Flight Safety Information February 26, 2010 No.044 In This Issue NTSB, FAA Testify Before Congress On Colgan Air Flight 3407 Status: Aeroflot Airbus A320-214 (Norway) Status: Nazca Airlines; Cessna U206F Stationair (Peru) House Aviation Subcommittee Addresses Aircraft Icing JFK airport runway in NYC to be shut down for four months ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NTSB, FAA Testify Before Congress On Colgan Air Flight 3407 Fri, 26 Feb '10 Hersman Reiterates 25 Recommendations Made To FAA Following The Accident NTSB Chairman Deborah A. P. Hersman (pictured, left) and FAA Associate Administrator Peggy Gilligan testified in the U.S. Senate today about the status of aviation safety a year after the crash of Continental Flight 3407 near Buffalo, New York on February 12, 2009. The flight was operated by Colgan Air. The crash resulted in 50 fatalities, including all of the passengers, the flight crew, and one person on the ground. The NTSB issued its final report on the investigation of the accident following a public board meeting on February 2. Chairman Hersman provided a summary of the investigation that led to the Board's final report and a determination that the probable cause of the accident was the captain's inappropriate response to an aerodynamic stall from which the airplane did not recover. At the hearing before the Subcommittee on Aviation of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Hersman noted that the Safety Board's final report makes 25 new recommendations to the FAA and reiterates 3 previously issued recommendations. The recommendations cover a wide range of safety issues that were factors in this accident, including pilot training and fatigue. Just last week, the NTSB updated its 2010 Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Issues to better emphasize these 2 safety concerns, Hersman noted. "If we are serious about aviation safety, we must establish a system that minimizes pilot fatigue and ensures that flight crews report to work rested and fit for duty," said Chairman Hersman. "We must also have a system in which we are steadfastly confident that all of our commercial pilots are proficient and well-trained." Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Byron Dorgan (D-ND) said regional carriers need to be held to the same standards as the legacy airlines. "...(W)we need to make certain that the pilots of regional airlines have the training, rest, and experience required to operate as safely as the major airlines," he said. "It has become clear to me over the past year that Congress and the industry need to take major steps to ensure there is one level of safety throughout the entire commercial aviation industry. The Aviation Subcommittee's work over the past year has raised significant concerns with regard to the adequacy of pilot training, flight crew fatigue, pilot compensation, and commuting practices in the industry." Speaking for the FAA, Peggy Gilligan (pictured, above), Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety, Federal Aviation Administration, said the recently-released "Call to Action" is just a beginning for the agency. "We believe that the collective efforts of FAA, the airlines, labor unions and, of course, Congress, will continue to result in implementing best practices, transferring pilot experience, and achieving an overall improvement in safety. Safety is at the core of the FAA's mission, and we will always strive to make a safe system safer." FMI: http://commerce.senate.gov [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103101097798&s=6053&e=001cQubbf3WxtQ5W5bvzeWYFuVZc1KUdFH2Mn0Jd1gPyQMQMZvbZ9HtFXj0dqNAZtGUOPK6VZZC9Qct8pZvvHIHvWHShr8YggnyoH2qjvDNqnvsP63zQZBj4A==], www.ntsb.gov [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103101097798&s=6053&e=001cQubbf3WxtQU5x2mg06Utes_ZIvuw2NFl4Labir6FQ--kR_k5uPvqSUwlPo7KiDTvHS4Lhi2sIwqEz8nhLuqZO4M97a029lXDwFwWNX0BYk=], www.faa.gov [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103101097798&s=6053&e=001cQubbf3WxtQjPfUyzE5ZlQA4CxoV-Ppv4Fd845-VzvJdmw7l_NZ3C8ETy-nUL6hDXrlc2e3yZ4bw1ALeRmZqWz7y7qpRnFuH6kUPhlWYJsY=] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Status: Aeroflot; Airbus A320-214 (Norway) 320 Takes Off from Taxway (Norway) Date: 25-FEB-2010 Time: 15:15 LT Type: Airbus A320-214 Operator: Aeroflot Registration: VP-BWM C/n / msn: 2233 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: None Location: Oslo/Gardermoen International Airport - Norway Phase: Take off Nature: International Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Oslo-Gardermoen - ENGM Destination airport: Moscow-Sheremetyevo - UUEE Narrative: The Airbus (flight SU212) left the gate at 14.55 taxied to the taxilane next to and on the right side of runway 01 left and took off from the taxilane. Reported and beeing investigated as a serious incident. Aviation-safety.net [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103101097798&s=6053&e=001cQubbf3WxtR8tADKcK5B2HPy8m_gUGyl8_Zy_jMMkBoZSF7OA2AjdMvXYUXKlrUlhgMZ0hS1E7qQjtYxtHzpRt8nfFMYsj8hz4-aY6831IzcWM17-oU2rg==] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Status: Nazca Airlines; Cessna U206F Stationair (Peru) 207 Accident ( Peru) Date: 25-FEB-2010 Time: 11:30 Type: Cessna U206F Stationair Operator: Nazca Airlines Registration: OB-1117 C/n / msn: U20603276 Fatalities: Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: nr El Mirador - Peru Phase: En route Nature: Passenger Departure airport: Nazca Airport (SPZA) Destination airport: Nazca Airport (SPZA) Narrative: The airplane took off for a sightseeing flight near Nazca. It crashed, killing six tourists and the pilot. The same airplane, OB-1117, was involved in an emergency landing on a road following engine power loss near Nazca in November 2008. Aviation-safety.net [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103101097798&s=6053&e=001cQubbf3WxtR8tADKcK5B2HPy8m_gUGyl8_Zy_jMMkBoZSF7OA2AjdMvXYUXKlrUlhgMZ0hS1E7qQjtYxtHzpRt8nfFMYsj8hz4-aY6831IzcWM17-oU2rg==] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ House Aviation Subcommittee Addresses Aircraft Icing Feb 24, 2010 10:47 PM Wednesday's hearing House aviation subcommittee hearing was a follow-up to an October 2009 roundtable convened by by subcommittee leadership on icing issues that included an examination of ice protection systems, as well as the current status of aircraft icing standards and procedures. Last week, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) adopted its 2010 Most Wanted list, which included four recommendations to reduce the hazards to aircraft flying in icing conditions. In his opening remarks, Subcommittee Chairman Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) agreed with NTSB's remarks that FAA's efforts in the area of icing have been "unacceptably slow." Costello further stated, "FAA must adopt a systematic and proactive approach to address the icing criteria for aircraft certification and testing." http://www.aviationnews.net/?do=headline&news_ID=176668 [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103101097798&s=6053&e=001cQubbf3WxtS2Fps5m8699Ld0J-Jj7oF_PER83LYUZiiJnx2vvr3d_nNJnmZJ-70L6YJaO1lZF-CyTcXO1Z2NP5Dz9MfgaHaavAFfCyaGnz_0xWIHOheDqeKDRU356rpCo93itfTNAJ2d8ES6SQo2l1vB8rKKvhfDXQK7tMAQIhA=] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ JFK airport runway in NYC to be shut down for four months Friday, February 26, 2010 The Associated Press NEW YORK - The largest runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport will be shut down in March for renovations. Airport officials say the runway will be closed for four months. The runway handles one-third of JFK's total air traffic, including more than half of its departures. During repairs, there will be fewer flights on carriers like Delta and JetBlue, according to The New York Times. The shutdown could increase delays, but airport and airline officials insist there won't be any major problems. They say that in the long run, the renovations will help reduce delays. The repairs will include widening the runway, replacing its asphalt surface with concrete, and updating lighting and electrical systems. Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10057/1027661-37.stm#ixzz0gdrZv9YD [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103101097798&s=6053&e=001cQubbf3WxtQMfBDm3_Z9btJB8Rx4c_PRYlXhF6CT4mcVkA83QVuSXhqx3u9xrnv8RpueGsuSRmi2ir6Czi5UG0UqnwpHlNBF6Dklg1jqchvQq9LA9_mJ4qMyYqpqJYaE1YADnxe_NEc7UxlreX6s-Ki9t7Ma1qsBxOLcr2D-3_HDv68oChIm9w==] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC