Flight Safety Information February 19, 2010 No.039 In This Issue Aircraft slams into tax office building in Texas Status: Piper PA-28-236 Dakota Collision with Building MERCY WINGS NETWORK NTSB dispatched to investigate Austin accident Two Flight Attendants Injured When Pilot Takes Emergency Action American Eagle Airlines Facing $2.9 Million FAA Civil Penalty 2009 accident rate for Western-built jets second-lowest ever, fatalities rise Passenger jet diverted after reported bomb threat Body falls from plane headed to Miami from Dominican Republic Africa's air accident rate highest in the world Antonov An-12 Plane Banned From UAE Airspace American Airlines' in-house repair policy is both boon and burden NTSB Vice Chairman Hart to speak at ACSF Symposium in March Certification for Twin Otter Series 400 expected in weeks Airbus appoints new customer services boss ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Aircraft slams into tax office building in Texas Friday, February 19, 2010 09:38 GMT A US pilot intentionally crashed his light aircraft into a tax office in Texas south of the USA after setting fire to his house, officials said. After the crash two F-16 airplanes scrambled from Houston's Ellington Field. President Barack Obama was briefed on the incident, spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters discounting the possibility of terrorism. Gibbs said the Department of Homeland Security would continue to investigate. CNN had said that the pilot that died during the incident is Joseph Andrew Stack, 53 years old. The same source added that Stack had left a suicide letter on a website in which he blames the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/World-News/2-45126-Aircraft-slams-into-tax-office-building-in-Texas.html [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103066531761&s=6053&e=001tGzK9djrs3-HokS_XGCVh6Sx9f21ja276Pk_uYkkEpzxPwE37wZv_y5a4MCB2uUOpq8cpJ52Xbv5sQHV9svQ0QsKprHOssXs9NeqhS1WGceTa0tUAW2wASLVRcc96SwM4r8Y1Dy8qeOu9cGaYbm7HA3fdlY2a7kSpq1RB4cvd05lTkv4MNPDhbNXNLWsIVpos5EZeedA6ZJ3fvqummReBNAG-kkIr0I-] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Status: Piper PA-28-236 Dakota Collision with Building (Austin, TX) Date: 18-FEB-2010 Time: 10am LT Type: Piper PA-28-236 Dakota Operator: Joseph Andrew Stack (rgd. owner) Registration: N2889D C/n / msn: 28-7911227 Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 Other fatalities: 1 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Austin, Texas - United States of America Phase: En route Nature: Private Departure airport: Georgetown Municipal Airport- KGTU Destination airport: Narrative: Crashed, seemingly deliberately into a 7 story office block. CNN says pilot set fire to his own home before flying.It was an act of anti-taxation-related violence on the part of Joseph Andrew Stack. He left a suicide message on his website before the fatal flight. A second body has been found in the wreckage and two other persons are reported hospitalized. Aviation-safety.net Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MERCY WINGS NETWORK [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103066531761&s=6053&e=001tGzK9djrs3-blXJInX9Ljq_eV0BMsQ-jYKy2ayr7xVFC0wm0pm0-EVp0SNN6s_qG2b1pv8e9stJZrNu_R6XttNbCvWaK-i7TLy4hERbfsNJ3WpebVDDyquaDOC_89yd6bhhEDIgFyEo=] PO BOX 3716 Evergreen, CO Phone (928) 710-5522 www.mercywingsnetwork.org Contact: Benjamin Goodheart Phone: (928) 710-5522 MERCY WINGS NETWORK TO MOBILIZE FOR HAITI EVERGREEN, CO, FEBRUARY 15, 2010: Mercy Wings Network, a nonprofit organization recently formed in Colorado, hopes to mobilize on its first mission to Haiti within the coming weeks. The team will be using a de Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter from Mile-Hi Skydiving in Longmont, CO, a cargo aircraft capable of operating out of short, unimproved runways, to deliver supplies and personnel to rural sites in Haiti. The organization, created to link aid organizations to a network of General Aviation aircraft, fixed-base-operators, and other service providers, aims to support relief efforts after a natural disaster through rapid delivery of supplies to those in need. Mercy Wings Network is registered in Colorado as a charitable organization and is pending 501(c)3 approval. "GENERAL AVIATION CAN REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE" GRAHAM JOHNSON, HALF OF THE HUSBAND-WIFE TEAM whose ideas were the impetus for Mercy Wings Network, and the organization's Aviation Director, said: "we never imagined preparing to respond to a disaster of this magnitude." Explaining how the idea began, Mr. Johnson credits his wife with the idea, "she wanted to do something to help people who are affected by disaster, and we just knew that tapping in to the General Aviation community could really make a difference." As an experienced pilot, Mr. Johnson began contacting friends and colleagues to see if anyone could help by providing an aircraft to respond to the recent earthquakes in Haiti. The idea quickly transformed and the Mercy Wings Network was born. "WHERE COMPASSION TAKES FLIGHT" "WHERE COMPASSION TAKES FLIGHT", Mercy Wings Network's slogan, accurately describes aspirations of its team of directors. "We're scrambling to keep up, but we're working night and day to get our operations up and running, because there are so many people that are in desperate need," says Jaime Johnson, Mercy Wings Network President and Aid Director. Mercy Wings Network is in contact with several aid organizations, including Save the Children, UNICEF, Samaritan's Purse, and Bahamas Habitat and is adding aviation resources and aircraft to its network daily. To learn more, to donate, or to join the network, visit www.mercywingsnetwork.org [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103066531761&s=6053&e=001tGzK9djrs3-F579VSoPu6qfwt6it8FuW8okGDK7VbJY_5h5rHgXOSN6Kt9K3toTpz9USEm9U1MgPvl_UfxUp0fKnJ0BfX45Y-I7JmJ53xr8wNZXNZ9hsJAXHbeqs703g]or contact Benjamin Goodheart, Mercy Wings Network's Business Director at mercywingsnetwork@gmail.com [mailto:mercywingsnetwork@gmail.com]. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NTSB dispatched to investigate Austin accident Jon Ostrower, Washington DC The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has dispatched an investigation team to Austin, Texas after a small plane crashed into an office building. The crash, which occurred just before 10:00 am CST, caused a large fire in an office building just north of downtown Austin. According to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a Piper Cherokee PA28 was involved in the accident. The aircraft departed from Georgetown Municipal airport north of Austin, which is 33km (20.5 miles) northeast of the crash site, around 9:40 CST. Officials say injuries were sustained by those in the building and one person remains unaccounted for, not including the pilot who was killed in the crash. As a result of the accident, the FAA has established a temporary flight restriction (TFR) around the area of the crash encompassing a 7.4km (4nm) radius around the accident site extending to 3,000ft (914m) above ground level. According to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the TFR is expected to be lifted quickly as the area is located within Class C controlled airspace near Austin-Bergstrom International airport. Law enforcement officials have said the incident was isolated and have ruled out any possibility the crash was an act of terrorism, though it is believed that the crash was intentional. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Two Flight Attendants Injured When Pilot Takes Emergency Action Fri, 19 Feb '10 Aircraft Approaching Burbank Was On A Collision Course With Another Plane A Southwest Airlines pilot was forced to take sudden evasive action during a flight over the weekend to avoid a collision with a GA aircraft near Bob Hope Airport (KBUR). FAA spokesman Ian Gregor told the Associated Press that Southwest Flight 2534 was flying at about 6,000 feet en route to Bob Hope from Las Vegas when the pilot got an automated alert indicating the B737 was on a collision course with another aircraft. Gregor said the pilot took sudden evasive action to avoid the other aircraft, which was about 2 miles away. The Southwest pilot made an emergency descent, then climbed back to his assigned altitude. One flight attendant reportedly suffered a broken shoulder, and another was bruised. Both were treated at a local hospital and released. The incident is under investigation. FMI: www.ntsb.gov [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103066531761&s=6053&e=001tGzK9djrs38CV6iTx4mq26yGJuEoPYlLZhrrs2CpNjc084acFMzMJxdBms9SQoHhPK_UIn_O4onTHJ2lWuRzjy6srnHXZigO7cnM_MuN-iw=] Aero-news.net [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103066531761&s=6053&e=001tGzK9djrs3-jPVvltVFnZjMLLda1ZeKyx3oXZAGd10m_-aMaZs0C0BO2zDLJvjn34TTVf1bNv-Nd019F9mV8iJZthtRd7Z9lsbVEmcPuceM=] Back to Top [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103066531761&s=6053&e=001tGzK9djrs3_8f4FuRUyZ-qwl2gaKM2D43Zm96zSVxcy0Oe45gExGBVDg_Oei9HdPuNTTgp5_qAl0Q7a0QGSufQ==] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ American Eagle Airlines Facing $2.9 Million FAA Civil Penalty Fri, 19 Feb '10 Airline Has 30 Days To Respond The FAA has proposed a $2.9 million civil penalty against American Eagle Airlines for operating more than 1,000 flights using airplanes on which improper repairs were performed on landing gear doors. The FAA alleges that between February and May 2008, American Eagle conducted at least 1,178 passenger-carrying flights using four Bombardier jets with main landing gear doors that had not been repaired in accordance with an Airworthiness Directive that became effective in August 2006. "Safety is our number one priority at the Department of Transportation," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "And airlines must know that if safety is compromised, they will be subject to stiff fines." "Following Airworthiness Directives is not optional," said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. "The FAA does not hesitate to levy fines if maintenance standards are violated. Compliance with mandatory maintenance requirements ensures the highest levels of safety." Airworthiness Directive 2006-14-05 required operators of certain Bombardier jets to inspect the left and right main landing gear inboard doors for cracks and other damage, including loose or missing fasteners. The directive required operators to remove affected doors and replace them with new or repaired ones, or that the doors be removed and the discrepancy noted in the aircraft's records. In this case, American Eagle found such damage on four aircraft. Rather than removing the doors, the airline repaired them while they remained on the planes. FAA inspectors found that the airline operated at least 961 flights while it was unaware that the situation existed on these aircraft. The FAA further alleges that after the situation was discovered, the airline continued to operate these airplanes on 217 additional flights. American Eagle subsequently removed the landing gear doors on each of the affected aircraft and repaired them in accordance with the Airworthiness Directive. However, the violations resulted in a proposed civil penalty of $2.9 million. American Eagle has 30 days from the receipt of the FAA's civil penalty letter to respond to the agency. FMI: www.faa.gov [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103066531761&s=6053&e=001tGzK9djrs39Gfuj8Bf-Fc_pErHZVOesttB71mUnZ9KJAit7iYDSKsa4B0PQ0o5Tdt-_O0zSXtFsq71lI0s5WJk3AtbXxaav_v7CN3Xg5OiU=] Aero-news.net [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103066531761&s=6053&e=001tGzK9djrs3-jPVvltVFnZjMLLda1ZeKyx3oXZAGd10m_-aMaZs0C0BO2zDLJvjn34TTVf1bNv-Nd019F9mV8iJZthtRd7Z9lsbVEmcPuceM=] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IATA: 2009 accident rate for Western-built jets second-lowest ever, but fatalities rise Friday February 19, 2010 IATA reported that the accident rate in 2009 for Western-built jet aircraft was "the second-lowest in aviation history" at 0.71 hull losses per million flights, "equal to one accident for every 1.4 million flights." It said, "This is a significant improvement [from] the 0.81 rate recorded in 2008 (one accident for 1.2 million flights)." The only better year was 2006, when the rate was 0.65. The 2009 rate was 36% lower compared to 2000. IATA noted that member airlines "outperformed the industry average with a Western-built jet hull accident rate of 0.62. . .equal to one accident for every 1.6 million flights." Overall, there were 19 accidents involving Western-built jets last year compared to 22 in 2008. There were 90 accidents for all aircraft types compared to 109 in 2008, including 18 fatal accidents for all types compared to 23 the preceding year, IATA said. Owing to the severity of several accidents, fatalities increased 36.5% to 685 in 2009 from 502 in 2008. "Last year, 2.3 billion people flew safely," DG and CEO Giovanni Bisignani said. "But every fatality is a human tragedy that reminds us of the ultimate goal of zero accidents and zero fatalities." IATA pointed to regional differences in 2009 accident rates: Airlines based in North Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and the CIS had zero Western-built jet hull losses for the year. The Western-built jet hull loss rate per million flights was 0.41 for carriers in North America, 0.45 for Europe, 0.86 for Asia/Pacific, 3.32 for the Middle East and North Africa and 9.94 for Africa, "significantly higher than their 2008 rate of 2.12," it said. "Africa has once again the worst rate of the world. There were five Western-built jet hull losses with African carriers in 2009. African carriers are 2% of global traffic, but 26% of global Western-built jet hull losses." The organization said its analysis of accident causes in 2009 revealed three primary trouble areas. Runway excursions caused 26%, though the number of excursions did drop 18% to 23 from 28 in 2008. Ground damage accounted for 10% of all accidents. "While runway excursions and ground damage were the main categories of accidents, pilot handling was noted as a contributing factor in 30% of all accidents," it said. http://atwonline.com/news/story.html?storyID=19445 [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103066531761&s=6053&e=001tGzK9djrs3_-GzBlE0WwNgxg4JP1lum-KEPmRFBcv2G_AldZZMnIpjKt1zQl8zdIUj0d-KWfbvLHNQc7oPO6L4XTYqTdMrJE0IZNWs_UcKVcMxczYQB8cZK4XFIAbeePWRQ9g2VMP9q5KLn6W_KuuEgISSkzAF0_] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Passenger jet diverted after reported bomb threat (AFP) - 17 hours ago SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - A United Airlines passenger jet was forced to make an emergency landing in Salt Lake City on Thursday after an undisclosed security alert, federal officials said. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesman Ian Gregor said United flight 741 from Denver to San Francisco landed "safely and uneventfully" at Salt Lake City International Airport at around 9:45am (1645 GMT). The FAA would not comment on the nature of the security alert although local media reported the scare was triggered after the discovery of a note containing a bomb threat. An airport spokeswoman said the mid-air emergency was declared after a flight attendant discovered the note, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. The 193 passengers and six crew were ushered off the plane as FBI agents, police and sniffer dogs began combing the aircraft. The incident comes amid heightened aviation security in the United States following the failed Detroit bombing in December. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Body falls from plane headed to Miami from Dominican Republic, South Florida Sun-Sentinel 4:25 a.m. EST, February 19, 2010 Miami - A body fell from a plane that was headed from the Dominican Republic to Miami on Thursday, according to South Florida television reports. Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration told WPLG-Ch. 10 that the body fell from the wheel well of a Boeing 767 cargo jet as it took off about 1:45 p.m. Thursday. The body was recovered in the Dominican Republic. The plane later landed safely at Miami International Airport where it was examined for any further evidence. There was no other immediate information about the deceased person or the incident. http://www.sun-sentinel.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103066531761&s=6053&e=001tGzK9djrs39dZO0XWOtIkGklVVgfniRYOG6E9bGunSXtoQx_iV7JCC6G5wU1D8PEC6-y8mSlNGdsOUB4tKJreb19ivGT_XI8YkpmiMyAdsosZIEQP0yu10tpxjIA-R6m0GeRUfDAD21oL7H3Ii-sEelqk96_lCggRVCbPF-fRoDuq76Zials6yN3rrS1NO1u-foBz4dUy8Tt6ISSgGMl6A==] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Africa's air accident rate highest in the world News - Africa news Africa recorded the world's worst air accidents in 2009, with five major air disasters, resulting in the loss of five main jets and several deaths, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Thursday. African airlines flew a mere 2% of the 2.3 billion passengers who flew globally in 2009 but accounted for more than a quarter (26%) of all the air accidents recorded in 2009. The air accident rate in Africa was the world's highest in 2009, significantly rising to 9.94%, from the 2.2%, recorded in 2008, IATA said. Africa had an accident rate of 9.94, significantly higher than their 2008 rate of 2.12, IATA said. 'Africa has once again the worst rate of the world. There were five Western-built jet hull losses with African carriers in 2009,' the aviation body said. African carriers are responsible for two per cent of global traffic but 26 per cent of global western-built jet hull losses, IATA noted. Despite the high rate of accidents in Africa, IATA announced the aviation safety performance for 2009 showed that the year's accident rate for Western-built jet aircraft was the second lowest in aviation history. African airlines recorded five out of the 19 accidents involving western-built jet aircraft, which occurred in 2009. This is compared to 22 accidents in 2008. There were 90 accidents recorded on all aircraft types - Eastern and Western built - compared to 109 in 2008. No fewer than 18 fatal accidents involving the Western-built aircraft were recorded, compared to 23 in 2008. These accidents killed 685 people in 2009, compared to 502 in 2008. 'Safety is the industry's number one priority. Even in a decade during which airlines lost an average of US$ 5 billion per year, we still managed to improve our safety record,' said AITA Director-General Giovanni Bisignani. Bisignani said even though 2.3 billion people flew safely, every fatality was a human tragedy that reminds us of the ultimate goal of zero accidents and zero fatalities. IATA member airlines outperformed the industry average with a Western-built jet hull accident rate of 0.62. That rate is equal to one accident for every 1.6 million flights. AITA said most of the air accidents occurred during take-off or landing and were mainly related to either the poor state of the runways in Africa. Ground damage accounted for 10 per cent of all accidents in 2009. To improve safety and reduce this US$ 4 billion annual industry cost, IATA introduced the IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103066531761&s=6053&e=001tGzK9djrs3-rk4f87lofPmlCLkpgpXWhh-1_9AieIH2zM61KOr-mh-dWVaC72BnfoRwpnY6jWc_Np_dQ3MCoYvyMLP2ds6VMMqd20j84A-UvhsQfSn7wLv95wHIA6MwY7QiV4k3LNLTeYyjhgh8yQA==]. Most African airlines, which meet international aviation standards, have complied with the Safety Audit. The audits mostly check whether the airlines practices on the ground, such as boarding procedures are compliant with international safety standards, to avoid accidents on the ground. http://www.afriquejet.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103066531761&s=6053&e=001tGzK9djrs39HD-5BSPYJLjYEXiJoE7dOZg9ZHYYXKIFCdbjNaM8G4fN59StXoNF3vSCS_aV5SgGV9f14UiOZcy5ShAed1tu2FJRxaT0DgxES0t-_C1rZCr2Gfd2h_Ki42b9CUbXHBbHZSEVOAQgSsfLd-amxm2qts6l9vQtEcfwrEd11aqtj6x4ffVtAYrXGWSTQCUVjiZPUc2gdygqTp0C-vd7h9bT-X1GbSOaAdyU=] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Antonov An-12 Plane Banned From UAE Airspace DUBAI, Feb 19 (Bernama) -- The Antonov An-12 aircraft will be banned from United Arab Emirates's (UAE) airspace from March 1. The decision was made by the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) after an audit by a special technical committee showed that the plane did not meet international safety standards. Ismail Mohammed Al Balooshi, director of safety at GCAA, said there had been numerous incidents involving Antonov aircraft in 2008, including three minor incidents at Sharjah International Airport (in UAE) and one crash in Iraq. "That's why the GCAA made an initial decision to temporarily ban this aircraft model which posed a threat to air safety, pending the results of the assessment by the technical committee regarding the airworthiness of Antonov An-12. "The assessment showed that this aircraft can't be operated safely," he told the media. The GCAA said the ban was aimed at raising safety standards in UAE's civil aviation sector. -- BERNAMA Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ American Airlines' in-house repair policy is both boon and burden 12:00 AM CST on Friday, February 19, 2010 By ERIC TORBENSON / The Dallas Morning News etorbenson@dallasnews.com American Airlines Inc. prides itself as the only large carrier doing its own major aircraft maintenance, saying the strategy saves time and boosts quality for the work done on its 610 jets. But there's an unforeseen cost to the Fort Worth-based company's approach: a seemingly never-ending series of negative headlines, government audits and fines over how the company fixes its planes. Together they have combined to dent the carrier's safety reputation. The latest body blow came Thursday when a government watchdog issued a report that faulted American for longstanding maintenance deficiencies. "Like many things labor at American Airlines, once again they are damned if they outsource the maintenance jobs and damned if they maintain high-paying U.S. jobs as regulatory oversight makes this decision even more uneconomic," said industry consultant William Swelbar, who is a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. American's choice of doing its own work creates "yet another area where the company's competitors enjoy a cost advantage and headline avoidance," Swelbar said. American says it's sticking with its maintenance strategy despite the additional scrutiny it receives from the Federal Aviation Administration. The agency, which was admonished in Thursday's report for its lax oversight of American, is expected to propose a large fine against the carrier in coming weeks over trouble with repairs to the airline's MD-80 jets. "American believes rigorous FAA oversight should be a critical part of any maintenance program, regardless of where the maintenance is performed and by whom," said spokesman Tim Wagner. Nine large domestic competitors outsourced more than 70 percent of their heavy aircraft maintenance in 2007, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's inspector general. Of that amount, 23 percent was done in foreign repair stations that congressional critics have said get little FAA supervision. "We naturally see more scrutiny, given that our operations are in-house and more open for the FAA to inspect on a daily basis, than for those airlines that have sent their maintenance offshore where the FAA has a more difficult time overseeing that work," Wagner said. American's financial struggles have forced it to make tough choices with its maintenance bases; its Kansas City base will close in September, eliminating 700 jobs. In a rare show of alignment between labor and management, the Transport Workers Union launched a campaign in December to draw attention to American's maintenance practices and contrast them with competitors'. The union, which represents ground workers and mechanics at the carrier, targeted congressmen and said foreign maintenance stations pose safety and even terrorism risks to domestic aircraft. The FAA has said the stations are safe and inspected regularly; airlines using the stations say the overhaul work meets or exceeds their standards. For American's pilot union, the inspector general's report did "affirm the safety concerns we have expressed over the past year." But Allied Pilots Association spokesman Scott Shankland said that management had addressed many of those issues. "Since DOT inspection and increased FAA oversight began last year, we have noticed an improvement in the margin of safety at the airline," he said. One of the problems American was cited for was operating planes with "deferred maintenance" issues that don't affect safety but must be fixed within certain time frames. Examples included burned-out light bulbs and broken seats. American had self-reported that it wrongly used the regulations for deferred maintenance 13 times. The audit said the overall number of open maintenance deferrals had risen from 0.4 per aircraft in 2004 to just over 0.7 in 2008. The rate now has fallen back to the 2004 level, the audit said. American said it feels the inspector general's audit doesn't reflect the work done by its managers to improve maintenance practices. The airline also said it would double the number of analysts who examine safety issues across its maintenance program in 2010, as suggested by the audit. http://www.dallasnews.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103066531761&s=6053&e=001tGzK9djrs3_PZAZNlwA97on47VmHnC4Uazf4n2MgOg4oTkH-Zyd76H5e5O-5q21tj4irASeFBxTxNF_nJHf9FXYwuGY14IFPhiNwJdQ8qcEYFTbvdM0flqTnEImN9keaNLFFByWBlQkXAqcRzp-1USyt9wpggVztTkl8-PY6OzsaNZY8uMYBCFajS0mm1MJNBRdQmMaWKr4lsvgn79Wee_-4_nI9CM0ns1gymbxEARc=] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NTSB Vice Chairman Hart to speak at ACSF Symposium in March 19-Feb-2010 National Transportation Safety Board Vice Chairman Christopher Hart will speak at the annual Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) Air Charter Safety Symposium on March 2-3, 2010, at the Marriott Westfields in Chantilly, VA. Hart has held positions with the FAA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Department of Transportation. He holds a law degree from Harvard Law School and a Masters degree in Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University. Hart will speak to symposium attendees on the "Financial Benefits of Safety Assessment Programs." His presentation will draw from his personal knowledge of safety programs and their positive effects on overall business functions and improvement of operational safety. The Air Charter Safety Symposium is the premier event focusing on safety in the on-demand air charter and shared aircraft ownership industry. The symposium is a must-attend event to learn the latest developments and practical techniques for implementation of safety programs. The Air Charter Safety Symposium delivers an outstanding selection of speakers addressing a number of critical safety issues that confront the Part 135 on-demand air charter and fractional ownership industry. Other Symposium topics include: * Addressing Security Concerns with Practical Advice * Implementation and Automation of Operational Risk Assessment * Implementing and Evaluating SMS from a Small Operator's Perspective * International Safety and Operational Issues * Legal Concerns Raised by Safety Programs An early-bird rate is being offered to those who register for the Air Charter Safety Symposium on or before February 19, 2010. Visit www.acsf.aero/symposium [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103066531761&s=6053&e=001tGzK9djrs39rhAxnUJKdvpfjvNovBy2qP3gLpA8OAnVAG6rwnWxnOg6B4L5mKdZqhdxUNcGEyzoKZdKi2ThypO8XK2DAsCJyJftL1zAb411teHRkuLF9vLpYfPgpW3-G]for full event details and call (800) 808.6282 to take advantage of discounted registration rate. Back To Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Certification for Twin Otter Series 400 expected in weeks Mary Kirby, Philadelphia (19Feb10, 01:36 GMT, 147 words) Viking Air expects to receive Canadian certification for the DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 400 in less than six weeks. "We're hoping to have everything wrapped by, certification-wise, in March, with a worse case, maybe early April, but we doubt that," says Viking vice-president of business development Rob Mauracher. The Series 400 successfully completed its maiden sortie on 16 February. Launch customer Zimex Aviation of Switzerland will receive the first production aircraft, while the second is destined for Air Seychelles, and the third for Petro Air in Libya, reveals Mauracher. Viking is now focused on "getting production efficiencies in place" and streamlining the operation, he adds. The Canadian company purchased the type certificate for the Twin Otter and six other de Havilland aircraft from Bombardier in February 2006, restarting the Twin Otter line a year later. The original Twin Otter was last produced in 1988. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back To Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Airbus appoints new customer services boss Alan Dron, London (18Feb10, 14:11 GMT, 109 words) Didier Lux is to replace Charles Champion as Airbus' executive vice-president of customer services. Champion is departing the role to become executive vice-president of engineering. Lux, who is the airframer's executive vice-president of quality, will take up his new position on April 1. He joined Airbus in 2004, having previously worked as a flight test engineer and in various maintenance and operations roles with Air Inter, Air France and French rail operator SNCF. Following Lux's move, Pilar Albiac Murillo will become head of quality and lean improvement. She was recruited by Airbus in 2008, to serve as head of lean manufacturing deployment. General Motors is among her previous employers. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back To Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC