03 DEC 2009 _______________________________________ *Air France Assembles Outside Experts for Safety Review *Probe ordered into Jet mid-air drill, check-pilot’s rating suspended *IATA Enters Agreement With Russia *Delta flight from Bogota to Atlanta turns back *Canada delays SMS for small operators and MROs *EASA Pushes Use Of Children’s Car Seats On Airlines *Seal to retire from Pinnacle *ExpressJet’s CEO Ream jumps to American *Position Available: Human Factor/Ergonomics **************************************** Air France Assembles Outside Experts for Safety Review By DANIEL MICHAELS and ANDY PASZTOR Air France, taking an unusual and high-profile step to assess operational risks, has assembled a group of internationally respected aviation officials to conduct an independent safety review in the wake of the fatal crash of one of its jetliners in June. Led by Curt Graeber, a cockpit-fatigue expert and former high-ranking Boeing Co. engineer, the study teams will have a broad mandate to analyze both cockpit and maintenance safety programs, from training and procedures to incident analysis to organizational issues, according to the airline and people familiar with the details. Expected to kick off in two weeks, the initiative also includes Nick Sabatini, until recently the top U.S. air-safety regulator, as well as a handful of academics and airline executives from various countries with expertise in cockpit automation and related fields. The effort is unusual partly because of the group's broad mandate, as well as the commitment of time and resources it is likely to take to complete the roughly yearlong project. An Air France spokesman said the makeup of the Independent safety-review team will be finalized by the middle of December. Mr. Graeber, who pioneered studies on cockpit napping under limited circumstances as a way to enhance pilot performance, called the review "a very healthy and sincere effort to look at everything related to safety at Air France." The study team, authorized by Jean-Cyril Spinetta, chairman of the airline's parent company, Air France-KLM SA, is expected to have access to and support from the airline's safety officials. Air France-KLM Chief Executive Pierre-Henri Gourgeon said in an interview in September that the plan was to ask outside experts to conduct " a very extensive review of all our safety procedures" and provide ideas for continuous improvement. The company said later in a statement posted on its Web site that the review "will cover all internal operating methods, decision-making processes and practices which could have an impact on the safety of Air France's flights." Based on the makeup of the teams and their preliminary marching orders, some of the focus is likely to be on how effectively Air France collects and assesses data on safety lapses that could be warning signs of future incidents or accidents. Other major areas of interest are likely to be cockpit automation, human factors and how pilots react when their sophisticated flight-computer systems suddenly malfunction or shut down. The team won't investigate the June 1 crash of an Air France Airbus A330 en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. All 228 people onboard were killed when the plane plunged into the Atlantic, after entering a violent storm and experiencing malfunctions of its speed sensors and other systems. Investigators are stymied because the plane's cockpit and flight-data recorders haven't been found. The crash, which followed a string of other incidents and accidents at the carrier, has sparked an internal debate over Air France's safety standards. But the study comes as Airbus and French crash experts are poised to step up efforts to determine what caused the tragedy. By early next year, according to industry officials, it's likely that the underwater search for the wreckage will resume. And last weekend, another Air France A330 flying the same route as the jet that crashed experienced turbulence which its crew considered unusually severe. Barely 20 miles from the site of the June accident, the pilots opted to descend a few thousand feet. They also made an emergency radio transmission, as required by international safety rules, to alert nearby planes of their sudden altitude change, according to people familiar with the incident. A Brazilian TAM airliner picked up the "Mayday" message, though the Air France jet continued on and landed safely in Paris. Following the June crash, Air France quickly replaced some onboard air-speed indicators on certain Airbus planes, and it also emphasized to its pilots the proper procedures for using weather-radar systems to find paths around big storms. Four years earlier, after the crash of an Air France Airbus A340 on landing in Toronto, in which nobody was killed but the plane was destroyed, Mr. Spinetta, the Air France-KLM chairman, commissioned an internal safety review. The document was widely praised for its frankness about shortcomings within the carrier. But critics inside and outside the airline said initial enthusiasm for the recommended changes wasn't followed by sufficient efforts to enact them. Air France officials say the report continues to serve as a reference within the company. In a recent internal memo to pilots, Air France's director of safety, Etienne Lichtenberger, admonished flight crews to follow safety procedures more closely and to stop criticizing the carrier. Air France officials say they have full confidence in their pilots. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703735004574572193993866038.ht ml ***************** Probe ordered into Jet mid-air drill, check-pilot’s rating suspended The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday ordered an inquiry into Jet Airways’ mid-air drill to check the pilot’s response to emergency and suspended the check-pilot rating of the pilot concerned. It also derostered the pilot-in-command and co-pilot of Jet’s flight 9W332, pending inquiry. It was alleged that the check-pilot may have endangered the flight on October 20 by trying to check the skills of the pilot by pulling out one of the aircraft’s circuit breakers. The act is alleged to have resulted in the aircraft descending towards the Mumbai airport above the prescribed rate that is 1,000 ft per minute. “While monitoring the data of the flight by airline, an abnormal rate of descent has been detected. Further investigations by the airline revealed that the check-pilot had resorted to prohibited practice of testing the skill of the pilot. The matter was then referred to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA),” the regulatory body said in a statement. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Probe-ordered-into-Jet-mid-air-drill--chec k-pilot-s-rating-suspended/549235/ *************** IATA Enters Agreement With Russia The International Air Transport Association (IATA) formalized a strategic partnership with the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). IATA Director General and CEO, Giovanni Bisignani, also met with Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, to discuss areas of cooperation between IATA and the Russian Federation. The MoU outlines specific areas of cooperation with a focus on safety, security, technology, airport infrastructure, air navigation, ground handling and training. Specific points addressed in Bisignani’s dialogue with President Medvedev included: Improving safety: Bisignani complimented the President on progress being made to address significant safety challenges. “After some difficult years, Russia has maintained a perfect safety record in 2009. The IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) is already delivering significant benefit by improving safety. I look forward to exploring ways to expand the use of all IATA’s auditing programs in Russia,” said Bisignani. He also urged the Russian president to look for opportunities in bilateral air service negotiations with Europe and other countries to eliminate nationality clauses and enable both Russian and non-Russian carriers to engage in cross-border mergers and acquisitions. http://www.aviationtoday.com/asw/topstories/IATA-Enters-Agreement-With-Russi a_37024.html **************** Delta flight from Bogota to Atlanta turns back ATLANTA (AP)— A Delta Air Lines flight from Colombia to Atlanta returns to the Bogota airport as a precaution after the crew discovered some cracks in the copilot's windshield. The decision to turn back Wednesday was made about 35 minutes into the flight that left Bogota at 10:30 a.m. EST. Flight 444, a Boeing 757 carrying 115 passengers and 6 crew members, landed safely. The passengers were allowed to go back into the airport while the airline determines whether the windshield can be repaired and the flight can continue. Delta spokesman Anthony Black says the cause of the damage has not been determined. **************** Canada delays SMS for small operators and MROs Canada has decided to delay compliance with its aviation safety management system for smaller operators and maintenance organizations until the beginning of 2011 or later. Safety Management Systems (SMS) are ICAO-designed schemes that identify safety hazards, develop remedial actions if necessary to maintain necessary levels of safety, outline continuous monitoring and regular assessment of safety levels achieved and aim for continuous improvement in safety monitoring. Transport Canada explains that based on recent feedback from inspectors and the industry, it has decided to delay SMS adoption for those two industry sectors to allow for additional time to refine procedures, training and guidance material. Originally the first phase regulations for air taxi and commuter operators and aircraft maintenance organisations were scheduled for publication this month followed by phase two in the winter of 2010. Now the regulations are being pushed back to January 2011 or later. "This will allow more time for the industry to prepare for SMS implementation, and for Transport Canada to refine oversight tools and provide more training for front line employees," the regulator explains. Reiterating its full support of the SMS concept Transport Canada says previously inspectors relied on physical inspections to determine a company's regulatory compliance. But SMS allows inspectors to perform rigorous audits supported by inspections and employee interviews "to verify they are taking proactive steps to get ahead of problems before they become serious, something inspectors could not do before". The delay occurs as National Chair of the Canadian Federal Pilots Association (CFPA) Captain Daniel Slunder voiced concerns over SMS to Canadian legislators. He explains Canada's largest carriers Air Canada and WestJet have been operating under the SMS regime since 2005. Slunder argues that SMS allows airlines and other aviation business to self monitor, which he believes has effectively weakened aviation safety within Canada. He cites a 9 October incident involving an Air Canada flight that was operating from Toronto to Winnipeg, but diverted to Grand Forks, North Dakota due to an unexpected closure of the Winnipeg airport. The equipment needed to restart the engine after refueling was not operable when the aircraft departed Toronto, and Slunder says US immigration formalities prevented passengers from exiting the aircraft when it diverted to North Dakota. "While at Grand Forks, the aircraft re-fueled with the engines running, and that action placed those passengers and crew on board at risk," he says. Slunder also expresses concern the captain decided to take-off from Grand Forks despite being told the aircraft wings were contaminated with ice. He claims that Transport Canada has not taken any action regarding the incident. "I regret to inform you that Transport Canada aviation inspectors now spend more time pushing paper than inspecting airplanes. Without oversight of operations, inspectors cannot say with certainty that airlines are safely in compliance - we just don't know," says Slunder. Among the recommendations Slunder made to improve SMS are delivering effective training for the scheme to employees and ensuring adequate inspection resources exist. Air Canada has swiftly rebuffed Slunder's claims, calling them false and misleading. The carrier says the flight crew inspected the aircraft's wings in accordance with Transport Canada regulations, and determined no ice was present on the surfaces. An unavailability of ground power at Grand Forks led the flight crew, after consulting with flight dispatchers, to refuel with passengers onboard. While Air Canada admits it is not certified for that procedure, the aircraft manufacturer's specifications do allow fueling with the engines running. Additionally the carrier stresses emergency vehicles were present at the refueling. "Transport Canada was notified immediately of the incident and the airline continues to work with the regulator to review its procedures to determine whether changes are required," the carrier says. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ************** EASA Pushes Use Of Children’s Car Seats On Airlines The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is encouraging European airlines to allow car child seats onboard their aircraft. The agency is publishing a list of seats that are now permitted by Germany’s airline association BDF. The list (www.easa.europa.eu/ws_prod/g/flying-with-small-children.php) provides details of which specific models fit into aircraft seats. The issue has been contested for years. While most European countries have allowed loop belts for decades, Germany’s aviation authority LBA has blocked their use over safety concerns. Since last year and as part of the European Union Ops regulation, German carriers were forced to provide the loop belts. However, LBA’s safety concerns were underscored by studies at TÜV Rheinland, an independent engineering agency. German airlines now allow parents to bring certified car seats onboard, but they have to buy an extra ticket for the additional seat needed even for children under the age of three. Alternatively, they have to use a loop belt. But EASA says it hopes other carriers will follow the initiative, and indicated that at this point it does not see a need for mandatory regulation. But it also hints that “mandatory measures may be considered if operators fail to respond to this initiative.” The agency also plans to address the issue with ICAO and the FAA to “maximize child protection on a global level.” According to EASA, studies show that the car seats provide a “higher level of protection” than loop belts. The agency also would like to certify more seats for aircraft. Only one specific aircraft child seat has been certified so far – for Virgin Atlantic in 2006. http://www.aviationweek.com **************** Seal to retire from Pinnacle Pinnacle Airlines president and general manager Clive Seal will retire from the regional operator effective 31 December 2009. He has held the role of president and general manager at the Memphis-based, US regional carrier since October 2007. Seal joined Pinnacle in April 2005 as vice president of flight operations after working for cargo operator FedEx for nearly 33 years. At FedEx, Seal held various roles of increasing responsibility including 10 years as vice president of flight operations. His other roles at FedEx included chief pilot and director of operations. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news *************** ExpressJet’s CEO Ream jumps to American Long-time chief of US regional carrier ExpressJet Jim Ream is moving to American Airlines 1 January to become the carrier's VP of Maintenance and Engineering. Ream succeeds Carmine Romano, who is retiring after a 41-year career with American. New responsibilities Ream will undertake include overseeing operations at American's repair and modification bases in Fort Worth, Texas, Tulsa, Oklahoma and Kansas City, Missouri. It is a return to American for Ream, who worked for the carrier between 1987 and 1995. For the last eight years he has been at the helm of ExpressJet. Ream began his career as a US Army helicopter mechanic and crew chief, and in addition to his time at American he spent seven years at Continental, serving as President and COO of Continental Express before it was spun off into a separate business. "While Carmine's shoes will be hard to fill, we are pleased to have an executive of Jim Ream's caliber returning to our team," says American CEO Gerard Arpey. ExpressJet, meanwhile, has appointed board member Patrick Kelly as interim CEO. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news *************** Postion Available: Human Factor/Ergonomics 6 month Contract, Indianapolis Area --MA or MS in Human Factors, Ergonomics, Industrial and Operations Engineering, Engineering Psychology, or Biomechanics --At least 2 years of post-degree experience applying ergonomics principles/techniques to the design and evaluation of consumer products or operator workstations, or demonstration of equivalent skills, preferably within the transportation industry Forward Resume/CV to: TechStaff@curt-lewis.com CL&A Technical Support Staffing ************* Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC