Flight Safety Information July 30, 2010 - No. 152 In This Issue U.S. House Passes Slimmed-Down FAA Reauthorization Bill Etihad again passed (IATA) Operational Safety Audit... Russian Forces Foil Hijacking Bid At Moscow Airport...( Medevac firm halts AZ service for now after Tucson copter crash that killed 3 Curt Lewis & Associates, LLC...- Training Courses FSI Journal - RAAS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ U.S. House Passes Slimmed-Down FAA Reauthorization Bill By ANDY PASZTOR and JOSH MITCHELL U.S. House and Senate leaders, deadlocked over a comprehensive FAA bill including plans for air-traffic control improvements, have compromised on a slimmed-down measure to enhance airliner safety. Passed by the House on a voice vote around midnight Thursday, the measure is expected to get final Senate approval in the next few days. The legislation raises minimum experience and training requirements for new airline pilots. It also requires that before purchasing tickets on the Internet, passengers must be specifically informed when a flight will be operated by a commuter carrier operating on behalf of a larger airline. Rep. Jerry Costello, the Illinois Democrat who chairs the House Transportation subcommittee with jurisdiction over these issues, called it the "strongest aviation safety bill" the House has taken up in decades. But some of the pilot-training and other oversight provisions have prompted objections from both industry representatives and Federal Aviation Administration officials, who argue lawmakers are attempting to micromanage safety rules. And the bill doesn't address longer-term issues related to scheduling and funding of the FAA's proposed shift to a satellite-based traffic-control system. In abandoning the original legislation, at least for now, lawmakers also left unresolved controversial provisions over union organizing at FedEx Corp. and approval of long-distance flights from Washington's Reagan National Airport. Those issues have blocked agreement on a broader bill for many months, prompting lawmakers to approve a series of stopgap extensions to the FAA's spending and taxing authority. Thursday's vote was the 15th such temporary extension in a row, continuing the agency's programs until the end of September. Still, the bill seeks to substantially raise training standards, by mandating that all airline pilots must have at least 1,500 hours of flight time in their log books before flying passengers-up from 250 hours currently for some newly hired co-pilots. The FAA and industry groups, on the other hand, contend the most important factor is the type of training that is provided rather than the total number of hours behind the controls. The legislation also envisions closer scrutiny of commuter carriers by their larger airline partners. It directs the FAA to update rules on pilot duty hours and rest time to alleviate cockpit fatigue, an effort the agency already has under way. And it mandates creation of a national database of pilot records, making it easier for airlines to conduct background checks when hiring. Those measures are designed to address safety gaps exposed by the February 2009 crash of Colgan Air Inc. flight 3407, operating for Continental Airlines Inc., that killed all 49 people on board and one person on the ground in a suburb outside Buffalo, N.Y. With relatives of many of the victims observing the debate and even cheering at the end from the House visitor's gallery, passage marked the end of their intense, more than a year-long lobbying effort to push through a safety bill. The debate on the floor underscored the emotions behind the legislation, along with the frustration of some members for failing to break the Senate logjam over the broader bill. Rep. Louise Slaughter, a Democrat from upstate New York, said investigation of the Colgan crash revealed that the pilots were "exhausted, undertrained [and] underpaid." Reflecting bipartisan support for the bill, Rep. Chris Lee, a New York Republican, praised the families for advocating a bill intended to ensure there will be "experienced, well-trained and prepared pilots in every [airliner] cockpit." Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D., W.Va.), who led negotiations on the bill, said in a statement that the legislation "will boost pilot training programs, combat pilot fatigue, and dramatically increase requirements for pilots of passenger airlines to have more flying experience." But like other senators, the chairman expressed disappointment that the broader bill was sidelined. The Senate measure, for example, included timetables for phasing in satellite-based navigation and opened the door for federal and state-backed financial support for installation of such new equipment by airlines. In addition, it called for studies of hazards posed by distracted pilots and the impact of higher oil prices on the long-term viability of the industry. The safety provisions aren't expected to prompt controversy in the Senate. However, a spokesman for House Transportation Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D., Minn.), a main proponent of the FedEx provision, said the chairman would continue to press for the unionization legislation and other provisions of the broader bill when Congress returns after the August recess. During Thursday's debate, Rep. Oberstar called the bill's passage a "citizens triumph" in boosting aviation safety. "Airlines remain fully committed to improving the safest air transportation system in the world," according to James C. May, president and chief executive of the Air Transport Association, which represents large U.S. carriers. "We look forward to working with Congress to finish the work already started." http://online.wsj.com/ [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103591861545&s=6053&e=001N1FrmDv-QRWBvMIUJ136L7AYXg0kwlEBiVJPZV9LMZM8Gincf9Hzf8h5xLP8qFXkOCB9BJR346L5w-EMlfYbCdIgiih81a_L0GSWKCjq-_HDcZaptoY5Hw==] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Etihad again passed (IATA) Operational Safety Audit Etihad Airways has again passed a rigorous aviation industry safety audit, for the third consecutive audit. The airline met all required standards after a team from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Operational Safety Audit - IOSA - examined the airline's safety procedures and processes in detail. The audit seeks to ensure that airlines are compliant with safety requirements and recommended practices determined by IATA. It is the most important examination of Etihad's business to take place. James Hogan, Etihad Airways' Chief Executive Officer, said: "Safety is our number one priority and the positive results are testament to the commitment to our safety culture. "We will continue to implement the most stringent safety processes and procedures in everything we do." Etihad also met all standards of the IOSA audit in both the 2006 and 2008 audits. The audit is repeated with adapting standards every two years to ensure on-going compliance. A team of five external auditors from IATA spent five days evaluating procedures and processes in eight operational areas of the organisation before issuing a report. IOSA audits are mandatory for all IATA member airlines and require meeting 966 separate standards in eight operational areas, including operations management, flight operations, cabin operations, maintenance, flight dispatch, ground and cargo operations and security. http://www1.albawaba.com/ [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103591861545&s=6053&e=001N1FrmDv-QRUVeJtLdH65bEevn4nzjSY61GxbKnnpGVMhMNOkYfwbd9kkva_6F2SVgiBLYqZ6Rp9H37p_f3i8LneyYYYHT-teDMdo1QZRgLBr-4qcSQY8gQ==] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Russian Forces Foil Hijacking Bid At Moscow Airport (RTTNews) - Russian security forces on Thursday, foiled an apparent bid to hijack a passenger airliner at Moscow's Domodedovo airport and arrested a man for his suspected involvement, reports said. An airport spokeswoman told local media that the Russian Interior Ministry's department for security on transport had detained the hijacker in the course of a special operation. The suspect informed the aircraft's pilot that he had "information valuable for the interior agencies." "After the information was received, a decision was taken to taxi the plane... to an emergency apron of the airport," she added. Russian authorities found that the hijacker aged 40 has permanent residence in the city of Mineralnye Vody in Northern Caucasus and for a brief while he actually hijacked the aircraft at around 3:45 pm Moscow Daylight Saving Time. Even as the aircraft was all set to land, the hijacker is said to have repeatedly requested the crew for a meeting with law enforcement officials and media persons. Security men disguised as doctors entered the aircraft on the pretext of providing medical aid to one of the passengers who had fallen sick and secured the aircraft's release after overpowering the hijacker. The flight had originated in Russia's troubled North Caucasus which has become a breeding ground for Islamist Insurgency and is blamed for the recent deadly bombings on the Moscow Metro. http://www.rttnews.com/ [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103591861545&s=6053&e=001N1FrmDv-QRU4EGrNUuyOSUvRt_hSJOt_KjwGpwPB5mNRvSHHUhXY4TKa2Bur_H2EekC7xfvNMGmNQ_9Lep_U_vxtikpQB11z955bWIFEL5MRr5gOMku4pw==] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Medevac firm halts AZ service for now after Tucson copter crash that killed 3 Colorado-based Air Methods Corp. has put its six LifeNet Arizona bases and seven helicopter crews on a safety stand-down, said Craig Yale, vice president of corporate development. Flight crews will return to service after they go through a "critical stress debriefing" and it's deemed appropriate to fly again, though no timetable has been given for when that will occur, Yale said. In the meantime, any emergency calls LifeNet would have taken will be handled by other area helicopter outfits, Yale said. Killed Wednesday were pilot Alex Kelley, 61; paramedic Brenda French, 28; and flight nurse Parker Summons, 41. They were aboard the AS350 B3 Eurocopter that crashed about 1:45 p.m. into a fence and a shed just outside an occupied home on North Park Avenue near East Glenn Street. French, who began working for LifeNet Arizona in March, died at the scene. Kelley, an employee since 2002, and Summons, who had worked for LifeNet since 2007, died at University Medical Center, company officials said. "We're deeply saddened by this tragic event," Yale said Thursday. A memorial service is being planned for the three. Marana-douglas flight The helicopter, known within the company as LifeNet 12, was traveling from Marana to Douglas, Yale said. The $2.5 million aircraft was put into service in September 2009 and had logged about 350 hours of flight time, he said. LifeNet 12 had been at the company's base at Marana Regional Airport for routine maintenance and was in the process of being returned to its home base, Yale said. Company officials have declined to say what work was done on the aircraft, but Chris Meinhardt, Air Methods director of maintenance, said the helicopter had been at Marana for "a few days." Though investigators won't know for some time what caused the crash, Meinhardt said it likely was not tied to a possible defect that had been identified in some engines installed in AS350 B3 Eurocopters. Federal Aviation Administration documents indicate the engine defect, first discovered in 2009 in helicopters operating outside the U.S., could lead to limitation of engine power or, at worst, a sudden power loss. Engine manufacturer Turbomeca had addressed the issue before turning the helicopter over to Air Methods, Meinhardt said. This was not the first time an AS350 B3 helicopter was involved in an incident in Tucson, federal records show. Another Eurocopter operated by Air Methods was forced to make a hard landing at St. Mary's Hospital in September after it swerved to the left, according to National Transportation Safety Board documents. The helicopter was just a few feet from the landing pad when it began to swerve, the documents stated. The landing caused substantial damage to the helicopter, the report said. When tested later, the helicopter checked out as normal, the NTSB said. The cause of "loss of directional control" was undetermined, it said. The three crew members and one patient were not injured, the report said. Pilot known as reliable Kelley, a Vietnam veteran who flew helicopters overseas as well as for the U.S. Border Patrol's air operations unit, was known as a reliable and dependable pilot. "The troops on the ground thought the world of him because air support is those guys' lifeline," said Clyde Benzenhoefer, a retired Border Patrol agent who worked with Kelley. "He was very well-liked by everyone." Benzenhoefer said he wasn't surprised to hear witness accounts that Kelley appeared to steer the helicopter away from homes before crashing. "Knowing Alex, that's typical of him," he said. "I flew with him several times, and I've always felt safe with him." Summons, a Tucson native and Catalina High School graduate, was supposed to have been off work on Wednesday, according to friends who were at University Medical Center Wednesday evening. The father of a 2-year-old son was described as an outgoing and caring man, who loved golf and bicycling as well as his work. French graduated from Winslow High School in 2000, according to her Facebook page. Her family declined to comment. On StarNet: Go to azstarnet.com/video for video of the crash aftermath. See a gallery of photos at azstarnet.com/gallery Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board arrived in Tucson late Wednesday to begin their investigation into the LifeNet helicopter crash that killed three people. That investigation could take as long as a year to complete and for a report to be released, NTSB lead investigator Van McKenny said Thursday. A preliminary crash report is expected to be posted to NTSB's Web site, www.ntsb.gov, within the next few days, but it won't include any information on possible causes for the crash, McKenny said. "It's too early to narrow down possibilities," he said. Investigators visited the crash site most of Thursday, then a professional aircraft-recovery service hauled the helicopter to Phoenix, where NTSB investigators will take a more detailed look at the wreckage, McKenny said. http://azstarnet.com/ [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103591861545&s=6053&e=001N1FrmDv-QRUbvIMUgT3f3ukXgyzEPHflYIoQEJ6pHyWWEa9ZJBUaE71lFfac8PA7tZvm68OAZt1UEdUQBrhFhTWjA1DJzT-VdUbR0fC7fe8=] Back to Top Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC