Flight Safety Information August 26, 2010 - No. 175 In This Issue Chinese airline had deemed night landings unsafe at airport San Jose airport has fifth most laser strikes on planes China steps up air safety checks after crash Nigerian Airlines Permitted To Operate Direct US Flights DR Congo plane crash in Bandundu 'kills 20' 787 flight test program reaches 500 flights FSI Advertising Safety Management System (SMS) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chinese airline had deemed night landings unsafe at airport where jet crashed BEIJING -- China's largest passenger airline deemed nighttime landings at a new airport in northeastern China unsafe a year before a Henan Airlines jet crashed there Tuesday night, killing 42 passengers and injuring 54 others. China Southern Airlines, the country's largest passenger carrier, concluded that the Lindu airport, outside Yichun, a city of 1 million people in Heilongjiang Province, was "in principle not suitable for night flights," according to a safety notice posted on a Chinese news organization's website. Daytime landings in rainy conditions were also ruled out for the airline, the notice said. The small airport, nestled in a thickly forested valley, opened last year, according to Chinese news media. On Wednesday, investigators continued to search for clues that would explain why the plane, a Brazilian-made Embraer E-190, crashed into a grassy area and burst into flames at 9:36 p.m. Tuesday while trying to land on a fog-shrouded runway at the Lindu airport. The jet had taken off about 40 minutes earlier from the provincial capital of Harbin. A local official told Xinhua that crew members of the Henan Airlines flight reported that they could see lights on the ground and requested a normal landing. Survivors said the plane jolted so violently while trying to land that luggage flew off the overhead racks. Hua Jingwei, head of the Communist Party's propaganda department in Yichun, told Xinhua that the plane broke in two as it approached the runway, throwing some passengers out of the cabin. That account was not immediately confirmed by survivors. http://www.cleveland.com/world/ Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ San Jose airport has fifth most laser strikes on planes On Aug. 12, a Boeing 767 commercial night flight from Hawaii was six miles out from Mineta San Jose International Airport when it was struck with a laser beam. The brilliant green light flooded the cockpit like a rock concert spotlight, blinding the pilot and forcing the co-pilot to land the plane alone. The culprit was never found. Tuesday night, while on a routine helicopter patrol 1,000 feet above the San Jose-Milpitas border, a San Jose police pilot and his Santa Clara County sheriff's aerial spotter were blasted with a green laser light. They tracked the source to a home, called in ground units and two 22-year-old men were arrested. The men may face felony federal charges and, if convicted, prison time. In the back seat of one of the suspect's cars officers found the pen-sized laser pointer that had been purchased from Amazon.com. These incidents are close-call examples of a quickly growing, dangerous problem that has local law enforcement and aviation officials scrambling. Hundreds of times a year, pranksters using powerful laser pointers that can be purchased for as little as $8.99 are shining their lights at aircraft, posing a danger to the flight crews and passengers. San Jose Airport had the fifth-most reported laser strikes on planes in the country, according to the latest information from the FAA. Oakland International Airport ranked fourth, but officials did not release the numbers of strikes per airport. Two weeks ago, about 80 officials from Santa Clara County-based and federal law enforcement agencies, along with San Jose airport operations officials, gathered for an emergency meeting at Applied Materials in Santa Clara to discuss how to combat the problem. Their strategy revolves around communicating more efficiently with each other, educating the public about the danger and asking for help in reporting the incidents. "This needs to be stopped," said San Jose police Officer Michael Lutticken, who handles counter-terrorism projects and infrastructure protection. "The majority of people who do this are not terrorists. They think of it as entertainment. They are not thinking of the repercussions. My grandma, their grandmothers, our families are flying in these planes." Laser strikes have been reported by pilots all over the world with increasing frequency since the mid-2000s. During a single night at Seattle-Tacoma Airport last year, 12 planes were struck with laser beams as they were landing. All reportedly had to pull out of their landings and try again. Federal officials say they are not aware of any crashes caused by a laser strike. But officials say that the problem is growing "exponentially" with the increased power, affordability and availability of laser pointers. The FAA reported 947 strikes on commercial aircraft in 2008; 1,489 in 2009. And so far in this year, there have been 1,251 reported strikes on commercial aircraft in the U.S. About a third of the incidents nationwide have been reported in California, officials said. Chicago's O'Hare Airport has the most strikes and Los Angeles International the second. But why in San Jose? The U.S. Marshals Service Office theorizes it may be due to the number of people involved or interested in high tech. While some portion of the laser shooters are thought to be middle-aged methamphetamine users looking for thrills, other shooters are young, well-educated and interested in science, science fiction and are tech-savvy , officials believe. Lasers were first marketed to the public as conference pointers and pet toys, usually exuding a thin, relatively weak red beam. But in recent years there has been an emergence of green lasers, popular with astronomy professors aiming their powerful beams to point out stars and planets. "As anybody who has subjected themselves to relatives taking photos would know, it blanks out your vision," said Seth Shostak, a nationally known astronomer based in Mountain View. Today's laser pointers, which are also used as weapons sights, can blind people at a distance, like the military pilot who federal officials reported had to be grounded for six months while his eyes healed. Many cases of laser strikes are not reported, officials said. Pointing a laser at an aircraft is against both state and federal law and carries up to a three-year prison stint with fines. Tuesday night, sheriff's deputy Leo Gonzalez, using his night vision goggles for protection, traced the green beam to a gated community off Ambra Way in San Jose as San Jose police Officer Michael Sullivan guided the SJPD's Eurocopter EC 120 toward the laser. At the secured entrance gate, police stopped a car driven by Ervin Ancheta, who soon admitted to officers that he had aimed the laser at the flight, police said. Later investigators also arrested his friend Quan Nguyen. Both men apologized, police said, and said they did not mean any harm. Top five The following are the top five airports in the United States for reported air strikes: 1. Chicago O'Hare 2. Los Angeles 3. Phoenix Sky Harbor 4. Oakland 5. Mineta San Jose Source: FAA Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ China steps up air safety checks after crash Foreign BEIJING, Thursday 26 August 2010 (AFP) - China stepped up nationwide checks of its fast-growing airline fleet Thursday as a top aviation official defended the safety of a remote, forested airport where a plane crash killed 42 people. The Brazilian-made Henan Airlines regional jet crashed in heavy fog near Yichun city's Lindu airport in northeast China late Tuesday, with 54 passengers and crew surviving the fiery disaster. Li Qiang, the general manager of Henan Airlines, has been sacked, the Xinhua news agency said. Major airlines have held emergency meetings to review their safety procedures as President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao ordered a thorough probe into the accident's causes, Xinhua said. The two top leaders also called for sweeping inspections throughout the country's passenger airliner network to "eliminate any safety risk China has more than 1,300 passenger jets in its civil aviation fleet, which is rapidly expanding as the country's booming economy generates more demand for air travel. Air traffic is set to grow 13 percent year-on-year in 2010 to 260 million passengers, according to official sources, while China is expected to more than double its civil fleet in the coming decades. Photographs of the crashed ERJ-190 Henan jet showed a charred plane skeleton, its fuselage gutted by fire. An initial investigation, as well as survivors' accounts, indicate the plane missed the runway and crashed, cracking the cabin and triggering an explosion and the subsequent fire, Xinhua said. The black box recorders of flight data and cockpit communications were both recovered near the crash site on Wednesday, reports said. The plane's pilot, identified as Qi Quanjun, survived the wreck with severe facial injuries but has said he does not remember what happened, Xinhua reported. The co-pilot and two cabin attendants were killed. The Southern Daily newspaper said the plane flew nine flights the day of the crash, speculating its busy workload might have contributed to the accident. But state media also reported numerous concerns over the Lindu airport, which opened late last year and is located in a thickly forested valley surrounded by mountains. Last September, China Southern Airlines suspended all night flights in and out of Lindu due to safety concerns, according to reports. But Li Jian, the vice director of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), said the small airport met all safety requirements. "It is no ct a team of technicians to help with the investigation. It said it was the first fatal accident for an Embraer aircraft. The company is the third-biggest commercial aviation manufacturer in the world, after Boeing and Airbus, which provide the bulk of China's jet fleet. Chinese airlines fly 30 ERJ-190s, with Henan Airlines operating four of the planes, not including the crashed one, Xinhua said. The jet was relatively new and put into operation in 2008. But Xinhua said Chinese carriers had previously reported technical problems with ERJ-190s. A CAAC workshop last year on the issue highlighted broken turbine plates and flight control system errors, Xinhua said. Tuesday's crash was China's first major air disaster since a China Eastern Airlines jet crashed in Inner Mongolia in November 2004, killing 55 people. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nigerian Airlines Permitted To Operate Direct US Flights (RTTNews) - The United States has granted Nigerian Airlines permission to operate direct U.S. flights nearly eight months after a Nigerian youth was arrested for a failed attempt to blast a U.S.-bound airliner. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Nigeria had met international air safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Nigeria achieved a Category 1 rating under the FAA's International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program, based on the results of a review last month of the country's civil aviation authority. It allows Nigerian air carriers to apply to operate to the United States with their own aircraft. An IASA Category 1 rating means a country has the laws and regulations necessary to oversee air carriers in accordance with minimum international standards. It is also a certification that Nigeria's civil aviation authority meets international standards for technical expertise, trained personnel, record-keeping and inspection procedures. U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria Robin Renee Sanders congratulated the West African country on achieving the elite aviation security status. However, she said the country needed to do more to ensure the regular use of full-body scanning, imposed by Washington on U.S.-bound passengers of 14 countries, including Nigeria, in the wake of a botched attempt to blast the U.S. airliner on Christmas Day last year. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) implemented mandatory screening of passengers from countries deemed to be sponsors of terrorism subjecting them to full body pat-downs prior to boarding for all U.S.-bound planes, checking of carry-on baggage and random checks. On Christmas last year, a young Nigerian attempted to ignite an explosive device on a Northwest Airlines flight to Detroit that originated in Amsterdam. FBI arrested 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who was charged with attempting to blow up the passenger aircraft. He claimed that al-Qaeda branch in Yemen set him up with the mission. The incident shook the U.S. security establishment and prompted the Obama administration to pledge to close gaps in the intelligence system. It also triggered strengthening of security screening procedures at a host of international airports as part of a campaign to spearhead a larger, more unified effort to ensure airport security worldwide. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DR Congo plane crash in Bandundu 'kills 20' (BBC) The plane crashed 2km from the airstrip as it attempted to land A plane has crashed in the west of the Democratic Republic of Congo, killing 20 people, officials say. One person was also critically injured as it came into land in Bandundu, about 200km (125 miles) west of the capital. A BBC reporter in Kinshasa says it hit a house, but no-one is thought to have been hurt on the ground. DR Congo, the size of western Europe, has few roads after decades of civil war, and has one of the world's worst air safety records. The BBC's Thomas Hubert says the plane crashed 2km from the airstrip as it attempted to land just after midday. Colonel Joli Limengo, the local chief of police, told our correspondent that most of those on board had died in the accident, including the two pilots - who were believed to be Belgian nationals. He said that 19 bodies were pulled from the wreckage along with two survivors, one of whom later died. The aircraft was operated by Filair, an airline based in Kinshasa, and was due to stop over in Bandundu town before continuing its journey to the capital. Our reporter says Filair, just like all airlines registered in DR Congo, is on the European Union's no-fly list because of the country's poor air safety record. Transport Minister Laure-Marie Kawanda said a team had arrived in Bandundu to investigate the crash. ***** Date: 25-AUG-2010 Time: Type: Let 410UVP-E20C Operator: Filair Registration: 9Q-CCN C/n / msn: 912608 Fatalities: Fatalities: 20 / Occupants: 21 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Bandundu - Congo (Democratic Republic) Phase: Approach Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Center of DRC Destination airport: Kinshasa via Bandundu Narrative: Run out of fuel after being unable to land. Two pilots, one stewardess and 18 passengers. One passenger survived www.aviation-safety.net [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103638367397&s=6053&e=001ySLgSwpun3weS_-ziwAgeJFOaH9R4fNKbR47zOShhezboG0hyoR9sR6O9xFwk7PhDR4ycnrsCw5b-0nj1BHHC1zGpge9ISMMFhsbWkZkFaLNJwzGUW7iU0yEMwXTLPXB] Back to Top [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103638367397&s=6053&e=001ySLgSwpun3xxBnqhwpNpfFEw4OP35Ry3m6hz8-CU2dDA4ACCgwTC-kvzwW7JUdjkTzTUQfvhCPhCirRjbOmJvRteb6UdTJWR] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 787 flight test program reaches 500 flights Boeing's 787 flight test program reached a milestone with the completion of its 500th flight, which was operated by flight test aircraft ZA004. The five flight test aircraft currently in the program have logged more than 1,600 total flight hr. The sixth and final test Dreamliner, ZA006, is due to take to the air by Sept. 12. Meanwhile, the 27th 787 is set to enter the production line this week, but it will be the last one for about six weeks as Boeing attempts to let the 787 supply chain catch up. When production resumes, the manufacturer hopes to achieve a build rate of 2.5 per month. Separately, Rolls-Royce told Bloomberg that the Aug. 18 failure of one of its Trent 1000 engines on a test bed will have no impact on the 787's EIS. While Rolls is tight-lipped on the cause of the failure, it is understood that a fix is already in production. http://atwonline.com/ [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103638367397&s=6053&e=001ySLgSwpun3w2xhFIluEyhJhab6NwSsd6raChtkKzqOirwxvBgXGn5dS9Hazjmj2-gcyt2UVjmJJOywELWTOuSWSTBXT2hMMp_UPeUsW6lwg=] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC