23 OCT 2009 _______________________________________ *US team invited to probe Sharjah plane crash *Two fatal flights in 16 months for Sudan Airways *Northwest Flight Overshoots Minneapolis *Passenger jet pilots suspended after overshooting airport by 150 miles' *Passenger jet pilots suspended after overshooting airport by 150 miles' *NTSB INVESTIGATING FLIGHT THAT OVERFLEW INTENDED MINNEAPOLIS AIRPORT *Russian carriers seek freedom to hire foreign pilots *El Al's new chief to be former air force head *Qantas appoints new head of engineering *Boeing under pressure to decide 787 in-flight connectivity *University of North Texas Will Offer A Four-Year Aviation Program *ND aerospace school suspends flights **************************************** CRASH SITE: An official at the site of the plane crash in Sharjah. (ITP Images) US team invited to probe Sharjah plane crash A team of US experts, including the plane maker Boeing, have been invited to the UAE to assist in the investigation into the Sharjah plane crash in which six people died on Wednesday. Boeing confirmed their involvement to the UAE daily paper, the National, saying it was on "standby to provide technical assistance in co-ordination with the US National Transportation Safety Board". Saif al Suwaidi, director general of the General Civil Aviation Authority, told the paper: "We are inviting the USA because they are more experienced with investigations of this kind with this type of aircraft. So we feel they can be helpful in determining the cause of the accident.' http://www.arabianbusiness.com/571365-us-team-invited-to-probe-sharjah-plane -crash ************** Two fatal flights in 16 months for Sudan Airways The crash at Sharjah International Airport yesterday is the second fatal accident involving a Sudan Airways plane in just over a year, and the sixth in the past 10 years. In June last year, the airline's license was temporarily revoked and its flights grounded after 30 people were killed when a plane travelling from Amman burst into flames upon touching down in Khartoum. The Sudanese Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) ordered the national carrier to ground its flights for a month to make urgent safety improvements, but said the sanctions were unrelated to the crash. An internal audit reportedly found the airline to be in violation of administrative and technical standards. The head of the CAA said the company needed to stop its "non-compliance with international standards". Sudan Airways appealed the decision and was allowed to resume flights just hours later, after promising to address the concerns. The airline said at the time it would assess the frequency of flights and the age of its planes. It also said it would appoint an independent expert to monitor its services. Yesterday's crash was the latest of six incidents in the past decade involving the 60-year-old airline. In the most serious accident, 116 people where killed when one of its Boeing 737s crashed in Port Sudan shortly after take-off in 2003. Adam Moussa, an official for the airline, declined to comment yesterday about its safety record. The airline leased the Boeing 707 cargo aircraft that crashed yesterday from Azza Transport, which was hit with sanctions by the US government in 2007 after being accused of "transferring small arms, ammunition and artillery to Sudanese government forces and Janjaweed militia in Darfur". The decision meant it was barred from doing business with American citizens or companies, and that the US would freeze its assets when it could. Officials from Azza Transport also declined to comment on the crash yesterday. Sudan Airways has passed the International Air Transportation Authority's safety audit, but its certification does not cover all its operations, including Boeing 707 flights, as they do not meet all standards, according to the IATA. The Sharjah crash is the airline's second involving a Boeing 707. In September 1982, a plane carrying 11 people destined for Khartoum landed in the Nile River, almost five kilometres short of the runway. Richard Maslen, deputy editor of Airliner World magazine, said it was inevitable that, as an older design, the 707 would suffer more crashes than other models. "Aviation safety has improved significantly in each decade, and you would come to expect there would be more incidents in older-generation airliners," he said. However, he said there were stringent rules governing the life of individual planes, so it was not inherently unsafe to fly planes several decades old. "International aviation safety is so stringent that aircraft can continue to fly for a long period of time," he said. "Just because it's 30 or 40 years old, I wouldn't say it's unsafe. That would be completely wrong." Mr Maslen noted that certain regions suffered more air crashes than others. "If you check the aviation safety statistics, there are areas of the world with higher accident rates Africa and the Middle East is one, the Commonwealth of Independent States [is another]," he said. There have been 12 incidents with Boeing 707s in which more than 100 people have been killed. More than 150 of the planes have been lost in total, although many incidents did not result in deaths. The worst single incident involved a chartered 707 that crashed near Agadir, Morocco in August 1975, killing 188 people. Other major incidents include the crash of a Jordanian 707 at Kano Airport in Nigeria in January 1973, resulting in 176 deaths. Also, 115 people died when a Korean Air 707 exploded over the Andaman Sea in November 1987 on a flight from Abu Dhabi to Bangkok. A bomb had been placed on board earlier by North Korean agents in Baghdad. Yesterday's crash was the fifth major incident at Sharjah International Airport. In January, the prop of a British Gulf International Airlines Antanov plane struck the runway after the landing gear failed. In 2004, an Iranian Kish Airlines plane plunged into the ground near the airport, killing 43 people. The most deadly incident was in 1997 when a Tajikistan Airlines plane broke up and caught fire upon landing, killing 85 people. The probable cause was "stress, slight turbulence and non-adherence to operating procedures", according to a report. http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091022/NATIONAL/71021 9820/0/HOUSE_HOME ************** Northwest Flight Overshoots Minneapolis Pilots Claim The Were Distracted, NTSB Asks If They Possibly Were Asleep At The Wheel A Northwest flight from San Diego to Minneapolis overshot its destination by 150 miles Wednesday evening, prompting the NTSB to investigate a number of possibilities, including whether the cockpit crew fell asleep during the flight. While not ruling it out, spokesman Keith Holloway called that idea "speculative." ATC was unable to contact the aircraft for more than an hour as it approached the airport at FL370. There had been no radio contact with the A320 carrying 147 passengers since the flight was handed off at Denver with no radio contact. In a news release, the NTSB stated "On Wednesday, October 21, 2009, at 5:56 pm mountain daylight time, an Airbus A320, N03274, operating as Northwest Airlines (NWA) flight 188, became a NORDO (no radio communications) flight at 37,000 feet. The flight was operating as a Part 121 flight from San Diego International Airport, San Diego, California (SAN) to MSP with 147 passengers and unknown number of crew. At 7:58 pm central daylight time (CDT), the aircraft flew over the destination airport and continued northeast for approximately 150 miles. The MSP center controller reestablished communications with the crew at 8:14 pm and reportedly stated that the crew had become distracted and had overflown MSP, and requested to return to MSP. According to the Federal Administration (FAA) the crew was interviewed by the FBI and airport police. The crew stated they were in a heated discussion over airline policy and they lost situational awareness. The Safety Board is scheduling an interview with the crew. " The cockpit voice and flight data recorders have been secured and are being sent to the NTSB laboratory in Washington, DC. CNN reports that an NSTB spokesperson raised the possibility that the crew may have fallen asleep during the flight. Officials of Delta Airlines, Northwest's parent company, say they are cooperating fully with the investigation. FMI: www.ntsb.gov aero-news.net *************** Passenger jet pilots suspended after overshooting airport by 150 miles' Both Northwest Airlines pilots have been suspended while the incident is investigated Aviation chiefs in the U.S. are investigating to see if the pilots of a passenger jet with 144 people on board fell asleep as it prepared to land. A Northwest Airlines flight overshot its intended destination by 150 miles before the crew realised they had missed their airport. The two pilots of the Airbus A320 told investigators they been involved in a 'heated' argument in the cockpit and had become distracted. But air traffic controllers said they were unable to raise the pilots for over an hour as it flew at 37,000ft across the state of Minnesota. Officials are concerned that the pilots, who have not been named, dropped off while the jet was on auto-pilot. A spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed that they are looking into pilot fatigue as a reason for the overshoot. 'We will look into fatigue issues,' said NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway said. The Northwest Airlines flight was enroute from San Diego, California, to Minneapolis on Wednesday evening. Controllers were unable to speak with the pilot or co-pilot to give them information about their landing approach as they neared the end of the four hour flight. The radio silence continued for an hour and 18 minutes.The jet, with 144 passengers and crew on board, was tracked on radar. The aircraft flew over its intended destination, Minneapolis St Paul International airport, and continued northeast for approximately 150 miles over the next 16 minutes. The airport's controllers then re-established communication with crew members, who said they had become distracted. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1222401/Pilots-suspended-f alling-asleep-overshooting-airport-150-miles.html#ixzz0UkiLc9PC http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1222401/Pilots-suspended-f alling-asleep-overshooting-airport-150-miles.html *************** NTSB INVESTIGATING FLIGHT THAT OVERFLEW INTENDED MINNEAPOLIS AIRPORT The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating an incident where an Airbus A320 overflew the Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain Airport (MSP). On Wednesday, October 21, 2009, at 5:56 pm mountain daylight time, an Airbus A320, N03274, operating as Northwest Airlines (NWA) flight 188, became a NORDO (no radio communications) flight at 37,000 feet. The flight was operating as a Part 121 flight from San Diego International Airport, San Diego, California (SAN) to MSP with 147 passengers and unknown number of crew. At 7:58 pm central daylight time (CDT), the aircraft flew over the destination airport and continued northeast for approximately 150 miles. The MSP center controller reestablished communications with the crew at 8:14 pm and reportedly stated that the crew had become distracted and had overflown MSP, and requested to return to MSP. According to the Federal Administration (FAA) the crew was interviewed by the FBI and airport police. The crew stated they were in a heated discussion over airline policy and they lost situational awareness. The Safety Board is scheduling an interview with the crew. The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) have been secured and are being sent to the NTSB laboratory in Washington, DC. David Lawrence, the Investigator-in-Charge, is leading the team of 3 in investigating the incident. Parties to the investigation are the FAA and Northwest Airlines. www.ntsb.gov ************* Russian carriers seek freedom to hire foreign pilots Several Russian carriers are pressing the Government for legislation allowing them to hire foreign pilots. Under the current law, domestic air transport enterprises may employ only Russian citizens as cockpit crew. But the carriers, with an increasing number of Western-built aircraft, have encountered a severe shortage of suitably-trained and licensed commercial pilots within the country. State Duma transport comittee deputy chairman Sergei Gavrilov expects foreign aircraft in service with Russian airlines to account for about 60% of the country's passenger traffic this year. He says: "The lack of staff to pilot them has become especially acute for Aeroflot, Rossiya, Region-Avia, Air Volga and some others, which is why they've filed a petition for easing existing restrictions." The concerned airlines are also lobbying Russia's transport ministry to grant permission to hire foreign pilots on an ad hoc basis. "Their initiative is under study and subject to in-depth consultations," says deputy minister Valery Okulov. "At this point, we're looking at the possibility of inviting pilots from the CIS countries." Region-Avia director Denis Pavshinski proposes introducing quotas modelled on the practice in Kazakhstan where carriers may legally fill a quarter of pilot vacancies with non-residents. The airline wants to lease up to 42 Embraer EMB-120 turboprops by 2012. "We would have employed foreigners to man them and work as instructors for our own pilots, had there been amendments to the legislation," says Pavshinski. The other option, proposed by regulators, is to induce airlines that switch to foreign models to install flight simulators to provide necessary training domestically as well as recruit laid-off flight engineers and navigators as pilot trainees. Cockpit Personnel Association president Miroslav Boichuk estimates domestic pilot reserves at 1,200 people younger than 45 years and says up to 500 of them could pass tests for advanced training. But airlines might be more inclined to avoid the training costs by hiring fully-qualified pilots elsewhere. Aeroflot recently hired five cockpit crew from S7 Airlines on a part-time basis but had to dismiss them after aviation authorities ruled that the carrier's management had contravened regulations which forbid pilots to work for two employers. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ************** El Al's new chief to be former air force head Israeli flag-carrier El Al has named Elyezer Shkedy as its new general manager, following the decision of Haim Romano to step down. In a statement El Al says 52-year old Shkedy, previously the commander-in-chief of the Israeli Air Force between 2004-08, will take up the position on 1 January 2010. El Al indicated last month that Romano, who has headed the airline for nearly five years, was preparing to leave his post. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news *************** Qantas appoints new head of engineering Qantas Airways has appointed a new head of engineering, a position that has been vacant since David Cox left. Chris Nassenstein will be executive general manager of engineering starting in February, says the Oneworld carrier. Nassenstein is currently head of Air New Zealand's engineering operations, it adds. "Chris' appointment represents a rare opportunity for us to bring in external experience," says Qantas group executive operations Lyell Strambi. Nassenstein has held senior engineering positions at Air Canada, Canadian Airlines and Lan Chile, he says. Earlier in his career, Nassenstein worked for the Royal Netherlands Air Force and McDonnell Douglas, he adds. Nassenstein replaces David Cox who left earlier this year. He is joining Qantas as it prepares to bring Airbus A330 heavy maintenance in-house after years of outsourcing. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news *************** Boeing under pressure to decide 787 in-flight connectivity In-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) stakeholders are eagerly awaiting a decision from Boeing on what connectivity solutions it will make offerable on the delayed 787, and say the manufacturer is under pressure to come up with an answer for its customers. "There is a lot of things that Boeing is trying to do to deliver it [the 787] on time but the overwhelming and loud feedback from the customer is 'you have to address this issue [in-flight connectivity] and you have to do it very quickly'," reveals David Bruner, vice-president, global communications services for Panasonic, which is supplying in-flight entertainment hardware for 787 customers in addition to Thales. Boeing famously failed in its own attempt to create a sustainable business model for airborne high-speed Internet in the form of Ku-band satellite-based Connexion by Boeing, which was switched off in the commercial sector at the end of 2006. With regard to the 787, Boeing confirms that it has not selected its in-flight connectivity solution. "We are in the process of an extensive trade study on this subject at this time," says a Boeing spokeswoman. The airframer is exploring Ku offerings in addition to solutions that use Inmarsat's SwiftBroadband (SBB) aeronautical service over L-band satellites, according to IFEC industry players. "I was amazed because I thought they'd say 'it's going to be two or three years and we'll look at it [connectivity] again', but they've rekindled the effort with us and other providers to ask - 'what is the right answer for this aircraft'," says Bruner. Panasonic was recently selected by Lufthansa to reignite the carrier's Connexion service on its long-haul fleet, and has inked other undisclosed deals for its Ku-band eXConnect system, which forms the basis of a Global Communications Suite (GCS) comprising broadband Internet, worldwide in-flight television distribution, and in-flight mobile phone connectivity provided in partnership with AeroMobile. "We have a number of GCS customers that will be 787 operators and they are, in many cases, 777 customers now implementing GCS earlier than that so maybe what Boeing is doing is it is getting a little more confident," says Bruner. Thales' connectivity strategy is centred on Inmarsat's SwiftBroadband aeronautical service. Company vice-president of sales and marketing Jeff Sare told ATI at the recent World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA) conference and exhibition in Palm Springs, California that there is "a lot of pressure" for Boeing to make sure it has a connectivity answer for its 787 customers. Lars Ringertz, Inmarsat's head of marketing aeronautical business, says: "Inmarsat obviously hopes that Boeing will select SwiftBroadband based on the fact that it is a service that is globally available and proven today." Boeing this week reaffirmed that first flight of the 787 remains on track to occur by the end of 2009, with first delivery scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2010. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news **************** University of North Texas Will Offer A Four-Year Aviation Program First Texas Public University To Offer A BS In Aviation Logistics The University of North Texas is set to become the first Texas public college or university to offer a bachelor of science degree in aviation logistics next year. The program, which will be offered by the UNT College of Business, was approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in early October and will begin accepting students next fall. Dr. Terrance Pohlen, director of the UNT's Center for Logistics Education and Research, said that the combination of aviation and logistics will give UNT graduates a much broader perspective than they would get from aviation programs offered at other universities. "The flight crew, while an important and highly visible part of aviation, is just the tip of the iceberg. Every time an airplane takes off, literally thousands of dedicated people help put it in the air-from those who manage the airports and run the air traffic control system, to those who schedule flights and many others who do the jobs that need to be done," said Pohlen. UNT's program will give students the education and the experience needed to pursue career opportunities in all facets of the aviation industry. The program will offer two tracks. One will be intended for students interested in becoming commercial pilots, and another for students interested in careers related to passenger and freight movement. "The creation of this new major at UNT is in response to the density of aviation-related businesses and career opportunities in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. DFW International is the fourth largest passenger airport in the country. The area also is home to Dallas Love Field, Fort Worth Alliance airport, American Airlines, Bell Helicopter and Lockheed Martin, just to name a few," said Dr. Steve Swartz, assistant professor of logistics. Pohlen estimates that Texas loses 250 students to aviation programs in Oklahoma and Louisiana each year. Pohlen hopes that in the future those students will chose to stay in Texas and attend UNT. "The need for a four-year aviation program in Texas was apparent, and UNT's location and strong reputation for logistics education made it a natural fit for a comprehensive aviation logistics program," said Dr. Wendy K. Wilkins, UNT provost and vice president for academic affairs. "Aviation is essential to the modern world economy, and this new major will allow UNT to prepare the leaders of tomorrow for an increasingly complex and challenging aviation industry." The program will benefit from UNT's strong relationships with area community colleges. UNT plans to partner with the area two-year colleges and pilot training programs to help students interested in aviation transfer to UNT and earn a four-year degree. Students also will benefit from the existing strengths of the nationally and internationally ranked logistics and supply chain management degree offered at UNT. Many of the aviation logistics faculty will be professors who teach in the existing logistics programs. The program also will draw faculty from a variety of departments to promote a well-rounded and interdisciplinary program. In addition, Pohlen said that he hopes UNT's Air Force ROTC detachment will become a partner. Pohlen and Swartz combined have more than 44 years of United States Air Force experience in logistics, and both taught at the Air Force Institute of Technology. Pohlen helped design a master's program for the institute aimed at teaching cargo pilots logistics. The program is still offered today. Swartz is a commercial pilot and a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the nation's premier aviation-focused university. FMI: www.unt.edu aero-news.net **************** ND aerospace school suspends flights BISMARCK, N.D.(AP) - The University of North Dakota's aerospace school has suspended training flights for one day after a series of landing and take-off mishaps at the Grand Forks airport. University flight operations director Al Palmer said the latest incident involved a plane that landed Thursday morning without its landing gear down. No one was hurt. Six other incidents have been reported since July involving student pilots at the airport. Palmer said training flights are slated to resume Friday afternoon. Palmer said school officials, instructors and students are reviewing flight and safety procedures with the Federal Aviation Administration. The aerospace school says it has more than 2,000 students from around the world. **************** Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC