Flight Safety Information April 7, 2010 - No. 070 In This Issue Two Unruly Passenger Incidents Reported In Alaskan Airspace Poor maintenance started accident chain Obituary: Air Force test pilot Fred J. Ascani NASA's Mini X-Plane Completes Initial Flight Testing Norway questions friction data reliability after A320 skid Indonesia's Mandala receives IATA safety registration Boeing appoints new commercial chief for China ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Two Unruly Passenger Incidents Reported In Alaskan Airspace Wed, 07 Apr '10 One Caused An AA Jet To Divert To Anchorage It's unlikely that anything about Alaska had anything to do with it, but two incidents involving unruly passengers were reported Monday with ties to the 49th state. In one, a passenger on a commuter flight tried to grab the controls of the airplane during landing in Emmonak. Derek Atchak was the only passenger on board a flight from Nunam Iqua, and authorities say he attempted to grab the airplanes controls on final approach. The Juneau Empire reports that the pilot was able to maintain control of the airplane and land safely, and Atchak ran from the airport after landing. He was later arrested at a home in Nunam Iqua and charged with reckless endangerment. Meanwhile, an American Airlines flight from LA to Tokyo was diverted to Anchorage over the weekend, when a passenger became unruly and threatened to harm the pilot. The Anchorage Daily News reports that John James Leih, a British citizen, had consumed as many as seven drinks both before and during the flight, and the flight crew denied him service when his speech became slurred. According to the FBI, Leigh began yelling and cursing, and advanced on the pilot with his right hand raised threatening to "kick his behind", so to speak. The pilot reportedly grabbed Leigh and spun him around. Two passengers held him while he was cuffed by one of the flight crew. However, he continued to struggle, kicking a flight attendant in the groin and shoulder, according to the FBI. The flight diverted to Anchorage International Airport, where it landed just before 1700. Leigh was arrested on a charge of interfering with a flight crew. FMI: www.fbi.gov [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103278933957&s=6053&e=001iV08tJPDTZkymQqeCsbpPyD_OY-bXdPHuzb-29lgnRTDB084FsoXcA0fhALwKknw87HbZuL33WaitKacZpO3ah2eg5YPxHmZxPhVXjDLvt8=] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Poor maintenance started accident chain that resulted in Learjet high-speed runway departure Learjet 60 N999LJ came to rest against an embankment (Photo: NTSB) A chartered business jet crashed at a South Carolina airport 18 months ago because of the operatorâ?(TM)s inadequate maintenance of the airplaneâ?(TM)s tires and the decision by the captain to attempt a high-speed rejected takeoff, which went against standard operating procedures and training, the NTSB determined. On September 19, 2008, at 23:53, a Learjet 60 (N999LJ) operated by Global Exec Aviation and destined for Van Nuys, California, overran runway 11 during a rejected takeoff at Columbia Metropolitan Airport. After the airplane left the departure end of runway 11, it struck airport lights, crashed through a perimeter fence, crossed a roadway and came to rest on a berm. The captain, the first officer, and two passengers were killed; two other passengers were seriously injured. The investigation revealed that prior to the accident the aircraft was operated while the main landing gear tires were severely underinflated because of Global Exec Aviationâ?(TM)s inadequate maintenance. The underinflation compromised the integrity of the tires, which led to the failure of all four of the airplaneâ?(TM)s main landing gear tires during the takeoff roll. Shortly after the first tire failed, which occurred about 1.5 seconds after the airplane passed the maximum speed at which the takeoff attempt could be safely aborted, the first officer indicated that the takeoff should be continued but the captain decided to reject the takeoff and deployed the airplaneâ?(TM)s thrust reversers. Pilots are trained to avoid attempting to reject a takeoff at high-speed unless the pilot concludes that the airplane is unable to fly; the investigation found no evidence that the accident airplane was uncontrollable or unable to become airborne. The tire failure during the takeoff roll damaged a sensor, which caused the airplaneâ?(TM)s thrust reversers to return to the stowed position. While the captain was trying to stop the airplane by commanding reverse thrust, forward thrust was being provided at near-takeoff power because the thrust reversers were stowed. The Safety Board determined that the inadvertent forward thrust contributed to the severity of the accident. The Safety Board also found that neither the Federal Aviation Administration nor Learjet adequately reviewed the Airplaneâ?(TM)s design after a similar uncommanded forward thrust accident that occurred during landing in Alabama in 2001 [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103278933957&s=6053&e=001iV08tJPDTZl8MRQSXbxHG-eJjbbDsKo4R-xKIkSZeo-I-X7bebUK19S64eJjVkOHmUqKxp0PHHcxuyXVmTvmR7GLW5soKddFMG9EyI2ToL2-1X8yxKTERgO_FmSRkxEbAB8jQ8XjXXWjkR-7lygy8XFgHxGDp7bhT8FwVC5nAPo=]. While the modifications put into place after the Alabama accident provided additional protection against uncommanded forward thrust upon landing, no such protection was provided for a rejected takeoff. The safety recommendations that the NTSB made to the Federal Aviation Administration as a result of this investigation are: * provide pilots and maintenance personnel with information on the hazards associated with tire underinflation, including the required intervals for tire pressure checks, and allow pilots to perform pressure checks in air taxi operations to ensure that tires remain safely inflated at all times; * require tire pressure monitoring systems for all transport category airplanes; * identify and correct deficiencies in both Learjetâ?(TM)s thrust reverser system safety analysis and the FAAâ?(TM)s design certification process to ensure that hazards encountered in all phases of flight are mitigated; * require that simulator training for pilots who conduct turbojet operations include opportunities to practice responding to events other than engine failures near takeoff speeds; * require that pilots who fly air taxi turbojet operations have a minimum level of pilot operating experience in an airplane type before acting as pilot-in- command in that type; and require that airplane tire testing criteria reflect the loads that may be imposed on tires both during normal operating conditions and after the loss of one tire. www.aviation-safety.net [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103278933957&s=6053&e=001iV08tJPDTZlVE-42VIdCAjp0DWOI2Df7tIH-8FyvXczHeM4u5AAM0RmGReEV78RVpPsE0XMIpyDk7gKCimRtkGyhk6WeJIT1Cqf3VQnQxn0TbreAEocecBwl2420RXEm] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Obituary: Air Force test pilot Fred J. Ascani, 92, set airspeed record in 1951 Maj. Gen. Ascani flew 53 bombing missions in World War II. Fred J. Ascani, 92, a retired Air Force major general and test pilot who set an airspeed record and helped develop a long-range supersonic bomber, died March 28 at his home in Alexandria. He had lung cancer. During the jet age of the 1950s, when test pilots with the right stuff and guts of steel vied for records, Maj. Gen. Ascani set one of his own. In August 1951 during a trial run at the National Air Races in Detroit, he flew an F-86E aircraft 635 mph on a 100-kilometer closed course. Two days later, during the official run, he flew 628 miles per hour. The speed record was surpassed in 1953 by pilot Jackie Cochran, the first woman to break the sound barrier. In 1961, Maj. Gen. Ascani became program director for the XB-70 Valkyrie, an experimental Air Force bomber that could exceed 2,000 mph and fly at 70,000 feet, beyond the range of missile interceptors, which posed a problem to nuclear-armed bombers. The bomber's design was strange. "Some said it looked like a hooded cobra; to others it was a praying mantis, a flying anteater, a banana split towing an orange crate," reported Time magazine. "It looks like it's doing Mach 3 just sitting on the ground," Maj. Gen. Ascani said. Just two prototypes were built, but the Valkyrie's technological advances led to the SR-71 Blackbird, the Concorde passenger jet and the space shuttle. The bomber revolutionized the use of metal alloys and fuel mixtures to handle the extreme friction of Mach 3 flight, which heats aircraft to 650 degrees, high enough to melt aluminum and combust fuel. The project cost $1.3 billion. Maj. Gen. Ascani later was vice commander of the Fifth Air Force, based in Japan, and was the senior Air Force member of a weapons systems evaluation group reporting in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He retired in 1973. Alfredo John Ascani was born in 1917 in Beloit, Wis. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., in 1941 and flew B-17 bombers for the Army Air Forces during World War II. In October 1944, Maj. Gen. Ascani was the deputy leader of a daring aerial mission into German-occupied Czechoslovakia. Six B-17 bombers were sent from Italy to supply partisans and evacuate downed air crews and Czech political leaders. The bombers flew with P-51 escorts. Dense fog and enemy fire nearly thwarted the mission, yet the bombers landed on an airfield held by Czech partisans. While partisans unloaded the planes, Germans lobbed mortars onto the field. The extended flight path strained fuel reserves, which gave the bombers 20 minutes on the ground. They unloaded supplies, uploaded people and left quickly. Maj. Gen. Ascani flew 53 bombing missions during the war. Afterward, he flew experimental planes, including the Bell X-1, which eventually broke the sound barrier. He flew more than 50 different types of research planes. His military decorations included the Distinguished Service Medal, two awards of the Legion of Merit, two awards of the Distinguished Flying Cross, five awards of the Air Medal and two awards of the Army Commendation Medal. http://www.washingtonpost.com Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NASA's Mini X-Plane Completes Initial Flight Testing A team from NASA and Boeing completed the first phase of flight testing of its blended wing body design that could represent the airliner of the future. The airplane is based on a design where the fuselage provides a significant part of the lift. Such designs, as shown above, could carry hundreds of airline passengers in the large center section while burning much less fuel than today's airliners of similar capacity. Well, except that the airplane pictured above is only about one foot tall. The test aircraft is only a 8.5 percent scale model with a 21 foot wingspan, but engineers at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center were able to demonstrate the tailless aircraft can be safely flown, and more importantly safely landed in a variety of conditions. The X-48B program is part of NASA's new Environmentally Responsible Aviation Project aimed at developing more fuel efficient and quieter aircraft for the future. ERA Project manager Fay Collier says the completion of the final test flight last month demonstrated the feasibility of a blended wing body design, "the team has proven the ability to fly tailless aircraft to the edge of the low-speed envelope safely." We spoke with an X-48B test pilot back in October, and learned that despite its size, the blended wing body aircraft provides the same challenges as any aircraft in flight testing. One of the big challenges the X-48B team has been working on during the past several months is the aircraft's handling characteristics at the lower speeds, particularly during the landing. NASA engineers prepare the X-48B for a test flight In the final test flights, the pilots were able to purposely exceed the normal limits of the aircraft in terms of variables such as angle of attack and side slip angle. During the tests, the onboard computer was able to safely control the aircraft allowing the pilot to return to normal flight conditions. After a new flight computer is installed later this year, the X-48B will continue a new phase of flights tests. The team is also preparing a second hybrid wing body aircraft, the X-48C for future flight tests. The -C model is designed to have a lower noise profile to keep people around airports as happy as the airline bean counters paying the fuel bills. http://www.wired.com Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Norway questions friction data reliability after A320 skid Norwegian investigators believe that overestimation of braking effectiveness on a contaminated runway resulted in a MyTravel Airways Airbus A320's skidding sideways to a halt as the crew battled to prevent an overrun. Three minutes before landing on runway 18 at Sandefjord Airport the pilots of the twin-jet were informed by tower controllers that the runway had 8mm of wet snow. Friction measurements, however, indicated 'medium' braking action. But the actual braking action experienced by the pilots was much poorer, to the extent that they considered that the brakes had failed. The aircraft had landed relatively long, 787m (2,580ft) past the threshold on the 2,569m runway, and touched down softly. While the investigators said the approach and landing were acceptable, given the crew's expectations, the long touchdown reduced the available stopping distance and exacerbated the problem. Realising that the A320 was not responding to normal braking, the captain activated the parking brake and steered the aircraft to the left, putting it into a sideways skid which increased the friction and brought the jet to a stop, at the very end of the runway, with its nose-wheel nudged against an antenna. None of the 223 occupants was injured. The aircraft involved, registered OY-VKA, was only slightly damaged. It had arrived as flight VKG866 from Tenerife. Norwegian accident investigation authority SHT says the incident "illustrates the problems of trusting measured friction figures in all types of conditions", and argues that there is considerable disagreement among airframers and regulatory authorities regarding contamination definition. While the authority examined the 26 March 2006 incident in depth, it says that several excursions on slippery runways have taken place over the last 10 years. SHT says that there are common causal aspects to these incidents and it "does not see any safety benefits" from conducting individual inquiries. It is aiming instead to produce broad report on winter operations and friction measurements, highlighting "safety areas of general nature", in order to reduce risks. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103278933957&s=6053&e=001iV08tJPDTZmgQky_32BQ8Ls9rDcfQaVSADo0OdUokgiEQAUFoj2CI4n9SZgMSLsCy4lqR699Div8HcXl2hkavV_5bcl6cBzR] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Indonesia's Mandala receives IATA safety registration Indonesian's Mandala Airlines has become the country's first private carrier to receive the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) registration. "Mandala's safety focus has been further demonstrated with this recent granting of IOSA registration. This follows the July 2009 removal of Mandala from the EU ban on Indonesian airlines," says Mandala president director and CEO Diono Nurjadin. "As the airline continues to grow, this focus on safety will be a foundation on which the company is structured. Mandala is committed to a process of continuous improvement and we will work with the Indonesian regulator, the DGCA, and International regulatory bodies to support all safety initiatives." IATA developed the IOSA programme to provide a common standard to evaluate an airline's compliance with its safety and quality standards. The registration requires an audit of operational standards, control processes and safety systems. Mandala operates a fleet of Airbus A320-family aircraft on domestic routes. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Boeing appoints new commercial chief for China Boeing has named Ian Chang as its new vice president of operations and business development in China. Chang, who is a 26-year veteran of Boeing, previously served as the general manager of Boeing Tianjin Composite, a joint venture between Boeing and AVIC, which manufactures parts for aircraft such as the 787. Chang will report to Ray Conner, vice president and general manager of the supply chain management and operations for commercial airplanes, as well as Lou Mancini, senior vice president of Commercial Aviation Services. Boeing's latest forecast for China shows a $400 billion aircraft market in the region between 2009 and 2028, with 71% of the total 3,770 aircraft delivered falling within the single aisle category. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC