Flight Safety Information March 3, 2010 No.047 In This Issue Royal Air Force Rushes to American Airlines Flight BFU: evidence of barrell roll in Citation crash UK police arrest BA employee in terror probe FAA not amused as kid gives directions to pilots India navy plane crashes at air show Airplane Health Management Coverage EAC aviation boosted Man accused of exposing himself on flight ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Royal Air Force Rushes to American Airlines Flight The Royal Air Force (RAF) dispatched planes on Tuesday to investigate an American Airlines flight, where a female passenger was trying to gain access to the flight deck. Just shortly before 11am, the aircraft landed at Heathrow Airport, and police boarded the flight to arrest the woman. Reports indicate that the woman became agitated on the flight and looked like she was going into a panic attack - it's been said that she has recently lost a family member. She was allegedly trying to break into the cockpit multiple times, so the pilot requested a priority approach to the runway as a precaution, as the incident alarmed him. Soon after, the Royal Air Force dispatched Typhoon planes from RAF Coningsby to fly alongside the American Airlines plane as a routine action. A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman says that the jets didn't escort the plane to the airport like previously reported, but had broken away while flying over Oxfordshire. The Boeing 767-300 was carrying 161 passengers and 12 crew members. The cabin crew is reported to have eventually calmed the woman before touching down at the airport. Then police officers boarded the flight and arrested her on suspicion of violating the Aviation Act on grounds of endangering the plane. She was taken to the police station in Heathrow, where they kept her in custody. A spokesman for the airline, said that the pilot didn't call for the RAF to officially take action, and they don't know if he even knew the Typhoons were there. However, the spokesman confirmed the incident happened. http://www.globally.co.uk/royal-air-force-rushes-to-american-airlines-flight-2906/ Back To Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BFU: evidence of barrell roll in Citation crash The German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) reported that CVR showed evidence that shortly before the fatal accident involving a Citation jet, an aerobatics manoeuvre (barrel roll) was initiated. The Cessna Citation Bravo crashed in a forest during a ferry flight from Prague (PRG/LKPR), Czech Republic to Karlstad Airport (KSD/ESOK), Sweden. Both crew members were killed in the accident. BFU issued two recommendations to CAA-CZ: Recommendation No.: 10/2010 The CAA-CZ responsible for air operators within the Czech Republic should arrange for an inspection of the involved air operator's aircraft in regard to structural overload. Recommendation No.: 11/2010 The CAA-CZ should determine actions for the improvement of the air operator's Quality Management System and the Safety Culture The investigation into the accident by the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) is still in progress. (BFU) 14 FEB 2010, 20:20 Cessna 550B Citation Bravo OK-ACH - Time Air 2 / 2 Schöna (Sweden) Unknown flight, during cruise flight Status: Preliminary Date: 14 FEB 2010 Time: 20:20 Type: Cessna 550B Citation Bravo Operator: Time Air Registration: OK-ACH C/n / msn: 550-1111 First flight: 2005 Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PW530A Crew: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Airplane damage: Destroyed Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: near Schöna (Germany) Phase: En route (ENR) Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Praha-Ruzyne International Airport (PRG/LKPR), Czech Republic Destination airport: Karlstad Airport (KSD/ESOK), Sweden Flightnumber: 039C Narrative: A Cessna 550B Citation Bravo corporate jet, registered OK-ACH, was destroyed in an accident in the area of the Großer Zschirnstein Mountain. Both pilots were killed. Flight TIE039C departed Prague-Ruzyne International Airport (PRG) on a flight to Karlstad Airport (KSD), Sweden. A German air traffic control spokesman reported that the flight was given clearance to climb from FL260 to FL330. However, the pilot never replied and the plane then disappeared from radar screens. Pieces of wreckage have been discovered near the village Schöna (Saxon - Osterzgebirge), in the area of the Großer Zschirnstein Mountain. Aviation-safety.net Back To Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UK police arrest BA employee in terror probe LONDON (AP) - Police are questioning a 30-year-old British Airways employee arrested on suspicion of fundraising for terrorism. British Airways confirmed that an employee was arrested last week at their office in Newcastle, northeast England. The airline on Wednesday declined to comment further. Police say the man was arrested by the regional anti-terror unit and detectives from London on suspicion of terrorist fundraising. He is being held at a high-security London police station. Britain's counter-terror units have been on increased alert since the failed Dec. 25 plot to blow up a U.S.-bound jet. Former London student Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is being held over the attempt. Back To Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FAA not amused as kid gives directions to pilots in Kennedy Airport's air-traffic control tower Employees at the Kennedy Airport air-traffic control tower are under federal investigation for apparently allowing a school-age kid to give directions to pilots. The youngster, seemingly under adult supervision, makes five transmissions to amused pilots on a tape obtained by Channel 26 in Boston and confirmed as genuine by the Federal Aviation Authority. One exchange went like this: JFK TOWER: JetBlue 171 contact departure PILOT: Over to departure JetBlue 171, awesome job. A male voice then comes on with a laugh. JFK TOWER: That's what you get, guys, when the kids are out of school. Later, the kid clears another pilot for takeoff and says, "Adios, amigo." The pilot responds with the same wish. Although those involved in the potentially high-risk hijinks at one of the nation's busiest airports seemed to get a kick out of it, the FAA was not laughing. The control tower is a highly secure area, and the FAA says only licensed controllers are supposed to communicate with planes. "Pending the outcome of our investigation, the employees involved in this incident are not controlling air traffic," the FAA said in a statement. "This behavior is not acceptable and does not demonstrate the kind of professionalism expected from all FAA employees." The union that represents air-traffic controllers said the behavior in the tower "is not indicative of the highest professional standards that controllers set for themselves and exceed each and every day in the advancement of aviation safety." It was unclear when the incident occurred. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2010/03/03/2010-03-03_now_landing_your_plane__a_schoolboy.html#ixzz0h6zDXADZ Back To Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ India navy plane crashes at air show, killing pilots A plane crashes into a building during an airshow in India An Indian naval plane has crashed at an air show in the city of Hyderabad killing both pilots, the navy says. Footage showed the plane flying in formation before crashing in a densely populated area near the show ground. A three-storey house was destroyed and other buildings damaged. There is no word yet on any further casualties on the ground. It is not clear what caused the crash. The Indian Aviation 2010 show opened on Wednesday and will go on until Sunday. The two-seater Kiran MK-II which crashed was part of a four-plane formation. A three-storey house was destroyed. "In the final phase, the aircraft appears to have gone out of control. They crashed into a building and the pilots have died," navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma told reporters. The other three aircraft landed safely, the navy said. An inquiry is being ordered to find out what caused the crash, it added. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8546735.stm [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103128362469&s=6053&e=001JwL1ykSJPXO0jtIHzsKf-bayupOZpvobsS29QDd6SMEmWP87DDoYq_EEoCa4V6ocjOMN8h4YTcjw-EqA5nPWzlp9fMocxTdfzAL4LciOmwkv4XYBvHEo0YPLell3bkGIfxoTibRxUctKjRANLPAxYw3_pclcF2NF] ***** Date: 03-MAR-2010 Time: Type: Surya Kiran Operator: Indian Navy Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 2 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Hyderab - India Phase: Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) Nature: Military Departure airport: Destination airport: Narrative: During an ai show exibition the Indian Navy Sagar Pawan aerobatic plane collided with a telecomunication antenna causing three fataliies, two militaries and one cvilian on the ground. Aviation-safety.net Back To Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Airplane Health Management Coverage Air China Cargo is included in coverage of Boeing 777 and 747-400 fleets SEATTLE, March 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA), in conjunction with Air China and Air China Cargo, announced today that the airlines will expand the use of Boeing's Airplane Health Management (AHM) system to monitor the in-flight condition of the carriers' Boeing 777 and 747-400 fleets. The new agreement adds 42 in-service and on-order airplanes to a previous agreement to monitor 117 Air China 737s that are in service and on order. Air China is Boeing's first Chinese customer for AHM and the 33rd commercial customer overall. "We are certain that Boeing's Airplane Health Management will benefit our passengers and cargo customers who count on Air China and Air China Cargo meeting our schedules," said Air China Chief Engineer Zhong Detao. "This will improve our entire operation." Airplane Health Management captures and evaluates critical real-time in-flight flying condition data and relays the information to maintenance controllers. That allows the airline to turn a potentially time-consuming and costly maintenance delay into a well-planned and more easily accomplished repair. Airlines are better able to meet flight schedules, benefiting the airline, passengers and other cargo customers. The AHM system helps airlines identify and respond to problems proactively while accessing a multiple operator knowledge base, so repair decisions are more reliable and the airplane is available for service more quickly. "Airplane Health Management is a key tool in working with our customers in our mutual pursuit of greater efficiency," said Dennis Floyd, vice president, Technical Services for Commercial Aviation Services at Boeing. "The expansion of AHM coverage at Air China and Air China Cargo will provide them an advantage in the highly competitive Chinese aviation market." AHM is a component in Boeing's larger vision of Lifecycle Solutions - improving airline efficiency with digital productivity tools, product and industry expertise and the power of aviation's leading integrated supply chain, supporting Boeing airplanes from order placement through retirement. Air China operates 10 Boeing 777-200s and 10 747-400s. Air China Cargo operates seven 747-400 freighters, including two Boeing Converted Freighters. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/air-china-to-expand-boeing-airplane-health-management-coverage-86131427.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ EAC aviation boosted The East African Community Civil Aviation Safety and Security Oversight Agency (Cassoa) has launched a 5-year strategic plan which focuses on harmonising the Aviation regulatory authorities in the region. Speaking during the launch of the strategic plan in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Mr Mtesigwa Maugo, the Cassoa executive director, said that the agency would assist partner states in the region meet their safety and security obligations and responsibilities under the Chicago Convention. "There is a challenge in the consistent implementation of international standards and consistent regulatory oversight within the partner states because of inadequate resources and to a certain extent differences in the general understanding and interpretation by partner states and technical personnel," he observed. He pointed out that currently, the safety and security databases and reporting systems were inadequate for analysis and monitoring by Cassoa. "However, in the partner states there is assessment of proposals for amendments of International Civil Aviation Organisation to help in identifying gaps of inadequacy of technical capacity," he said. In this regard, Mr Maugo pointed out that coordinated approach by the agency could improve on the effectiveness of the assessment and ensures a common response which maintains the element of harmonisation in the region. He further said that the ability of partner states to achieve the objectivity that requires adhering to international safety standards designed to ensure an acceptable level of safety was limited by adequate independence from operating functions. Ends http://thecitizen.co.tz/newe.php?id=17634 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Man accused of exposing himself on flight A passenger arrested after landing in Denver exposed himself to another passenger and masturbated under a blanket, according to an FBI criminal complaint obtained Tuesday afternoon by 9News. Murali Krishna Nookella faces a charge of crimes aboard an aircraft. He went before a federal judge Tuesday afternoon and was released on a $5,000 unsecured bond. The judge ordered him not to fly. An FBI agent said the incident happened on Southwest Airlines Flight 228 from Philadelphia to Denver. Law enforcement removed Nookella as soon as the plane made its scheduled landing in Denver. A passenger seated next to Nookella said she saw him fumbling underneath a blanket. She said she then looked over and saw him exposing himself. "Nookella said to (the passenger) words to the effect, 'You saw that, didn't you?' (The passenger) replied, 'Yes,' " according to the criminal complaint. The passenger "wanted to press charges against Nookella," according to the complaint. http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_14501531 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC