Flight Safety Information October 13, 2010 - No. 210 In This Issue Bodies recovered after plane crash near Kabul French court recognises crime in Air France crash Lapses in chopper crashes: Probe finds bad records, safety issues ICAO reaches 'historic agreement' on aviation safety Finnish Aviation Union Strike could Disrupt Finnair Flights More than a half of aircrafts of Kyrgyzstan's civil aviation not airworthy Reform in pilot training is undercut by industry official heading panel Safety conference findings emphasises open communication for further development of aviation safety UAE: Flight risks in spotlight ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bodies recovered after plane crash near Kabul Five bodies have been recovered after a cargo plane crashed in a fireball and plummeted into a mountain crevice near the Afghan capital, says officials. Afghan officials said late on Tuesday that all eight crew members on board the C-130 cargo plane perished in the accident. They were identified as six Filipinos, one Indian and one Kenyan. "Last night 250 Afghan soldiers were sent to the area to search for the crashed plane. They located the crash site and have recovered five bodies," Afghan defence ministry spokesman Mohammad Zahir Azimi told AFP. Nangyalai Qalatwal, spokesman for the Afghan transport and civil aviation ministry, said the cause of the crash was still unclear. The plane was operating on behalf of US-based National Air Cargo and had taken off from Bagram, one of the largest US-run military bases in Afghanistan, 60 kilometres north of Kabul. Local aviation officials said the plane was carrying goods on behalf of the US-led NATO force in Afghanistan, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), but an ISAF spokesmen say they were still checking those reports. National Air Cargo told AFP that the aircraft belonged to Trans Afrique, a company based in Ghana. "We're a customer of theirs and I believe they were on a flight on our behalf," National Air Cargo CEO Preston Murray told AFP by telephone. Tuesday's accident was the second aviation crash in five months over the treacherous mountains that lie outside Kabul. On May 17, a commercial passenger jet operated by Afghan airline Pamir Airways slammed into mountains in the Surkh-e-Parsa area of the Shakar Darah mountains, killing all 44 people on board. In February 2005, a Boeing 737 operated by private company Kam Air also crashed in mountains on the outskirts of Kabul during heavy snow. All 104 people on board, including two dozen foreigners, were killed. Source: http://www.timeslive.co.za/world/article704393.ece/Bodies-recovered-after-plane-crash-near-Kabul [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=gqvqzbdab&et=1103775111212&s=6053&e=001NNh7PiqN4EdU80hoNyvA_XpSz6TWdDvsbgY2l-AS7a-UDHZefOX0peJ4SIlqqj2Me09YRUPJcCrOTbxfMebrGAFkaVXiENYIXLqbZut1gIFNHQ8QJ7LG727decnMvSCbumKoo1_nG87ql4QpPTpTwJiP3ANhJW4x5RBzu8m-B50kZbrGw9_iGyZEKnpAwcphEpWX4OtIn7sfeVyY2CkGiQ==] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ French court recognises crime in Air France crash A French High Court strongly suspects foul play occurred in an Air France crash last year. Var High Court, which is located in southern France, formally acknolweleged that the existence of crime was highly suspected in an Air France crash on Flight 447 of last year, May 31 to be exact, which was heading from Rio de Janerio in Brazil on its way to the French capital Paris but sank in the Atlantic Ocean - killing all 228 passengers and crew members that were aboard in turn. The crash was deemed by accident experts as being one of the most costly in the history of aviation, with 700 million Euros lost. The Var Court defined the crime to be manslaughter, without an intent to kill, an means that the families of the victims need not wait any longer to learn of the outcome of investigations or if they will receive damages. In compliance with the Provisional Order, problems apparently occurred on the plane because of its Thales AA speed sensors, as in prior flights of the AF-447, which are adequate to constitute a crime. Calibration faults of the speed sensors aboard the Air Bus aircraft, facilitated with probes, were verified more than twelve times before the crash occured, including for Air Caraibes. After their discovery, the company's technicians alerted the manufacturers of Air Bus aircrafts that sensors clogged-up with ice could trigger a series of failures in the vital navigation systems of aircraft. It was also decided in court that the French government should pay out 20,000 euros in total to the family of half-French, half-Argentine stewardess Clara Amadon - with the sum to be equally split between her father and her brother. Source: http://news.carrentals.co.uk/french-court-recognizes-crime-in-air-france-crash-34217835.html [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=gqvqzbdab&et=1103775111212&s=6053&e=001NNh7PiqN4Ef1uL2tYYzs71bVZE432APP8Dbxcf1wAOHQme2mYgIo9PY-UEZTgPWnswD4XfG1dpNoTemCbhCer6ybYoqNZbM5cKC60ZTaS1EcBMymxMLhxgUou2Lt0QhgRAsrsuzsXYvhsiQ3xGhPqb-X9jB4y7v3r4cuImbFKJSyFOkbH90WOpbccb3AHmidHXiirnyucH0=] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lapses in chopper crashes: Probe finds bad records, safety issues Federal investigators probing a helicopter crash that killed seven firefighters during a California blaze have uncovered widespread violations and falsified records, the latest in a string of accidents raising questions about the safety of flights operated for government agencies. Carson Helicopters was attempting to evacuate a group of smoke jumpers from a 6,000-foot mountain on Aug. 5, 2008, when its chopper slammed into trees and burst into flames. The crash also killed one company pilot and a flight inspector. Four others were injured in the flight, which was under contract to the U.S. Forest Service. The Carson pilots had made two improper takeoffs in the hours before the crash and the firm used false information about the weight of the large helicopter, according to federal records reviewed by USA TODAY. The result was that the chopper had no margin for error when it lifted off in a mountaintop clearing, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Public records released by the NTSB also show that Forest Service inspectors did not notice problems before the accident. Carson declined to comment on the accident. In a submission to the NTSB, the firm argued that NTSB documents were wrong and an engine failure caused the crash. Forest Service spokesman Joe Walsh also declined to comment. Aircraft operated on behalf of government agencies are "an orphan of the safety system," said former NTSB chairman Jim Hall. The Federal Aviation Administration, which oversees commercial and private aviation, has no legal authority to regulate government flights. "The standards that we have for other categories of aircraft are essentially ignored," he said. The NTSB has repeatedly raised concerns about safety on government flights, citing the problem in accident reports and issuing a 2001 special study on the issue. Since 2007, 17 people have died in five crashes of flights operated for the Forest Service alone, according to NTSB records. Investigators have not issued their final report on the helicopter accident in 2008 near Weaverville, Calif., but documents revealed so far raise safety concerns similar to what has arisen in earlier cases on government flights: -- The Carson Sikorsky S-61N weighed about 1,000 pounds more than its pilots realized because of inaccurate information kept by the company. After the accident, the Forest Service found "significant discrepancies" in weights reported for Carson's other helicopters and terminated its contract. The weight was significant because NTSB data show that the helicopter was nearly too heavy to fly and well above the maximum approved weight for flight, which includes a safety margin. -- The company gave pilots a chart showing the helicopter's lifting power that dramatically overstated its capabilities. -- Some survivors of the accident reported that they were not told before liftoff how to use the helicopter's unusual seat belts, which made it difficult to unbuckle and escape from danger before fire engulfed the craft. Source: http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20101012/NEWS01/101012017 [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=gqvqzbdab&et=1103775111212&s=6053&e=001NNh7PiqN4EcKTHAP6a8g98MTZ53jlCCRa3wsDFzeBtru_UTmkUkuwaKPiisak3EVXVUzbLwmFtnoRRveEMHqsVts-zh8SMyI98lCK_QpbkDMTkKcL6xIZTHj48Wet7CFsysaNOpFbdxSQ8-ZF1VR-fEebUMBzWQ2AqlWQ9Q0nnM=] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ICAO reaches 'historic agreement' on aviation safety The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) said it reached a "historic agreement" last week on aviation safety, security and aircraft emissions. The deal reached by the 190 members of the Montreal-based United Nations organization at its 37th general assembly "builds on achievements since the last ICAO Assembly in 2007," the communiqué said, "which included a global goal of 2 per cent annual fuel efficiency improvement up to the year 2050, a global framework for the development and deployment of sustainable alternative fuels for aviation, and a target of 2013 for a CO2 standard for aircraft engines." The two-week conference also yielded "important advancements in aviation safety and aviation security." But ICAO conceded that "some states (expressed) reservations and (called) upon the ICAO Council to continue its work on specific aspects of the agreement" regarding the environment. "New initiatives include the development of a framework for market -based measures (MBMs), a feasibility study on the creation of a global MBM scheme and guiding principles for states to use when designing and implementing market-based measures for international aviation, all of which will be reviewed at the next Assembly in 2013." ICAO signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S., the European Union and the International Air Transport Association to create a Global Safety Information Exchange. "ICAO will coordinate the collection, analysis and exchange of aviation safety information among exchange members and disseminate to the global aviation community." The goal is to adopt a "safety strategy based on the sharing of critical safety information among governments and industry stakeholders. Greater availability of information in a transparent process improves the ability to better analyze and predict safety risks and to take action before issues result in accidents. Acting proactively on risk indicators can help to significantly reduce the accidents in all regions of the world." In 2012, ICAO will host a runway safety symposium here to address the issue of runway safety. Source: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/ICAO+reaches+historic+ [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=gqvqzbdab&et=1103775111212&s=6053&e=001NNh7PiqN4Ef4vo3DpCzIka-Zbb2lLDgdk68gE1GHvP_irO9OoPmu2hRFsvR2ZNFN18jyRwiqck51_2h_iNyVQzzgYwke_sJD5ygpF7CUEq68rTyJhuND3ZlyT0-aoiQ6UuJuSTfvQ31arzcj5_eWglsnMEk7cjhK-esBzpxsTInfdhheTcyx88RzQs7eS84zk2NOHzhaFD5tYiADE4k-NBwYQk5WOK_CoiEB1sU9hguI5s6b-kirJw==] [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=gqvqzbdab&et=1103775111212&s=6053&e=001NNh7PiqN4Ef4vo3DpCzIka-Zbb2lLDgdk68gE1GHvP_irO9OoPmu2hRFsvR2ZNFN18jyRwiqck51_2h_iNyVQzzgYwke_sJD5ygpF7CUEq68rTyJhuND3ZlyT0-aoiQ6UuJuSTfvQ31arzcj5_eWglsnMEk7cjhK-esBzpxsTInfdhheTcyx88RzQs7eS84zk2NOHzhaFD5tYiADE4k-NBwYQk5WOK_CoiEB1sU9hguI5s6b-kirJw==] agreement+aviation+safety/3659236/story.html [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=gqvqzbdab&et=1103775111212&s=6053&e=001NNh7PiqN4Ef4vo3DpCzIka-Zbb2lLDgdk68gE1GHvP_irO9OoPmu2hRFsvR2ZNFN18jyRwiqck51_2h_iNyVQzzgYwke_sJD5ygpF7CUEq68rTyJhuND3ZlyT0-aoiQ6UuJuSTfvQ31arzcj5_eWglsnMEk7cjhK-esBzpxsTInfdhheTcyx88RzQs7eS84zk2NOHzhaFD5tYiADE4k-NBwYQk5WOK_CoiEB1sU9hguI5s6b-kirJw==] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Finnish Aviation Union Strike could Disrupt Finnair Flights There have been a lot of strikes going on in Europe lately. Most recently, there have been national strikes in France and Belgium, while the UK has been dealing with Tube strikes. All of this has been wreaking havoc for holidaymakers, some of which are taking last-minute breaks before autumn really sets in. However, these strikes look to have no end, and this includes travelers going in and out of Finland. Recently the Finnish Aviation Union threatened to go on strike. This organization represents the over 3,000 air transport technical staff that work for companies in the Finnair Group. They are currently negotiating new labour contracts for aviation services, which have been at a standstill for 2 weeks. If the strike goes ahead on October 25 as planned, the operations for Finnair Technical Services, Finnair Flight Academy Oy and Finnair Engine Services Oy will be significantly disrupted. However, there is still time for the two parties to come to an agreement and halt the industrial action. Flag airline Finnair said in a statement that a strike will adversely affect their flight operations if it goes ahead. They hope the national conciliator will intervene as soon as possible, they added. Finnish Aviation Union deputy chairman Reijo Hautamaki says that negotiations haven't gotten very far. However, the issue will be taken to a state mediator in a couple of days, and they will organize talks. It's been reported that the union has kept an overtime ban on workers in place. For the sake of travelers and the economy, hopefully an agreement can be made. With economies trying to recover from the recession, more strikes are the last thing they need to deal with. Source: http://news.carrentals.co.uk/finnish-aviation-union-strike-could-disrupt-finnair-flights-34217899.html [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=gqvqzbdab&et=1103775111212&s=6053&e=001NNh7PiqN4EehMppACzk4m08Zxi3tqoXobSmzO5cpNQ4ZfoXnkfM0WGmC9Efa30gIhKWysgIuCyXyexKWsp8G0H4CHKjU8dvElF2P21lt1Ztx8WZIk115UvIEZDHJh027yGFH-ATdjD5ZgcJuhsYo5leWmGL-mN2WYF3O8J3IKJFO2215i2vfGEqbr9PYg3uZgIBTX0OAZ8i51twjCurttTZI2oDTg-eX] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ More than a half of aircrafts of Kyrgyzstan's civil aviation not airworthy More than a half of airplanes of Kyrgyzstan's civil aviation are not airworthy, the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Kyrgyzstan informs. According to the Ministry, as of January 2010, 60 airplanes and 34 helicopters are registered in the civil aircraft registration book. However, only 43 out of the aircraft fleet are airworthy. 5 years ago the republic had 290 aircrafts, but due to noncompliance with the requirements of flying safety 219 of them were removed from the registration book. They included the 40-year-old airplanes, Boeings-737-200 due to frequent cases of engine failure and Boeing-707. Besides, airworthiness certificates' validity for VAS 111 airplanes has been suspended. 12 air companies are currently registered in Kyrgyzstan. Only 3 of them fulfill passenger transportations. It should be noted that before 2006 the republic had 37 air companies, but after the inspection held, most of them were deprived of operator's certificates, the Ministry of Transport informs. Source: http://eng.24.kg/community/2010/10/13/14188.html [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=gqvqzbdab&et=1103775111212&s=6053&e=001NNh7PiqN4EelnRXUOCPCTtBm8mSVk1nKoYNqoof2A8DCdFdMJqFoVyTSa4ZMAXfXCAhFSUcU6iam7J4YF5bJ3ytwyY7d5mXB7vRtexOLSmigHDtzhYcZ_SUHTQfOiMepg3rSSal4q4SFLmCymGuPI06hUIkEBwh7] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Reform in pilot training is undercut by industry official heading panel WASHINGTON -- The Federal Aviation Administration appointed a top official from the regional airline industry to lead a panel proposing new rules for pilot training -- and that panel now wants to gut a key provision of a recently passed law aimed at making the skies safer. Less than three months after Congress passed a bill boosting the minimum number of flight hours for new commercial co-pilots from 250 to 1,500, that FAA committee used a loophole in the law to propose cutting the requirement for actual flying time back to 500 hours. The Families of Continental Flight 3407, who fought for the big boost in required pilot experience, are livid about the proposal -- and about the fact that Scott W. Foose, the vice president for safety at the Regional Airline Association, headed the panel that drew up the recommendations. "We find this development to be absolutely infuriating," said Scott Maurer, whose daughter, Lorin, was killed in the February 2009 plane crash in Clarence Center that claimed 50 lives. "For a representative of the Regional Airline Association to be in the lead on this major safety initiative is like putting the fox in charge of the security plan for the chicken coop," Maurer added. A Regional Airline Association spokesman said Foose and the organization would not comment; the spokesman instead steered questions to the FAA. Laura J. Brown, an FAA spokeswoman, stressed that the committee's report was just a recommendation. "The FAA has one mission: to promote aviation safety," she said. "The FAA is now drafting a proposal to incorporate the congressional mandate as well as other measures to truly improve the quality and scope of pilot training and experience. While an advisory committee did recently submit recommendations to the agency, it is not the sole factor used to determine what will be in our proposal." Brown said she did not know who appointed Foose to head the committee. But a source involved in drawing up the proposal said someone at the FAA chose Foose to head the panel -- even though the regional airlines have been the subject of unprecedented scrutiny in the wake of the Clarence Center crash. The last six major U.S. air crashes have involved the regionals, which are subcontractors that handle smaller flights for the big-name airlines. Colgan Air, a Continental subcontractor, operated Flight 3407. Members of the Flight 3407 families group said they were upset because regional airlines have a track record that shows that they don't put safety first. "[The Regional Airline Association] has one -- and only one -- priority in this rulemaking: for its regional members to be able to continue to hire low-experience pilots who are forced to work for less than $20,000 a year," as did the co-pilot of Flight 3407, Maurer said. Federal safety investigators found that pilot error was at the root of the Clarence Center crash. And for that reason, the families group made boosting pilot experience a central goal in its quest for aviation safety legislation. The families appeared to get what they wanted when Congress passed a wide-ranging air safety bill boosting the minimum experience requirement to 1,500 hours for new co-pilots. But that legislation also included a provision saying the FAA administrator "may allow specific academic training courses ... to be credited toward the total flight hours required." The Wall Street Journal first revealed the contents of the FAA Aviation Rulemaking Committee's report, and The Buffalo News obtained a copy Tuesday. In the report, the panel concocted an elaborate regimen of training courses that could make up two-thirds of the required 1,500 flight hours for beginning co-pilots. An Air Transport Pilot license "may not be issued to any candidate with fewer than 500 actual hours of total flight time," the draft report says. Asked to comment on the proposal, the lawmaker who led the fight for the aviation safety bill in the House, Rep. Jerry F. Costello, D-Ill., said: "The new safety law explicitly requires 1,500 flight hours. Any modification of that number has to be justified as making safety stronger than current ... requirements." Meanwhile, the Regional Airline Association said in written comments about the proposal that it "fully supports the majority recommendations regarding first-officer qualification standards as providing a proper mix of the experience and academic/training approaches that will best ensure safety." However, the Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations, a union group, opposed the training proposal, as did the National Air Disaster Alliance/Foundation. "We do agree that a solid educational foundation is important and will likely produce a well-trained pilot; however, it simply cannot replace or serve as a substitute for actual flight experience," the air safety group said. The Flight 3407 families agreed. "You cannot convince any of us that any classroom-based training is a viable substitute for actually getting in the cockpit," said John Kausner of Clarence, whose daughter, Ellyce, was killed on Flight 3407. Karen Eckert, who lost a sister, 9/11 activist Beverly Eckert, in the crash, said the Obama administration and FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt should "come down firmly on the side of safety and the traveling public as the airlines attempt to sabotage yet another critical safety measure." Maurer emphasized, "We are going to fight this to the hilt." Source: http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article218572.ece [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=gqvqzbdab&et=1103775111212&s=6053&e=001NNh7PiqN4EcSSFTpmQZIY81DaNZXoZ_KBDmLYjTSJ2H2ATO5RXBhn0AsRBLQI8jlL1kTH06YlmMfU8vc4pHAuJuDPr-B_-cEyvdxafYSq9LIic7_tg8r3HvR1JjiiB4DiYz6lPtWyl1eljoWs0ZVdw==] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Safety conference findings emphasises open communication for further development of aviation safety culture At the close of the 2nd Global Aviation Safety Conference (GASC) for Humanitarian Air Services, more than 300 delegates comprising civil aviation authorities, regulators, contractors and service providers have agreed on a number of recommendations, including the need to assist greater pilot training to reduce runway accidents. Three main recommendations from the conference included the need for improved identification and reporting of hazards, greater transparency between regulators and air operators, and harmonized standards of risk assessment and hazard mitigation. These findings came out from the two-day conference organised by the World Food Programme's (WFP) Aviation Safety Unit - the UN body mandated to improve aviation safety culture particularly for humanitarian air services efforts - with the full support of the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) of Sharjah and held under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al Thani, Chairman of Civil Aviation - Sharjah International Airport. His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Essam Al Qasimi, Director of Civil Aviation, Government of Sharjah was present at closing ceremonies of the conference. On behalf of Sheikh Khalid, the closing remarks at the conference were delivered by Ahmed Bukalla, Director of Operations-DCA, Government of Sharjah. Bukalla thanked all participants for their vital contribution in helping ensure safe aviation operations across the global aviation industry, specifically for the World Food Programme's humanitarian efforts in critical areas of need. "It is vital that a high level of aviation safety is maintained in order to expedite the delivery of food and aid which is critical in saving lives," Bukalla said. "It is crucial that the level of human tragedy be minimized, and the contribution that aviation plays is central to realising this goal. "We recognize the need to further enhance existing safety procedures, raise safety techniques across all aspects of air operations and offer safety management workshops for both government and commercial aviation personnel. It is for this reason that we have given our full support to this conference based on shared objectives and goals of further promoting aviation safety across the entire global aviation industry," he added. Discussing the recommendations of the conference, Cesar Arroyo, head of the WFP's Aviation Safety Unit said: "Global aviation has never been safer but we must continue to improve our work. Humanitarian aviators operate in very challenging environments when we have to deliver aid and these recommendations are not only crucial in our field, but for other aviators as well." For his part, Samir Sajet, Regional Aviation Safety Officer of WFP's Aviation Safety Unit based at Sharjah, UAE, noted how successful the conference was in terms of participants' synergy. "At this conference, we saw regulators sitting next to operators and contracting parties at the same table. It is an amazing synergy that is created when you bring all of them together. We have the same goal and for me it is extremely successful to be able to bring all these different cultures and nationalities and still come up with recommendations agreed by everybody," Sajet said. "The most important thing in this conference is that we had this huge number of attendees that exchanged information, safety concerns and it also provided good networking opportunities for all concerned," he added, stating that WFP is voluntarily funded, and relies on annual contributions for all of its operations. Arroyo noted the valuable support of the UAE, with Sharjah Airport authorities providing a base for food and non-food items. He also urged donors to provide additional financial support to meet urgent needs for WFP's humanitarian work. "Food security is pivotal in the fight against global hunger, particularly in places like Pakistan, where an emergency operation is still underway," he said. WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. Each year, on average, WFP feeds more than 90 million people in more than 70 countries. In 2009, WFP Aviation provided safe, efficient and reliable air transport services. With an average usage of 53 aircraft per month, WFP Aviation transported 323,713 passengers and 12,412 metric tons of humanitarian cargo in 44,200 flying hours to 200 destinations in 14 country operations. Source: http://www.ameinfo.com/245087.html [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=gqvqzbdab&et=1103775111212&s=6053&e=001NNh7PiqN4EchMVCH4pBU0YmK2mUNASCnoJkd8Jk6MxXlkK7zBcC4McHVzZJOppsBNT1AdcAobRpfTRUFN-5sMzhGyRulc6X8ImDup2NmrbDuQd810QLejBmIQqLtT9fm] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UAE: Flight risks in spotlight Aviation security chiefs have gathered in Sharjah to discuss the safety of air travel in the region almost a year after a cargo plane crashed killing six people in the emirate. Director of operations at Sharjah Airport, Ahmed Bukalla, told 7DAYS investigations into the October 22, 2009 crash were still being collated. "We are waiting for the UAE's General Civil Aviation AuthorityGeneral Civil Aviation Authority and they are the right authority to deal with this. From our point of view, as the airport, it is nothing to do with us. Everything was done correctly from our side and the accident happened several miles after take-off." The Sudanese Boeing 707 was owned by Azza Transport - an aviation company blacklisted by the European Union on safety grounds, raising questions over consistency in safety protocol worldwide. Regional senior representative for the Federal Aviation Administration, Roy Barnett, said forging strong communications between countries, even in the Gulf, is one of the biggest challenges facing safety and security in the Middle East. But he also said the rapid growth of traffic in the region's skies is one of the most significant factors in making sure passenger and cargo planes stay safe. "In a 180km stretch just in this area you have Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Bahrain and Doha," he said. "All the main cities are trying to make a name for themselves with their national carriers and all have seen huge growth in recent years." Terrorism remains a major concern globally and Bukalla says Sharjah is no exception. "You can expect a threat anytime," he said. "We work with all the relevant authorities to maintain the highest standard of security." The findings from the two-day conference, organised by the World Food Programme, will enable aviation agencies worldwide to improve access to safety data, hazard identification and reduce risks while flying in some of the toughest terrains in the world. Source: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20101013035231/UAE%3A%20Flight%20risks%20in%20spotlight [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=gqvqzbdab&et=1103775111212&s=6053&e=001NNh7PiqN4Eetxz6g0YpP8rQkFQA6WBOEdM1eiUmxxZPAe_j9HLmhm7nNQ0rtMWyF8-MpxN1Na9_znFZl2Fnn4bq2LdVohIzr-Gu5nW85Y5WS5vLTsWAls_k0mQ4ZjjTu4Hh8v0mXY_GWqjDtDL0LKIGeV3_pHPnDeRigpa6otVORwHiw6KkNUHrOPpDRzhJZ5NXLJDDy3y0LhU4I_x14TCEjmEJHNken] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC