Flight Safety Information July 28, 2010 - No. 149 In This Issue Plane Carrying More than 150 Crashes in Pakistan NASCAR team owner Roush hurt in plane crash Global Airline Pilots Not Happy About Israeli Security Program Honda showcases its first private jet FAA plans $230,000 penalty for Continental Lufthansa crash marks fifth hull loss for MD-11F since 1997 Lufthansa Cargo: Cause of MD-11 crash remains unclear SMS BLUES?... NTSB Positions Available - Human Performance ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Plane Carrying More than 150 Crashes in Pakistan, No Survivors (July 28) -- An airliner carrying more than 150 people crashed this morning in rainy hills while approaching Pakistan's capital, and officials said there were no survivors. An emergency spokesman told The Associated Press that earlier reports that as many as eight people were pulled from the fiery wreckage alive were false, and that everyone aboard the plane died. By mid-afternoon, more than 100 bodies had been retrieved, an Islamabad police official told CNN. The Airbus 321, belonging to the Pakistani airline Airblue, crashed near the end of a two-hour flight from Karachi to Islamabad, going down in fog in the lush Margalla Hills. The cause of the crash wasn't immediately clear. Details were reported by several news agencies. Local Geo TV footage showed white smoke billowing from the crash site in forested hills outside the capital, with the plane's burning wreckage barely visible amid charred trees. Bystanders on a road nearby could be seen covering their mouths and eyes in horror. Helicopters hovered overhead. "The plane is totally destroyed, the pieces and parts scattered over a large distance," the BBC quoted Pakistani TV journalist Sabur Ali Sayed as saying. Victims' bodies "are badly mutilated and burnt," he said. Dawn News said the plane was carrying 151 passengers and six crew members, and published a list of the passengers' names on its website. But other news agencies put the total number people aboard at 152. Officials said it was too early to determine what caused the crash, and whether rain was a factor. Pakistan is in the midst of monsoon season, when heavy rains sweep the subcontinent from June through September. One witness said it was raining heavily at the time of the crash. "It came from the city toward the Margalla Hills. It was raining heavily," resident Ahsan Mukhtar told CNN. "It shattered into pieces as soon as it crashed. A burst of flames came off, but the rain put out the fire." Airblue is a privately owned Pakistani airline that flies domestically as well as to the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Britain. At Islamabad's airport, where relatives gathered for word of their loved ones, Airblue spokesman Raheel Ahmed announced the crash, describing it as "an extremely tragic incident," according to the BBC. "We don't know who survived, who died, who is injured," Zulfikar Ghazi, who was waiting to receive four relatives, told The Associated Press. "We are in shock, but no one is here to console us, to help us. How are we going to receive their bodies? If they are injured, where are they?" Irshad Kassim, the director of Pakistan's Kasb Bank, was supposed to be on the plane but postponed his flight for one day. His name was still on the flight's manifest, and he answered the phone himself when an Airblue representative called this morning to alert his next of kin about the crash. "I thank God that I did not take this flight, and decided to travel tomorrow instead of today," Kassim told CNN. "I started looking at my children's pictures ... That's the first thing I did after looking at the television," he said. "I'm still very shaken, I just can't think straight." http://www.aolnews.com/ [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103587768537&s=6053&e=001D25hYkVoWcE7ifIXtpotbE1fcLsRGut_jPQdUEAl1hhM2ZRZGpPAjIv35DBCyCuHBum5pfZX5hwnyfKUM7kFCoHZnawHM0MLc8mwQ2TWup7jjdpVYTvNaA==] ***** Status: Preliminary Date: 28 JUL 2010 Time: ca 09:45 Type: Airbus A321-231 Operator: Airblue Registration: AP-BJB C/n / msn: 1218 First flight: 2000-04-14 (10 years 4 months) Total airframe hrs: 34000 Cycles: 13500 Engines: 2 IAE V2533-A5 Crew: Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6 Passengers: Fatalities: 146 / Occupants: 146 Total: Fatalities: 152 / Occupants: 152 Airplane damage: Destroyed Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: near Islamabad (Pakistan) Phase: Approach (APR) Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Karachi International Airport (KHI/OPKC), Pakistan Destination airport: Islamabad International Airport (ISB/OPRN), Pakistan Flightnumber: 202 Narrative: An Airbus passenger plane was destroyed when it crashed in the Margalla Hills near Islamabad International Airport (ISB), Pakistan. There were six crew members and 146 passengers on board according to a Pakistani CAA spokesman. The head of Pakistan's civil defense body told NBC News that no one had survived. Flight ABQ202 had departed Karachi International Airport (KHI) on a domestic service to Islamabad. Weather reported at the time of the accident (about 04:30 UTC) was : OPRN 280300Z 05016KT 2000 RA FEW015ST SCT040 BKN100 FEW030TCU 24/23 1006.5= [03:00 UTC: Wind 050 degrees at 16 knots; 2000m visibility; rain; few clouds at 1,500 ft, few clouds at 3,000 ft with Towering CB, scattered clouds at 4,000 ft, broken clouds at 10,000 ft.; Temperature 24°C, dew point 23°C] OPRN 280400Z 05016KT 3500 SCT010 SCT030 BKN100 FEW030TCU 29/24 1006.7= OPRN 280500Z 09018KT 3500 RA SCT010 SCT030 OVC100 FEW030 25/24 Q1006.9= www.aviation-safety.net [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103587768537&s=6053&e=001D25hYkVoWcEkih0gU4KllhCiaLYXIlC_PLbIIdZmmC51wQYgV60TRrecQ-mlYlnpCKYTYYoYieItMtFQs4yOBbnvIS3QNY087Yn58cufmRkYjj2_9clpTGaVIJQlwQCa] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NASCAR team owner Roush hurt in plane crash NASCAR team owner Jack Roush hurt in plane landing accident He was arriving at popular Wisconsin air show Passenger also injured at Oshkosh airport (CNN) -- NASCAR team owner Jack Roush was injured Tuesday evening in a private jet accident at an airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, according to organizers of an air show at the airport. Video showed Roush and another passenger, identified by the Experimental Aircraft Association as Brenda Strickland of Plymouth, Michigan, walking away from the crash, which occurred at 6:15 p.m. (7:15 p.m. ET). The jet snapped in two, according to the video The Beechcraft Premier jet, registered to Roush Fenway Racing LLC, was landing at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Winnebago County Sheriff's Department confirmed the identities, the EAA said in a statement Tuesday night. Both were transported to local hospitals, with the bloodied Roush in serious but stable condition and Strickland having non-life threatening injuries, according to the EAA, which is sponsoring its popular annual air show, AirVenture 2010. The NTSB is leading the investigation into the accident. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Global Airline Pilots Not Happy About Israeli Security Program By CHRISTINE NEGRONI Pilots of commercial airlines that fly into Israel are expressing increased opposition to a security program imposed by the country's Ministry of Transport that they say could subject inbound flights to possible attack by Israeli warplanes. Last week, an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 flight to Tel Aviv was intercepted as it approached Israeli airspace when pilots failed to correctly submit a code confirming their identity as required under the security program. The plane was prohibited from landing until it was determined not to be a security threat. "People were scared; we didn't know what was going on," one passenger on the plane was quoted by Israeli newspapers as saying. The incident was at least the second since the security program began its trial phase last year. It has brought out into the open a debate that has been ongoing in the international aviation community over the program, which was designed exclusively by and for Israel as a security measure. Commercial pilots, including Israelis, say it creates logistical problems and safety hazards without improving security. "It raises a serious possibility that in an extreme case, use of the system could bring about the shooting down of an innocent plane and its passengers," said the president of Israel's pilots union, Capt. Boaz Hativa. The security program requires the pilot to carry an Israeli-supplied card with a personal PIN that must be submitted electronically before entering Israeli airspace. Clearance to land is dependent on the input of the correct code. In April 2009, an incoming Delta Air Lines flight triggered an alert and an Israel fighter jet was scrambled to intercept. "The aircraft was determined to be a threat, placed in a holding pattern," according to a letter written by Delta's managing director of corporate security, Randy L. Harrison, to the Ministry of Transport. A copy of the letter was obtained by The New York Times. While the plane was eventually escorted into Tel Aviv by the Israeli fighter jet, Mr. Harrison complained that "the subsequent investigation into the failure was never released to Delta and Delta was never informed of what corrective measures were implemented to prevent recurrence." Susan Elliott, a spokeswoman for Delta, said the letter was written to encourage the Israelis to work out these problems with the International Air Transport Association, a trade group representing 230 airlines. Steve Lott, spokesman for the association, called the program "one of the most complicated and counterintuitive systems for ensuring aircraft security." Approximately 30 percent of flights to Israel fly through disputed airspaces that can increase the workload in the cockpit, making it more likely that pilots may err in entering the security code, according to the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations. And because it there is no set procedure for how to handle these kinds of pilot errors, critics say, flights can be put in jeopardy. "People do shoot down airliners, sometimes on purpose," said Gideon Ewers, a spokesman for pilots association. "Sometimes they shoot them down by mistake. Whether intentional or unintentional, things can happen." In addition to safety concerns, international airlines and the European Union say, the program creates logistical problems by separating pilots into those with PINs who can fly into Israel and those who cannot. The director general for the European Commission's Air Transport Directorate, Daniel Calleja, told the Israelis this could restrict "the ability of airlines to efficiently allocate their personnel." In a letter sent earlier this month, Mr. Calleja made a veiled threat that this could "have immediate implications on the current air services agreement between the EU and Israel." Mr. Ewers said another meeting was scheduled with the Ministry of Transport for later in the week where pilots would ask that the program be scrapped. The ministry declined to answer questions about the program. But it said in an e-mail message that the security program was still in the trial phase and that a decision on whether to continue it would be made soon. Ziad Haddad, an international airline compliance specialist, discounted the possibility that commercial airliners were threatened by the program. "I am sure that the risk factor was reduced to the minimum and the Israeli authorities have studied that thoroughly to protect against overreacting or mistakes, meaning that to enter a wrong code or data by mistake will never lead to shooting down the aircraft," he said. Richard Bloom, a professor and airline security expert at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Ariz., said it was possible that Israel would push back even in the face of strong opposition. "If they have validated some sort of risk that suggests, with all its superficial flaws, it is the right system, I doubt they would share it with many people," he said. http://www.nytimes.com/ [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103587768537&s=6053&e=001D25hYkVoWcHIja0IXQAwO-L1RzY0aMipML2Xsjwz1OTFyT2mH8v7zwvrBpqk42anTh7ERgcxYEyhSnrLkHrhC6kv4i0V2D_SbQlyrcBhKENq-cRBfbAaYQ==] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Honda showcases its first private jet Honda has been showcased its first private jet at the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. The company says that the model will be flying at the end of the year. HondaJet is the first venture of the auto manufacturer to aviation. The brand is commonly associated with automobiles and motorcycles. The brand says that it will also bring its manufacturing innovations to the jet industry. Unlike most jets, Honda's design mounts the engine above the wing-which will allow for drag reduction, noise reduction, and fuel efficiency, according to the company. Honda says that its jet factory will be completed by 2011 and they expect to fulfill first deliveries by 2012. http://www.privatejetdaily.com/ [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103587768537&s=6053&e=001D25hYkVoWcHT5Ey_f9etky-6qKHOfG3kx5UW6j_LeOooX5ujp4LyM_AbUyi2eI0sX6I-YbZhKJ6zO3k4O39d9XfpyaBY_tKFvPQRCFZ839Jd5YeBunB4v9MflpXO5g5J] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FAA plans $230,000 penalty for Continental WASHINGTON (AP) - The Federal Aviation Administration says it's proposing a $230,000 civil penalty because Continental Airlines Inc. botched the replacement of the nose wheel on one airplane. The FAA says Continental failed to install the right washer when it replaced the wheel on a Boeing 767 almost two years ago. The FAA says warnings in the maintenance manual and on the tire assembly itself say that leaving out the washer could cause the wheel bearing to fail. The FAA says its inspectors found the violation during a records check - and noted three identical earlier violations. Continental has 30 days to respond. Back to Top [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103587768537&s=6053&e=001D25hYkVoWcEhxT26b937UNCNxQSp4oUjjqu31hn-Czs5wayTh5LTN2nCtTCq-QqcSqFzZkhNZPJ_WSYvIOZObFymX6B34mgA] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lufthansa crash marks fifth hull loss for MD-11F since 1997 A Lufthansa Cargo MD-11 freighter crashed on landing at Riyadh yesterday, catching fire and breaking apart. The two pilots were able to escape via the emergency slide and were being treated at a local hospital for non-life threatening injuries. LHC said in a statement it had spoken with both pilots by phone. An airport official told the Associated Press that the aircraft "caught fire" on approach and then "split in two halves" when it hit the runway around 11:38 a.m. local time. He said it took 3 hr. to put out the fire. The aircraft was destroyed. LHC said the aircraft was delivered in 1993 and taken over by Lufthansa Cargo in 2004. It had logged 10,073 cycles and around 73,200 flying hr. The freighter completed its most recent C check on June 22 2009; an A check was carried out immediately prior to the flight to Riyadh according to the carrier. It was carrying 80 tonnes of freight. The flight was en route from Frankfurt and was scheduled to continue on to Sharjah and Hong Kong. According to data from the Flight Safety Foundation's Aviation Safety Network, the accident is the fourth landing-related crash and fifth hull loss involving an MD-11F since 1997, when a FedEx MD-11F cartwheeled after an unstable touchdown at Newark. That was followed by a Mandarin Airlines aircraft similarly flipping on landing at Hong Kong in 1999 and another FedEx -11F crashing at Tokyo Narita last year, killing the two pilots (ATW Daily News, March 24, 2009). In addition, an Avient Aviation MD-11F crashed on takeoff from Shanghai Pudong in November 2009, according to ASN. Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation is conducting the crash investigation. The US National Transportation Safety Board said Senior Air Safety Investigator Bill English will head a US team including two NTSB specialists and technical advisers from FAA and Boeing to assist in the inquiry. http://atwonline.com/ Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lufthansa Cargo: Cause of MD-11 crash remains unclear Further details have emerged about the Lufthansa Cargo Boeing MD-11 freighter destroyed in a landing accident in Riyadh today, although the reasons for the crash remain unclear. The aircraft's fuselage fractured during the landing, and a subsequent fire destroyed the tri-jet, although both pilots - whom the carrier describes as "experienced" - survived. Lufthansa Cargo says it took over the 17-year old aircraft in 2004. Before the accident it had accumulated 73,200hr in 10,073 cycles. Its last C-check took place on 22 June last year and it underwent an A-check immediately before its departure to Riyadh from Frankfurt. Lufthansa Cargo has despatched investigators to Saudi Arabia. The carrier says it is "co-operating closely with the authorities in Riyadh and will do its utmost to help clarify the reasons for the accident". Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SMS BLUES? Sure, there's a lot to build: 1. Safety Culture throughout your organization 2. Safety Risk Management System 3. Safety Assurance System 4. Safety Promotion vehicle for your organization We've got 2 and 3 covered *At your pace *With your processes *With your forms *With your people *Within your budget Eat the SMS Elephant one bite at a time and avoid the nightmare of complex, difficult and expensive solutions that force you to recreate your business Evaluate our SMS-compliant, modular software tools today to experience the benefits - simple, easy and affordable Your evaluation of a fully functioning program is FREE QIT Consulting,Inc. http://www.qitweb.com/Safety/index.htm [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103587768537&s=6053&e=001D25hYkVoWcED_faHoy1B_lqUraglOwnd9Oq8QBDeJ66ntMSYkiKBq3zAfFuFVVW4fVsGjcyJVnIW2uAWKujynavC3k5d9CbX3JLwwjen4Ej6FZjslOeeO0aop6GxcFLSR8NWHrIFQ_Y=] Ron Whipple 817-729-7826 Call us today and we will set you up with a fully functional, web-based demo IEP, ASAP or Employee Safety Reporting package All of our packages come with a embedded 5-color Safety Risk Management process and Corrective Action Tracking System Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NTSB Positions Available The NTSB Office of Aviation Safety is recruiting for two Human Performance investigative positions. The vacancy announcements are as follows: http://jobview.usajobs.gov/getjob.aspx?opmcontrol=1928732 [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103587768537&s=6053&e=001D25hYkVoWcE5XPAvjGI8Ve_-3iDotiMg1LhdiGXvF9cU23REgSV1IP2utuf8fskSHycfAEMWEv2MhnbGV6lgErITTMFyYH14lCzZuRpksRE_JX6FvAM7zpXgTsbeSmTJ2JoXPlm2QcAzcMUAqkFsjiKcpmEXa9sG] http://jobview.usajobs.gov/getjob.aspx?opmcontrol=1944021 [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103587768537&s=6053&e=001D25hYkVoWcHuCNUz_9FNdF79qsHAt49YuqtUtZlN6lrfl2F4S3f-mAqLhtO67d5IpsVvw93UxwHF8XwqX4Utmv418bLYxy5EaMkTCrAhqd7uoW_2fQcRhXk-9vFF91d9DX-8y-j-OeqS292XUfpePNZ-gEs42aFI] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC