Flight Safety Information April 1, 2010 - No. 065 In This Issue A Radical Cockpit Upgrade Southwest Fliers Will Feel American Eagle pilot suspended after lying about background Sudan criticizes EU ban on its airlines Atlantic Southeast Airlines Selects Captain Brad Sheehan as Director of Safety Another Qantas flight lands in trouble Delta flight makes emergency landing in Indiana Stuck flaps distracted CRJ crew before gear-up landing ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Radical Cockpit Upgrade Southwest Fliers Will Feel Next week Southwest Airlines Co. changes the way it flies, a major milestone in the push to modernize the nation's air travel system. For passengers, the last 20 minutes of a flight may feel more graceful as planes glide in without revving up engines repeatedly. On April 6, the airline will change out the cockpit software in two-thirds of its fleet, giving pilots different instruments and a new look to displays. The radical upgrade, which took three years of preparation and required retraining 6,000 pilots, will enable Southwest to fly precise satellite-based navigation approaches to airports. That should save fuel, cut noise and reduce delays. "On April 5th we fly one way. On the 6th, another way," said Jeff Martin, Southwest's senior director of flight operations. That flip-the-switch change pushes airlines closer to a modern air-traffic control system. Using more-precise approaches to airports called Required Navigation Performance (RNP) routes, airplanes can shorten their flights. The paths laid out in the sky that planes use into and out of airports will be much narrower, removing overlap between different airports in congested cities. Without the new technology, planes flying into Chicago's Midway Airport, for example, may have to wait for an opening in the line of planes taking off nearby from Chicago's O'Hare airport when winds are from the south because the routes overlap. Now, most of Southwest's planes won't have to wait. The same "decoupling" is planned for New York, Houston, Dallas and other major airline chokepoints. "That's a huge step," said FAA Administrator Randolph Babbitt. Only a handful of airports have RNP procedures in place, but about 20 that Southwest flies to will have them by the end of the year. For passengers, RNP will be a different experience. Instead of lining up miles away from an airport to land and then stair-stepping down by descending and then powering up engines to level off over and over, airplanes will glide at idle almost all the way to touchdown. The descent will be continuous and quieter. Some turns will be tight close to airports. It will feel like the plane is swooping in at the last few minutes of flight instead of long, drawn-out approaches. Southwest is not the first airline to start flying RNP approaches-Alaska Air Group Inc.'s Alaska Airlines pioneered the technology, and several airlines have it turned on in some of their newest planes. But Southwest is the biggest. The Dallas-based carrier, which operates more flights than any other carrier worldwide, is the first to commit to "Next Generation" technology fleet-wide, paying for cockpit upgrades itself. Airlines have been pushing Congress and the White House for federal funding to pay for new equipment required for the modernized air-traffic-control system; the issue is still undecided in Washington. The technology means planes don't have to fly in straight lines for instrument landings using radio signals in low visibility; they can fly shorter, curved approaches in any weather conditions. Southwest believes it will get back its $175 million investment by shortening flights, saving fuel. If just one minute is shaved off every flight, on average, Southwest says it will recoup its investment. The airline hopes for even more savings. The FAA has to deliver by designing RNP routes and procedures, akin to building the highways for cars and trucks to use. After decades of delay in implementing satellite-based technology-including the kind of GPS many people have in their cars and phones-the FAA is moving faster to upgrade. "We've left the drawing board. Now we're in implementation," said FAA's Mr. Babbitt. While the FAA is trying to design RNP procedures quickly and get air-traffic controllers trained in mixing RNP traffic with old-style procedures, progress may not be as fast as airlines want, he said. Southwest worries that the FAA will simply lay new RNP procedures over existing routes, using the same long paths that planes fly today in order to avoid upsetting any neighborhoods underneath new flight paths. That would nullify any benefit from shorter routes that reduce fuel burn, emission and time or separating traffic from two airports. Designing new paths can mean environmental and noise impact and legal fights with neighborhoods worried about noise overhead, even though RNP approaches are quieter because engines are usually at idle. "If the government only does overlays, then we have wasted $175 million," Mr. Martin said. One problem unique to RNP: the routes are so precise that if your home is under one, every plane passes overhead. With today's less precise routes, the path of jets is more diffuse so no one home gets every passing plane overhead. The FAA is pushing airlines to modernize their equipment, even as the agency struggles to modernize its own gear, by adopting a strategy of best-equipped, best-served. So planes that can handle RNP approaches will get priority from air-traffic controllers over aircraft that aren't equipped at airports that have RNP in place. Today, it's first-come, first-serve regardless of equipment. The threat of being delayed behind better-equipped jets will serve as an incentive for airlines to quickly upgrade, the FAA says. For Southwest, the technology push runs contrary to the airline's long-standing flying philosophy of keeping pilots alert and skilled by making them fly takeoffs and landings by hand rather than rely on autopilot computers. While RNP approaches can be flown by hand, the precision required means pilots often prefer having the autopilot fly the airplane. "Ninety-nine percent of the time, automation serves you well. You just want to make sure pilots can handle it when things get upset or the electronics goes catawampus," said one senior Southwest captain. Southwest says it has still retained lots of hand-flying in its procedures to keep skills sharp. One example: Instead of using computer-driven systems for landings in very low visibility as most airlines do, Southwest has a military-like "head's up" screen-a piece of glass that folds down in front of the captain's eyes and displays navigation guidance-in its planes where the captain hand-flies even in the worst weather. The airline's pilots union says its members resisted the change early on, but have been won over by the company's training program and the advantages of RNP and automation. "If done correctly, this can be safer. And it can help us get in and out of some places," said Jacob North, a Southwest first officer and communications chairman of the Southwest Pilots' Association. Southwest put each of its pilots through a ground-school course on the new cockpit equipment and rewrote all of its flight procedures. The airline had to buy an additional flight simulator just to give pilots four hours each of cockpit flying for the RNP transition. (Pilots also received a software program to practice at home on personal computers.) Beginning next year, the rest of Southwest's fleet-older Boeing 737-300s and 737-500s-will get completely new cockpits, basically moving them from analog to digital, from old-style round-dial gauges to modern multi-function displays. Instead of separate instruments to show air speed, altitude, heading, climb or descent rate and flight path, for example, modern cockpits have all that information in one display, making it easier for pilots to see all important data without scanning back and forth to multiple gauges. The newer cockpits in the airline's Boeing 737-700 fleet will be upgraded with a software change-screens that displayed one type of instruments simply display the new instruments with the April 6 changeover. "We have rewritten every manual we have," said Southwest's Mr. Martin. "This is the most complicated project we've ever taken on." http://online.wsj.com Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ American Eagle pilot suspended after lying about background By CHRISTINE NEGRONI A pilot for a commuter airline that flies out of all three New York airports was suspended after telling multiple lies about his background to make himself look a poster boy for his industry in a magazine profile, The Post has learned. Timothy Martins, who flies for American Eagle, told the magazine, published by his union, that he's an active member of the New Jersey Air National Guard, an FDNY firefighter and a graduate of an aviation school on Long Island. None of it was true, officials of the agencies said. The safety of regional commuter carriers and their pilot training came under heavy scrutiny after a Colgan Air jet crashed near Buffalo last February, killing 50 people. Many of the smaller carriers pay their pilots peanuts, give them insufficient rest time between flights and make them commute thousands of miles. The story about Martins was written, in part, to counter the bad publicity resulting from the crash and other highly embarrassing incidents - including an airliner overshooting Minneapolis while its pilots chatted about their schedules. Andrea Huguely, a spokeswoman for American Eagle, which is owned by American Airlines, refused to comment on the allegations. But she insisted that Martins holds all the required FAA certifications for his job as a first officer. There's no indication he lied to his employer about his background. Martins, who has been grounded, did not respond to a call and an email requesting for comment. The controversy began after the lengthy article appeared in the April edition of the Air Line Pilots Association magazine. Questions about his claim to be an F-16 pilot in the 177th Fighter Wing of the New Jersey Air National Guard soon began circulating on the Internet. Major Yvonne Mays, spokeswoman for the Jersey Guard, said it didn't "have any record of a pilot" named Martins. The 24-year old, who is from Long Island, also claimed to be a firefighter and paramedic in New York. But an FDNY spokesman said, "He's not a firefighter, he has not worked for our department." Dowling College confirmed that Martin attended the school, but said he did not graduate and his years of attendance do not correspond to the dates he said he was there. Jim Hall, former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board said if Martins lied, it should be of concern to American Eagle. "Anyone who is charged with a responsibility for transporting the lives of other people safely who is evidently intentionally fabricating or embellishing credentials or falsifying stories, that's obviously a terrible problem that should be of concern to the airline," he said. An ALPA spokeswoman declined comment. Read more: http://www.nypost.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103256789483&s=6053&e=001LXpqpvdY8bG4OKMSjbdJeQzZJ2eWMF6POCNuXsWtltfIxiuwl0sXvCSKRCMoGiuFlefPUiZKAdA2rKKMbUl6VcF-9gX0JZ9k7jUsp3NnjfmEoJ11Kp7guQ==] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ An image taken from video footage shows a Sudan Airways plane burning on the tarmac of Khartoum airport June 10, 2008 Sudan criticizes EU ban on its airlines March 31, 2010 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese civil aviation authority described as "unprofessional" a decision by the European Union (EU) to ban all airlines in the country from entering the region's airspace citing safety concerns. Yesterday the European Commission which manages the airline "blacklist," said in a press release that it imposed "an operating ban on all operations of Sudanese air carriers, due to a poor safety performance of the civil aviation authority of Sudan resulting from persistent non-compliance with international standards in the area of oversight" But the acting Sudanese civil aviation administration director Al-Hafiz Abdullah said that there are no EU bound flights operating in Sudan. Abdullah stressed that his agency adheres to the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and outlined several changes introduced to the structure of the civil aviation administration and boosting budget allocated to air safety. A 2008 report by the U.S. Department of State advised American citizens against flying on Sudanese airlines, saying that enforcement of safety standards in the country was "uneven." The East African nation has a poor reputation for air safety, especially on domestic flights. Last October a Sudanese cargo plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Sharjah airport in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), killing all six crew members on board. In June 2008, another cargo plane crashed shortly after taking off from Khartoum airport, killing all four Russian crew. It was the fourth fatal air accident in Sudan in two months. In 2003, a Sudan Airways Boeing 737 crashed in the east of the country, killing 104 passengers and 11 crew members. Sudan Airways says because of US sanctions imposed on Sudan it has been unable to receive spare parts and training for its planes. However, the US says it is prepared to make exceptions for humanitarian reasons upon request. http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article34605 [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103256789483&s=6053&e=001LXpqpvdY8bEoWH4VkYleInP8Lm91oaxZrCjopRVl4H9IqHR8rip4KB1DTnz3j7xcosYNP9v2ssti2s1imA21BhRN9X3bp4-fXHUvV22NVFjeVMs2TwrkgEZs6wX2X_ExqcgXMpRuQYYdHPSSg3bXuQ==] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Atlantic Southeast Airlines Selects Captain Brad Sheehan as Director of Safety Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA), a wholly owned subsidiary of SkyWest, Inc. (NASDAQ: SKYW), this week announced that Captain Brad Sheehan has been selected as director of Safety. In this role, Capt. Sheehan will lead ASA's corporate commitment to safety that includes ASA's flight safety mission to reduce operational risk and support safe flying operations. He is also responsible for ensuring ASA's compliance with safety regulations set forth by governing agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and he will work to develop and implement safety-related programs that further enhance ASA's industry-leading safety culture. "Safety is paramount in everything we do as an airline because without it, nothing else we do matters," said ASA President and COO Bradford "Brad" R. Holt. "Capt. Sheehan's demonstrated commitment to developing, implementing and fostering safety programs, his understanding of ASA's safety history, and his strong belief that safety is not only about checklists and programs, but about building a strong safety culture, make him a great fit to be our director of Safety." Capt. Sheehan began his ASA career in 1997 as a line pilot. Since then, he has held multiple safety-focused roles of increasing responsibility including line-check pilot, check airman and assistant Flight Operations Training Program manager, responsible for developing and supporting ASA's FAA-approved pilot training program governing more than 1,600 ASA pilots. Capt. Sheehan also established ASA's Flight Operations best practices and developed ASA's FAA-approved Company Flight Manual (CFM) and operations manual, all while overseeing and maintaining Flight Operations compliance with governmental security and safety audit directives. Most recently, Capt. Sheehan served as ASA's Atlanta base chief pilot, responsible for managing and supporting ASA's 1,600 line pilots, and working across ASA's departments and with business partners to increase safety and performance within ASA's operation. Capt. Sheehan holds a degree in Aviation Management from Auburn University. He replaces Capt. Les Stephens who is taking on a new leadership role outside of ASA, on ASA's behalf. About Atlantic Southeast Airlines Atlantic Southeast Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of SkyWest, Inc., is an industry leader in safety that has proactively implemented safety programs like Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA), Line Operations Safety Audit (LOSA) and Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP). ASA operates more than 800 flights each day to 105 airports in 26 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Bahamas, Canada, and Jamaica. Under the SkyWest, Inc. umbrella, ASA and SkyWest Airlines form the world's largest regional airline alliance. Founded in 1979, ASA has operated as a Delta Connection carrier since 1984 and added a partnership with United Airlines in 2010. The airline operates an all-jet fleet of 160 aircraft and employs more than 3,500 aviation professionals across its route system. For more information, visit www.flyasa.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103256789483&s=6053&e=001LXpqpvdY8bFxPZX5UZA0DfZ4pZWiR8S9xv0-4FvYs8az8okkuJ4Yd51vE93a2N16Fnbb_CohVrqYpO0i_vkbo8BhPCYT82wtKalO_AnzlhcvLkvmPkRxPQ==]. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Another Qantas flight lands in trouble Another Qantas aircraft has run into trouble, a day after an engine surge forced a Singapore-bound flight to return to Sydney Airport. In the latest incident, QF32 sustained damage to two tyres upon landing at Sydney at 8.20pm yesterday, the airline said. The A380, carrying 244 people from Singapore, stayed on the runway to be assessed by engineers. A Qantas spokeswoman said passengers disembarked soon after landing and no one was in danger at any time. "It was not an emergency landing," she said. The jumbo was still being inspected on the runway at 11.30pm, with the cause of the incident still undetermined. On Tuesday, a Qantas flight turned back to Sydney after a pilot discovered a problem with the third engine shortly after take-off at 5pm. The nearly full QF5 jumbo returned to the airport after dumping fuel over the sea to meet landing requirements. It landed safely about 6.15pm, and about four hours later passengers were put on another flight. In December, a Qantas 747 flying from Singapore to Melbourne was forced to turn back after an engine surge. Some of the 354 passengers and 19 crew on board reported flames shooting from an engine, but Qantas denied there was any fire. AAP Back to Top [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103256789483&s=6053&e=001LXpqpvdY8bEpx8w9neEuQaE7wlJ8YFA-z48W3GHoxR3naZwmzMM86--4PP5bxQeZSvFVWIznuBVc4rUtJkOZbclMzw96tp1G] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Delta flight makes emergency landing in Indiana INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A Delta Airlines flight from Atlanta made a safe emergency landing at Indianapolis International Airport after the crew reported a possible hydraulic failure. Airport spokeswoman Susan Sullivan says fire crews met Flight 1912 on the runway Wednesday but the plane landed without incident and taxied normally to its gate. The flight to Indianapolis was carrying 90 passengers. Sullivan said mechanics inspected the MD-90 jet after it landed. It was the second safe emergency landing by a Delta flight in two days. Flight 721 from New York to San Francisco landed safely Tuesday at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport after the crew reported a smoky odor in the cabin. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Stuck flaps distracted CRJ crew before gear-up landing Spanish investigators believe that the Bombardier CRJ200 crew involved in a gear-up landing at Barcelona forgot to lower the undercarriage after becoming distracted by a problem with the jet's flaps. As the Air Nostrum aircraft approached runway 25R, following a flight from Valladolid, the flaps failed to deploy to the 8° setting selected. This failure was traced to actuator icing - a known problem on the type in cold weather - and on both previous sectors, with different crews, the jet had experienced flap problems. The crew opted to conduct a flapless approach, requiring higher landing speeds, in crosswind conditions; a preceding aircraft had warned of the possibility of windshear. Radio traffic was heavy and the crew was "focused" on the demanding approach, says Spanish investigation authority CIAIAC. It states that, crucially, there was "no indication" that the 'before landing' checklists were completed. In the moments before touchdown several alarms in the cockpit sounded as a result of the aircraft's configuration, alerting the crew to minimums, terrain, and sink rate. CIAIAC adds that these alarms included a 'too low, gear' warning which sounded 15 times. But it states that the crew "probably confused" this alert with the 'too low, flap' warning - even though this had been inhibited. "It is obvious that, either from excessive concentration or from believing they were not relevant, the crew did not manage to identify the aircraft configuration properly," says the final report into the 24 January 2007 incident. With its gear still retracted, the jet landed on its lower fuselage at 168kt. This high initial speed, and subsequent ground effect, resulted in the aircraft's skidding for 1,900m before coming to rest just 250m from the runway's far end. None of the 44 passengers and crew received serious injuries during the incident. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC