Flight Safety Information April 9, 2010 - No. 072 In This Issue FAA Suspends Darby Aviation's Air Carrier Certificate Small jet's wing tip hits cab of fuel truck Jet diverts to Charleston American Airlines jet gets towed, gets broken Pilots in Botched Takeoff Broke Rules U.S. Tilt-Rotor aircraft crashes in Afghanistan, killing four Man falls asleep on Air Canada flight, wakes up on empty plane in a hangar ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FAA Suspends Darby Aviation's Air Carrier Certificate Company Has Not Shown Acceptable Operations Manual Or Training Program The FAA has issued an emergency order suspending Darby Aviation's air carrier certificate until the company demonstrates to the FAA it can conduct operations in accordance with regulatory requirements. Darby Aviation has failed to produce an acceptable Operations Manual or an approvable training program despite repeated FAA efforts to inform the company of the required changes in those documents. As a result, the company has no accepted Operations Manual or approved training program. The FAA also has determined that Darby Aviation's chief pilot and its Director of Operations are not qualified to hold their positions. The company's lack of proper operating guidance and its failure to follow basic regulatory requirements has undermined the FAA's confidence in Darby Aviation's ability to ensure safe operations. Based on those considerations, the FAA determined that emergency action was necessary. "The FAA will not let a carrier continue to operate if it doesn't meet strict qualifications," said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. "All carriers, no matter what the size, must have approved pilot training programs. Our mission is to keep air travelers safe." Darby Aviation may appeal the emergency order within 10 days of receiving the order. FMI: www.faa.gov Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Small jet's wing tip hits cab of fuel truck SEATTLE (AP) -- A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman says a small jet's wing tip hit the cab of a fuel truck Thursday evening at Boeing Field in Seattle, temporarily trapping the driver. FAA spokesman Mike Fergus says the jet apparently was taxiing to a runway when the wing tip on the pilot's side hit the fuel truck. He says there was no fuel leak. Rescue crews were able to get the truck driver out by cutting through the truck's roof. He was described as injured but alert and conscious during the rescue. Details on his condition were not available. The plane is a Grumman turbo-jet registered to Jetstar Air Inc., of Beverly Hills, Calif. The truck was from Galvin Flying Services. The collision is under investigation. A spokesman for Galvin Flying Services declined to discuss the driver's condition or any details of the crash. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jet diverts to Charleston (AP) The smell of smoke aboard a Southwest Airlines flight forced an emergency landing in Charleston on Wednesday night. The Boeing 737, headed to Philadelphia from Orlando, landed at Charleston International Airport Wednesday about 9:30 p.m. after crew members detected the odor, according to Bill New, deputy director of airports for the Charleston County Aviation Authority. On Thursday, a Canada Air Regional Jet with 50 passengers aboard made an emergency landing at Yeager Airport in Charleston, W.Va., after the flight crew smelled smoke in the cockpit. The Delta-operated jet was en route from Charleston, S.C., to Detroit, said Rick Atkinson, Yeager Airport director. The plane landed without incident at 2 p.m. Thursday with no injuries to the passengers or crew. At Charleston, S.C, New said the call initially came in as smoke in the cockpit, but officials checked the plane and didn't find anything. None of the smoke alarms inside the plane activated, he said. New said someone smelled the "telltale hint of smoke." It might have come from a coffee pot in the galley or someone smoking in a bathroom, he said, but noted that the sensors in the bathrooms are very sensitive to smoke. The 133 passengers eventually boarded a second Southwest Airlines plane that left for Philadelphia about 1 a.m. In Charleston, W.Va., passengers also were booked on later flights. Both planes were taken to hangars to be inspected. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ American Airlines jet gets towed, gets broken What we got here is a failure to communicate. Did you ever wonder what would happen if you towed a big airplane by its nose gear when its brakes were still set? Apparently, some American Airlinesemployees delivered the answer last week at Dallas/Fort Worth InternationalAirport: The landing gear collapses. The mechanic in the cockpit hadn't released the brakes. Kerplop seems to be the result. Tim Wagner of American says that pretty much sums sums things up. The ramp employee and the mechanic didn't communicate properly and failed to follow standard operating procedure, he said. The good news is no damage was done to the jet's airframe. The plane was quickly repaired at American's maintenance base there and put back into service the next day, Wagner said. And it became a teaching moment. Wagner said American is using the incident to remind all employees that standard operating procedures are standard for good reason. As you might remember, one of American's Boeing767s last year collapsed on its nose after someone apparently retracted the nose gear. A pin was supposed to be in place to prevent that; it wasn't. The incident caused major damage to that airplane. It was repaired and has returned to passenger service. http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/ [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103286958775&s=6053&e=001CUAyrx6br_yM4G53q5jXYxeNS6W6qfQBczGIpUEgX_FF_uFCn6RPhpdK2sZtf7lpWcN3yC84Ge38O5yXyo19eTyoPaAittmNeuMa30bo76nZhx8QRPa2x_HhvE8aCPUO] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pilots in Botched Takeoff Broke Rules By ANDY PASZTOR Federal crash investigators said Thursday that the pilots of a US Airways Express flight engaged in small talk and violated other basic safety rules before their jet barreled off the end a runway in January during a botched takeoff. Nobody was hurt when US Airways Express Flight 2495, a commuter jet operated by PSA Airlines Inc., came to rest in a crushable concrete safety zone at the end of a Charleston, W.Va., runway on Jan. 19. But details of the investigation released by the National Transportation Safety Board, including transcripts of conversations between the two pilots, reveal carelessness and a breakdown in cockpit discipline before, during and after the event. Federal Aviation Administration rules and airline procedures prohibit cockpit conversations not directly related to the aircraft during taxi, takeoffs, landings and other critical phases of flight. PSA Airlines is a unit of US Airways Group Inc. It hasn't had a fatal accident or incident since it became part of US Airways, or what was then called US Air, in 1995. The NTSB is likely to cite Flight 2495-including the crew's failure to deploy engine thrust-reversers while trying to stop on a mountainous runway located at the edge of a cliff-as part of its public session scheduled for later this year focusing on lapses in cockpit training and discipline. According to transcripts of the cockpit-voice recorders, the pilots engaged in extensive small talk about sports cars and other personal matters before taking the runway at Yeager Airport in Charleston and failed to notice that the flaps, movable devices on the rear of the wings that provide extra lift, weren't properly set. Captain Thomas Morrow, 38 years old, acknowledged during the course of the investigation that he failed to follow basic safety procedures during portions of the taxi and pre-takeoff checklist. He also never gave a clear command about aborting or rejecting the takeoff. Capt. Morrow, who has 11 years of experience with PSA, told NTSB investigators he failed to verify that the flaps were deployed correctly before starting the takeoff roll. When the captain realized the mistake as the plane was speeding down the runway at roughly 90 miles an hour, he failed to follow normal procedure which required him to call for the takeoff to be stopped. Instead, according to testimony to the NTSB, he quickly adjusted the flaps to solve "the stupid problem" of having previously overlooked the incorrect setting. The plane's flight-computers immediately issued a series of warnings-as they are designed to do when flaps are adjusted during takeoff-and the captain then decided to halt the takeoff. The accident has been closely watched by air-safety experts partly because pilots consider it generally unsafe and quite unusual to adjust the flap settings during takeoff. The captain told NTSB investigators that he reduced power, applied maximum pressure on the brakes but didn't end up engaging the thrust-reversers because the engine controls may not have been pulled back all the way back to idle. The NTSB documents reveal that First Officer Robert Saltsgaver, 44, failed to call out speeds, as required, while the plane was decelerating. Officer Saltsgaver had to prompt the captain about whether he wanted the engines shut down to avoid fire dangers, as required after such an event. The captain's initial response was: "Yeah, guess so," according to the transcript. Slightly more than 20 seconds elapsed between the time the flaps were moved and the sound of impact, according NTSB documents. The transcript doesn't indicate any problem-solving discussions between the two pilots during that period. Once the plane jolted to a halt, a flight attendant apparently tried to reassure the passengers by telling them on the intercom: "Ladies and gentleman, I know the captain will tell us a good story just as soon as .... " The attendant's comments stopped at that point, according to the transcript. Roughly two minutes later, as the pilots were talking about what happened and discussing if they had performed the proper checklist to turn off the Bombardier jet's systems, the captain said: "I don't even know what the [expletive] we're supposed to do now." Both pilots were placed on administrative leave and taken off flying duties, which is normal after such an event. Details of the investigation are likely to stoke criticism about the professionalism of some commuter-airline crews, at a time when federal air safety regulators already are calling for stepped-up pilot training and greater emphasis on cockpit discipline. The Charleston accident, for instance, is bound to focus more public attention on the issue of "sterile" cockpit rules, which prohibits discussion of extraneous topics during critical phases of flight and taxi. The first officer told the investigators that "for the most part" PSA crews adhered to sterile cockpit rules, but that it was sometimes difficult to avoid comments. When investigators asked the captain if he had maintained a sterile cockpit before the accident, his response was, "probably not." In its anticipated public session later this year, the safety board also is expected to examine pilot training at PSA for halting takeoffs in the middle of a roll. http://online.wsj.com/ [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103286958775&s=6053&e=001CUAyrx6br_wxJOed8DEiRu1hU3mtbbk4ThIg5tU-QNj2R9Iau4cwLlv2G70iHCBQIlKES1SM53afWPKlZYouXfuVZqGDjsl2] Back to Top [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103286958775&s=6053&e=001CUAyrx6br_wxJOed8DEiRu1hU3mtbbk4ThIg5tU-QNj2R9Iau4cwLlv2G70iHCBQIlKES1SM53afWPKlZYouXfuVZqGDjsl2] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ U.S. aircraft crashes in Afghanistan, killing four KABUL -- A U.S. Air Force aircraft crashed early Friday in southern Afghanistan, killing three American military personnel and one civilian, while wounding several others, according to NATO officials. The Taliban claimed they had shot down the CV-22 Osprey, a hybrid helicopter-airplane, but Afghan officials in Zabul province denied this was the case. The Osprey is a tiltrotor aircraft that takes off like a helicopter. Once in flight, two rotors fold out into airplane shape, allowing it to travel farther and faster than a helicopter. Marines operating in nearby Helmand province regularly travel in Ospreys. The cause of the crash was unknown, according to a NATO statement. The Osprey had been carrying U.S. forces at about 1 a.m. when it went down about seven miles west of Qalat, the provincial capital. The provincial spokesman, Mohammad Jahn Rasuliyar, said an unspecified "technical problem" was to blame. "We strongly reject the Taliban claims that they shot down the aircraft. That place is safe. There is no insurgency at all," he said. The Osprey crashed in Nawkhiz village, he said. It was the second time in less than two weeks that NATO aircraft have crashed in Zabul province, an impoverished and sparsely populated region that borders Pakistan. On March 29, a helicopter crashed in Zabul, injuring 14 people, including NATO and Afghan troops. With more pressing military priorities elsewhere in southern Afghanistan, the American and Afghan soldiers left in Zabul have conceded some territory to the Taliban, who move freely in the province. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/09/AR2010040901341.html [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103286958775&s=6053&e=001CUAyrx6br_xKRccuqzgRf2ko0UcDkBYXalpjbtxbLlfDs0DoA6fZKSQGsPwQ4ZRelv1yv-0DxWJQXBDJaTUBOdP-RN9_xEQlGO84PZj843vzgvocH1ApeTE2b2DlaV2IM_ZvCD2Pss1KZh_4RHFvHi6AneW6UObH9T7S83VgDuio-XNrpIpDuvzUA-NJmkG1JWOgohfMilHfNU7DXGYKmA==] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Man falls asleep on Air Canada flight, wakes up on empty plane in a hangar An Air Canada passenger says he was left sleeping for 90 minutes after his flight arrived in Vancouver. The flight from Calgary landed at its destination, completely deplaned and taxied to a hangar before Kris Lines was awaken. The Globe and Mail of Toronto notes Lines' wake-up nudge didn't come from a "flight attendant or a fellow passenger, but a shocked mechanic, in a cavernous airplane hangar, where the head of sports law at Staffordshire University had been asleep for an hour and a half on the plane after the aircraft had landed ... ." Lines says the mechanic told him: "Don't worry, take all the time you want: The flight landed an hour and a half ago." Lines adds: "He was as surprised as I was to see me there." "I'm a heavy sleeper, so I drank Coca-Cola on the transatlantic leg to help stay awake," Lines is quoted as saying by The Gazette of Montreal. "I hadn't been drinking alcohol." He's also concerned about the security implications of the incident, according to the Toronto Sun. Lines sent a complaint to Air Canada, which responded with an e-mail response and an offer for 20% off his next flight. The airline also offered an explanation, though the Gazette writes "Lines says he's not satisfied with the airline's claim that the flight attendant was preoccupied with several wheelchair passengers and didn't check the rest of the cabin." Still, he doesn't plan to pursue the complaint any further. "Nobody I know has seen the inside of Vancouver airport hangars before. It's a nice thing to regale people with," he says to the Globe and Mail. http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=87243.blog Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC