Flight Safety Information May 10, 2010 - No. 090 In This Issue Continental jet makes emergency landing Qantas passenger jet diverted for Australian sea rescue Pilots told to practise in simulated rains Inquiry blames runway sealant for Airlink ERJ overrun NTSB May Ask FAA To Require Child Seats For Those Under Two... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Continental jet makes emergency landing TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Hydraulic problems forced a Tokyo-bound Continental Airlines plane to make an emergency landing yesterday at Newark Liberty International Airport. No injuries were reported and the Boeing 777 - which had 291 people on board - was not damaged. Continental Flight 9 landed without incident at 12:15 p.m., about an hour after it departed Newark, said Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport. Kathleen Bergen, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman, said the plane returned to the airport because of "a hydraulic problem,'' but did not provide further details. She said the pilots spent about an hour burning off and dumping fuel before landing, a standard practice to lighten an airplane's load to achieve a safe weight for an emergency landing. The jet, which was carrying 275 passengers and 16 crew members, was taken out of service and will be inspected to determine what caused the problem, said Julie King, a Continental spokeswoman. A different plane was put into service to fly the passengers to Narita International Airport in Tokyo. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Qantas passenger jet diverted for Australian sea rescue A Qantas passenger jet made a rare diversion to help a sea rescue mission Monday after pilots were asked to circle a life-raft drifting off southern Australia, officials said. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said it requested Qantas' help after a search and rescue aircraft found the raft drifting 95 nautical miles (180 kilometres, 110 miles) off the town of Esperance early Monday. "We did request that Qantas help," a spokeswoman told AFP. "We diverted the aircraft because there was going to be a gap between when the fixed-wing (rescue) aircraft had to leave the scene and a RAAF Hercules (air force transport plane) was going to be on scene. We didn't want to lose sight of the life-raft. "They were certainly willing to assist which was a really good thing." Qantas said Flight 475 carrying 226 passengers from Sydney to Perth was briefly diverted to monitor the life-raft, which had set off a distress beacon. "The Hercules ended up making it there before we did so we weren't required in the end," a Qantas spokeswoman told AFP. "It's obviously something we would participate in," she said, adding that it was not a regular request. Three people were later rescued from the life-raft, which was believed to have come from a fishing vessel. http://news.malaysia.msn.com/business/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4079094 [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103382631492&s=6053&e=00165KSAArF-Z0PnvhtloZFSb9nVBgTmTHvQ3EYlDzEuCDfe_fSN4vFUu-np-3rVr28NWlfNsEc78YrwpkFbaoKCvD81dmNVjhdefy7rQ5BZZmWAvmvjS7sijWCqf1RsUzAMWz9rKSS7nWja5Sx8fKmyax5MqCi0E1TfHZuLa7HACUsJ8_Zq0idweafKVP8i7qq] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pilots told to practise in simulated rains, so that fliers are safe (India) The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked airlines to ensure their pilots undergo additional simulator training to handle adverse weather conditions, a move aimed at improving passenger safety during the monsoon. Although such instructions are issued every year, the DGCA said it has specified additional requirements which would be enforced strictly this year. A note issued to all airlines on May 6 has asked them to put their pilots through simulator sessions, irrespective of whether they have flown previously during monsoons. DGCA said that it would pay special attention to first-time commanders during monsoons. "We are taking special measures to bring about improved safety standards. We want airlines to organise training sessions for all their pilots. In the previous years this was largely considered to be a voluntary excercise. This year we have made it compulsory for all airlines," said Dr Nasim Zaidi, Director General of Civil Aviation. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Pilots-told-to-practise-in-simulated-rains--so-that-fliers-are-safe/616633/ Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inquiry blames runway sealant for Airlink ERJ overrun South African investigators have concluded that an Airlink Embraer ERJ-135 overran at George Airport after a protective sealant, applied during pavement renovation, resulted in the runway surface becoming slick in wet weather. The aircraft failed to stop after touching down at George on 7 December last year, and was substantially damaged in the overrun. In an update to the inquiry, the South African Civil Aviation Authority expresses its certainty that application of a bituminous fog-spray, in October 2009, led directly to the accident. The spray is used to seal runway surfaces to improve waterproofing and resistance to wear. George Airport's runway 11/29 was sprayed along its entire length and width during the renovation. "It appears that the application of the fog-spray sealant extensively degraded the surface friction coefficient of the runway surface," says the CAA, with the result that the ERJ-135 failed to gain enough braking traction to stop in time. Use of the sealant, says the CAA, was the "primary probable cause" of the jet's aquaplaning. Interim safety recommendations sought to prohibit large aircraft from using George Airport if the runway was wet. In its inquiry update the CAA has recommended a ban on the use of sealants on runway surfaces. It adds: "It is considered imperative, in the interest of aviation safety, that the service provider improve the runway surface at [George] and implement corrective actions to allow aircraft operations under wet conditions to return to normal." Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NTSB May Ask FAA To Require Child Seats For Those Under Two The NTSB may rekindle its safety campaign for an FAA mandate requiring that each air traveler under age two be seated in a child restraint. Such a requirement would better protect the "most vulnerable of passengers" from harm in turbulence or a crash, says Chairman Debbie Hersman. At the May 4 final hearing on US Airways Flight 1549, Hersman proposed that the board consider scheduling a safety forum on child safety that would help raise public awareness of the importance of using child restraints in aviation. On May 16, 1995, the NTSB first issued a recommendation to the FAA to require that Parts 91, 135 and 121 operators ensure that infants and small children be "restrained in a manner appropriate to their size" during takeoff, landing and in turbulent conditions. In 1999, it was added to its "Most Wanted" List of safety recommendations. However, in November 2006, it was removed from the list as "closed-unacceptable response" from the FAA. [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103382631492&s=6053&e=00165KSAArF-Z0lCxLbvPzc3cgeKfmdQDaXo2w538HvtQNI9Af2O-yWK5vLn1JTZPFwDUdDk1Qwxu5lq9GhIYNJMWYaI7LJbMZKELYS8CRPV6XaPtEvhMNCMg==] www.aviationweek.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103382631492&s=6053&e=00165KSAArF-Z0lCxLbvPzc3cgeKfmdQDaXo2w538HvtQNI9Af2O-yWK5vLn1JTZPFwDUdDk1Qwxu5lq9GhIYNJMWYaI7LJbMZKELYS8CRPV6XaPtEvhMNCMg==] Back to Top [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103382631492&s=6053&e=00165KSAArF-Z20OsABbUGBmOIj5erdXINz_QhmCyGGxcnEX-zCu9oj296CcLKTRMbQpBZ9jlSX2esOhO0JoHPErjib4qAXIbef] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC