Flight Safety Information July 26, 2010 - No. 146 In This Issue Allegiant flight makes emergency landing Northwest Air flouted safety-US gvt report English skills taking off among pilots Flight operator still grounded over fatal crash Turbulence a top cause of midair injuries New Horizon chief is reviewing the carrier's business plan Alaska continues work to gain FAA approval for RNP in Seattle Boeing can skip 787 evacuation trial ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Allegiant flight makes emergency landing BILLINGS - About 150 people are safe Sunday night after boarding an Allegiant Air flight from Billings and making an emergency landing in Arizona. Allegiant Air flight 645 was headed to Mesa, AZ when the crews noticed something unusual. Allegiant Air officials say the flight en route to Mesa when a warning light went on, indicating there was a possible fire in one of its two engines. Officials say the flight was carrying 144 passengers and six crew members to Mesa, which is located just outside of Phoenix. A spokesman with the Federal Aviation Administration says it's not clear whether there was an actual fire. The plane diverted to Flagstaff and landed safety at about 10:30 a.m. Passengers exited the plane using emergency slides. Flagstaff police say three people suffered minor injuries while exiting the plane and were transported to a local hospital. "MD80 aircraft that's the type that we fly are built to fly very safely and land very safely on one engine. However, it is not ideal. So we immediately landed at the closest airport. It is very rare, but we work really hard to be prepared for those rare circumstances and all that preparedness paid off we were able to land safely and without incident," said Tyri Squyres, Allegiant Air spokesperson. Battalion Chief Pat Staskey says he saw smoke, but it there was no fire coming from the engine when his crews arrived. At last report, the runway on Flagstaff was closed as crews worked to remove the plane. Allegiant Air passengers were taken by bus to their final destination and the incident remains under investigation. http://www.kbzk.com/ [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103583665730&s=6053&e=001PCJW5P_rVihRVb01PhzOIWDNGXkSWr2AYqsl5IyPki5Zo4peDCPiK9U73zQ-01SvrENzosCA_8LYo2NN7A8EDiYs9zDwUxaFMAyVWNWDAKE=] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Northwest Air flouted safety-US gvt report * FAA proposed disciplinary action vs airline managers * Airline will cooperate with gov't (Adds comment from Delta) July 23 (Reuters) - Northwest Airlines flouted federal safety orders in the past but the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) did not hold it accountable, a U.S. government report said. The report by the Transportation Department's inspector general's office followed allegations that FAA managers had colluded with the airlines they were charged with inspecting. In 2008 FAA inspector Mark Lund charged that FAA inspectors who oversaw Northwest's safety requirements had allowed the airline to avoid civil penalties or legal action by accepting voluntary disclosures of non-compliance in contravention of FAA policy. The report was made public on Thursday by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) which handles whistleblower complaints. "The report substantiated Lund's complaints that FAA inspectors in charge of Northwest failed to provide effective oversight of airline's safety process, resulting in the carrier's continued systematic non-compliance of safety rules." FAA had proposed disciplinary action against two Northwest managers, the OSC said. Northwest was bought by Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL.N) in 2008, creating the world's largest airline. Delta Air Lines said: "We are currently reviewing the documents and, as always, we will fully cooperate with the government agencies to ensure our core values of safety, quality and compliance are not compromised." Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ English skills taking off among pilots (AP) Aviation leaders are reporting success with a decade-long push to make sure pilots and air traffic controllers around the globe are proficient in English _ the official language of aviation worldwide. The International Civil Aviation Organization, or ICAO, began working on English proficiency requirements in 2000, four years after a midair collision over India between a Saudi airliner and a Kazakh cargo plane killed 349 people. Investigators said an English language barrier was a contributing factor to the crash. Nicole Barrette-Sabourin, training officer for the ICAO's flight operations section, said most pilots can handle routine English commands. But not all can communicate with air traffic controllers when things go wrong. "What do you do an emergency situation when no phraseology is available for that situation? What do you do when you need to convey such a message?" Barrette-Sabourin asked. "That's why we introduced those language proficiency requirements." The dean of the University of North Dakota aerospace school, one of the largest in the world, said he's noticed an improvement in English skills among pilots in UND's long-standing international program. "That is probably the most dramatic change I've seen with the international students," said Bruce Smith, who directs a program that includes 1,200 students and 500 teachers and staff. "We're picking from an elite group, but their English skills are remarkable." The same is true at another popular aviation school, Embry-Ridde Aeronautical University, where one official says only a handful of students have needed extra English work before starting in-flight training. "We definitely are very careful and make sure they are up to snuff in standards before they step foot in the cockpit," said David Zwegers, the school's director of aviation safety. "It honestly hasn't been much of an issue with us." The reports from UND and Embry-Riddle, are encouraging, Barrette-Sabourin said. "It has been almost 10 years now that we've been working on this, and it's very positive that the international students are proficient in English before they even start their training and education," she said. "That tells me we are slowly implementing the requirements and making a difference." The ICAO put the requirements for private and commercial flight into effect in 2008, but have allowed some countries until March 2011 to implement them. "In some parts of the world it is quite challenging," Barrette-Sabourin said. Zwegers, who was born in Holland and raised in Spain, said he struggled to get his English skills up to par when he came to the United States to learn to fly. "I knew English already but I knew the British English, the Queen's English," Zwegers said. "My instructor was from Tennessee and had a very strong southern accent. So slang and aviation English really didn't mix with me. I learned the hard way." China is UND's largest international market, but the program includes aspiring pilots from Japan, Taiwan and Saudi Arabia. The school is training air traffic controllers from Norway. Ken Polovitz, UND assistant dean of aviation, said the improved English ability has made the transition easier for the students who face many cultural adjustments and in many cases don't know how to drive a car. "We've had some who have struggled (with the language) and not made it," he said. "But most of them do quite well and I'm personally just in awe of that. Imagine if you took someone off the farm here and asked them to learn Chinese. Oh my goodness." International student pilot Malith Silva said he didn't have any trouble with his English proficiency exam to get into UND. He said while growing up in Sri Lanka he took English classes for three years in grammar school and eight years in a so-called executive school. "Obviously it's kind of hard to pick up some of the slang in American English," Silva said. "But when it came to the formal and written English, it wasn't that hard." Understanding hockey, for which UND is known nationally, may be more difficult. "I've just seen one match," Silva said, chuckling. "I really want to go watch another. It's just fun and interesting to me." Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Flight operator still grounded over fatal crash The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is pushing for two charter flight operators to be grounded for longer after a fatal light plane crash in Sydney's south-west last month. A pilot and his passenger were killed when the aircraft they were flying burst into flames outside Canley Vale Public School. The authority has suspended the licences of Skymaster Air Services and Avtex Air Services, which share the same owner and are based at Bankstown Airport. CASA's Peter Gibson says it is likely to apply to the Federal Court for another 40-day suspension as investigations continue. "The Civil Aviation Safety Authority began a special audit of Skymaster after the fatal Canley Vale accident last month," he said. "We've found a number of problems with Skymaster. There's also been a number of accidents and incidents in recent months. "All this leads us to believe there are serious risks to air safety." http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/07/25/2963519.htm Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Turbulence a top cause of midair injuries By Alan Levin, USA TODAY Severe turbulence such as the kind that injured 21 people Tuesday aboard a United Airlines flight is the leading cause of serious midair injuries outside of fatal crashes, federal accident statistics show. Nearly all of the serious injuries - including broken bones and spinal damage - happened when people were not wearing their seat belts, according to the federal statistics. "This just reinforces how critically important it is to stay seated during the flight and belted in," said David Castelveter, spokesman for the Air Transport Association, which represents large air carriers. United Flight 967, a Boeing 777 flying from Washington, D.C.'s, Dulles International to Los Angeles, encountered a severe jolt of unsteady air over western Missouri at 7:14 p.m., said Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesman Ian Gregor. BACKGROUND: 'Severe' turbulence injures 30 on United flight Some passengers were tossed around the plane like dolls, passenger Kaoma Bechaz, 19, told The Denver Post. One woman's head struck the side of the cabin, leaving a crack above the window, and a girl was flung against the ceiling, Bechaz said. Seventeen passengers and four flight attendants were taken to Denver-area hospitals after the pilot diverted there, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said. None were seriously injured. The flight was flying near thunderstorms, and pilots had been alerted by air-traffic controllers about the weather, Gregor said. The pilots had warned passengers about the possibility of turbulence and switched on the seat belt sign, said United spokeswoman Megan McCarthy. Turbulence can create violent bucking, making passengers and heavy beverage carts weightless, then slamming them onto walls, ceilings or the floor. A woman was paralyzed on April 18, 2009, in turbulence on a Continental Airlines flight over Texas. She had gone to the lavatory despite the seat belt sign and public address announcements warning passengers to stay seated, the NTSB concluded. Out of 22 people who suffered serious injuries such as broken bones on flights last year, 15 of them, or 68%, were caused by turbulence, according to NTSB data. From 1980 through 2008, three people died and 298 were seriously hurt in turbulence, the FAA reported. All but four of them had not been belted in, the agency said. Flight attendants, who must move around the cabin more than passengers, are at far higher risk of being injured. Even though there are only a handful of flight attendants on each flight, they suffered 62% of serious injuries, according to the FAA study. The Association of Flight Attendants-Communications Workers of America, which represents flight attendants at 22 airlines, negotiates provisions to guarantee that flight attendants receive additional benefits if they are injured in turbulence, spokeswoman Corey Caldwell said. The FAA and airlines have tried for years to encourage passengers wear seat belts even when the seat belt sign is not lit. Most airlines tell their pilots to urge passengers to remain belted in. Still, many passengers ignore the seat belt sign. "You can see the frustration of cabin crews trying to enforce the seat belt sign," said Bill Voss, president of the Flight Safety Foundation. "You have to take the seat belt sign seriously." Back to Top [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103583665730&s=6053&e=001PCJW5P_rViikOP6IKKwr7nK_xuw92_4nGscg_mf-UI9yRGhR8u3Ot6U-Iit_oe-VLhPrcrrJGb1svYbOycpyhf62l9GpIvdS] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ New Horizon chief is reviewing the carrier's business plan Newly-appointed Horizon Air president Glenn Johnson is reviewing the carrier's business model, and plans to discuss his evaluation with the carrier's board during the current quarter. During a 22 July earnings discussion Johnson explained over the past decade the amount of flying that Horizon does to complement or substitute Alaska mainline service has increased, and the carrier's route map has become more diverse through the addition of flights to markets in Mexico, California and Arizona. Alaska and Horizon are both owned by Alaska Air Group. These changes " are causing us to take a fresh look at the costs versus benefits of maintaining the Horizon brand from an external perspective", says Johnson. He also says that while Horizon has a good safety record and reliability, the airline has not "delivered acceptable results" in terms of profitability, though he said the second quarter represented progress. On an adjusted basis, Horizon's second quarter profit was $8.2 million, the best in four years. Operating income, however, slipped to $3.6 million from $11.2 million. Johnson says Horizon hopes to reach a return on invested capital of 10%, the same goal for sister airline Alaska. He reports that for the twelve months ending June 2010, the return was 5.1%. Johnson explains the carrier has already launched efforts to improve its financial performance. "We're focusing on the completing the transition to an all- [Bombardier] Q400 fleet," says Johnson. The airline is in the process of phasing out its remaining 13 CRJ700s, and replacing them with eight Q400s. Once completed, the airline will have a fleet of 48 aircraft. Johnson estimates a single fleet type will reduce invested capital by about $100 million and save roughly $9 million per year in expenses. Horizon also wants to achieve "market-level maintenance and pilot costs", says Johnson. The carrier has put out bids for heavy maintenance contracts after determining significant cost savings could be gained from outsourcing. The company is currently working with its mechanics union "to determine whether we can achieve the same level of savings within our current framework," says Johnson, who adds that outsourcing heavy maintenance is an option that Alaska Air Group has success with in the past. Johnson also says Horizon is "looking at all areas where Alaska and Horizon have similar functions to identify duplication", specifically in administrative areas. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Alaska continues work to gain FAA approval for RNP in Seattle Alaska Airlines continues tests of required navigation performance (RNP) and other procedures in Seattle to win FAA certification for regular use of the fuel saving and emission reduction procedure at the airport. The carrier wrapped up the latest trials this week with a test flight over the Puget Sound showing a 35% reduction in emissions compared with a traditional landing. RNP differs from the typical and lengthy "stair step" descent profile by allowing for a continuous descent along a shorter path. The most recent demonstration also included eight landing approaches on a Boeing 737-700 with a landing weight similar to a typical passenger flight. Alaska estimates 181.8 kg (400lb) of fuel was saved per approach. Alaska has been testing the shorter approach procedures since the summer of 2009, working with the FAA, Port of Seattle and other airlines to win agency approval for use of the procedure in Seattle. The carrier is the only US airline with its entire fleet RNP-equipped. By incorporating the approaches into its operations at Seattle, Alaska estimates it would reduce carbon emissions by 22,000 tonnes annually and cut fuel consumption by 8 million litres (2.1 million gallons) Alaska COO Ben Minicucci says ultimately the project in Seattle could serve as a blueprint for next-generation aviation technology throughout the USA. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Boeing can skip 787 evacuation trial Boeing is finalising the last elements of the 787's certification programme as it targets a year-end first delivery, but will not be required to run a cabin evacuation trial demonstration. Because of the cabin's similarity in configuration and size to its predecessor, the 767, Boeing is able to qualify the 787-8's exit limit maximum through analysis, says the twinjet programme's vice-president and general manger Scott Fancher. "As long as you can show equivalency based on the number and size of doors, number of seats, pitch of seats, you can do it by analysis of data from the 767," he says. Fancher says that some elements of the evacuation system will need to be demonstrated for certification, such as slide deployment, and proper door, lighting and annunciation operation. Another element of the certification effort that is fast-approaching is the service-ready operation validation tests, or route-proving. "This is part of the certification process demonstrating that the airplane is capable of supporting revenue service and will be flown towards the end of the flight-test programme," says Fancher. Different tests are required to validate different aspects of the aircraft's operation. "Some can be done simply by racking up hours on multiple airplanes, others might require passengers and others have to be done on a fixed aircraft within a specific period of time," says Fancher. "There will be certain routes that we'll fly, and we'll also deploy an aircraft to Japan in conjunction with launch customer All Nippon Airways. Because the aircraft has not been certificated, it will only be flown by Boeing crews." Boeing has four Rolls-Royce Trent 1000-powered 787s in the flight-test programme, including one with a partially furnished passenger cabin - ZA003 which visited Farnborough. The first of two General Electric GEnx-powered 787s is also in flight-test, with the second due to join the programme in August, says Fancher. Certification of the GE-powered version will follow "around two to three months" after the Trent version, which is due in the fourth quarter of this year, he says: "The timing will be decided by the first delivery of a GE-powered aircraft to a customer and the delivery needs of that customer." Boeing has yet to identify formally the first GEnx 787 customer, although industry sources indicate it will be either Royal Air Maroc or Japan Airlines. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC