Flight Safety Information September 7, 2010 - No. 185 In This Issue Christine Negroni's Blog - at ISASI 2010 China Begins Aviation Inquiry After Finding Fake Pilot UPS Crash Puts Focus on Smoke in Cockpit U.S. ranks Israel air safety in category 2 for second year in a row Spike in Airplane Accidents Raises Concerns EASA and FAA approve Thales 787 simulators UPS: Crashed 747 was three years old ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Flying Lessons Christine Negroni riffs on all things aviation and whatever else inspires her to put words to page. Japanese teach experts a lesson in air safety and apologies Dinner with friends in Tokyo An important part of Japanese culture is revealed on the first page of the traveler's Japanese phrase book. Along with how to say "hello," "please," and "thank you" are the words for "excuse me" and "I'm sorry," sentiments essential in Japan. I'm here in Japan with my sister, to attend the annual conference of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI) and we added a few days in Tokyo to our itinerary. Not unexpectedly with travel, there is the occasional mix-up. But each time the person responsible for the error - no matter how minor, was deeply and immediately apologetic in a manner 180 degrees from the typical American shrug and "s--t-happens" response. But this post is not to gripe about America's inferior service standards. No, this is prelude to a dramatic example of the power and significance of the apology - of taking responsibility for ones' actions and it is an appropriate introduction to what the members of ISASI hope to accomplish here in Sapporo. On Monday morning, I visited Japan Airlines safety promotion center at Haneda Airport, which I mentioned in an article in The New York Times in 2008, but had not yet seen. In this remarkable public collection the wreckage and other mementos of the crash of JAL Flight 123 are on display. In the world's largest single airline accident, 520 people were killed when Flight 123 from Tokyo to Osaka flew into a mountain in 1985. At the JAL safety center, I was met by Akeo Misumi, director of flight safety and operations for the airline. Two aviation insurance executives from London were also on the tour which was conducted by Eri Hojo. Aft pressure bulkhead photo courtesy John Purvis A series of videos explain that Flight 123 suffered an explosive decompression when a repair to the rear pressure bulkhead failed at 24,000 feet. The rush of pressurized cabin air racing out through the rupture at the back of the cabin caused the disintegration of large sections of the rear of the airplane including much of the vertical stabilizer. While the pilots tried to return to the airport at Haneda, the loss of the rudder and all hydraulic lines for control of the aircraft doomed the flight and the B-747 crashed into a mountain. There were four survivors. Letters written by terrified passengers during the 32 minute episode, personal articles, damaged airplane seats and photos of the crash scene are on display at the center and make for a moving exhibition. But JAL has gone even farther than just exhibiting these items. Each piece of wreckage relevant to the demonstration of what happened -- the vertical stabilizer, the maintenance access channel, the hydraulic plumbing system, the pressure bulkhead, and the rear fuselage are displayed, each labeled with a description of its role in the deadly chain of events. Other airplane accident wreckage has been retrieved and reassembled, most notably Pan Am 103 and TWA Flight 800. The air safety department at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona has a number of small crashed airplanes it uses to instruct students pursuing careers in accident investigation. But I can think of no airline that has done what JAL has done; taken responsibility for errors made in such a public and enduring way and making a commitment to remember the consequences of errors. In doing so, it stands as a symbol for an important maxim of transportation safety; mistakes are lessons waiting to be learned. One can talk all day about who is to blame for Flight 123; Boeing failed to follow its own guidance when repairing the pressure bulkhead following a tail strike seven years earlier. But certainly other factors contributed. And this is why, at the JAL center, a number of other airline accidents are featured in a separate gallery, in large panels describing the circumstances of each and concluding with a list of changes that resulted from the investigations. I asked Ms. Hojo whether JAL had difficulty obtaining permission from the victims' families for some of more personal items shown at the center and was told that the families were fully behind JAL and its goals. I suppose for the families and many others, the air safety center is a tribute to the 520 people who died. Prayers for a safe flight posted at a Tokyo shrine Fast forward to today, 25-years after the crash - here in Sapporo, 200 or so air safety investigators have gathering to dissect both the accidents that garnered worldwide attention and the seemingly insignificant incidents that few outside of this circle will ever know about. I can't help thinking that the air safety center is tribute to them too, and to the changes that make flying safer that are the products of their work. Posted by Christine Negroni at 9:51 PM http://christinenegroni.blogspot.com/2010/09/important-part-of-japanese-culture-is.html [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=gqvqzbdab&et=1103664425810&s=6053&e=001AiUw31JK8rl08mhwSUoaWs5B5LDxd-zkNeuRoW8X3l6KKWancqZuo4bx8qqS2b8umB6gVvFRF-oSAbpLEAcpFHL2xrTT3-nHuCShCK6cU0--UsCO8hvgO3UmPaWQjZ4nbsZRZj0Fi5r2tRkPVt1IaqHJGEYFqOMJaHXuRw6oxpbNED61moXWkSxCXgYB4Dn610gcKT-_si8=] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ China Begins Aviation Inquiry After Finding Fake Pilot HONG KONG (NYT) - The Chinese government is conducting a broad investigation into the qualifications of the country's pilots, aircraft mechanics, flight trainers and other aviation personnel after finding that as many as 200 commercial pilots may have falsified their résumés in 2008 and 2009, according to reports in the Chinese news media on Monday and Tuesday. The investigation started even before the deadly Aug. 24 crash of a Henan Airlines plane that came down well short of the runway while attempting a night landing in Yichun, a town in northeast Heilongjiang Province, according to Chinese news media. Regulators at the Civil Aviation Administration of China could not be reached for comment on Tuesday morning. The Henan Airlines crash, of an Embraer 190 made in Brazil, killed 42 and injured 54. The crash has caused such a scandal in China that although it did not occur in Henan Province, the authorities have ordered the airline to change its name, so as to limit harm to the province's image. News reports indicated that slightly more than half of the pilots found to have given fake qualifications on their résumés worked for Henan Airlines' fast-growing parent, Shenzhen Airlines. Officials at Shenzhen Airlines could not be reached for comment. Peter Harbison, the chairman of the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation in Sydney, said that except for the Henan Airlines crash last month, China has had a strong reputation for aviation safety in recent years. "They certainly do actually, which is not what I would have said five or six years ago," he said. China's top leaders have given aviation regulators a clear mandate to make safety their top priority and told the chief executives of the nation's airlines that they would be held personally responsible for any crashes, Mr. Harbison said. The tendency for Chinese carriers to err on the side of safety is sometimes visible at Hong Kong International Airport. During storms, the Chinese planes tend to be a little quicker to divert to other airports while the planes of international carriers continue to land. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UPS Crash Puts Focus on Smoke in Cockpit By NOUR MALAS And ANDY PASZTOR (WSJ) The investigation into the United Parcel Service Inc. cargo plane that crashed while attempting to return to Dubai last week, killing both pilots, has revived safety concerns about preventing and responding to cockpit smoke. Investigators are trying to determine why the experienced crew, after reporting smoke and declaring an emergency about 20 minutes after takeoff, decided to return to Dubai rather than opting to land at a closer strip. For years, aircraft manufacturers, regulators and safety experts world-wide have emphasized the importance of landing as quickly as possible-ideally in less than 20 minutes-in the event of smoke or fire. On Friday, UPS Flight No. 6, a Boeing Co. 747-400 aircraft, was headed to Cologne, Germany, from Dubai when it indicated it was returning to the Dubai airport "with smoke in the cockpit, unable to maintain altitude and requested the airport for landing," the preliminary report by the United Arab Emirates' General Civil Aviation Authority said. Radar contact was lost with the plane about 50 minutes after it took off at 7:15 p.m. local time, the report said. The crash is the first fatal aircraft incident for package-delivery giant UPS. The United Arab Emirates' GCCA said late Friday it had recovered the bodies of the two pilots, and UPS over the weekend identified the two as U.S. citizens. The plane went down in a patch of unpopulated desert inside a military base. There were no reports of ground casualties. The probe is looking into whether the fire on the three-year-old Boeing 747 started in the cockpit as many air-safety experts currently assume, or if smoke barriers intended to protect the pilots from fires in the cargo hold functioned properly. Preliminary information released by authorities in the United Arab Emirates suggests heavy smoke may have prevented the pilots from switching radio frequencies, properly operating their flight-management computers or controlling the jet's speed and altitude. The investigation's progress is being followed closely by airlines, pilots and safety experts because many of the same type of 747s carry passengers around the world. Some experts said it may be difficult to determine the precise location where the fire may have started because a post-crash fire destroyed much of the wreckage. According to investigators and industry officials, the jumbo jet approached the Dubai airport flying twice as fast as normal, passed overhead at a "very high altitude" and then turned and descended rapidly, apparently to try another approach. Over the weekend, industry safety experts said the plane leveled off briefly and then crashed inside a military compound, near a residential area. Visibility was excellent and winds were light at the field. According to pilots and industry officials, the crash also is expected to focus attention on the plane's systems to remove smoke from the cockpit in case of an emergency. The UPS crew reportedly told air-traffic controllers they were "flying blind" and asked controllers to confirm the plane's altitude when they were on the way back, according to Web postings by two pilots who said they listened to the transmissions. The accident is renewing debate over the importance of installing advanced smoke hoods for pilots-already used on smaller planes operated by cargo carrier FedEx Corp.- to ensure visibility in the cockpit when dense smoke is present. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ U.S. ranks Israel air safety in category 2 for second year in a row Israel was downgraded in 2008 and has failed to regain its previous status; State Comptroller will issue a report on flight safety in Israel. The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Monday ranked Israel's air safety level at category 2 for the second year in a row. Nigeria scored highest in the ratings, receiving a category 1 status. Israel first received the category 2 ranking after failing to pass the FAA's inspection in 2008. That downgrade came due to the lack of adequate supervision by the Israeli Civil Aviation Authority over light, private and sports aviation. Israel's attempts to return to its previous category 1 ranking failed, as the FAA's supervision team has not yet approved the Israeli flight safety improvement program. The supervision team is due to arrive in Israel after the holidays, and may restore Israel's flight safety status to the highest ranking come 2011. State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss will issue a report on the matter next week, and is expected to recommend establishing a new national authority to investigate transport accidents. The new organization would supervise the investigations of all aviation, naval and ground transportation accidents in Israel, similarly to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). It would also be in charge of inquiries into public train and bus accidents. Lindenstrauss has been examining civilian flight safety in Israel since 2007, following a report by a public committee on the issue. The committee found a series of safety deficiencies, including problems in flight control area coordination between military and civilian aviation authorities. Other issues discussed in Lindenstrauss' report include the safety levels at Ben-Gurion and Ovda airports, and the quarrelsome relationship between officials in the Transport Ministry and the civil aviation authority, which affects the quality of transportation inquiries. Avner Ovadia, a senior manager in the international relations and public relations department at the Ministry of Transport and Road Safety, said that the civilian aviation authority has made all the necessary preparations for returning Israel back to category 1 in flight safety. http://www.haaretz.com/ Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Spike in Airplane Accidents Raises Concerns, Questions With four months left, 2010 is poised to become the deadliest year for passenger aircraft accidents in the past five years, The Wall Street Journal reports. Through the first eight months of this year, there have been 13 fatal airplane crashes around the globe, according to the London-based aviation consulting firm Ascend Worldwide. That already matches the total for 2008, and is three more deadly crashes than occurred in 2009. Because of significant safety improvements over the past several decades, airline experts think that declines in crashes are starting to level off. Kevin Hiatt, the executive vice president of the nonprofit organization Flight Safety Foundation, told the Wall Street Journal, "You can look at it as a plateau in the western world." While any jump in plane crashes is worrying, the 2010 figures don't necessarily represent a return to a more dangerous past in the airline industry. Fifty years ago, there were 36 accidents per 1 million flights; in the past decade, that number hasn't exceed 0.6 accidents per million takeoffs. As Hiatt indicates, a major focus for safety is in the developing world, with Africa the most dangerous continent to step on a plane. The Federal Aviation Administration says African airlines suffered catastrophic plane accidents with 25 times the frequency of their counterparts in the U.S. Carriers in the Middle East, Latin America, and parts of Asia experienced such crashes five times more frequently than U.S. airlines. http://www.fairwarning.org/2010/09/spike-in-airplane-accidents-raises-concerns-questions/ Back to Top [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=gqvqzbdab&et=1103664425810&s=6053&e=001AiUw31JK8rnLc-NLyZCbsX5WY17-lEmUptOCqanrLXGPDRyE8L8TWLHxn91KmpLVw0c7jzHApsLEhujNLlSJx_8QRWI0ArQo] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ EASA and FAA approve Thales 787 simulators European and US regulators have approved two Boeing 787 full-flight simulators and two associated 787 flight-training devices manufactured by specialist Thales. The two simulators have been cleared to interim Level C by the European Aviation Safety Agency and the US FAA. Thales says EASA has also awarded Level 2 approval to the flight-training device while the FAA has granted Level 5. It adds that the 787 equipment meets "the highest fidelity they can be with the existing aircraft data". Thales is providing nine training suites for the 787 to Boeing Training & Flight Services, each of which will include a full-flight simulator, flat-panel trainers and desktop simulation equipment. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UPS: Crashed 747 was three years old US freight carrier UPS' Boeing 747-400 which crashed while attempting an emergency return to Dubai had entered service just three years ago. The airframe, N571UP, had accumulated 9,977hr over a total of 1,764 cycles, the carrier states. "It was up to date on all maintenance," adds UPS, pointing out that the aircraft had undergone a "major inspection" in June this year. UPS ordered eight 747-400 freighters in 2005, fitted with General Electric CF6 engines, and started taking delivery of the aircraft in 2007. Last year the carrier also agreed to acquire four 747-400Fs from Cargolux, as the Luxembourg-based operator renewed its fleet with 747-8Fs. UPS says both pilots of the aircraft which crashed at Dubai were stationed at its Anchorage base. The captain had been with the carrier since 1995, the first officer since 2006. United Arab Emirates investigators state that the pilots of the aircraft, which had departed for Cologne on 3 September, were trying to return to Dubai after the outbreak of fire. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC