Flight Safety Information April 28, 2010 - No. 082 In This Issue Hudson River Mid-Air Public Docket To Be Opened By NTSB Another Major Fine For Southwest Chautauqua Airlines Faces $348,000 Civil Penalty Delta jet diverted in US by passenger bomb claim Pilot error blamed for 2007 crash that killed 114 Indian Air Force lost 28 pilots in four years Flight Safety Foundation Report Shows HGS(TM) Could Have Helped Prevent Aircraft Accidents NTSB's most wanted list gets update American Airlines cancels first Chicago-Beijing flight over wee-hour slots ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hudson River Mid-Air Public Docket To Be Opened By NTSB Wed, 28 Apr '10 Factual Information Release Provides No Analysis Of The Incident In its continuing investigation of the midair collision of an air tour helicopter and a small plane over the Hudson River, the NTSB will open the public docket on Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at 1000. On August 8, 2009, at 1153 EDT, a Eurocopter AS 350 BA (N401LH) operated by Liberty Helicopters and a Piper PA-32R-300 (N71MC) operated by a private pilot, collided in midair over the Hudson River near Hoboken, New Jersey. The certificated commercial pilot and five passengers onboard the helicopter were killed. The certificated private pilot and two passengers onboard the airplane were also killed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plans were filed for either flight. The local sightseeing helicopter flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 136. The personal airplane flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The information being released is factual in nature and does not provide any analysis. The docket includes: investigative group factual reports, interview summaries, crew statements, air traffic control transcripts, controller statements, the meteorology report, and other documents. Additional material will continue to be added to the docket as it becomes available. Analysis of the accident, along with conclusions and a determination of probable cause, will come at a later date when the final report on the investigation is completed. FMI: www.ntsb.gov/Info/foia_fri.htm Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Another Major Fine For Southwest DOT Fines Airline For Violations Of Denied Boarding Compensation Rules The U.S. DOT assessed a civil penalty against Southwest Airlines Tuesday for violating federal rules regarding passengers denied boarding ("bumped") on oversold flights. "The Department of Transportation is committed to protecting the rights of airline passengers," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "We expect airlines to comply with our rules when they must bump passengers, and we will take enforcement action when they do not." Southwest was ordered to cease and desist from further violations and assessed a civil penalty of $200,000. Up to $20,000 of the penalty may be used by the carrier to develop methods beyond what DOT requires to provide prominent notice to passengers of the carrier's oversales policies and the rights of bumped passengers. When a flight is oversold, DOT regulations require airlines to seek volunteers willing to give up their seats for compensation. If not enough volunteers can be found and the carrier must bump passengers involuntarily, the carrier is required to give bumped passengers a written statement describing their rights and explaining how it decides who will be bumped from an oversold flight. In most cases, passengers bumped involuntarily also are entitled to cash compensation of up to $800. The DOT Aviation Enforcement Office's investigation of Southwest's compliance with the bumping rule included a review of consumer complaints sent to the carrier and a site inspection at the airline's headquarters during 2009. The investigation revealed numerous instances in which Southwest denied boarding to passengers but did not comply with provisions of the bumping rule. FMI: www.dot.gov Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chautauqua Airlines Faces $348,000 Civil Penalty FAA Proposes Fine For Inspection Violations The FAA has proposed a $348,000 civil penalty against Chautauqua Airlines for allegedly operating some of its regional jets without performing inspections required by five different FAA airworthiness directives (ADs). FAA investigations found that problems with Chautauqua's management of its maintenance program and its system for tracking the status of airworthiness directives led to the alleged violations. One AD compliance issue involved mandated repetitive inspections for possible cracks in the lower wing planks of Canadair Regional Jets (CRJ) after every 5,000 flights. The FAA alleges that: Eight different Chautauqua CRJs conducted more than 9,900 flights between October 2007 and December 2008 before the required lower wing inspections were done. In January 2009, the airline operated another CRJ on 231 flights without inspecting a different section of the lower wings for cracks and flew a different CRJ for 61 hours without a required inspection of electrical relays. Another Chautauqua CRJ made more than 17,600 flights between November 2007 and January 2009 before mandatory inspections of the plane's GE engines were performed. Chautauqua also flew one of its Embraer 145 regional jets for 43 days past the time one of its inertial navigation units should have been replaced. "An air carrier's maintenance program can't function without a good system to determine compliance with airworthiness directives," said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. "Problems with the AD system are inconsistent with an airline's continued safe operation." Chautauqua has 30 days from the receipt of the FAA's civil penalty letter to respond to the agency. FMI: www.faa.gov Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Delta jet diverted in US by passenger bomb claim BOSTON, April 27 (Reuters) - A Delta Airlines (DAL.N) flight to Atlanta from Paris was diverted to Maine on Tuesday after a passenger made threats about a bomb and was subdued by U.S. air marshals before being taken into custody upon landing, authorities said. The male passenger, an American citizen, made comments about having a backpack bomb on board, law enforcement officials said. A Delta spokeswoman said Flight 273, an Airbus 330, had 235 passengers and a crew of eight on board. "Out of an abundance of caution, the flight is being diverted to Bangor International Airport. TSA and law enforcement will meet the flight upon arrival," the Transportation Security Administration said in a statement. TSA and law enforcement officials met the flight, which landed at 3:37 p.m. (1937 GMT), and the passenger was taken for questioning, officials said. The flight, from Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport, was due to land at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport at 5:25 p.m. (2125 GMT). Instead, the plane landed in Bangor, Maine, the easternmost airport in the United States that can accommodate such a large jet. Delta was coordinating with officials on the ground and planned to continue the flight on to Atlanta on Tuesday. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pilot error blamed for 2007 crash that killed 114 NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- The pilot of a Kenya Airways flight that crashed and killed all 114 people on board three years ago didn't notice the plane was banking right and when he did finally notice he turned farther right, triggering a downward spiral, an investigative report released Wednesday found. The crash of the Boeing 737-800 on May 5, 2007, occurred during a thunderstorm less than two minutes after take-off, but the report said weather did not likely cause the crash. Instead it blamed "spatial disorientation" by the pilot. The report said the pilot didn't adhere to standard operating procedures, had poor situational awareness and "reacted inappropriately in the face of an abnormal situation." No instrument scanning was done by the crew during the initial roll, and because it was night, the pilot had no visual references to correct the situation, the report said. The report, which was released Wednesday by the Cameroon Civil Aviation Authority, was conducted with the help of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and Boeing experts in the United States. The report said the Kenya Airways pilot had recurring performance deficiencies going back five years before the crash. Kenya's acting Transport Minister Amos Kimunya said the government is "satisfied," that the report is complete but declined to comment on whether it was a fair document. Kenya Airways chief executive Titus Naikuni said he echoed the minister's sentiments but the airline also differed with the report's conclusions on its training for pilots of its Boeing 737 fleet and the procedures they follow. About 90 seconds into the flight, after the pilot noticed the rightward drift, he said "we are crashing." Seconds later a young first officer mistakenly told the pilot to turn right, before correcting himself and saying "left, left, left." The plane crashed nine seconds later, a minute and 42 seconds into the flight. The 114 people on board came from 26 nations, including an American AIDS expert who worked at Harvard University; businesspeople from China, India and South Africa; Cameroonian merchants; a U.N. refugee worker from Togo; and Briton Anthony Mitchell, a Nairobi-based correspondent for The Associated Press. The investigation into the crash has been a long and difficult process. The plane went down in a mangrove swamp less than four miles (6.5 kilometers) from the runway, but it took officials 40 hours to find the plane. It took officials weeks to identify remains and there was a further delay before Cameroonian authorities released them to next of kin. The wreckage indicated the plane flew nose-first into the ground. It was found buried deep in a crater of reddish-brown muck with only tiny bits of the rear fuselage and wings left above ground. Investigators at the time of the crash said the dive indicated that a violent gust of wind may have flipped the airliner over. But the investigation found that the pilot turned the plane to the right and into the fatal dive. The report said that: - The behavior of the flight crew demonstrated "a lack of rigor in piloting." - At one point the captain turned the wheel to the right and the first officer countered by turning to the left. - The captain didn't adhere to standard operating procedures and the plane took off without authorization from air traffic control. The report noted that the pilot was 52 but that the first officer was only 23. Before takeoff the pilot admonished his first officer to turn on the plane's windshield wipers, and the report speculated that the first officer, already a shy person, did not speak up to tell the pilot about the flight's problems when he should have because of their relationship. The report said that Chicago-based Boeing, the plane's manufacturer, doesn't sufficiently explain rudder trim modifications due to temperature variations during climb and descent. But it added that the amount the plane was pulling to the right should have been easily correctable by the pilot. Back to Top [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103346818467&s=6053&e=001vlG3GtmzACvSyWDAqAdPTzZZn_Tu2vPEHtOyTQjPeNT2RZxF1y0sCzC-nagrXWPHrCVHWa23rOgPSLHSVZLa9MmhTw4jw3ZX] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Indian Air Force lost 28 pilots in four years: Antony The Indian Air Force lost 28 pilots in 61 aircraft and helicopter accidents in the last four years, parliament was informed Wednesday. 'Sixty-one defence aircraft/helicopters have crashed during the last four years. Twenty-eight pilots have died in these crashes,' Defence Minister A.K. Antony said in a written reply the in Rajya Sabha. 'Defence services have aircraft of varied vintage on their inventory. Thorough checks and proper maintenance is carried out on each aircraft by a qualified team of engineers and technicians. No aircraft is offered for flying unless it has passed all checks and is fully fit for flying,' he added. http://sify.com/news/ Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Flight Safety Foundation Report Shows HGS(TM) Could Have Helped Prevent Aircraft Accidents WASHINGTON & CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, Apr 26, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- According to a study conducted by the Flight Safety Foundation, head-up guidance system technology, such as Rockwell Collins HGS(TM) Head-up Guidance System, could have prevented or positively influenced 38 percent of all commercial aircraft accidents that occurred over the past 13 years. "Head-up Guidance Technology -- A clear path to increasing flight safety," is an independent third party study that examines use of head-up guidance system technology in modern cockpits based on digital technology. Commissioned by Rockwell Collins, the report was derived through analysis performed by the Flight Safety Foundation on information from 983 commercial air carrier, business and corporate airline accidents during the 13-year period between 1995 and 2007. Findings also indicated that the benefits of head-up guidance technology increased in accidents where the pilot was directly involved, such as take-off and landing and loss-of-control accidents. In take-off and landing, the likelihood of accident prevention is 69 percent when a plane is equipped with head-up guidance technology. During loss-of-control accidents, the likelihood of accident prevention is 57 percent. "Head-up guidance systems technology is a great safety tool for the prevention of runway excursions, loss of control, and approach and landing accidents," said Bob Vandel, foundation fellow for Flight Safety Foundation. Vandel co-authored the study with Earl Weener, Ph.D. and foundation fellow. "This technology provides extremely useful data to the flight deck crew which allows them to be the pilot they always thought they were." Rockwell Collins HGS displays critical flight information in the pilot's forward field-of-view, eliminating the need for the pilot to repeatedly transition between the head-down instruments and the forward view through the windshield. As a result, pilots can keep their attention focused on the outside world, enhancing overall situational awareness and safety. The study found that the most important information on the HGS display was consistently the flight path and speed error information, which provides the pilot with the instantaneous energy state of the aircraft and allows the pilot to see where the aircraft will be while maintaining an 'eyes out' view. "This report underscores the importance of head-up guidance technology on board modern aircraft," said David Austin, senior director, HGS at Rockwell Collins. "Our customers have always recognized the situational awareness benefits of HGS technology. However, this study goes further to underscore the critical safety value of HGS technology and the benefits of keeping the pilot in the loop even while aircraft become more automated." A complete copy of the report can be downloaded on the Flight Safety Web site at http://flightsafety.org/files/hgs_nov09.pdf. The original Flight Safety Foundation report, "Head-up Guidance Technology -- A Powerful Tool for Accident Prevention," was published in 1990. Rockwell Collins requested the Flight Safety Foundation update this study to reflect new glass cockpit technology most aircraft fly with in today's modern airspace. Research Methodology A database was developed for this updated head-up guidance technology report using the Airclaims Ltd. World Aircraft Accident Summary (WAAS) database, the Flight Safety Foundation Approach and Landing Accident database and the Flight Safety Foundation Runway Excursion database. The report focused on multi-engine turbojet and turboprop airplanes with maximum take-off gross weight of 12,500 pounds or greater, which generally represents modern glass cockpit aircraft. The study assumed an operational head-up guidance system at the pilot flying station and a properly trained crew. Seventeen distinct safety properties of the head-up guidance technology were defined. Each of the head-up guidance technology safety properties was assessed for each accident to determine the likelihood that the respective head-up guidance technology safety property would have or likely would have prevented the accident. This was accomplished using a subjective evaluation on the part of a highly skilled safety professional. A separate audit was conducted by another safety professional to confirm the analysis standards, and to audit every 10th aircraft accident in the database to assess evaluation consistency. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NTSB's most wanted list gets update In its annual review of most wanted transportation safety improvements, the NTSB updated its list of items requiring rapid attention and added a new urgent concern to the aviation category as a result of the investigation into last year's Colgan Air crash. The addition involves improvement in the oversight of pilot proficiency based on a pair of the Safety Board's previous recommendations calling for the FAA to require Part 121 and Part 135operators to obtain histories of flight-check failures by pilots seeking employment, and to mandate special remedial training for pilots who have demonstrated performance deficiencies. Under the current provisions of the Pilot Record Improvement Act of 1996, carriers could gain additional information about pilot applicants from the FAA-including notices of disapproval-only if the applicant provided a signed letter of permission, and the NTSB recommended that all Part 121 and 135 carriers request such permission as a standard procedure. The FAA had promised to conduct a survey of carriers to gauge how many were complying with the recommendation, but it has not yet done so, according to the NTSB. In the case of the Colgan accident, the airline was not aware of the previous checkride failures of the pilots involved, and it was not required to be. The Board in 2005 also recommended that Part 121 carriers institute remedial training programs for pilots who have demonstrated performance deficiencies. Last October, the FAA reported that only 29 of 82 carriers had such programs in place, but just this past January, the agency stated that most air carriers now have established appropriate remedial training courses. According to Board member Robert Sumwalt, during last May's public hearing on the Colgan accident, the FAA's principal operations inspector assigned to the airline testified that he was unaware of the agency's notice A-900.71, which discussed verification of remedial training programs for Part 121 carriers, which was issued by the agency the previous month. Until the Board can corroborate the FAA's latest assessment, it has added it to its list of most wanted improvements with an urgent/unacceptable response status. "We have seen, most tragically in the Colgan Air accident that killed 50, that pilot proficiency is essential to the safety of flight, and that's just as true for Part 135 on-demand air taxis as it is for Part 121 scheduled airlines like Colgan," NTSB chairman Debbie Hersman told AIN. "This is why improving the oversight of pilot proficiency for all of these different types of flight operations was added to the NTSB's Most Wanted List of Safety Improvements and why we will continue to advocate for the needed changes to make the skies safer for everyone." Areas of Progress While no items were removed from last year's list, three areas did show progress and were moved by the Board from unacceptable to slowly progressing. The issue of runway safety-which has been on the list since its inception in 1990-has been upgraded to acceptable response, based largely on the FAA's current evaluation of several new technologies including final approach occupancy signals, runway status lights, improved airport lighting at airports around the country approximately a decade after their recommendation by the Board. The agency is also testing low-cost ground surveillance systems in four towers that currently do not have such systems. Another area where the board has seen recent progress is in its recommendation for changes in ATC procedures that would require specific clearances for aircraft to cross runways rather than relying on implied clearances, an improvement the NTSB believes would reduce the chance of a runway incursion. Without such a clearance, the pilot would be required to hold short. The FAA recently advised the Safety Board that it will be revising its ATC procedures to incorporate the recommendation. An area where the Board has not seen sufficient progress is in its recommendation that all Part 91K, 121, and 135 operators install on their aircraft cockpit moving map displays or an automatic system that alerts pilots when a takeoff is attempted on a taxiway or a runway other than the one intended. "I think that the Safety Board has expanded its definition of runway safety in the last few years following the [August, 2006] Comair accident," said Hersman. "It used to be just runway incursions that we were concerned about, but with Comair we realized that safety on the airport surface and making sure that people are where they should be and where they think they are is just as critical as making sure that aircraft are separated and don't collide." Sumwalt cited a study from the Commercial Aviation Safety Team analyzing historic runway excursions and estimated that a large percentage of the incidents attributable to pilot deviation could have been avoided by the use of moving maps with airport diagrams and own-ship positioning. The FAA has stated it has developed an issued standard for moving map technology and electronic flight bags with moving map displays, and while it has not made them a requirement, it has pledged funds as an incentive for aircraft owners who equip their aircraft with such systems. To combat the problem of runway excursions, the Board has previously recommended that flight crews should be required to make a landing distance assessment before each landing. While the FAA has encouraged operators to comply with that recommendation, it has not yet made landing distance assessments mandatory. Another issue area on the Board's watch list is improving crew resource management. The NTSB has recommended that all Part 135 providers that conduct dual pilot operations establish and implement FAA approved crew resource management (CRM) training programs for their flight crews in accordance with the standards that have been in effect for Part 121 operators since 1998, and which are also required for fractional flight crews. The recommendation stemmed from the Board's investigation of several business jet accidents where deficient crew performance was a factor, and sufficient CRM training was lacking. The issue has been on the most wanted list since 2006, and last May the FAA issued an NPRM calling for initial and recurrent CRM training for all Part 135 operators with not only dual-pilot flights, but also for aircraft flown with a single pilot. The proposed rule also specifies the minimum course content required. Unlike the requirements for Part 121, the proposed rule would excuse pilots with previous CRM training from requiring initial training with a new employer, which the board finds objectionable due to the wide range of variables that exist among operators. Based on the issuance of the NPRM, the NTSB upgraded the status of the recommendation to acceptable progress. HEMS Safety in Question Last year the Board conducted a four-day hearing in the aftermath of the deadliest year for the helicopter EMS industry. 2008 saw eight fatal accidents that killed 29 people. The Safety Board added EMS flights to its most wanted list last year. While the Board noted some improvements, the issue retained its overall unacceptable progress status on the list. The Board applauded the new operations specification mandating that all VFR legs of EMS helicopter flights be conducted within stringent pre-defined altitude and weather minimums derived from preflight planning, which according to the FAA has achieved a 100-percent compliance rate among HEMS operators. The NTSB also found improvement in its request for industry-wide implementation of formalized flight following and dispatch after a May 2008 FAA advisory circular specified tasks that needed to be completed by operators' operational control centers. According to an FAA survey last year, 89 percent of all HEMS operators at the time had operational control centers, a number that was expected to increase this year. But the NTSB found unacceptable the FAA's lack of progress on adopting Part 135 flight and duty time rules for the industry, flight-risk evaluation protocols, and a Taws mandate. A 2006 report by the Board on HEMS crashes found that 17 of the 55 accidents cited could have been avoided with the use of Taws While the FAA has mandated the use of Taws on turbine powered aircraft with six or more passenger seats, it has not extended such regulations to EMS helicopters. No Progress on Cockpit Image Recording The only issue area concerning aviation flight recording devices still on the NTSB's most wanted list is a requirement for cockpit image recorders on large transport-category aircraft and on smaller commercial aircraft that are not currently equipped with flight recorders. In this area the Board downgraded the FAA's response from slowly progressing to unacceptable. Last September, the FAA told the NTSB that it would not initiate any mandates involving cockpit image recordings, stating that the provisions of its March 2008 ruling on cockpit voice recorder and digital flight data recorder regulations would mitigate the need for image recording. Currently scheduled for implementation by December 6, the recently amended final rule calls for equipage with new two-hour CVRs, with digital datalink capabilities and increased sample rate on certain flight control parameters in all new-manufacture Part 121, 125 and 135 aircraft. New-manufacture Part 91 aircraft and older Part 121 aircraft would require retrofitting to that standard by 2012. In disagreement, the NTSB moved the status of this item to unacceptable in furtherance of its belief that cockpit imaging systems would provide invaluable information during future accident investigations, especially in those involving smaller turbine powered aircraft. Several flight data recorder manufacturers are either developing or have produced lightweight cockpit imaging systems, which the board hopes will find voluntarily acceptance by the industry. The status of the remaining two perennial issues on the board's aviation safety most wanted list-reducing dangers to aircraft flying in icing conditions and reducing accidents and incidents caused by human fatigue in the aviation industry-remains at "unacceptable response." The NTSB has called for upgraded icing certification standards that specifically take into account the effects of several icing conditions such as freezing rain, freezing drizzle and supercooled large droplets, in icing testing procedures. By mid-year, the FAA expects to issue-for transport-category airplanes-a proposed rule that will take into account large drop icing conditions. "The aircraft doesn't know whether it's a Part 91 or Part 121 or Part 135 operation, it doesn't care," said Hersman. "The ice is going to treat it the same and the risk to the people on board is still the same." The Board has issued several recommendations on fatigue relating to working hours for flight crews, air traffic controllers and maintenance personnel, and the FAA has said it expects to issue a new proposed rule on crew fatigue management later this year, a time frame that has slipped twice already. The agency is also working with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association to develop an effective fatigue risk management system for its members. In the case of maintenance technicians, the FAA believes it can satisfy the NTSB's recommendation through the sponsoring and support of educational programs and training in fatigue management, rather than by the rulemaking process. http://www.ainonline.com/news/ [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103346818467&s=6053&e=001vlG3GtmzACv7vIgZrWRHSy5tN_EQVZmFrG4_Buy3HU1huvVyds_YlJzXzF18yC1OAE5WJxWvS7tPzhnDFHAwxJk0AtZ3NXmmnqxkBauyDBdtEA3wd84ATD7YCVtHLb7q] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ American Airlines cancels first Chicago-Beijing flight over wee-hour slots American AirlinesInc. abruptly canceled its inaugural flight between Chicago and Beijingon Monday, saying the operating slots it received at Beijing's airports were in the middle of the night. American spokesman Tim Smith said Beijing officials initially gave American a 2:20 a.m. landing slot and 4:20 a.m. departure slot. Those times "are inconsistent with local market demand and would complicate flight connections for passengers in Beijing and Chicago," Smith said. "Operating with these slots would have rendered the service commercially unacceptable so American requested more suitable daytime slots," he said. American had put the flights on its schedule for a 1:55 p.m. arrival in Beijing and a 4:55 p.m. departure to Chicago - a half-day off from what it was given. American said it thought the operating times it was given last year were "placeholder" times and that Chinese officials would give it more favorable slots by the time the service began. Smith said American made the decision to postpone the service at 5 a.m. Dallas time. "We were still trying to work with authorities there in Chinaup until that time," he said. American originally planned to launch its Beijing route on April 9, 2009. But it received government approval to defer the new route, as did a number of U.S. airlines in the wake of the 2008-09 industry downturn. American moved up the revised launch several months ago so it would avoid scheduling its inaugural ceremonies around May 1, China's Labor Day, when hotel rooms in Beijing would be harder to find. But Monday, the Fort Worth-based carrier moved the start date past May 1, assuming that it will receive takeoff and landing slots that it finds acceptable in early May. "We regret that we are unable to launch our new daily nonstop service from Chicago to Beijing today as planned and will delay start-up tentatively until Tuesday, May 4 (Chicago-Beijing) and Wednesday, May 5 (Beijing-Chicago)," American said in its announcement. American said that new-entrant carriers are supposed to get "preferential treatment" in receiving slots at an airport, citing "established International Air Transport Associationand industry guidelines and procedures." "Until American receives viable operating slots, we will not be able to fly between Chicago and Beijing and thus cannot deliver air transportation services to the American and Chinese people," it added. American said it was "hopeful that the slot issue can be resolved" by the next published start day, May 4. "Meanwhile, American is rebooking customers on other flights to assist them in getting to their destination. Customers are being offered full refunds or the opportunity to travel on American at a later date," the airline said. http://www.dallasnews.com/ [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103346818467&s=6053&e=001vlG3GtmzACuqn3JNkQ_wY-z0LReKGyLIuwvjegpm2K4pcWdD6IkZp7C8G65E78KUXgWK9KiH9fCgHoXQ1hc-fSzeCr3hk2YLcVee6Auy1rnVtBRirzRx5g==] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC