11 NOV 2009 _______________________________________ *Horizon Air jet makes emergency landing in Calif *Airbus A319 drops door, emergency slide on city *UK Cops Pull Suspected Drunk Pilot Off United Jet *United suspends 767 pilot facing alcohol charge *Hawaii Flight Instructor Grounded For 'Poor Judgement' *Kingfisher aircraft skids off shortened runway (India) *Gulf Air flight makes emergency landing in Mumbai, all aboard safe *TSB Canada releases final report on Bombardier Global 5000 accident *SMS Oversight Cited In Canadian Crash *Boeing targets late December for 787 first flight *Air France pilot unions call for walk-out over safety reform **************************************** Horizon Air jet makes emergency landing in Calif A Fresno-to-Seattle flight has made an emergency landing at Sacramento International Airport after the jet experienced problems with its left engine. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A Fresno-to-Seattle flight has made an emergency landing at Sacramento International Airport after the jet experienced problems with its left engine. There have been no reports of injury. Horizon Air spokeswoman Jen Boyer says Flight 2530 departed Fresno at 7:20 a.m. with 25 passengers on board. Pilots got an indication that something was wrong with the left engine of the 70-seat Bombardier CRJ-700 and requested an emergency landing in Sacramento. Gina Swankie, a spokeswoman for the airport, says the plane landed without incident around 8:30 a.m. Boyer says the airline will accommodate passengers on other flights out of Sacramento. ************** Airbus A319 drops door, emergency slide on city DALLAS (AP) - A surprise awaited the crew making a test flight of an Airbus A319 jet undergoing maintenance in Dallas. An emergency slide and the door over the compartment in which the slide was stowed fell from the jet shortly after takeoff Tuesday afternoon from Dallas Love Field. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford says the episode occurred about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. He says the Aruban-registered jet was undergoing maintenance at the Associated Air Center at Love Field. No injuries were reported, and the jet was able to land safely. ************** UK Cops Pull Suspected Drunk Pilot Off United Jet London-Chicago flight canceled; Erwin Washington in custody (AP) - British police pulled a United Airlines pilot off a Chicago-bound plane today at Heathrow airport and charged him with being over the alcohol limit while on the job. Police and airline officials say Erwin Vermont Washington, 51, was pulled from United Airlines Flight 949 after a co-worker suspected him of being drunk. The flight was canceled and the plane's 124 passengers were put on other flights. http://www.newser.com/story/73740/uk-cops-pull-suspected-drunk-pilot-off-uni ted-jet.html *************** United suspends 767 pilot facing alcohol charge Police in London have charged the pilot of a United Airlines Boeing 767 with being above legal alcohol limits, after he was detained at London Heathrow prior to a transatlantic departure. United Airlines has removed the pilot from duty while it carries out an investigation into the 9 November incident. The Metropolitan Police has identified the pilot as a 51-year old crew member from Lakewood, Colorado. He had been part of the crew of flight UA949 from Heathrow to Chicago O'Hare - carrying 135 occupants - which was subsequently cancelled. He has been formally charged with serving as aviation staff, in an aviation function, while "exceeding prescribed alcohol limits", says a Metropolitan Police spokeswoman. The pilot has been bailed and will appear before magistrates at Uxbridge, west London, on 20 November. A spokeswoman for United Airlines says: "Safety is our highest priority. The pilot has been removed from service while we are co-operating with authorities and conducting a full investigation. "United's alcohol policy is among the strictest in the industry and we have no tolerance for violation of this well-established policy." Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ************** Hawaii Flight Instructor Grounded For 'Poor Judgement' Suspended 200 Days For Flying A Damaged Airplane Oahu flight instructor Timothy Thrasher, the owner of Flight School Hawaii, had just completed a trip from Honolulu to Hilo when he allegedly hit a sign while taxiing at the Hilo airport. The collision with the "Transient Aircraft Parking" sign caused significant damaged the right wingtip of the Piper Aztec, making a sizable dent in the wing and tearing its aluminum skin. Thrasher flew the damaged plane, and two family members, back to Honolulu, which was the basis for the FAA's suspension of his flying priveleges. Hawaii News Now (KGMB/KHNL) reports that FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said the FAA determined the pilot was "reckless as to endanger the life and property of another," and handed him a 200 day suspension. "Our investigation determined that plane was not airworthy and should not have been flown in the condition it's in," Gregor said. Thrashed did not wish to commend on what he told the station was a "minor incident", but the FAA obviously doesn't see it that way. Thrasher said he flew the plane back because, after 28 years as a pilot, he did not think the damage was that significant. The station also reports that the local law enforcement has opened a possible criminal investigation to determine if Thrasher filed a false report. He allegedly told law enforcement officials that the airplane was fine when he left it, and it was damaged on his return. A witness who says they saw the incident disputes Thrashers claim, and was the person who contacted the FAA. Thrasher will begin serving his 200 day suspension when he surrenders his license to the FAA. He will still be allowed to operate his business. FMI: http://hawaii.gov/ito aero-news.net *************** Kingfisher aircraft skids off shortened runway (India) Mumbai A Kingfisher ATR aircraft, with 42 passengers and four crew members onboard, skidded off the airport's main runway on Tuesday while it was on its way to a parking bay in the apron control area. The flight, which was coming from Bhavnagar, landed at 4.36 pm as per its scheduled time but skidded off the main runway when it was about to turn right towards the farthest taxiway, N10. Some of the passengers suffered minor injuries in the incident. All operations at the airport were suspended from 4.38 pm to 6.08 pm following the incident. Further, there were as many as eight diversions for Mumbai-bound flights. According to an airport spokesperson, all flights were diverted to the Ahmedabad airport while one was diverted to Pune. The pilots of the ATR 72-500 have been de-rostered pending a DGCA inquiry. "From preliminary details, it appears that the aircraft's speed was higher than required and because there is very little margin for error during the shortened runway operations, the pilots were unable to manoeuvre the aircraft accordingly," a senior airport official said. While the operations at airport had earlier been suspended from 3.07 pm to 3.43 pm, sources said there were strong tailwinds at the airport that worked against the ATR. "The wet surface of the runway could be another factor for the aircraft skidding," an airport official said. Only last Tuesday, a Go Air pilot was asked to abort landing twice by air traffic controllers after the controller found the aircraft's descending altitude unusually low. The airport officials are now worried about the DGCA's position on continuing of operations on Tuesdays after these incidents. Newsline had reported yesterday about the pressures that pilots have been facing on Tuesday since the shortened runway operations began in October. According to senior pilots, a slight increase of just 10 knots in an aircraft's speed is enough for it to overshoot the runway or skid off it as in this case. "Kingfisher Airlines flight IT 4124, which came in to land at Mumbai Airport today evening, skidded off the runway. All 42 guests and 4 crew on board are safe and unhurt. The flight, which was being operated by an ATR 72-500 aircraft, landed on the shortened runway. Kingfisher Airlines' flight safety department will conduct a full inquiry into the incident and cooperate fully with the DGCA probe team. Pending investigation, the pilots have been de-rostered," an airline spokesperson said. The average delay in flight operations on Tuesday was 30 minutes. Airlines violated DGCA instructions All domestic airlines have been issued strict instructions by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) not to use the shortened runway in wet conditions. Sources said the DGCA had issued the instruction on Monday and all airlines were expected to abide by this. Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Dr Naseem Zaidi confirmed that the DGCA did issue the circular and has now initiated an investigation into the matter and looking out for airlines which violated its instructions. "We issued the circular and an investigation has been instituted to find out who all violated the order," said Dr Zaidi. A team from the DGCA's air safety department will probe Tuesday's incident. It will also reassess the shortened runway operations on Tuesdays. http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/no-end-to-tuesday-scare-kingfisher-a ircraft-skids-off-shortened-runway/539826/ ***** Status: Preliminary Date: 10 NOV 2009 Time: 16:40 Type: ATR-72-212A Operator: Kingfisher Airlines Registration: VT-KAC C/n / msn: 729 First flight: 2006-05-18 (3 years 6 months) Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127F Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 42 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 46 Airplane damage: Substantial Location: Mumbai-Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (BOM) (India) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Bhavnagar Airport (BHU/VABV), India Destination airport: Mumbai-Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (BOM/VABB), India Flightnumber: 4124 Narrative: An ATR-72 passenger plane, operated by Kingfisher Airlines, was damaged when it skidded off the runway on landing at Mumbai-Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (BOM), India. Flight IT4124 operated on a scheduled domestic flight from Bhavnagar Airport (BHU) to Mumbai. Maintenance on main runway 27 at Mumbai effected operations at the airport between certain times. There were several NOTAM's in effect relating to runway 27: GP RWY27 NOT AVBL DUE SHORTENED RWY27. BTN 0730-1130 ON EVERY TUE, 03 NOV 07:30 2009 UNTIL 23 MAR 11:30 2010 RWY27 CL LGT NOT AVBL. 27 OCT 12:30 2009 UNTIL 31 MAR 23:59 2010. RWY27 TDZ LGT NOT AVBL. 27 OCT 12:30 2009 UNTIL 31 MAR 23:59 2010. RWY27 SHALL BE USED FOR LDG AND TKOF FM A POINT 1262M FM THR OF RWY27 1.THE SHORTENED RWY SHALL BE DESIGNATED AS RWY 27A. RADAR VECTORED VISUAL APP WILL BE PROVIDED SUBJ TO VIS 2800M OR MORE.DECLARED DIST OF RWY27A- RWY TORA TODA LDA ASDA 27A 1703M 1703M 1703M 1703M 2.THR MARKING PROVIDED ON BOTH SIDES OF RWY27A ON RWY SHOULDER AREA AT A DIST OF 180M 3.PAPI RWY27A PROVIDED 4.AIMING POINT MARKING PROVIDED ON SHOULDER OF RWY27A OPPOSITE PAPI 5.DIST INDICATION SIGN PROVIDED EV 300M FM RWY27A END. 6.TORA SIGN PROVIDED AT TWY Q HLDG POINT. 7.TEMP WING BAR LGT PROVIDED FOR THR. 8.RWY EDGE LGT,RWY CL AND RWY END LGT PROVIDED FOR RWY27A. BTN 0730-1130 UTC ON EV TUE ON [...],10,17,24 NOV 2009 [...] Weather reported about the time of the accident (11:10 UTC) was reported as: VABB 101110Z 07007KT 2300 -RA FEW012 SCT015 FEW030CB OVC090 24/22 Q1003 NOSIG= [Wind 070 degrees at 7 knots; visibility 2300 feet [700 m]; light rain; few clouds at 1,200 feet, scattered clouds at 1,500 feet, few clouds with cumulonimbus at 3,000 feet and overcast at 9,000 feet; temperature 24 degrees C; QNH 1003 MB] (aviation-safety.net) *************** Gulf Air flight makes emergency landing in Mumbai, all aboard safe MUMBAI: A Gulf Air aircraft with 222 passengers on board made an emergency landing here on Wednesday following a technical snag, and then got stuck on the runway for a while, an airport official said. No casualties were reported. The Airbus A-320 flight GF-057 took off from here for Bahrain at 10.32 am but returned after 50 minutes after a technical problem was detected. While the airport authorities were in full emergency readiness mode, the flight landed but got stuck on the runway, blocking other flights. The aircraft was then towed away and the runway cleared for normal operations by noon, the official said. There are no reports of any injuries to any passengers in the incident. This is the second instance of an emergency at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in two days. A Kingfisher Airlines flight with 46 passengers on board had skidded off the main runway, affecting normal operations Tuesday evening. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/transportation/air lines-/-aviation/Gulf-Air-flight-makes-emergency-landing-in-Mumbai-all-aboar d-safe/articleshow/5218829.cms *************** TSB Canada releases final report on Bombardier Global 5000 accident Citing ineffective oversight by the Canadian Business Aviation Association (CBAA), the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has released its final report into the 2007 landing accident in Fox Harbour, Nova Scotia. The accident injured 10 people when the Bombardier Global 5000 private jet skidded off the runway, stopping 1000 feet from its initial touchdown point, close to neighbouring homes. In its investigation, the TSB reported that private operators regulated by the CBAA were not held to the same standard that Transport Canada (TC) implemented for commercial operators. TC regulations require commercial airline companies to implement safety management systems (SMS) in stages, on a fixed timeline, while the CBAA was free to implement SMS for its operators on its own terms with no fixed timeframe. In 2003, TC transferred regulatory responsibility for some aviation operators to the CBAA but prior to this accident failed to exercise effective oversight of the CBAA programs. In two key recommendations, the Board calls for the CBAA to set SMS implementation milestones for its certificate holders and for TC to ensure the CBAA has an effective quality assurance program in place to audit its certificate holders. In the course of the investigation, the TSB also found that many pilots were not aware of the limitations of the visual guidance systems used to conduct safe approaches and landings. These guidance systems, known as visual glide slope indicators (VGSI), use ground-based light beams to show pilots when they are too high or too low on approach but many pilots don't realize that some VGSI should not be used when flying larger aircraft. Information on the distance between the cockpit and the landing gear (eye-to-wheel height) is needed to know which VGSI to use but the Board revealed this information is not readily available to pilots. To address these issues, the Board made two additional recommendations requiring TC to make eye-to-wheel height information available to pilots, and that better training also be provided to them on VGSI so they have the information they need to land safely. (TSB) (aviation-safety.com) ************* SMS Oversight Cited In Canadian Crash As the FAA gets ready to implement mandatory safety management systems (SMSs), Canadian authorities are warning SMSs need proper oversight if they're to do their job of improving flight safety. The Canadian Transportation Safety Board cited insufficient oversight of a private operator's SMS in its final report on a landing accident that injured 10 people aboard a Bombardier Global 5000 at Fox Harbour, N.S., two years ago. Transport Canada has required SMS plans for commercial carriers for years but delegated oversight of SMS implementation for some operators to the Canadian Business Aviation Association in 2003. The TSB said in its report that CBAA's implementation of SMS criteria is flawed and Transport Canada failed to recognize that before the Nova Scotia accident. "This is a serious problem," said Kathy Fox, board member for the TSB. "Safety can be compromised when SMS plans are vague, deadlines are flexible, and critical oversight is lacking. Without proper milestones or auditing, SMS cannot function properly and the risks increase." The flawed SMS process is a thread throughout the TSB's findings, which determined the pilots ducked under the standard approach and, because they were used to flying smaller aircraft into the field, misjudged the touchdown and hit the ground seven feet before the pavement. The impact collapsed the right gear and the aircraft skidded off the runway, stopping about 1,000 feet from the touchdown point and close to some neighboring houses. The TSB says the pilots intentionally fudged the approach to maximize the rollout room on the 4885-foot runway, which is part of a golf resort owned by Ron Joyce, who was on the plane. Although they'd flown into Fox Harbour many times on smaller Challenger 604s, the pilots had only recently started flying the Global 5000. The TSB says they didn't realize that the Abbreviated Precision Approach Path Indicator (APAPI) used at Fox Harbour didn't work properly with aircraft as large as the Global 5000 because of the greater distance between the ground and the pilot's eyes, known as the Eye Wheel Height (EWH). http://www.avweb.com/avwebbiz/news/SMS_Oversight_Cited_In_Canadian_Crash_201 506-1.html *************** Boeing targets late December for 787 first flight Installation of the wing fix for the first Boeing 787 - ZA001 - is now complete, with programme sources telling ATI affiliate FlightBlogger that flight test schedules have readjusted to target late December for first flight just before Christmas. Boeing declined to confirm the completion of the installation but says it is "satisfied with the progress being made with the modifications and are on-track to fly before the end of the year". As part of the Z18 programme schedule, Boeing initially targeted late November for first flight, but the ongoing pace of engineering design, the availability of the machined fittings, and the installation of the wing fix has slid 787 first flight roughly a month to late December. The latest target holds 787 first flight within Boeing's latest revised target of flying by the close of 2009. Sources also indicate that the wing fix is slated to undergo full-scale testing on the static airframe in late-November. Once complete, Boeing engineers will study the results to validate the wing fix and clear ZA001 to begin its certification campaign. Additionally, as a result of the completion, ZA001 restoration work is scheduled to begin today in Everett. Restoration consists of a thorough cleaning of the work area inside the side-of-body, re-installation of systems and complete panel close out. Certification and first delivery to Japan's All Nippon Airways is expected in the fourth quarter of 2010. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ************** Air France pilot unions call for walk-out over safety reform Air France cockpit crew representatives are calling for pilots to hold a four-day strike in protest over safety reforms in the wake of the carrier's fatal loss of an Airbus A330. The UNPL and R'WAY-SNPNAC groups are pressing for pilots to stop working from 1-4 December after stating that safety proposals from chief executive Pierre-Henri Gourgeon do not go far enough. In a statement the unions claim that a working group aimed at putting forward flight safety changes will not include a specific pilot representation. The unions say that, for more than four months, they have been seeking creation of a joint commission to bring unions and management together to improve safety. "Confidence cannot be decreed," they add. "It is earned through actions." On 1 December, six months will have passed since the loss, in June, of flight AF447 which crashed in the southern Atlantic while en route to Paris. "The time for reflection is over," the unions say, and Air France needs to concentrate on becoming a "leading airline in flight safety". Source: Air Transport Intelligence NEWS *************** Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC