cadet pilots. Thirty three cadet pilots will commence training this month, says Flight Training Australia. One hundred additional cadets will be trained over the course of 2009 and 2010, it adds. "Flight training remains a growth industry in Australia and we are planning on expanding our facilities and bases further, as well as employing additional staff," says FLA managing director Peter Boughen. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news *************** EgyptAir confident of avoiding EU blacklist EgyptAir is confident it will not be included on the European Commission's banned airlines blacklist. The carrier was warned earlier this year that it was at risk of being added to the Commission's list unless it addressed "serious" concerns in areas including airworthiness, maintenance, operations and the safety of cargo. The Commission said 75 EgyptAir inspections since January 2008 turned up 240 individual safety findings, including 69 in the highest of the three classifying categories. After the airline submitted extensive documentation detailing remedial action and made a presentation to the European air safety committee, the Commission decided not to blacklist the carrier "at this stage" but instead "urged" EgyptAir to provide "without delay" for the sustainable resolution of the various findings, "failing which, appropriate measures will have to be taken". The air safety committee will review the carrier's position in November. In the meantime, EgyptAir has investigated the root cause of each EC finding, Mohamed Hassan, adviser to the chairman of the airline's parent, EgyptAir Holding Company, said today in Washington. "We have set a corrective action plan. We are fully confident that [the] EC findings can be corrected," he says. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news **************** RAA encourages discussion to use CVRs in accident prevention As the investigation into the fatal crash of Colgan Air flight 3407 continues, the US Regional Airline Association (RAA) believes dialogue should occur about the potential use of cockpit voice recorders (CVRs) in accident prevention. The Colgan Bombardier Q400 crashed on approach to Buffalo in February, and part of the ensuing investigation focused on the crew's breech of sterile cockpit rules. Also in the aftermath Colgan suggested that its pilots union, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), examine the feasibility of using CVR recordings as part of an enhanced Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) programme. During a recent interview with ATI RAA President Roger Cohen explained so much of the "outfall" from the crash among the press, legislators and regulators is traced back to the CVR transcript. During public hearings held by the National Transportation Safety Board as part of its investigation into the crash, board members expressed concern over the casual banter between the captain and first officer, and the fact that neither individual spoke up about breeching the sterile cockpit. Cohen says it is important to discuss the potential use of non-punitive, legally protective ways to de-identify CVR information in accident prevention. RAA's President believes no issue should be so parochial that it remains excluded from discussions over how to improve safety. As some of those discussions begin, Cohen explains that he hopes "everyone comes in with the right attitude and has an open mind". After Colgan approached ALPA about using CVR in FOQA, an ALPA representative told NTSB the intent of a CVR is for accident investigation, not for regular monitoring of the cockpit. Continuing its campaign to stress its commitment to safety, the RAA in June launched a Strategic Safety Initiative. Key elements include the commissioning of an independent study on pilot fatigue. Additionally, two RAA representatives - Jim Winkley VP of Safety at American Eagle and Republic COO Wayne Heller - are representing RAA on a 16-member FAA advisory rulemaking committee on flight duty and rest, reports the association's newsletter Regional Horizons. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news **************** Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC