28 OCT 2009 _______________________________________ *Delta: Laptops In The Cockpit Are Strictly Against Airline Policy *Delta Pilots' Union Calls NTSB Release On Minneapolis Incident 'Premature' *You KNEW This was Coming... FAA Revokes 2 NWA Pilot Licenses *Incident highlights outdated air-traffic system *NTSB blames pilot error in '08 medevac crash *Air safety body backs checks on Sikorskys *United Airlines plans to retire its last 737 *Jetstar engine fire forces evacuation in Australia http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/media/ALeqM5g9V556rtg4idcwU7Op2S1x3wy65 g?size=l *Helicopter Safety Recommendation Summary for Small Operators *Exclusive: Boeing issues RFI for 787 connectivity solution *FAA contract to accelerate NextGen data communications **************************************** Delta: Laptops In The Cockpit Are Strictly Against Airline Policy Airline Issues Statement On Northwest Flight 188 Investigation There is likely to be considerable turbulence in the wake of Northwest Flight 188 traveling nearly 150 miles beyond its destination of Minneapolis last week. Delta issued a statement Monday regarding the company's cooperation with the NTSB and the FAA in their investigations of the incident. In the statement, Delta and its Northwest operating subsidiary say they are continuing to openly and fully cooperate with the NTSB and FAA to complete the investigation. The pilots in command of Northwest Flight 188 remain suspended until the conclusion of the investigations into this incident. "Using laptops or engaging in activity unrelated to the pilots' command of the aircraft during flight is strictly against the airline's flight deck policies and violations of that policy will result in termination," Delta said in the statement. Delta CEO Richard Anderson said: "Nothing is more important to Delta than safety. We are going to continue to cooperate fully with the NTSB and the FAA in their investigations." The NTSB released the initial findings of its investigation into the incident Monday, including evidence that the pilots involved said they were distracted at cruise altitude between San Diego and Minneapolis-St. Paul. The NTSB's press release stated that the pilots said in interviews that "there was a concentrated period of discussion where they did not monitor the airplane or calls from ATC even though both stated they heard conversation on the radio ... neither pilot noticed messages that were sent by company dispatchers ... both said they lost track of time ... (and) each pilot accessed and used his personal laptop computer while they discussed the airline crew flight scheduling procedure." FMI: www.delta.com aero-news.net **************** Delta Pilots' Union Calls NTSB Release On Minneapolis Incident 'Premature' Issues Statement on Northwest Flight 188 Investigation The Delta Master Executive Council, which is the Delta branch of the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) representing the over 12,000 pilots of Delta Air Lines, Monday issued the following statement concerning the NTSB investigation into Northwest Flight 188. "As professional airline pilots, our primary concern is and always will be the safety and well-being of our passengers," said Captain Lee Moak, Delta MEC Chairman. "In any aircraft incident, there is always more to the story than first appears in the press. We do not condone the abandonment of due process that will result from a rush to judgment; instead we implore all interested parties to move with deliberate and unemotional professionalism as the events surrounding this incident are investigated." On Wednesday, October 21, 2009, ATC lost radio contact with Northwest Flight 188, and Flight 188 subsequently overflew its destination before radio contact was reestablished. The aircraft remained visible to ATC radar at all times. Once radio contact was reestablished, the aircraft returned for a safe landing at its destination. At no time were the passengers, crew or aircraft in danger. Over the past several years, labor, management, the industry and government agencies have partnered, expending significant amounts of time, money and effort, to develop programs such as Aviation Safety Action Programs (ASAP) and Flight Operational Quality Assurance (FOQA) programs designed to improve the safety of our nation's aviation system. The core tenet of these programs is the ability of pilots to self disclose without fear of retribution in order to help make the U.S. aviation system the safest in the world. "To date, all crew statements related to this case have been voluntary. We are disappointed that these voluntary statements are being used without regard for the breach of trust and confidence their use will cause," Captain Moak remarked. "Programs like ASAP and FOQA could be dealt a debilitating blow as pilots question the integrity of these voluntary programs. A rush to judgment by the NTSB will have a direct impact on the future of voluntary safety programs, which are at the very core of the safety structure of the U.S. aviation industry. The continued viability of these programs themselves will be placed at risk. That will, in turn, cause irreparable harm to the safety of our nation's aviation system." "The NTSB is an independent federal agency charged with determining the probable cause of transportation accidents and promoting transportation safety. They are not charged with prematurely releasing self-disclosed information to be sensationalized in the press," Captain Moak insisted. "We will work closely with Delta and federal officials to determine any root causes for last weeks sequence of events," Captain Moak continued, "but in the meantime I strongly encourage all parties not to reach a hasty conclusion. There is a proper venue for this investigation, but we stand firmly behind the crew's right to due process." FMI: www.deltapilots.org aero-news.net *************** You KNEW This was Coming... FAA Revokes 2 NWA Pilot Licenses FAA "Throws The Book" At NWA 188 Pilots The FAA has revoked the licenses of two Northwest Airlines pilots who overflew their destination airport on October 21, 2009 while operating Flight 188 from San Diego to Minneapolis. The pilots were out of contact with air traffic controllers for an extended period of time and told federal investigators that they were distracted by a conversation. Air traffic controllers and airline officials repeatedly tried to reach them through radio and data contact, without success. The emergency revocations cite violations of a number of Federal Aviation Regulations. Those include failing to comply with air traffic control instructions and clearances and operating carelessly and recklessly. The revocations are effective immediately. The pilots have 10 days to appeal the emergency revocations to the National Transportation Safety Board. FMI: www.faa.gov, www.ntsb.gov, www.nwa.com aero-news.net *************** Incident highlights outdated air-traffic system The two Northwest Airlines pilots told investigators that they were using their personal laptops Oct. 21 as they flew from San Diego to Minneapolis. By Alan Levin, USA TODAY The odyssey of an airliner that flew hundreds of miles while out of radio communication highlights the weaknesses of the nation's outdated air-traffic system, according to aviation experts and controllers. The two Northwest Airlines pilots told investigators that they were using their personal laptops Oct. 21 as they flew from San Diego to Minneapolis. As a result, they "lost track of time" and did not pay attention to the radio, the National Transportation Safety Board reported. In the age of the iPhone, instant messaging and satellite transmissions, pilots and controllers still communicate over clunky radios that are often laden with static and require multiple frequency changes, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and experts. Even though the radio may not be to blame for the Northwest Airlines mishap, the difficulty that controllers and the airline had in reaching the cockpit underscores the weaknesses of the equipment. "I've been waiting for 15 years for the day when we're no longer dependent on voice communications," said Patrick Veillette, a corporate pilot and aviation safety researcher. "It can't come soon enough." When a jet flies across the country, its pilots have to change radio frequencies dozens of times. With each change, controllers read a new frequency to pilots, who manually change their radios. According to controllers and pilots, mistakes occur frequently, though most are minor and short-lived. The FAA and other regulators around the world want to build a digital radio system that would carry sounds more clearly and allow for controllers and pilots to send text messages. The system will be part of the "NextGen" system the agency is building over the next decade, spokesman Paul Takemoto said. However, attempts in the U.S. and Europe to create such a system have been mired in disagreements over what technology to use. Air-traffic controllers would welcome an upgrade to the radio system, said Doug Church, spokesman for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Communication problems associated with the analog radios have occasionally contributed to major accidents, including the most deadly airline crash in history. Two Boeing 747s slammed into each other on a runway in the Canary Islands on March 27, 1977, killing 574 people. A crucial instruction from the tower telling a KLM jet to wait before taking off was unintelligible because another pilot simultaneously broadcast on the same frequency. http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2009-10-27-outdated-air-traffic-syste m_N.htm *************** NTSB blames pilot error in '08 medevac crash A state police helicopter pilot's decision to make a rapid descent in an attempt to see better in fog was the chief cause of the medevac crash that killed four people last year near Andrews Air Force Base, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded. The board said Steven Bunker of Waldorf, who was killed in the Sept. 28, 2008, crash, failed to stop the descent at the proper altitude. The NTSB found no mechanical problems and determined that the helicopter's navigational instruments were working properly. The helicopter crashed in District Heights in Prince George's County while transporting two victims of a car crash. Bunker, paramedic Mickey Lippy, emergency medical technician Tonya Mallard and patient Ashley J. Younger were killed. The other auto crash victim survived. Bunker was trying to make an emergency landing at Andrews. The NTSB ruled that he had made an "inadequate assessment" of conditions before takeoff. While pilot error was identified as the primary cause, the NTSB also criticized state police for poor risk management. The board also faulted the performance of Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers. According to the NTSB, Bunker failed to follow proper instrument approach procedures and instead "became preoccupied with looking for the ground." Because the helicopter did not have a flight recorder, the board said it could not determine why the pilot did not make a safe landing using navigational instruments. The crash spurred a national debate about whether medical helicopters are overused. It was one of 26 fatal medevac crashes in six years, many of them involving the transport of patients whose injuries were not considered life-threatening. Since the crash, Maryland has revised its triage guidelines, and emergency workers are now required to talk to doctors before ordering a flight for anything but obvious medical emergencies. The Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems, which manages the state's trauma network, convened a panel to review medevac use, and they determined that the state could fly fewer missions without compromising patient safety. http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/commuting/bal-md.cm.faa28oct28,0,440610 4.story ************** Air safety body backs checks on Sikorskys Move comes as copter firm probes North Sea riddle A mystery fault which appears to affect only helicopters operating over the North Sea must be checked every day or every 10 flying hours, Europe's aviation body has ruled. The European Aviation Safety Agency has issued an airworthiness directive for Sikorsky S-92s after it emerged some of the fleet have suffered cracks in one of the four feet which attach the gearbox to the aircraft. The move, which came into force yesterday, formalises similar advice which was issued by Sikorsky earlier this month. Engineers from the US-based company have been in the north-east trying to establish the reasons for the defect. The fault was revealed in a letter from Sikorsky director Brian Young to all S-92 helicopter operators, maintenance centres and field service representatives. The letter says a number of cracks have been reported on aircraft operating in the North Sea since January. The latest incident happened three weeks ago, on a replacement gearbox with a new housing which had only been in service for 70 hours. The letter goes on to say that tests have shown the helicopters can remain airworthy for "a period of time" even if one of the feet is severed, but it does not reveal how long they could continue to fly. Suspect parts have been examined in the Sikorsky materials laboratory and several possible contributing factors have been identified "that necessitate further investigation", the letter says. Two operators use S-92s in the North Sea. CHC operates four S-92 search and rescue helicopters on behalf of the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency and one between North Sea platforms. Bristow Helicopters operates 15 S-92s in Europe. Both companies have said they are complying with an enhanced inspection regime ordered by Sikorsky, which requires operators to look at the part after every 10 hours of flying. Since the fault came to light, the Unite union has sought assurances from Sikorsky and the operators of the helicopters that the S-92 is fit for purpose. On March 12 this year, 17 people died when a Sikorsky S-92 operated by Cougar Helicopters crashed in the Atlantic off the coast of Newfoundland in Canada. One person survived. A gearbox mounting problem - understood to be different from the current issue in the North Sea - was found to be the fault. Less than three weeks later, on April 1, two pilots and 14 oil workers died after a "catastrophic" gearbox failure sent Super Puma Flight 85N crashing into the sea 14 miles from Peterhead. The flight was operated by Bond, whose fleet does not include any S-92 aircraft. http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1457565?UserKey= *************** United Airlines plans to retire its last 737 United Airlines is retiring its 737s in favor of more-fuel-efficient jets. Flight 737 will land for the final time Wednesday night in San Francisco. Capt. Bob Russo has flown for United since 1978, with nearly all of his years in the cockpit of a Boeing 737. He loved flying the jet so much that he said he'd retire with the 737 if United ever removed the aircraft from its fleet. Wednesday will be Russo's last day as a commercial aviation pilot. When he lands the last leg of United Flight 737 Wednesday night at San Francisco International, his career and that of the world's best-selling commercial aircraft will draw to a close at United, the nation's No. 3 carrier. "I never really thought I would be flying the last 737 flight," Russo says. "I intended on retiring with the aircraft, but I never really thought that I would be able to fly the last flight. It's a tremendous honor for me." Russo says Wednesday's curtain call for the 737 at United will be both "exciting and bittersweet." "I hate to see the airplane leave the fleet at United, but under the present economic conditions, there are a lot of decisions (like this) that have to be made to make us competitive in this industry," he says. While the retirement of the 737 marks the end of an era at United, it also underscores a fundamental change underway in the industry. Nearly all the nation's big airlines are shrinking, first in response to soaring fuel costs in 2008 and today in response to sagging demand for travel amid the global recession. And while some airlines say faint signs of a recovery are beginning to show, most U.S. airlines will continue to shrink into 2010. That's forcing them to ground planes, move to smaller ones, seek more-fuel-efficient aircraft and cut costs on such items as maintenance through consolidation. Others are trimming fleets, too At United, the fuel crunch led to a decision last year to retire its older, less-fuel-efficient 737s at a time fuel costs had soared to record levels. It also resulted in cutting 94 aircraft from United's fleet at a time the global economy was swooning and big U.S. airlines were forced to downsize - both in the number of seats they were making available and in personnel - to cut costs. United President John Tague told employees in a memo that getting rid of the 737 would "dramatically simplify our fleet and reduce our maintenance liability, significantly cutting the future investment required to maintain a modern fleet at United Airlines." United is far from alone in making sweeping cuts to both its fleet and flight schedule. All five of the nation's big so-called legacy carriers are grappling with cuts in capacity as travel demand remains weak. American, for example, is phasing out its aging, fuel-guzzling MD-80 jets. It made its last flight with its long-haul Airbus A300 jets in August. American plans to replace at least some of its MD-80s with Boeing's newest model of the 737 - the 737-800 jets. American spokesman Tim Smith says the airline has taken delivery of 19 of the new 737s this year, to go with the 77 American ready has. An additional 76 will be delivered through 2011, he says. Jon Ostrower, author of the blog FlightBlogger at flightglobal.com and who closely follows the industry, notes that a number of other U.S. airlines have made similar moves to mothball older, bigger or less-fuel-efficient aircraft. He points to Northwest, now owned by Delta, as an example. The carrier recently retired its 1970s-era Boeing 747-200 jets. "You see these generations of aircraft, which have always been staples in American airports, really coming out of service and going on to storage or other owners overseas," Ostrower says. United's decision to get rid of the 737 stands in contrast to at least one of its low-cost rivals. Southwest, which until recently has been the USA's most consistently profitable airline, flies only 737s. The 737 model, which launched in 1968, has become the world's top-selling commercial aircraft and is regarded by many in the airline industry as the "workhorse" of commercial aviation. Replacing 737s with Airbuses It's hard to square United's decision to phase out the 737 and Southwest's choice to fly only 737s, Ostrower says. "Ultimately, you're just looking at two drastically different models for how you operate an airline," he says. Although United's 737s will be retired after Flight 737 finishes its four-leg, cross-country trek Wednesday - Dulles-O'Hare, O'Hare-Denver, Denver-Los Angeles and Los Angeles-San Francisco - the carrier has comparable jets to fill the void on domestic routes like these. The airline can use its Airbus A319- and A320-series jets. With seating ranging from 120 to 144, United's Airbus jets roughly match the capacity that it had with its 737s. And, because United's Airbuses are newer, they generally are more fuel- and cost-efficient than the 737s they're replacing, Ostrower says. As for renewing its fleet, United has sought bids from both Airbus and Boeing for new planes. United says it's evaluating options, including placing no orders, and that it expects to make a decision by the end of the year. http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2009-10-27-united-737-final-flight_N. htm *************** Jetstar engine fire forces evacuation in Australia SYDNEY (AFP) - More than 170 passengers were evacuated from an Australian Jetstar flight after an engine briefly caught fire after landing, the company said on Wednesday. Some 173 travellers were hurried off the Airbus A320 plane without their cabin baggage when flames broke out after the journey from Brisbane to Newcastle, north of Sydney, late on Tuesday. Nobody was hurt in the evacuation or fire, which lasted just a few seconds, a spokesman for the budget carrier told AFP. "It's clearly untoward -- that's not meant to occur," the spokesman said. "We still need to get to the bottom of this. The aircraft was grounded last night and it will undergo an engine change," he added. "We're in discussions with the manufacturer why this occurred -- it's a bit unusual." The incident comes just four months after a cockpit fire forced a Jetstar A330-200 to make an emergency landing on the Pacific island of Guam in June. The blaze was one of a series of mishaps involving Airbus aircraft, including the Air France A330-200 which went down in mysterious circumstances over the Atlantic on May 31, killing all 228 on board. ***************** Helicopter Safety Recommendation Summary for Small Operators The International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) Helicopter Safety Recommendation Summary for Small Operators is a summary of the initial findings and recommendations developed from detailed helicopter accident analysis done by the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST). Included in this document are brief descriptions of the key helicopter safety enhancements relative to five basic safety themes identified by the IHST's Joint Helicopter Safety Analysis Team (JHSAT) and validated by the IHST's Joint Helicopter Safety Implementation Team (JHSIT). The IHST, formed in early 2006, is an all-volunteer team of helicopter community stakeholders dedicated to reducing worldwide helicopter accidents by 80 percent in ten years. Over 300 volunteers work on various regional IHST teams around the world to achieve this goal. The core processes used by these teams have been adapted from the proven analytical methods developed by the Commercial Aviation Safety Team in its highly successful work to improve commercial fixed wing aviation safety. The foundation of these safety recommendations is the IHST/JHSAT report which was developed by a team of analysts from the helicopter operating, manufacturing, and regulatory communities using US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reports to carefully document hundreds of helicopter accidents. Details of the analytical process used can be found at www.ihst.org. The Document can be found at: http://www3.verticalgateway.com/portals/12/rotornews/Oct%2009/ihst_safety_re cs.pdf and is also an attachment to this Newsletter. http://www.rotor.com/Default.aspx?tabid=510&newsid905=62473 *************** Exclusive: Boeing issues RFI for 787 connectivity solution Boeing has issued a request for information (RFI) for an Inmarsat SwiftBroadband-supported satcom interface and onboard mobile telephony installation for the 787, Flightglobal can reveal. The RFI, a copy of which has been obtained by Flightglobal, indicates that Boeing's preferred solution for installation of an onboard mobile telephony system (OMTS) "is to have it integrated" with the in-flight entertainment (IFE) system. At a minimum, it says, Boeing would "like to see all server and control functions integrated into existing IFE components". For the integrated IFE/OMTS, Boeing asks respondents to describe what services will be offered - voice, data, SMS, send/receive, web, email or other. "Incorporation of OMTS on the 787 will follow current and future ARINC 824 industry standards," says the Boeing document. As part of the RFI, Boeing is also evaluating a non-integrated or standalone OMTS solution. Additionally, the airframer is studying multiple SwiftBroadband architectures. Respondents to the RFI are being asked to address the integration of these architectures and any issues, limitation or benefits their system would have with the different architectures. Asked to comment on the RFI, a Boeing spokeswoman says: "We do not comment on RFIs and have no additional comment to offer." News of the RFI comes as in-flight entertainment and connectivity stakeholders Panasonic Avionics and Thales Avionics say Boeing is under pressure to come up with a connectivity answer for its 787 customers. Panasonic and Thales are supplying IFE systems for the twinjet. Boeing 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. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ************** FAA contract to accelerate NextGen data communications The FAA has signed a $12 million contract with Honeywell and Rockwell Collins to develop prototype avionics hardware and software for air-to-ground digital data exchange, also known as data communications or datacomm. The other transactional agreement (OTA) is intended to demonstrate to national airspace users the benefits of datacomm over voice communications, accelerating the introduction of the technology into the fleet. Along with developing the equipment, Honeywell and Rockwell Collins will work with the US FAA to validate standards for the avionics and support system demonstrations which will include evaluations of human-machine interfaces, interoperability testing with air-ground communications systems and security validation, according to the FAA. Work will commence in the first quarter of fiscal year 2010 and continue through 2011. The FAA says it may enter follow-on agreements with the companies to develop and supply the avionics for certification in aircraft, operational test sites and to perform initial operational acceptance testing. Earlier FAA datacomm trials, under the auspices of the controller-pilot data link communications (CPDLC) trials, were shelved in 2004 due to budget cuts. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ************** Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC