Flight Safety Information August 27, 2010 - No. 176 In This Issue Tires of JetBlue Plane Catch Fire During Landing in Calif.... FAA Proposes Nearly $25 Million In Fines Against American Airlines Philippines prepares for EU check on aviation safety standards American Flight Uses a Firm's Satellite-Based Landing System... 4 years after Comair crash, fixes not made... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tires of JetBlue Plane Catch Fire During Landing in Calif. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) (Aug. 26) -- The tires of a JetBlue airplane caught fire Thursday during a hard landing in Sacramento that left 15 people with minor injuries and sent passengers down emergency slides to escape the aircraft. Passenger Michelle McDuffie said people onboard felt a thud when the plane touched down about 12:50 p.m. after a flight from Long Beach, but nobody thought there was an emergency until the crew shouted for everyone to exit on the inflatable slides. McDuffie saw the burning tires when she was on the ground. "I thought, Oh I wish I had gotten my bag off. But I was just happy that I wasn't hurt," said McDuffie, 33, of Mission Viejo. Rich Pedroncelli, AP A JetBlue airplane that blew two tires while making a hard landing on Thursday, forcing the evacuation of 92 passengers and crew down inflatable slides, rests on the tarmac at Sacramento International Airport in Sacramento, Calif. The plane appeared to experience trouble with its brakes, and four tires blew out during the landing, airline spokeswoman Sharon Jones said. The 87 passengers were taken to the terminal on buses, airport spokeswoman Gina Swankie said. The nature of the injuries weren't immediately available, but five people were taken to a hospital, she said. An elderly woman was seen being placed onto a stretcher, complaining of neck pains. Everyone was "able to slide down that slide and walk over to our triage," Sacramento Fire Department Capt. Jonathan Burgess said. Passenger Shannon Ruppe of Paradise said it wasn't that easy. Most of the injuries she saw were abrasions and sprained ankles caused by the slides, she said. "They're incredibly fast, and there was no time for the flight attendants to give us any instructions," Ruppe said. Rob Vanatta, 32, was waiting for the JetBlue flight when someone announced on the terminal intercom that it was delayed. "Then they came back on the intercom, sounding surprised or in shock, and said 'I'm not sure how to tell you this, but the wheels caught fire upon landing and the emergency slides had been deployed,'" Vanatta said. He ran to a window and saw passengers standing on the runway near the plane, surrounded by fire trucks. "My friend and I were able to rebook to a flight out of Oakland, so we're driving there now," he said. Hours after the incident, the empty plane had yet to be towed from the runway. About a dozen passengers lingered in the terminal, waiting for their luggage or snacking on airport food paid for by JetBlue. "Everybody's been really nice and taking care of each other," said Ruppe, who was celebrating her birthday. "I just wish that I had worn my tennis shoes." Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the plane had not caused any delays at the airport. The incident was being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FAA Proposes Nearly $25 Million In Fines Against American Airlines Fine Is Largest Ever Levied By The Agency The FAA has proposed a $24.2 million civil penalty against American Airlines Inc. for failing to correctly follow an Airworthiness Directive involving the maintenance of its McDonnell Douglas MD-80 aircraft. This civil penalty is the largest ever proposed by the FAA. "We put rules and regulations in place to keep the flying public safe," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "We expect operators to perform inspections and conduct regular and required maintenance in order to prevent safety issues. There can be no compromises when it comes to safety." The FAA alleges American did not follow steps outlined in a 2006 Airworthiness Directive requiring operators to inspect wire bundles located in the wheel wells of MD-80 aircraft. The Airworthiness Directive, AD 2006-15-15, required a one-time general visual inspection by March 5, 2008 for chafing or signs of arcing of the wire bundle for the auxiliary hydraulic pump. It also required operators to perform corrective actions in accordance with the instructions of the applicable manufacturer's Service Bulletin. The purpose of the Airworthiness Directive was to prevent the shorting of wires or arcing at the auxiliary hydraulic pump, which could result in loss of auxiliary hydraulic power or a fire in the wheel well of the aircraft. The Airworthiness Directive also sought to reduce the potential of an ignition source adjacent to the fuel tanks, which, in combination with the flammable vapors, could result in a fuel tank explosion. The FAA first detected the violations on March 25, 2008, during an inspection of two aircraft. The FAA informed American's management that the aircraft did not comply with the AD, prompting a series of re-inspections and additional maintenance work that occurred during the following two weeks. On March 26, after American performed additional maintenance on its MD-80 fleet, the FAA inspected eight aircraft at American's Tulsa maintenance base and found that seven did not comply with the Airworthiness Directive. On April 7, the FAA inspected another nine MD-80 aircraft at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and found that eight of them still did not comply with the AD. A tenth aircraft inspected by American mechanics also did not comply. On April 8, American began grounding its MD-80 fleet to conduct new inspections and redo work as necessary. The FAA subsequently determined that 286 of the airline's MD-80s were operated on a combined 14,278 passenger flights while the aircraft were not in compliance with Federal Regulations. American ultimately completed the work required by the 2006 Airworthiness Directive. Over the last year and a half, FAA safety officials have reported progress in working with American Airlines to help improve the airline's maintenance culture. The FAA is committed to continuing that work. American has 30 days from the receipt of the FAA's civil penalty letter to respond to the agency. FMI: www.faa.gov Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Philippines prepares for EU check on aviation safety standards ... findings to be discussed in conference in Brussels THE GOVERNMENT and the country's civil aviation sector are preparing for the visit in October by an official team of the European Union (EU) "to conduct an audit" on progress in improving safety standards and procedures, the chief of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said yesterday. Alfonso G. Cusi, CAAP director general, said in a telephone interview yesterday that his office has asked the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to provide a detailed agenda for the visit on Oct. 18-22. "We're hoping to get the union's reply as soon as possible to prepare for the visit. The visit has been scheduled in October because the European Union Air Safety Conference is scheduled in November. We're hoping to get positive feedback from them so that the representatives could relay that to other union members in the conference," he said. The outcome of the visit will be discussed and reviewed by EU members in the conference that will be held in Brussels, Belgium. Mr. Cusi said the visit is a "perfect opportunity for the country to convince the union that it has improved the security and safety standards of its aviation industry" after the EU banned Philippine carriers last April from flying to the organization's 27 member states. The move was after the announcement by the International Civil Aviation Organization in October last year of a "Significant Safety Concern" relating to poor government oversight of safety in the industry and the earlier downgrading of the Philippines' safety rating by the US Federal Aviation Administration. EASA is the civilian aviation regulator of the EU based in Cologne, Germany that enforces safety standards and authorizes non-EU flag carriers to service the region. "We are also hoping to get clearance for the two major carriers of the Philippines which are Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific," Mr. Cusi said. "Actually, Cebu Pacific never had flights to any EU country," he clarified. "But as one of the major airlines here, we have to get it cleared, according to the union's standards." PAL President Jaime J. Bautista told reporters at the sidelines of the company's stockholders' meeting yesterday that the flag carrier has been always prepared for the inspection. "We hope to have the ban lifted as soon as possible," he said. PAL and Cebu Pacific representatives met EU aviation officials last June to update them on the two carriers' upgraded security and safety procedures after getting new operating certificates from CAAP. However, the airlines were unable to convince the body to drop the Philippines from its black list. http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?id=16705 Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ American Flight Uses a Firm's Satellite-Based Landing System By CHRISTINE NEGRONI Portable global positioning system devices that let travelers know precisely where they are and, more important, direct them to where they want to go, have been around for years. But airline pilots in the United States often must still rely on antiquated ground-based radio and radar equipment to land at airports. So when American Airlines Flight 1916 followed a satellite-based approach to Bradley International Airport near Hartford on Thursday afternoon, it was a momentous occasion, at least according to the pilot. "This is really good stuff," Capt. Brian Will told a small group gathered at the terminal to celebrate the flight, which originated in Dallas. Before departing, Captain Will was so excited about flying the approach, he briefed his passengers on the technology even while doubting they would understand it. "It's a little bit like trying to explain a painting by saying, 'Close your eyes and picture this,' " he said. But Captain Will need not have worried about Caitlin Hardee, a passenger from Seattle. Ms. Hardee understood the technology just fine. "It seems up until now they've had to route the flights along the ground in the track of physical stations, and now they're using GPS with satellites," she explained, while wondering why "they weren't doing it sooner." That gets to the heart of the matter. Airliners have been able to plan and execute GPS approach routes for about 15 years. Since 2005, the Federal Aviation Administration has authorized satellite-based approaches - called R.N.P., or required navigation performance - at more than 100 airports under its plan to modernize United States airspace by 2025. The fact that the American air traffic infrastructure is so well established is one reason progress is slow. "We're in transition from ground-based to aircraft-based systems," said Steve Fulton, an executive with the aviation navigation company Naverus. "You have to continue to operate the airspace while you're improving it, while you are upgrading it," Mr. Fulton said. "We don't have the luxury of flipping a switch overnight and all of a sudden we've got a new one." But airline officials say progress has been too slow. American, Southwest, Alaska Airlines and others have trained their pilots to fly R.N.P. procedures, and about 80 percent of United States airliners have the equipment to do so, the F.A.A. says. Still, the approaches are in use at only a small fraction of American airports. Their use abroad varies from country to country. Because R.N.P. landings are so precise, they are considered safer, and because they can cut miles from the approach route, they are more economical, too. The users "are demanding these procedures because it saves them money," said Dale Wright, director of safety and technology at the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Four years ago, Naverus, which has been setting up satellite-based systems for airlines and airports worldwide, offered to create an R.N.P. approach at Bradley Airport and give it to the F.A.A. for use by any airline that wanted it. It was a two-track plan to demonstrate the company's skill at air navigation while navigating a federal bureaucracy in pursuit of more business. "We would talk to people at the top of the F.A.A., and they were completely 100 percent on board with what we need to do," Mr. Fulton said. "But they had to communicate that to a complex bureaucracy so everyone had the same vision." Mr. Fulton's expertise with the technology is undisputed. As a pilot at Alaska Airlines in 1994, he helped create the first R.N.P. routes, then formed Naverus, which GE Aviation bought last year. Airlines and aviation authorities in Australia, China and Canada have used Naverus to install air traffic systems. Mr. Fulton says he hopes to win that kind of business from the F.A.A. "There's a real skill to designing these procedures and routes, and Naverus is a real subject matter expert by a really good margin," said John Gadzinski, an airline pilot and aviation safety consultant. Whether the Bradley Airport gamble will pay off with an F.A.A. contract to do more approaches is unclear. But after four years of planning, and an evening in the American Airlines simulator practicing the approach the night before the flight, Captain Will could not set the Boeing 737 down on Runway 15 as planned. Tail winds of 20 miles an hour required that he land from a different direction. He dismissed the last-minute change with a shrug. "From flying a very scripted GPS high-navigation-accuracy approach to this runway, we turned around and I hand-flew," he said. "There was no magic, no computers, me hand-flying and looking out the window to fly the other way." It could have been an allegory for the flip side of technology. "There's always going to be things like weather," Mr. Gadzinski said. "You get big thunderstorms and you're back to Square 1." http://www.nytimes.com/ Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4 years after Comair crash, fixes not made FAA adopts only some changes WASHINGTON - Four years after a commuter jet crash killed 49 people in Lexington, some key safety recommendations aimed at preventing a similar accident have not been fully implemented. The Aug. 27, 2006, accident at Lexington's Blue Grass Airport, which occurred as Comair Flight 5191 tried to take off from the wrong runway, prompted a series of proposed changes in procedures and equipment by the National Transportation Safety Board. The Federal Aviation Administration adopted some of the board's recommendations but not others. "We are encouraged by some of the changes that have taken place, but, as in most things with the FAA, progress is just too slow," NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman said in an interview. "It's great that they're working on our recommendations, but that's not going to prevent another accident from happening tomorrow." FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said the agency usually agrees with the NTSB's safety recommendations. The board, Brown said, "has concluded that the FAA's response is acceptable in more than 80 percent of the more than 4,000 recommendations to the FAA it has closed since 1967." But rule-making to implement recommendations takes time, she added. Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., a long-time proponent of aviation safety who is chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said the system is "on the verge of getting better." But he and others say there are still trouble spots. Hersman cited these examples of unfinished business stemming from the Comair accident: Runway and taxiway markings and signs have not been improved at all airports. The busiest airports got a lot of attention in this area, but many smaller facilities haven't followed suit. The FAA says work at all 141 large and medium-sized airports is complete, and upgrades are done at 87 percent of smaller airports. While many airlines now require their pilots to confirm that they are at the right location for their assigned runway, the FAA hasn't ordered that procedure as a pre-takeoff checklist item. The safety board recommended that airlines require their crews to confirm their location before takeoff, and the FAA proposed a rule last year requiring that pilot training include confirmation of proper runway positions. http://www.courier-journal.com/ Back to Top [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103640332876&s=6053&e=001vN36kWW4FghxUwDhL3wkzZ1a5N4ULg3Ndm1vJYSGHrUIdCn3XHBYntNCypPFaAwnaOUbKheUdY9letIWQNvpBUgCRa0cWhYB] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC