Flight Safety Information September 6, 2010 - No. 184 In This Issue 'Thick Smoke' Reported in UPS 747-400 Cockpit Before Accident ddle Eastern Aviation Authorities Seek Ways To De-Congest Airspace Cup of tea forces jet to make emergency landing Pilots Needed for Cockpits as Asia Boom Creates Shortage Voice recorder from UPS jet that crashed in Dubai is found Continental Airlines recalls 132 furloughed pilots Victims' Families Fight Film About Madrid Plane Crash Chinese pilots lied about flying records Portland man arrested after incident on flight ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 'Thick Smoke' Reported in UPS 747-400 Cockpit Before Accident Three-Year Old Airplane Attempted Emergency Landing Before Impact While the accident investigation is barely underway, a number of industry and media reports indicate that the crew was struggling with extensive visual impairments caused by thick smoke in the cockpit prior to the aircraft's impact off airport after at least one attempt to execute an emergency landing after its departure. According to the NTSB, "At about 8:00 pm local time (1600 UTC), United Parcel Service (UPS) Flight 6, a Boeing 747-400F (N571UP), crashed while attempting to land at Dubai International Airport (DXB), Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The flight had reportedly departed from Dubai approximately 45-minutes earlier enroute to Cologne, Germany, but the flight crew declared an emergency and requested an immediate return to DXB. Preliminary information indicates that the airplane impacted inside an Emirati air base near a busy highway intersection, approximately 9 miles from Dubai's international airport. The two flight crew members were fatally injured, and it is unknown at this time whether any ground fatalities resulted. The airplane was being operated as a scheduled cargo flight from Dubai, UAE to Cologne, Germany." UPS has disclosed that, "At the request of the families, UPS can now confirm that two of our crewmembers, Captain Doug Lampe of Louisville, Kentucky, and First Officer Matthew Bell of Sanford, Florida, lost their lives in the crash of Flight 6 yesterday, Sept. 3, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The two pilots were flying a 747-400 en route to Cologne, Germany, when it crashed near Dubai International Airport shortly after takeoff." "This is a terrible tragedy, and all of us at UPS extend our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of both of these crewmembers," said UPS CEO Scott Davis. "Our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with them during this difficult time." Captain Lampe, 48, had been with UPS since 1995. First Officer Bell, 38, has been with UPS since 2006. Both crewmembers flew out of UPS's Anchorage, Alaska domicile, or pilot base. The downed aircraft was a relatively new bird... "The aircraft, tail number N571UP, was just three years old, entering UPS service off the Boeing production line in September 2007. The airframe had flown 9977 hours, completing 1764 takeoffs and landings. It was up to date on all maintenance, having just completed a major inspection in June 2010." UPS reports that it owns 12 747-400s, eight of which are new, and four of which have been purchased from other carriers and adapted for UPS use. The aircraft, which has a payload capacity of nearly 258,600 pounds, is used on long-range international routes, such as the regular Dubai-Cologne routing. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has dispatched an aviation investigation team to assist the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of the United Arab Emirates in the crash investigation. The GCAA will take the lead on the investigation and release all information on the progress of the investigation. NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman has designated senior air safety investigator Bill English as the U.S. accredited representative. His team will include NTSB specialists in the areas of human performance, fire, operations and systems. The team will also include technical advisors from the FAA, Boeing, UPS, GE and the Independent Pilots Association. A UPS team has arrived in Dubai, and will cooperate with authorities in the investigation. "We established an internal command center within minutes of learning of this tragedy. It will be staffed around the clock with experts from every part of our operation," said UPS Airlines President Bob Lekites. "Safe, secure operations are our top priorities for our employees, our customers, and our public stakeholders." FMI: www.ups.com, www.ntsb.gov Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Middle Eastern Aviation Authorities Seek Ways To De-Congest Airspace Air Traffic System Struggles To Keep Up With Growth In the Region According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Middle Eastern airlines saw an increase in airline passenger demand of 16.8 percent in July year-on-year, and a 19.4 percent jump over the first seven months of the year. The Middle East has seen rapid growth in air traffic due to increasing number of flights operating from the regional hub. But the increase is causing significant pressure on the region's air traffic control operations. With around 80% of Middle Eastern airspace being restricted for military use, air corridors are becoming busier, and this is putting pressure on regional authorities to increase the capacity and efficiency of air traffic operations. Despite warnings from IATA that this growth is unsustainable and is now entering a slower phase, the region is already experiencing flight and landing delays due to the amount of traffic. To cope with the growth in passenger demand, regional airlines are increasing their fleets. Emirates, for example, already operate 12 Airbus A380's, and has 72 on order, among other recent purchases. Airports are not far behind either, with new projects such as Dubai's Al Maktoum International Airport, which is already operating flights, and Abu Dhabi's announced construction of a $7 billion international airport to help meet traffic demands in the Emirate. Air traffic control operators and authorities are having to match this growth by either increasing the capacity of the region's corridors, or the efficiency of how they are used. "New technology, such as satellite CNS, enables a lot of Middle East countries to restructure their ATC units and their airspace" said Ehab Abdel Galil, Air Traffic Controller at the National Air Navigation Services Company (NANSC) in Egypt. "More collaboration between civilian and military authorities to meet the growth of traffic in this region" is needed, according to Ehab. Working together would enable an increased availability of airspace to help relieve some of the traffic congestion in the Middle East. "I think the whole region is moving forward on these issues, which will impact the redesign of regional network airways," he added. Ehab will join the Director-Generals of UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Saudi's Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), the Syrian Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA), and Oman's Civil Aviation and Meteorology Authority, to map out the best way forward in achieving this more efficient re-design of regional airspace. They will hold the 2nd Annual Air Traffic Control Optimisation Summit, November 1st and 2nd in Dubai, UAE. The outcome of the summit may well have a significant impact on the future growth of air traffic in the Middle East and end constant delays. The Air Traffic Control Optimization Summit will explore how the region's air traffic control authorities and operators are working together with airlines and military establishments to increase the capacity and efficiency of the region's air traffic corridors. FMI: www.airtrafficcontrolsummit.com Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cup of tea forces jet to make emergency landing A British plane en route to Poland was forced to make an emergency landing in Germany after a 56-year-old woman spilled a hot cup of tea on herself, German police said on last week. The Ryanair flight from Liverpool to Poznan made the unscheduled landing in the northwestern city of Bremen last Tuesday, local police said. The British woman was treated for scalding at the airport and released -- but not before the plane resumed its journey without her. She later took a train to Poland, police said. http://www.smh.com.au/ [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=gqvqzbdab&et=1103662579316&s=6053&e=0019hP4jeQ1fDgfWqi28ZBH8qQf0AEMDZhOCpk1N9tntYfJG3Lj83TJQFb7tEo7gGUaM2CD24p3fHlKs9GJfygHYKi0aXjIU1dWEg2cEqN1TthSLJemKhmaQA==] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pilots Needed for Cockpits as Asia Boom Creates Shortage Philippine Airlines Inc. canceled flights in July and August and rebooked passengers after losing 27 pilots to higher paying jobs abroad. Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., Qantas Airways Ltd. and Emirates Airline are awaiting deliveries of about 400 planes to capitalize on Asia's rising prosperity. Finding pilots is the next job. Boeing Co. expects the region's carriers to be the biggest buyers of twin-aisle planes as travel grows in China and India, home to a combined 1.1 billion middle-class people. Asia-Pacific airlines will buy about 8,000 planes worth $1.2 trillion over the next 20 years, Airbus SAS said. Airlines worldwide need an average of 49,900 pilots a year from 2010 to 2030 as fleets expand, yet current training capacity is only 47,025, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal. That is sparking bidding wars as Emirates offers tax-free salaries and four-bedroom villas for captains, and AirAsia Bhd., the region's biggest budget airline, gives tuition-free training. "It's a major issue and will be a big challenge to the industry's growth," said Binit Somaia, a Sydney-based analyst for the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. "Even if you can find the pilots, you have to pay top dollar for them because they are so scarce." China, India China, the world's fastest-growing major aviation market, likely will account for a third of the region's orders, Airbus, the world's biggest aircraft maker, said in February. Its economy will grow 10.5 percent this year, compared with world growth of 4.6 percent, according to International Monetary Fund estimates. India, with estimated growth of 9.4 percent this year, may overtake China as the world's fastest-growing major economy as early as 2013, according to Morgan Stanley. This year, the region's carriers ordered 133 commercial jets with more than 100 seats, or 23 percent of the global total, according to Ascend Worldwide Ltd., a London-based aviation forecaster and data provider. "There will be a shortage of pilots, and this is going to last for a while because it takes time to produce a good pilot," said Elmer Pena, president of the Airline Pilots Association of the Philippines. Philippine Airlines Inc. canceled flights in July and August and rebooked passengers after losing 27 pilots to higher paying jobs abroad. Fleet Doubles The demand in Asia contrasts with the 4,500 U.S. airline pilots on furlough, according to figures compiled by Kit Darby, a retired United Airlines pilot now running an Atlanta-based consulting firm. That situation shouldn't last long. The global fleet of cargo and large passenger planes will double to nearly 32,000 by 2028 from 15,750 last year, according to Airbus. The major U.S. airlines are expected to hire more than 40,000 pilots in the next 12 years, said Louis Smith, president of FltOps.com, which provides career counseling services and sponsors job fairs. World passenger traffic is expected to increase an average of 4.7 percent a year between 2009 and 2028, according to Airbus. "I believe one can expect serious shortages among the foreign carriers who can't afford to pay what it takes to attract qualified pilots," Smith said. $28 Billion Expansion Emirates is the largest Arab airline with more than 200 planes on order. It aims to recruit 250 pilots this year and double that number in 2011, it said in a statement. The company, which needs more than $28 billion through 2017 for expansion, sought to recruit in Houston, Madrid and Singapore. Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong's biggest carrier, will recruit 1,000 people, including crew, Chief Operating Officer John Slosar said. PT Garuda Indonesia placed a newspaper advertisement last month seeking pilots "fluent in English and of good character." Jetstar, the budget arm of Qantas, plans to recruit 120 more pilots by next summer. Singapore Airlines Ltd. and AirAsia, based near Kuala Lumpur, set up their own tuition-free training academies. Singapore Air's flying college graduates about 150 cadet pilots a year, while AirAsia's facility trains as many as 500 a year. Graduates must stay with the budget carrier for five years, AirAsia Chief Executive Officer Tony Fernandes said. New flight schools also are opening. CAPA is investing at least $125 million to build an aerospace university in India that can train about 300 pilots a year, Somaia said. The shortage, and hiring by a new crop of budget carriers, also could push wages higher. "There is a misconception that low-cost airlines pay lower salaries," said Tony Davis, chief executive officer of budget carrier Tiger Airways Holdings Ltd., part-owned by Singapore Air "We couldn't do that in a competitive market." Basic pay for Singapore Air captains flying twin-aisle Boeing 777s or the Airbus A330s begin at S$9,300 ($6,870) a month, excluding allowances, said P. James, president of the Air Line Pilots Association of Singapore. They also earn a productivity allowance of as much as S$3,800 for flying 70 hours a month. Emirates offers a starting monthly salary of 34,410 dirhams ($9,370) for captains, according to its website. That excludes benefits such as hourly flying and productivity payments. Its other perks include a tax-free basic salary, profit sharing, villas for captains and free dry cleaning of uniforms, its website said. Those incentives help attract candidates to an increasingly demanding job, said Barry Jackson, president of the Australian and International Pilots Association, who has been a pilot at Qantas since 1987. "Young people these days prefer to become doctors or lawyers," he said. "This sort of career path is becoming less desirable." http://www.bloomberg.com/ [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=gqvqzbdab&et=1103662579316&s=6053&e=0019hP4jeQ1fDirFilw3qSr2yzLCrGSyQGK9kCm_u61R5KOCUjSbVMkgumgJzmjYlPLwh068Dz-NNqRu3D7GlI83Q3Aya9uHF3p-m-cvvDjctNV8XtSC0i7rQ==] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Voice recorder from UPS jet that crashed in Dubai is found TEL AVIV (MarketWatch) - Investigators looking into the Friday crash of a UPS plane in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, have recovered the cockpit voice recorder and were trying to locate the flight-data recorder, a Sunday statement from the General Civil Aviation Authority of the UAE said. On Saturday, UPS had confirmed that the pilot and first officer were killed when the Boeing 747 crashed shortly after takeoff from Dubai International Airport en route to Cologne, Germany. It was UPS's first plane incident in which people were killed, media reports said. A statement from the UAE aviation agency said the plane took off from Dubai's airport on Friday at 6:53 p.m. local time (10:53 a.m. U.S. Eastern). Twenty-two minutes later, the statement said, "information was received from Bahrain" that the plane had been unable to maintain altitude and was returning to the airport with smoke in the cockpit. The plane was cleared to land but it crashed in an unpopulated area 50 minutes after takeoff, the Dubai agency said. In a late Saturday statement, UPS said Capt. Doug Lampe, 48, of Louisville, Ky., and First Officer Matthew Bell, 38, of Sanford, Fla., were killed in the crash. They were the only people on board the aircraft. Lampe had been with UPS since 1995 and Bell since 2006. They flew out of UPS's pilot base in Anchorage, Alaska, the Atlanta package-delivery giant /quotes/comstock/13*!ups/quotes/nls/ups (UPS 67.64, +0.52, +0.77%) said. The aircraft was three years old. "The airframe had flown 9,977 hours, completing 1,764 takeoffs and landings," and the plane was "up to date on all maintenance, having just completed a major inspection in June 2010," UPS said. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is sending a team to assist the UAE agency in the crash investigation, UPS said. And UPS said a team of its staff has arrived in Dubai to assist in the inquiry. [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=gqvqzbdab&et=1103662579316&s=6053&e=0019hP4jeQ1fDixe4HNVHnbq5qxghegeD0bAKEuldlp7iJjmtaip3Pmc5uxttSLMqo3ccheQXcOQJt2yqvDauVPdrOsgSy20l1Z] Back to Top [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=gqvqzbdab&et=1103662579316&s=6053&e=0019hP4jeQ1fDixe4HNVHnbq5qxghegeD0bAKEuldlp7iJjmtaip3Pmc5uxttSLMqo3ccheQXcOQJt2yqvDauVPdrOsgSy20l1Z] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Continental Airlines recalls 132 furloughed pilots NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- In a move reflecting the recovering business of health of airlines, the pilots union for Continental Airlines /quotes/comstock/13*!cal/quotes/nls/cal (CAL 23.68, +0.18, +0.77%) said Friday that the carrier plans to recall more than 100 furloughed pilots over the next 18 months. Capt. Jay Pierce, chairman of Continental's pilot unit of the Air Line Pilots Association, credited growing passenger traffic and anticipated aircraft deliveries for the additional work. Continental Airlines furloughed 147 pilots in September, 2008. A small number, 15, were recalled earlier this year. The recalled pilots return for training sometime in the fourth quarter. No one from Continental was available for comment. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Victims' Families Fight Film About Madrid Plane Crash MADRID - A Spanish association representing victims of a plane crash and their families is fighting this week's broadcast of the second half of a film about the crash. The association has filed complaints in two Spanish courts seeking to block the channel Telecinco from showing the film, "Vuelo IL 8714," a dramatization based on the crash during takeoff of a Spanair jet headed from Madrid to the Canary Islands on Aug. 20, 2008, killing 154 people. The courts have yet to rule, and Telecinco, which made the film, broadcast the first part on Wednesday. The second part is scheduled to be broadcast this Wednesday. The complaint hinges upon the fact that the crash is still under judicial investigation. Representatives of the group met last week with the management of Telecinco, which defends its right to show a prominent production featuring several leading Spanish actors. The company said by e-mail that it "respected the position of the associations representing relatives of victims and trusted fully in the seriousness of its project." Intellectual property lawyers have been watching the dispute closely as a test case for such dramatizations. Borja Vidaurre, partner at VTF Abodagos, a Spanish law firm that specializes in media issues, said the association would have a stronger case against Telecinco if it had the backing of the judge investigating the crash. Without such support, however, "this seems to me to be more an ethical than a judicial question, and so it seems difficult to argue this on legal grounds," he said. The association said it had collected 65,000 signatures in three days from people demanding that the film be scrapped. The strongest opposition has come from the Canary Islands, where many of the passengers lived. The association is now calling for a boycott of any products related to Telecinco, which is controlled by Mediaset, the Italian media group founded by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Dramatizations have long been a mainstay of the film industry. "United 93," a film about one of the planes that crashed during the terrorist attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, won acclaim. "The difference between this movie and those made about 9/11 and other tragedies is that this fictional account comes as we're still waiting to get the truth about why this tragedy happened," said Pilar Vera, president of the association. "I cannot think of a single case of such a fiction being allowed, not only without the permission of relatives but also with the risk of causing serious prejudice to a judicial investigation." http://www.nytimes.com/ [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=gqvqzbdab&et=1103662579316&s=6053&e=0019hP4jeQ1fDi5-ZGqKJ1CH6e9qe4GvxLHxBJISMeDTcC5Y7uD8fGMlIYoIGxhXK2rNX49IILOnxuLtL5e1JucypPKdyGBEdp4WXJ5EnjK_wpTrP687iYaTQ==] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chinese pilots lied about flying records (BBC) Henan Airlines employed pilots who lied about their history, it has emerged China is checking the qualifications of all its commercial pilots, after it emerged that more than 200 of them lied about their experience. The revelation follows an investigation last year by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). Half the pilots worked for the parent company of an airline involved in a recent fatal plane crash. Shenzhen Airlines is the parent company of Henan Airlines, whose aircraft crashed last month killing 42 people. Fifty-four passengers and crew survived the crash, in which the plane missed the runway. Between 2008 and 2009, the employment histories of more than 200 Chinese commercial pilots were found to have been falsified, with some of them embellishing their flying histories. The report said that some of those involved were former military pilots who became civil pilots. After being discovered, pilots were grounded and had to go through re-examinations and re-assessment. A further investigation into qualifications has now been launched by the CAAC, the country's aviation regulator, which says it cannot guarantee it has got rid of all the underqualified pilots. This new investigation will also look at others involved in China's aviation industry, including flight trainers, airline investigators, repair crews and air traffic controllers. Separately, investigators looking into the Henan Airlines crash were focusing on the qualifications of the pilot. China's aviation industry is among the fastest-growing in the world, creating strong demand for experienced aviation professionals. In 2006, it had 11,000 commercial air pilots and hundreds more have been added since then. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Portland man arrested after incident on flight from Amsterdam to Portland Multnomah County Sheriff's OfficeDonald Robert Welty, 48, of Portland, was taken into custody on a Delta Airlines flight to Portland from Amsterdam after he had reportedly been drinking and became belligerent with crew members. He was later arrested and charged. A Portland man was arrested last week after he allegedly had too much to drink on a Delta Airlines flight, became belligerent and had to be subdued by a U.S. air marshal, according to a story posted on NYCaviation.com. The story says Donald Robert Welty, 48, was on Delta Airlines flight 261 that left from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in The Netherlands at 1:20 p.m. local time on Thursday for Portland International Airport. Welty had reportedly been drinking alcohol on board and a flight attendant eventually refused to serve him. Welty allegedly became angry and threatened the flight crew. That's when an undercover U.S. air marshal on board placed him in custody. According to the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office website, Welty was detained by Port of Portland officials when the flight landed at 2:35 p.m. Thursday at the Portland airport. He is charged with attempted assault of a police officer, disorderly conduct and harassment. Welty posted bail and was released Friday. A Port of Portland official refused comment about the incident Sunday and referred all questions to the U.S. attorney's office. No one in the office could be reached Sunday. http://www.oregonlive.com/ [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=gqvqzbdab&et=1103662579316&s=6053&e=0019hP4jeQ1fDi7RmEGbPNsfWQuGQEeF7dRd-p3giKqVCA4jYkXSp6mWtUfxzj6G4Mt139Ajqu3GKdiLw72UAKdQ42Ozdz9BcZRsBsLkSmdR2Ml2oYGJsCTDQ==] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC