Flight Safety Information September 29, 2010 - No. 200 In This Issue SkyWest plane makes emergency landing in Milwaukee Private jet slides off Moore County runway, FAA investigating Air-Safety Groups Will Swap Data In Effort to Reduce Accident Rates US and UN agency differ on airplane liquid ban IATA Calls For Safety Measures In India Police investigate after SAS A340 runs over ground worker Crashed Wind Jet A319 landed hard before runway threshold ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SkyWest plane makes emergency landing in Milwaukee CHICAGO (Reuters) - A SkyWest regional jet made an emergency landing at Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport Tuesday due to a landing gear malfunction, airport and SkyWest officials said. Flight 3074 from Omaha to Milwaukee landed with its left landing gear up at around 5 p.m. local time and the airport was closed for 45 minutes, which airport spokeswoman Pat Rowe described as standard procedure. All 36 passengers and three crew were evacuated safely from the plane. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Private jet slides off Moore County runway, FAA investigating CARTHAGE - Investigators with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are trying to determine why a small private jet slid off the runway Monday at the Moore County Airport. The Beechcraft Premier 1 was flying into the airport from Raleigh to pick up private passengers when it failed to stop at the end of the runway. It slid about 200 feet off the pavement before coming to a stop in wet sand about 12:40 p.m., Airport Manager Ron Maness said. Only the pilot was on board the six-passenger jet at the time, and no one was injured. It appears the aircraft sustained only minor damage, Maness said. It's unclear why the plane did not stop. Though it rained much of the day Monday, the runway was nearly dry when the twin-engine jet landed, he said. http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2010/09/28/1034909?sac=Home [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=gqvqzbdab&et=1103727728813&s=6053&e=0013bUeAXJgwD9_wSz5hpXH0ts9945BUQ0hiQrczQLJxBn9oGYgjmX2-aSfDYrWrVikq5SEhao8FioDpzpIf5HvQ-Ml2UkLV5XifqIXvg1w0F5ca3a0y9bnNO-L6xeRV3QA0nwkzc7Br7Gh_KDc5NnvHeGIzjOL0HfyeULq0XUs1548dmvY83Pmxg==] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Air-Safety Groups Will Swap Data In Effort to Reduce Accident Rates By ANDY PASZTOR (WSJ) Four leading international air-safety organizations signed an agreement Tuesday formally launching an innovative global information exchange designed to swap incident data as a way to reduce commercial aviation accident rates. The agreement, which has been expected, was signed in Montreal by the director general of the International Air Transport Association, an industry group that represents about 230 airlines world-wide. Other groups participating in the first global air-safety data exchange include U.S. and European regulators and the International Civil Aviation Organization, an arm of the United Nations that establishes airline safety standards. The agreement establishes the framework and procedures to help identify incipient safety threats. Giovanni Bisignani, IATA's director general, signed the pact along with U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The four participating groups will select some of the safety information they already collect, and then share that data as part of a global safety information exchange with the aim of identifying lessons learned. Under the agreement, ICAO will act as the coordinator of the exchange. But according to aviation accident experts, some of the biggest safety advances are likely to come from data gathered by IATA from more than 345 airlines around the world, including major Western carriers, emerging market airlines and commuter operations in countries where passenger growth is climbing rapidly. "Today's agreement signals a new era of multilateral cooperation between industry and government to make the skies safer," according to the IATA director general. The commercial aviation accident rate for Western built airliners has been cut about 40% over the past 10 years, based on millions of flights. But the overall global accident rate has basically remained at the same level for some time, with safety regulators in the U.S. and Europe looking for new ways to further reduce accident rates. To further help Africa and Latin America improve commercial-aircraft accident rates that traditionally have been higher than those in the U.S. and Europe, ICAO concluded separate agreements with several regional groups to share safety and security data and practices. Cooperation agreements were signed with the African Union, the African Civil Aviation Commission and the Latin American Civil Aviation Commission. ICAO said the agreements call for enhanced electronic information sharing, joint training and other voluntary efforts between and among regional safety groups. The European Union and the Arab Civil Aviation Commission also signed similar agreements. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ US and UN agency differ on airplane liquid ban TORONTO (AP) - U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Tuesday it's too early to say when aviation officials can lift a ban on liquids on board flights despite international officials saying it could come as early as 2012. Napolitano told The Associated Press she's surprised by International Civil Aviation Organization Secretary General Raymond Benjamin's remarks that security equipment in most airports will allow for the ban to be lifted soon. Napolitano said the technology isn't ready. "I think that's premature," Napolitano said in an interview with The Associated Press. A terrorist plot to blow up trans-Atlantic passenger jets in 2006 using liquid explosives sparked sweeping restrictions for passengers carrying liquids and gels on board flights. The European Union says it plans to phase out restrictions on carrying liquids onto planes by 2013. Benjamin told The AP they think they'll have the equipment in airports within two years. Both officials were in Montreal for a United Nations meeting on global aviation standards. Napolitano said she expects the ICAO will issue a joint declaration that will commit 190 nations to strengthen aviation security measures. She said it will be followed up with a series of regional summits that will discuss implementing measures. Napolitano is urging other nations to use body scanners and other methods to thwart terrorists from carrying plastic and powdered explosives onto airplanes. She said the catalyst is the failed plot to bomb a U.S. airliner last Christmas Day. U.S. authorities say a young Nigerian named Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to detonate a bomb hidden in his underwear during a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. The Montreal meeting comes amid fears of fresh attacks in Europe. The Eiffel Tower in Paris was briefly evacuated Tuesday, the second time in the past week because of an unspecified threat. "I can't comment on what any particular country is doing, but what I can say is that aviation continues to be a target and there continue to be threats against aviation as we saw on Christmas which is why it was important for the countries of the world to come here at ICAO and put that on the agenda and reach a resolution with respect to aviation security," Napolitano said. "It's something that's never been done." Benjamin also announced Tuesday that ICAO, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the European Union and the International Air Transport Association had signed an agreement to share airline safety information. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IATA Calls For Safety Measures In India IATA recommends that its Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) be made mandatory for all Indian carriers. "The recent Air India Express crash reminded us that safety is a constant challenge. Establishing the Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Council (CASAC) is an important step forward. Giovanni Bisignani, director general and CEO of IATA, said at an industry meeting in New Delhi. "I strongly encourage CASAC to recommend IOSA is mandated for all India's carriers. IOSA has helped IATA's members achieve a safety record 2.5 times better than the global average. Taking advantage of this global standard will add a new dimension to India's safety oversight," he added. On Sept. 28 in Montreal, a safety agreement will be signed for the first time among major organizations- IATA, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the U.S. FAA, and the European Union (EU)-for sharing safety data. A declaration of intent was signed in March. The four organizations are working on a way to standardize safety audit information and ensure compliance with local privacy laws and policies. This is targeted to be completed within 12 to 18 months. Bisignani voiced his concerns over the congested Chattrapathi Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai and the need to have an alternate airport by 2016, when passenger numbers could reach 40 million. He also says there is a need for liberalization in foreign direct investment, as well as for security and environmental responsibility. "Democracy cannot be an excuse for bureaucratic logjams," said Bisignani. As margins in the aviation industry move from 0.5% to 1.6% this year, they are not enough to cover capital and make investors happy, said Bisignani. He called for a coordinated approach among government ministries, such as Finance and Civil Aviation, which were at loggerheads and holding back growth by imposing numerous taxes on an industry that was seen as elite but actually serves all of the public. Indian carriers posted a combined loss of $1.7 billion in 2009, with a loss of $400 million expected in 2010. "We are concerned about the $13 billion debt," he added. Bisignani told The DAILY that although he is "pleased to see major improvement-demand increased by 11% and capacity by 7%-this is not the time to celebrate." Indian aviation currently has a market of 42 million annual passengers domestically and a 34 million internationally. "If Indians flew as much as Americans, it would be a market of over 4 billion passengers. With the spending power of Indians set to triple over the next two years, the potential for growth is incredible," said Bisignani. The IOSA program is an internationally recognized and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline. Its audit principles are designed to conduct audits in a standardized manner. http://www.aviationweek.com/ Back to Top [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=gqvqzbdab&et=1103727728813&s=6053&e=0013bUeAXJgwD9Slgmo6ucdtY592wkGf2SacAVyZZKLzva4UzbaHZA-45HHskqhCPSspm8mTlhu0fz1O9tDv7WS7nYDmhSBsLCi] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Police investigate after SAS A340 runs over ground worker Danish police are investigating a serious accident at Copenhagen Airport during which a ramp worker was run over by a Scandinavian Airlines aircraft. The worker suffered serious injuries to both legs, the regional police force says in a statement, adding that he was taken into surgery at the specialised Rigshospitalet trauma centre in the Danish capital. Few details about the circumstances of yesterday's accident have emerged. SAS Group states that the aircraft involved, an Airbus A340, was being manoeuvred in a hangar at the time. "They were towing the aircraft into a hangar and, during the process, very unfortunately [the worker] was hit by the main wheels," says a spokesman for the company. Danish air accident investigation authority Havarikommissionen could not immediately be reached for comment. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crashed Wind Jet A319 landed hard before runway threshold Italian investigators have confirmed that the Wind Jet Airbus A319 damaged in a landing accident at Palermo had touched down hard before the runway threshold. The aircraft had been arriving at the Sicilian city after a flight from Rome on 24 September. Italian accident inquiry agency ANSV states that the cause of the accident has yet to be determined but says that the aircraft "impacted violently before the threshold" of runway 07. It came to rest with its main landing-gear collapsed and damage to other parts of the airframe. Both flight recorders have been retrieved from the twin-jet, says ANSV. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC