Flight Safety Information March 26, 2010 - No. 061 In This Issue New search starting for Air France black boxes Reaction to systems failure faces scrutiny Robert M. White dies at 85 Daniel Webster College Phasing Out Flight Program EMS helicopter pilot worries ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ New search starting for Air France black boxes (AP) - RECIFE, Brazil - The lead investigator of last year's Air France jetliner crash that killed 228 people off the coast of Brazil said Thursday he hopes a third search for debris and flight and data recorders will be successful and help authorities determine what happened. The 30-day operation, to begin next week after search ships sail for the mid-Atlantic on Sunday, will scour an area of seabed only one-tenth that combed in the two previous attempts, Jean-Paul Troadec, chief of the BEA French investigation agency, said at a news conference in northeastern Brazil. The smaller area was the result of a collaborative effort by scientists, including from the U.S.-based Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, to reconstruct the trajectory of the Airbus 330's debris and the time the wreckage was found, giving investigators a better idea of where to look, Troadec said. "We think we have a good chance of finding the wreckage," he said. Officials say that locating the flight data and voice recorders is crucial, since the 1,000 pieces of wreckage already recovered have provided no concrete information as to what caused the jet to crash June 1, killing everyone aboard. The devices contain recordings of cockpit conversations and various data readings from the aircraft. Without that information, investigators will probably never know why the jet bound from Rio de Janeiro to Paris flew straight into huge thunderstorms that other trans-Atlantic flights on similar routes took pains to avoid that day. Based on information gathered so far, investigators believe the plane was intact when it crashed into the ocean. Troadec said the investigation so far has "shown that without finding the recorders that this investigation could never be conclusive and this accident could remain largely unexplained." The latest search will employ two ships, one of which will deploy three sonar-equipped robot submarines weighing more than 5 metric tons each to search the seabed. The other will use sonar machines dragged on cables underwater to pore over the 770-square mile (2,000-square kilometer) target area. Troadec said the wreckage is likely located on a rough, mountainous seabed, perhaps as many as 13,100 feet (4,000 meters) below the surface. "These mountains are not trivial - it's as rugged as the foothills of the Rockies down there and can get a lot worse than the Rockies - but there are some wide open spaces, valleys in there, that look very promising," said David Gallo, director of special projects for Woods Hole. William Waldock, who teaches air-crash investigation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona, said that even if a main debris field is found, it does not mean the flight recorders can be located. "A lot will depend on whether the recorders are still attached to a larger structure or if they separated from it during impact," he said. "Conceivably, they are looking for something that is a couple of feet long and 8 inches wide. Chances of finding something like that under 13,000 feet of water are not good." Waldock said the effort "is probably the most difficult search I've seen simply because of the size of the area and the bottom configuration." "But if they don't look, their chances are zero," he added. Automatic messages sent by Flight 447's computers just before it crashed show it was receiving false airspeed readings from sensors known as Pitot tubes. Experts have said running into a violent storm at either too slow or too fast a speed at high altitudes can be dangerous. Investigators have insisted the crash was likely caused by a series of failures and not just the Pitot tubes. The new euro10 million ($13.3 million) search is jointly financed by Airbus and Air France, and comes after original search efforts last year that cost about euro9 million. The U.S. Navy and the National Transportation Safety Board will help, along with private companies and accident experts from Britain, Germany, Russia and Brazil. The life span of "pingers" attached to the plane's recorders is only about a month, but officials say submarines and boats equipped with sonar gear can find the wreckage from the jet even without such signals. Gallo said the operators of the sonar systems being used have previously pinpointed objects as small as oil barrels and metal wire measuring about 4 inches (10 centimeters) in diameter. Because many of the plane's parts, including the recorders, are made of metal, they stand out compared to rocks on the sea floor. If debris fields are found, the two ships will hone in on those areas and search for the recorders. Other wreckage may also be lifted to the surface with cables or by remote-controlled submarines. There could be "multiple items, like fuselage, landing gear, the cockpit," said John Ric Sasse, a civilian U.S. Navy search and recovery specialist involved in the effort. "All of this could be a large variety of items spread out over a large area, and once you have found it there are just the mechanics of recovery." The second search for the recorders ended in August. Investigators said 50 bodies were recovered in the first two searches. Troadec said searchers are prepared to recover any more remains that may be found. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Reaction to systems failure faces scrutiny THE way pilots respond to the failure of computer-controlled systems on advanced aircraft is likely to be the next big area to come under scrutiny by safety authorities, a leading US expert believes. Flight Safety Foundation global chief executive Bill Voss said there was increasing concern about the interface between pilots and aircraft automation, as well as how this should be incorporated into aviation training. Mr Voss said during a visit to Sydney that he had seen a preliminary analysis of Line Operation Safety Audit (LOSA) reports designed to gauge the prevalence of problems with automation and how well they were managed. "And the answer keeps coming out to extremely prevalent and very badly managed," he said. "It's actually a significant threat." Questions about automation in planes received increased attention after the crash of an Air France Airbus A330 over the Atlantic Ocean last year. Australians also saw a graphic example of what could go wrong when an Emirates crew in Melbourne mistyped the Airbus A340's take-off weight and struggled to get airborne after a tail-strike. Investigators have still to reveal what caused an air data inertial reference unit to malfunction and send a Qantas A330 to go on a wild ride through West Australian skies in 2008. Mr Voss also cited a radar altimeter failure to which a crew failed to react prior to a Turkish Airlines crash at Amsterdam; a 2007 TAM A320 runway overrun in Brazil's Sao Paolo where one engine deployed thrust reversers while the other accelerated; and a crash the same year of an Adamair 737 off Indonesia. "Even if you go back to fairly primitive aircraft like the Adamair accident, they were changing their modes in the weather and actually blanked out their flight display," he said. The internationally renowned air safety expert said there was a common thread through many of the accidents and it was time to train for a new type of emergency that looked at the failure modes in highly automated aircraft. This included talking explicitly about how automation fails, how pilots should cope with it and if they had the "gut skill" to get through the failures. "These systems are amazing -- they will usually recover themselves, but you've got maybe 30 seconds where you've got to gut through things like the pitot tube (part of the air speed measuring devices) failures we've seen," he said. "That's all it takes -- attitude and power for about a minute and you're out the other side of the problem. But if you don't, you die." He said pilots needed snappy new phrases for automation failures that were similar to "dead foot, dead engine" slogans that helped them identify which engine had quit. "The (US Federal Aviation Administration) is probably going to push it and you're seeing some speeches from (FAA administrator) Randy Babbitt, who's very tuned into this stuff," he said. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/aviation/reaction-to-systems-failure-faces-scrutiny/story-e6frg95x-1225845453799 Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Article Headline Know your target audience. Who are your most important customers, clients or prospects, and why? Know what is important to them and address their needs in your newsletter each month. Include a photo to make your newsletter even more appealing. Inserting a link in your article lets you track which topics attract the most interest. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Robert M. White dies at 85; pilot made history with 1962 test flight into space The retired Air Force major general and decorated war veteran was the first pilot to exceed Mach 6. In 1962 he flew an X-15 research plane nearly 60 miles above Earth and then landed it on a dry lake. Robert M. White was a 38-year-old U.S. Air Force major and record-setting test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base in 1962 when he joined the elite ranks of America's four astronauts. But Mercury astronauts Alan Shepard, Virgil Grissom, John Glenn and Scott Carpenter went into space seated atop ballistic missiles and returned in capsules that parachuted onto the ocean. http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/24/local/la-me-robert-white24-2010mar24 Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Daniel Webster College Phasing Out Flight Program Other Aviation Courses Will Still Be Offered Daniel Webster College in New Hampshire has announced it is ending its flight training program, and is not accepting any new students. College President Nadine Dowling said that the schools Aviation Management and ATC curricula will continue to be offered. The 92 students currently enrolled will be allowed to complete the program, according to New Hampshire television station WMUR. Those who had enrolled for next fall have been notified of the program's cancellation. Dowling said that the decision was entirely financial. She said the program was expensive to maintain, and that the ROI to the college after graduation was low. She said the college had discussed ending the flight instruction program before the struggling school was bought by ITT last year. The New Hampshire Union Leader reports that many students immediately began contacting other schools to inquire about transferring to other programs. Greg Poulin, 19, of Manchester, summed up the situation by saying "Nobody wants a diploma from a school that doesn't exist." Other students expressed concern that the instructors for the program would immediately begin searching for new positions, leaving the school without enough qualified instructors. "(W)e know they can't just sit around here twiddling their thumbs. They have to take care of themselves and their families," said DWC student Casey Monahan. FMI: www.dwc.edu Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ EMS helicopter pilot worries; "If they knew what I knew, even the nurse and paramedic wouldn't get on board." The crash this morning of an emergency medical helicopter in Tennessee is another tragic reminder of the crisis in medical aviation. Three people were killed when a Eurocopter AS350 operated by Hospital Wing crashed near Brownsville, Tennessee after delivering a patient in Jackson. While the crash happened shortly before 7:00 a.m., the bulk of the flight occurred during what is considered "the backside of the clock" the hours between ten p.m. and six a.m.. This is the most dangerous time to fly by helicopter medivac. Nearly half of all the EMS helicopter crashes take place on the backside of the clock. This statistic comes from the Comprehensive Medical Aviation Services Database (CMAS) which was compiled by Dr. Patrick Veillette and myself. Fatigue is a pervasive problem in these accidents, according to Dr. Veillette, a commercial pilot and former EMS pilot. The situation seems to be getting worse. "In just the last 8 years there have been 48 accidents that occurred on the back side of the clock." Reviewing the so-far-incomplete details of the accident, it appears notably and tragically typical. The aircraft had already delivered the patient and was returning to base, there was bad weather in the area and the flight was being conducted under visual flight rules, without the assistance of enhanced visibility instruments. Our database shows these are the consistently reoccurring factors in helicopter medivac accidents. What's so frustrating is that it is no mystery how to make air ambulances safer. When EMS helicopters are required to carry two pilots and equipment to help them fly in limited-visibility conditions safer flights will result. Since 1987, nearly half of the EMS helicopter accidents occurred either at night or in weather that obstructed the pilot's vision. Our statistics also show that people are twice as likely to die in limited-visibility accidents as in those occurring in good weather during the day. Considering the layers of risk in reduced-visibility flights, one would expect operators of air ambulances to make sure their aircraft are equipped to fly in these conditions. But only a small portion are equipped with enhanced-visibility systems. The EMS helicopter industry has boomed from a few hospitals in Colorado in 1972 to a multi-million-dollar business which operated nearly half a million flights in 2009. This phenomenal growth has been based on a disturbing business model; fly the helicopters as inexpensively as possible - meaning one pilot and a minimum of safety equipment - even though these are inherently more hazardous missions. As one EMS pilot told me, "If they knew what I knew, even the nurse and paramedic wouldn't get on board." In a study of turbine engine airplane accidents, a noted aviation research company Robert E. Breiling Associates of Florida, concluded that single-pilot flights are riskier than those with two pilots. The statistics show the risk of a fatal accident is 3.7 times greater with a single-pilot. In publishing these findings, AOPA Pilot magazine wrote "single-pilot operations create higher workloads and greater demands on pilot skill when the chips are down and stress levels run high." Flying a helicopter - any helicopter- is not like flying an airplane. The pilot is busy from start to finish. To an already higher workload and often under time pressure the EMS pilot has additional concerns, a 24/7 flight schedule, a lack of a weather information for the route or destination, operations in and out of non standard landing zones including rooftops, highways and parking lots and flights that take them through obstacles and obstructions. It is this last factor that makes the need for two pilots most obvious. Of the accidents over the past 20 years, one in of three - involved the aircraft hitting something. With the exception of a pilot-check ride in Michigan in May 2007, all the others were operated by a single pilot. Medical helicopters in Canada and air rescues conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard already require two-pilots. What do they know that America's air ambulance operators do not? When it comes to making air-ambulance flights safer, the elephant in the room is money. Nobody wants to talk about it because to do so would be to puncture the myth that no expense is too high when it comes to rescuing those in need. Bringing complicated medical equipment and highly trained professionals to the skies is already an expensive undertaking. Most EMS helicopter companies are businesses with bottom lines to consider. Often a hospital contract will go to the company that offers the lowest bid, which is why additional equipment and doubling of pilots is such a hard concept to sell. It is imperative that the industry equip all EMS helicopters for reduced visibility conditions and put two qualified pilots in the cockpit to fly them. It's expensive. But once again, investigators have been called to the scene of the crash that is a tragic reminder of the alternative. http://christinenegroni.blogspot.com/2010/03/ems-helicopter-pilot-worries-if-they.html [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103232855887&s=6053&e=001QjNS3AihkwZStVz6giebBs9KYcb8zxVJBGSUhZViKC9oOX7LdmhwcfZ8pkL0YnILcBWOkOBwzW9_IHyPwVeHIkTHitIjaMja-0oL06kStVBiOcGeoIrKijPd8JhlO9gQ41qVrlh1H2PsxPL8frFnJ8IQ6rTtzyc2iadk-rSWQxPUeZth3U8AY4h079GA8__U2Hnmiw1fshk=] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC