14 DEC 2009 _______________________________________ *Air France crash remains a mystery, investigators say *Airbus backs overhaul of pitot icing certification standards *Sensis prototypes taxiway landing alert *Dreamliner could fly Tuesday *AAIB: final report on B757 pitot blockage incident *Thai police seize North Korean aircraft carrying 40 tons of heavy weapons *Gun found in bag at Miami airport checkpoint *FAA low priorities get $3.5B in grants *FSF Extends Voss Contract through 2014 *************************************** Air France crash remains a mystery, investigators say Air France Fuselage RecoveryPARIS (Reuters) - Investigators are unable to establish what caused a fatal June Atlantic plane crash but searches for the flight recorders will resume in February, the head of the French aviation accident investigation authority said. "We remain unable to determine the causes and circumstances of the incident," Jean-Paul Troadec, head of the BEA accident investigation authority told French radio on Sunday. Flight AF 447 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris crashed into the Atlantic on June 1 after flying into stormy weather, killing 228 people. The 'black box' flight recorders are still missing and only small parts of the wreckage have been found of the Airbus A330. The French authority is due to issue a report on Thursday which will recommend ways to help locate black boxes more easily, sources close to the incident have said. "Normally, these recorders are made to resist significant shocks," Troadec said. "There is still a chance that they are in a good shape and readable." Troadec was in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday to meet the victims' families. He said the authority was making calculations to determine where the plane might have crashed and where its debris might have drifted. Without the black boxes, he said investigators could not fully explain the incident. Asked if this week's report would contain new elements, Troadec said: "Yes, namely recommendations in terms of security which were not in the first report." A July report identified problems in handing responsibility for the aircraft between controllers but said it was too early to say what caused the plane to hit the ocean. "I don't expect much new concrete information on the cause of the crash," a source familiar with the investigation told Reuters. A second source familiar with the incident concurred, saying the report would add little to an inconclusive preliminary report issued in July. MORE BEACONS Speculation has focused on the possible icing of the aircraft's speed sensors, which appeared to give inconsistent readings and may have disrupted other systems. Safety authorities ordered checks on the sensors known as 'pitot probes' and restricted the use of the type installed on the plane, made by France's Thales. But investigators are not expected to pin the blame on any one issue, one source close to the investigation said. Instead, the BEA is expected to make at least three recommendations on general aircraft safety, the source said. These include extending the life of locator beacons attached to the flight recorders to 90 days from 30 days. Regulators could also be asked to consider ordering further beacons to be attached to important parts of the aircraft structure to assist in locating wreckage in the event of a crash. Such beacons would need to be active for 30 days. Plane makers may also be asked to study the feasibility of installing monitoring systems that send information on basic parameters such as position, course and altitude back to an airline's maintenance base even when operations are normal. The crash fueled a debate in the aviation industry over whether more data should be streamed via satellite but the cost of communications has so far been deemed prohibitive. Some safety officials are meanwhile calling for scientific research to be carried out into weather conditions at high altitudes in turbulent zones such as the equator. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/13/AR2009121300 911_2.html *************** Airbus backs overhaul of pitot icing certification standards New standards for pitot probes are expected to emerge from a working group being founded in the wake of June's fatal loss of an Air France Airbus A330 over the south Atlantic. Airbus is backing creation of the working group, which is set to begin its activities in the first quarter of 2010, after criticising a proposed revision of certification standards as lacking sufficient rigour. Investigation of the crash of Air France flight AF447 on 1 June - the latest update to which is due this week - has generated concerns over the performance of pitot tubes under icing conditions. Pitot tube certification is based on requirements laid out in European technical standard order ETSO C16. While the European Aviation Safety Agency says it is not "presuming on the potential contribution" of pitot icing to the AF447 accident, it opened a consultation in August on revising ETSO C16 - which was based on decades-old criteria - to align it with the US FAA's more modern standard TSO C16a. But Airbus, in its response to the EASA consultation, has expressed "significant concerns" about the adoption of the updated requirements. It claims that the icing conditions laid out in the US standard are "not sufficiently conservative" and that icing test requirements are lower than the airframer's own. Airbus says the standard does not require probes to be tested in ice-crystal or mixed-phase icing, despite their sensitivity to these conditions. "Such an omission is contrary to the objective of setting a minimum level of performance, particularly as most aircraft fly in such conditions," it says, adding that probes designed and tested only in liquid icing could "require a significant redesign" to meet the stricter criteria. Airbus also believes that the update should also take installation effects into account, and that probes should be tested at angles of attack up to 15° at least. It recommends that EASA should dispense with the update in favour of developing new icing requirements through the proposed working group. EASA states that the update to ETSO C16 is a "first step" that "has to be done" in the interim, but adds: "In the future this ETSO will be upgraded using the outcome of the working group, which will be a new international standard for pitot probes." Source: Air Transport Intelligence news **************** Sensis prototypes taxiway landing alert Sensis has been investigating a software modification for its runway alerting system after a Delta Air Lines Boeing 767 aircraft mistakenly landed on a taxiway at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International airport this October. Sensis COO Marc Viggiano tells ATI that an US government oversight agency subsequently asked the company what its alerting system could have done to help prevent such incidences. "We're in the process of providing that answer," he says, declining to identify agency but notes it was not the FAA. The company's Airport Surface Detection Equipment Model X (ASDE-X) has been operational at the Atlanta airport since July 2006. The system combines ground surveillance data from a variety of sources to supply air traffic controllers with real-time positioning of aircraft and vehicles on an airport surface. The system in the US also predicts some 40 defined incursion scenarios, per the request of the FAA, Viggiano explains. Now the company is studying the feasibility of upgrading the system to account for taxiway landings. While Sensis is "pretty darn sure" ASDE-X will be able to address taxiway landings from a technical standpoint, the company is investigating the business case for the modification, Viggiano says. False alerts are a technical issue of particular concern. Given the rarity of taxiway landings, there would be some level of false positives based on system settings. "Controllers would not tolerate many false events," he notes. Sensis is conducting some false alert testing, but its research will be limited unless the FAA expresses interest in the upgrade, Viggiano adds. The agency has not said they would provide funding for this work, he says, noting that an upgrade could not be deployed at an FAA airport until the agency calls for the requirement. Sensis is under contract with the FAA to develop and deploy ASDE-X at 35 airports, and the system is operational at 21 facilities to date. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ************** Dreamliner could fly Tuesday http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/data?pid=avimage&iid=iNlwaR5wHwio Boeing is prepared to fly the 787 as early as Tuesday morning, it said last week, adding that the timing is "dependent on final internal reviews, taxi test and receiving the final experimental ticket" from US FAA. On Dec. 10 the manufacturer finished its final review of the Nov. 30 static test designed to validate the side-of-body modification to the aircraft (ATWOnline, Dec. 2). Final gauntlet testing on the first flight test aircraft also was completed successfully, it said. The flight window will open at 10 a.m. US West Coast time on Tuesday. Boeing warned that "winter weather in Seattle is often inclement" and that associated delays could result. "We will do everything possible to fly when the airplane is ready," it said. http://atwonline.com/news/story.html?storyID=18784 *************** AAIB: final report on B757 pitot blockage incident The U.K. AAIB released the final report of their investigation into a serious incident which occurred at Accra, Ghana in January 2009. A Boeing 757 had a blocked pitot tube. On takeoff the pilot noticed a discrepancy in the airspeed indications. He decided to continue the takeoff and deal with the problem whilst airborne. While climbing the crew attempted to isolate the left Air Data Computer from the Autopilot and Flight Director System. Passing FL316, the VNAV mode became active and the Flight Management Computer’s (FMCs), which use the left ADC as their input of aircraft speed, sensed an overspeed condition and provided a pitch-up command to slow the aircraft. The co-pilot was concerned about the aircraft’s behaviour and, after several verbal prompts to the commander, pushed the control column forward. The commander, uncertain as to what was failing, believed that a stick-pusher had activated. He disengaged the automatics and lowered the aircraft’s nose, then handed over control to the co-pilot. A MAYDAY was declared and the aircraft returned to Accra. The operator’s subsequent engineering investigation discovered the remains of a beetle-like creature in the left pitot system. (AAIB) (aviation-safety.net) ************** Thai police seize North Korean aircraft carrying 40 tons of heavy weapons Thai soldiers guard an aircraft which was impounded at Don Mueang airport in Bangkok, Thailand The Ilyushin-76 cargo plane was cordoned off on the tarmac at Bangkok's Don Muang airport The aircraft was Russian, registered in Georgia. Its crew were from Kazakhstan and Belorussia. It was about to fly on to a refuelling stop in Sri Lanka when it was seized by police in Thailand - and found to be carrying 40 tonnes of heavy weapons from Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. Thai police are now investigating what appears to be the biggest bust so far in the international arms embargo against North Korea – an arsenal of missiles, rockets and grenades bound for an unknown destination. The seizure of the weapons, carried out after a tip-off by the US Government, shines a light on the murky arms trade which is believed to provide a major source of income to the North Korean dictatorship. The Ilyushin-76 cargo plane was cordoned off on the tarmac at Bangkok’s Don Muang airport, where it had stopped for refuelling on Friday. Its crew of five were arrested, after the cargo which they described as “oil drilling equipment” was found to consist of heavy weaponry. “They committed two crimes: firstly they gave false information about their cargo, and secondly that cargo was found to be weapons,” the Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, said today. “We received the tip-off from intelligence reports that said this plane was suspicious. When the plane refuelled, we searched it and found the weapons. “We are not yet clear why they were transporting these weapons, we only know they were due to refuel in Sri Lanka. Security and intelligence services are continuing to investigate. It is not yet clear if this is terrorist activity.” North Korea is banned form exporting any arms except light weapons, under UN Resolution 1874, which was passed in June after international outrage provoked by Pyongyang’s testing of an intercontinental rocket and a nuclear warhead. The same resolution mandates member states to monitor and intercept sanctions-busting shipments - although, in practical terms, this is a challenge. International maritime law makes it difficult to stop shipping at will in international waters.- but most aircraft, especiially when laden with heavy cargo, have to stop to refuel between North Korea and its principal arms customers in the Middle East. In 2002 Spanish marines boarded a North Korean ship in the Arabian Sea found to be transporting Scud missiles to Yemen. To the embarrassment of the US, which had provided the tip-off, the ship was sent on its way when it became clear that the shipment was perfectly legal under international law. The June resolution closes off this loophole. It calls on member states to inspect and destroy all banned cargo to and from North Korea on the high seas, at seaports and airports, if they have “reasonable grounds” to suspect a violation of sanctions. Since the collapse of international communism deprived it of its Cold War sponsors, many of North Korea’s traditional industries, such as mining, chemicals and textiles, have crumbled to ruins. It has, though, maintained a supply of foreign exchange through the sale of arms, principally missile parts. Over the years, North Korea is reported to have done business with the armed forces of Egypt, Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Pakistan and Vietnam. Military sources in Thailand speculated that the aircraft seized in Bangkok was probably bound for Pakistan. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6954868.ece **************** Gun found in bag at Miami airport checkpoint MIAMI -- Police say screeners found a handgun in a traveler's carryon bag at a security checkpoint at Miami International Airport. Authorities say they discovered the gun when 51-year-old Eduardo Saladin-Zacarias went through the checkpoint Saturday afternoon. Saladin-Zacarias was flying to his home in the Dominican Republic. According to a police report, Saladin-Zacarias told officers that he had mistakenly brought the gun into the U.S. on a flight on Wednesday. The gun was confiscated and Saladin-Zacarias was charged with carrying a concealed firearm. It's not clear whether the gun was loaded. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/1380019.html ***************** FAA low priorities get $3.5B in grants WASHINGTON — Airports have spent $3.5 billion in federal money since 1998 on projects the Federal Aviation Administration rated as low priority because they do little to improve the most pressing needs in the nation's aviation system, a USA TODAY analysis shows. The money comes from a program that is supposed to improve aviation safety. Priority goes to projects such as runways, taxiways and beacons. But the program also has funded terminals at little-used airports, hangars to store private jets, and parking areas that are free to customers, according to the analysis of FAA records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. Other findings: •The amount of money spent on low-priority projects hit a record $507 million in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. That's nearly five times the amount in 1998, when the FAA established a new ranking system for airport projects. •More than $2 billion in low-priority funds has gone to airports used mostly by private jets and piston-engine planes, including $700 million for terminals. Pellston Regional Airport in Michigan used $7.5 million in federal funds to build a terminal with stone fireplaces and cathedral ceilings. The airport averages three departures a day. PRICEY MAKEOVER: A closer look at some low-traffic airports •Congress helped increase low-priority spending by allowing 2,800 airports used by private planes to spend federal funds on parking lots and hangars, and by guaranteeing those airports money every year. Parking lot upgrades score between 16 and 19 on the FAA's 100-point scale that gives the highest numbers to safety projects. Installing runway lights scores between 77 and 97. Projects scoring under 41 are considered low priority and get extra FAA scrutiny. Money for projects such as hangars "could likely be better used on higher-priority projects like airspace modernization," said David Castelveter of the Air Transport Association, the airline trade group. "That would allow more flights and would reduce delay." The FAA defends the spending. "They're all good projects," said Catherine Lang, FAA acting associate administrator for airports. The rating system is only one factor the FAA considers for grants it issues. Other factors: local priorities, environmental issues and an airport's growth. Former Transportation Department inspector general Kenneth Mead said the FAA "ought to revise their rating system" to include all factors it considers. "The system should be transparent," he said. The ratings are not used to evaluate projects airports fund with annual entitlement grants, which they can spend on any project federal law allows. Most low-priority projects used entitlement funds. Todd Hauptli of the American Association of Airport Executives said low-rated projects may be vital to an airport: "National priority and local priority are just two different animals." http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2009-12-13-airports_N.htm *************** FSF Extends Voss Contract through 2014 The Flight Safety Foundation has extended the contract of its President and CEO, William R. Voss, for another four years, through the end of 2014. Voss joined the organization in 2006. "We're thrilled to have Bill continue to lead our organization to even greater heights," said Lynn Brubaker, the newly elected chair of the Flight Safety Foundation’s Board of Governors. Before joining FSF, Voss served as a pilot, an air traffic controller, a certified aviation mechanic, and a regulator at both the FAA and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). "I'm thankful for this vote of confidence, and look forward to continuing to lead a great organization of dedicated professionals who are making our global aviation system even safer," said Voss. "Working at the Foundation has given me the opportunity to get involved in safety issues around the world and I'm pleased to continue that work." http://www.aviationtoday.com/asw/topstories/FSF-Extends-Voss-Contract-throug h-2014_64135.html **************** Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC